Year: 1861

Expressed.


The original draft of the Report of the
Secretary of War, before it was submitted
to the President, contained the following
passage, for which the concluding portion
of the Report was afterwards substituted


at has become grave question for
determination what shall be done with the
slaves abandoned by their owners on the
advance OF our troops into Southern ter.
ritory as in the Beaufort district in South
Carolina. The whole white population
therein is 5000, while the number of ne
groes exceeds 80 ,000 The panic which
drove their masters in wild confusion from
their homes, leaves them in undisputed
possession of the soil. Shall they, armed
by their masters, be placed in the field to
fight against us, or shall their labor be
continually employed in reproducing the
means for supporting the arms Of rebel
lion


The war into which this Government
has been forced by rebellious traitors is
carried on for the purpose of repossessing
the property violently and treachercusly
seized upon by the enemies of the Govern.
ment, and to re establish the authority of
the laws of the United States in the places
where it is opposed or overthrown by
armed insurrection and rebellion. Its
purpose is to recover and defend what is
justly its own.


War, even between Independent nations,
is made to subdue tie enomy, and all that
belongs to that enemy, by occupying the
hostile country, and exercising dominion
over all the men and things within its ter
rtory. This being true in respect to in
dependent nations at war with each other,
it follows that rebels, who are laboring by
force OF arms to overthrow Government,
justly bring upon themselves all the con-
sequences of war, and provoke the destruc-
ton merited by the worst of crimes. That
Government would be false to national
trust, and would justly excite the ridicule
Of the civilized world, that would abstain
from the use of any efficient means to pre-
serve its own existence, or to overcome
rebellious and traitorous enemy, by spa.
ring or protecting the property of those
who are waging war against it.


The principal wealth and power of the
rebel States is a peculiar species of prop
erty, consisting of the service or labor of
African slaves, or tho desoendsnts of AT
ricans. This property has been variously
estimated at the value of from $500, ,OOO,-
900 to 81 900, 900 900.


Why should this property be excmpt
from the hazards and consequences of
rebellious war!


1t was the boast of the leader Of the re-
bellion, while he yet had . seat in the Sem
ate of the United States, that the South.
ern States would be comparatively safe
and free from the burdens of war, if it
should be brought on by the contemplated
rebellion, and that boast was accompanied
by the savage threat that "Northern towns
and cities would become the victims Of ra-
vine and military SPOIL and that "N ORTIZ
ern men should smell Southern gunpowder
and feel Southern steel" No one doubts
the disposition of the rebels to carry that
threat into execution. The wealth of
Northern towns and cities, the produce of
Northern farms, Northern works hops and
manufactures, would certainly be seized
destroyed, or appropriated as military
spoils, No property in the North would
be spared from the hands of the rebels,
and their rapine would bo defended under
the laws Of war. While the loyal States
thus have all their property and possess
ions at stake, are the insurgent rebels to
carry on warfare against the Government
in peace and security to their own prop
erty?


Reason and justice and self preservation
forbid that such should be the policy of
this Government, but demand, On the con
trary, that being forced by traitors and
rebels to the extremity Of war, all the
rights and powers Of war, should be exef-
ciscd to bring it to speedy end.


Those who make war against the Gov
ernment justly forfeit all rights of proper
ty, privilege, or security derived from the
Constitution aud laws, against which they
are in armed rebellion and as the labor
and service of their slaves constitute the
chief property of the rebels, such property
should share the common fate of war to
which they have devoted the property Of
loyal citizens.


While it is plain that the slave property
of the South is Justly subjected to all the
conse quences of this rebelious war, and
that the Government would be untrue to
its trust in not employing all the rights