Year: 1862

w ell, then, Will go on TO say that another
mistake we have made all along is that of sup
posing that slavery was an element of weak
ness to the South. We thought that it was a
smouldering fire, which only needed the fact Of
actual warfare to start it, and it would start
into blaze that would leave US an easy, task
10 perform; but we were mistaken, and we


have found to our cost that slavery is one of
the main elements of strength to the South at


the present time. r voice, "How2nl How?


Why if you'll wait minute will show you


how. You want to have this war prosecuted


with visor and the rebellion put down


If ask you to go, it may be that you are a


mechanic, and you say, az can't leave my


workshops" you are perhaps farmer and


you say you cannot leave your farm. You


are married, and have wife and family de-


pending on you for support, and you cannot


leave them. Well, let US change the scene


and fancy that / am down South recruiting


for JEFF. Davis, l say just imagine it. Voice


awe can't do that, General We'll, say 90


to a fierce looking individual and say, awe


have established a new Government. Its in


danger, it requires your arm to support it. and


We want you to help US and fight for us" He


thinks, well, believe l can go; the cotton is


all planted the farm is in good order can


leave my niggers to attend to the wants of my
family, and when the cotton requires to be


gather ed in the niggers will do It all and
keep the cotton gins at work, and on the force


of this reasoning he goes at once. Now again,
suppose | go to JEFF. Davis and say, President,


want to make this agreement with you If
you will keep your four millions of negroes at


home, and not let them do anything for the
furtherance Of the war, l will keep at home
an equal number of the free operatives of the
North. Do you think he would agree to it?
No, he never would agree to it. Well, then,


l say it becomes q military principle, which
should be instantly acted upon, that we ought
| to use every means to weaken our enemies and
strengthen our own hands. If Slavery is the
basis of this rebellion, why in Gods name do


we not knock away the base from under it
Loud cheers and applause. You say that it is
right to take corn from the rebels, to take
their herses, cattle and everything else that's
all right, but just touch single Niger and


then there's an awful hullabaloo about it.


Laughter and cheers. Now, then, look
again at another thing.
| have eleven regiments under my COM


mand, and from each regiment forty-four men
are detailed for teamsters, to drive mules and
perform all that kind of work, which, if We
only seized the niggers, they could do as we'll


as our men. Only think of that. There are
484 men taken away from my eleven regi-


ments, because we are so scrupnlous about
taking away niggers from rebels Why, it is
L
| God knows our regiments are weak enough
| already; in fact, that is why am here to-
night, to get you people of Cincinnati to raise
more men, to fill up those already in the field.
/ If we can find men that can do all this druid


gerry, why in Heavens name do We not do it
/ Am / not right Yes.l | have seen hun
| dreds of cur boys, after a long and weary
/ days marching, when they were tired out with


the fatigue of their wearying labor, obliged to


take the spade and turn to digging to protect
/ themselves from watchful and vigilant enc
my. These boys ought to have been able to


have got their suppers and turned in to rest,
| 80 as TO be ready to meet the enemy at any


moment and be in condition to fight, and
| fight well, and If a lot of negroes accompanied


the regiments, after days march the boys
| will be able to take their suppers and rest,


while the niggers perform the laborious work


which has cost so many lives already. Thus
| the men would be spared all this unnecessary


fatigue, and would be ready at any time to


meet the foe, refreshed and inyigorated by


complete rest.


do not mean to say that you, people OF
America, are not equal to the task of putting


down this rebellion. believe we are perfect
| ly capable Of fghsing the thing through our


selves, and no thanks TO the Englishman


Frenchnan or to the Ethiopian. Immense
applause. In times of great excitement like


the present, simple prejudice may do an i'm.


mense amount of evil. A CREASED cartridge


produced the Sepoy rebellion, but Rotwith.


standing al these prejudices that have been


instilled into the minds of some of our boys


when our troops are worn out with fighting


against superior forces, when outnumbered and


cut to pieces with every hope gone, and moth


ing but destruction staring them in the face


then say if white men should happen to heal


the sweet music of the rife even though IL


nigger hands, they would like it amazingly


and be wonderfully glad of it. Now, then,


have done with the niger, and l am heartily


glad of it-thoroughiy glad of it, assure
you. Laughter. Now have told you o


three mistakes, and they are very serious ones
. but / have yet another mistake to tell you OF
, We have an old tradition, a vanity, if yo,
like to call it so, and that is that wherever ou
} flag goes, there trade follows. We regardel
! it as an inevitable and inseparable conse
, quence. We thought that wherever on
: armies go, We might let traitors trade. Did
not occur to you that it is a very foolish thin!
) to do, to open up the whole of this great from
tier for these traitors to smuggle in stores an
} supplies to our bitterest enemies? Some ma
> deny that it is so, but we know that for month
and months they were suffering all throug
D the South for want of every kind of clothing
8 Now wherever we go we find that they hay
t plenty. Where do they get their books from
$ "A voice, from Englando] No, sir, the
g don't; they get them from Cincinnati
r " That's so, from Saint Louis, fror


Cairo, from every place in the North, wher
i they can get to send down goods to th
o South. They don't care for the country
g long as they can make money. They pass 0
e shore before our own soldiers even, and con
It mence to trade; they go into the interior an
Is buy cotton. The planter asks what he wi
! will pay in; the merchant offers greenback
It and Mr.. Planter says, "No, sir, they ain'tgoo
It here. must have gold.H And at this ds
r, there is more gold in the State of Tennesst
y than there is in the whole State of Ohio. I


go on with the subject, the trader takes dow
u piles of boots and shoes, and who buys them
IN Our soldiers? No-they are supplied by OF
1T own government; and let me say they q
r better supplied than any other soldiers und