Year: 1864

GEaFLEMEN-Allow me q 0riet spaceito
oflng again to public notice the subject OF
negro conscription and the probable action
OF the next Congress on this subject.
Ihat the owners of fifteen negroes and
upwards would prefer that Congress should
conecript ten or even a greater per centum
OF their negroes for the army rather than
the present law exempting them should be
revoked, there can be not the least CUES.
tlon; that the negroes then remaining at
home on large plantations would produce,
with the attention of their masters, more
than the whole number would if the mas.
ters were coascripted, and they left intact,
cannot be denied. Then what are the OBJ
jections to bringing this power. which has
so long been overlooked, to bear upon our
enemy, who are using men of every faith,
cline and color to subdue u42 Some pre-.
tend that the army has great aversion to
seeing the negro conscripted; that they
will not allow themselves thus to be put
on an equality with the negro; others that
there 10 great principal of morality in
volVed in thus forcing the negro to risk his
life for the freedom of his master. If the
first class would cultivate the society of
our intelligent rebels more they would dis


cover the real sentiments of the army to
be greatly in favor of negro coDscription
for recruiting the army for the ensuing
spring. AS 10 those who entertain the lat
ter view Of 'moral objection" &C., their
opinions, conscientious and moral suasions
smack too much of the fauatical and Pnri-
tanical love for the negro which the North.
man Processes when we see them unwilling
TO allow him to strike blow against those
who would enslaVe to worse han Hindo.
stan servitude both master and servant.


That the 0eOP0 vvill k0hk nnora fotkhfnl1v
for his master than the Yankee no one can
doubt who has seen the attachment OF
slaves to their masters in camp and the
reliance and faithfulness with which they
discharge sometimes the most dangerous
and difficult duties. Then, too, the won
derful change which would be. brought
upon them by giving such Gs were enlisted
their immediate freedom, with the promise
of grant of land after the war, would
cause them to acknowledge aud look upon
the Yankee as their inferior whom they
now consider as their equal. Let this
freedom be given them in due form by
their masters, and solemnly confirmed by
the seal Of the County COURT upon their
being conscripted, and we would hear no
more of negroes running to the enemy to
be free. Contented and happy around


their camp f:es, they, with4roper discip.
liue and drill, would make us soldiers su-
perior to any the enemy have yet brought
against us. '


Then Congress will have another vexed
question that this negro conscription will
dispose of, Observation-Disclosures of regi.
ments whose numbers have been reduced
to mere skeletons; and we take 1t for
granted Congress must consolidate many
regiments, battalions and companies. Let
the officers thus thrown out, and others
already out, and now doing nothing but
troubling the authorities half their time to


find something for them to do, be assigned


to the command of these negro regiments
and companies. Let them be placed in
our ses-coast gaTrisons, on our lines of COM
municationg and supply, and in camps of
instruction, to be there drilled and prepa'
red for the field, if we should need them,
aud who doubts but what we will by the


coming spring. 1t might be said these Of.
fcers would object to commanding negro


regiments and negro companies. But no,


they will not if they have the proper quail


tiles and qualifications for officers. twill
take Just such gallant men as those who


have already lost their commando by lead.


ing them to the forefront of the battle to
command that respect from the negro


which the Southern gentleman knows Sc
well how to command, atthe same time


that be shove, without constraint, the ut


termost kindnessi and no officer should


consider it any disparagement to him to


command these troops, bat rather look up
on It in the light OF difficult task which
the government has assigned TO him for
bis signal success in the dpast, and his
ability TO reduce to proper discipline and


make good soldiers Of the raw aud
rough material. Rather let him regard


such an assignment or appointment as q
| compliment to his fitness for command.
| 10 other words, only the best officers should
l be selected to command these troops, and,
our word for it, we will have in the fourth
year Of the war new and powerful REIN
lforcement, @ force capable of anything less


than the greatest emergency, and an Offset
1 TO the hirelings and blacks that the enemy


are bringing against which they never


dreamed of. Do this now and we will
| only do what is evidently becoming more
| apparentwe wiilhave to do sooner or later,
namely: meet with the same material that
class of the enemy's army which, unless
counterbalanced thus, will form an impor-
tant element in our defeat and subjugation.
These remarks are dictated by clear con-


viotton Of what is daily becoming more


urgent by the great desire Of the majority
of our people and army for this euactment
| and by the circumstOuces around me; for
be il noted that 1 write from a section of


Virginia the most prosperous. and that
there are ten farmers living adjacent own
ling more than twenty thousand acres of
land between them, and from this broad


area not one single soldier is furnished TO


the army. Think, Virginians. Of twenty


Thousand acres of land in Virginia, owned
By ten different families, not furnishing q


single representative in the army. Ifsueh
be the case in Virginia, what must it be in


the less populous South. where the extern


siVe cotton lands of the rich planter extend
for miles away. Yet these men are viii
ling, yea, many of them anxious, TO con-
| tribute their portion of negroes to the ser
vice, aud one hundred could be raised in
this immediate neighborhood without ma
4 ..;.i aot.;r,anf to the EaPminry sintareata al