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diff --git a/31339-8.txt b/31339-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..589e5a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/31339-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,22565 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Black Phalanx, by Joseph T. Wilson + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Black Phalanx + African American soldiers in the War of Independence, the + War of 1812, and the Civil War + +Author: Joseph T. Wilson + +Release Date: February 21, 2010 [EBook #31339] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BLACK PHALANX *** + + + + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. + + + + + + + + +THE + +BLACK PHALANX + +AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, THE WAR OF 1812, +AND THE CIVIL WAR + +BY + +JOSEPH T. WILSON + +LATE OF THE 2ND. REG'T. LA. NATIVE GUARD VOLS. 54TH MASS. VOLS. +AIDE-DE-CAMP TO THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF G. A. B. + +AUTHOR OF + +"EMANCIPATION," "VOICE OF A NEW RACE," "TWENTY-TWO YEARS OF FREEDOM," +ETC., ETC. + +New Foreword by + +DUDLEY TAYLOR CORNISH + +DA CAPO PRESS NEW YORK + + +Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data + +Wilson, Joseph T. (Joseph Thomas), 1836-1891. + +The Black phalanx: African American soldiers in the War of Independence, +the War of 1812, and the Civil War / by Joseph T. Wilson; foreword by +Dudley Taylor Cornish.--1st Da Capo Press ed. + +p. cm. + +Previously published: Hartford, Conn.: American Pub. Co., 1890. + +Includes bibliographical references. + +ISBN 0-306-80550-2 + +1. Afro-American soldiers--History. 2. United States--History--Civil +War, 1861-1865--Participation, Afro-American. 3. +United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Participation, +Afro-American. 4. United States--History--War of 1812--Participation, +Afro-American. I. Cornish, Dudley Taylor. II. Title. +E185.63.W632 1994 93-40117 +973.7-dc20 CIP + +First Da Capo Press edition 1994 + +This Da Capo Press paperback edition of _The Black Phalanx_ is an +unabridged republication of the edition published in Hartford, +Connecticut, in 1887. It is here supplemented with a new foreword by +Dudley Taylor Cornish. + +Foreword © 1994 by Dudley Taylor Cornish + +Published by Da Capo Press, Inc. +A Subsidiary of Plenum Publishing Corporation +233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013 + +All Rights Reserved + +Manufactured in the United States of America + + + + +INTRODUCTION. + + +By way of introduction to the American public, of the author and editor +of this book, we beg to say that Mr. Wilson is not altogether unknown to +the literary world, having already published several works relative to +the Negro race. + +His services during the war of the Rebellion secured for him a +flattering recognition. He served in the 2nd Regiment Louisiana Native +Guard Volunteers, also the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers,--the most +famous of the Union negro regiments that engaged in the struggle, +receiving several wounds. He was the first negro member of the National +Council of Administration of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a +delegate to the National Encampment, and was appointed Colonel--A. D. C. +to the Commander-in-Chief G. A. R. He was chosen by his comrades to be +the historian of the negro soldiers, and has overcome many almost +insurmountable difficulties in gathering the scattered facts, +particularly those of the early wars of the United States, that were +necessary to complete this work. + +THE PUBLISHERS. + + + + +DEDICATION. + + +_To the Brave Men Who Commanded the Black Phalanx._ + +SOLDIERS:--As a mark of esteem and respect for your patriotic devotion +to the cause of human freedom, I desire to dedicate to you this record +of the services of the negro soldiers, whom you led so often and +successfully in the struggle for liberty and union during the great war +of 1861-'65. + +Your coming from the highest ranks of social life, undeterred by the +prevailing spirit of caste prejudice, to take commands in the largest +negro army ever enrolled beneath the flag of any civilized country, was +in itself a brave act. The organization and disciplining of over two +hundred thousand men, of a race that for more than two centuries had +patiently borne the burdens of an unrequited bondage, for the +maintenance of laws which had guaranteed to them neither rights nor +protection, was indeed a magnificent undertaking. + +You were outlawed by the decrees of Jefferson Davis, criticised by many +friends at home, and contemptuously received by brother officers at +headquarters, in the field, in the trenches, and at the mess table; yet, +you did not waver in your fidelity to principle or in your heroic +leadership of those whose valor was denied until it was proven in +carnage and victory. + +The record of the Black Phalanx invites the scrutiny of all who have +been disposed to taunt you for associating with "armed barbarians." No +massacre of vanquished foe stains the banners of those who followed you, +giving quarter but receiving none. It was your teaching that served as a +complete restraint against retaliation, though statesmen hinted that it +would be just. Your training developed patriotism and courage, but not +revenge. Ungrateful as Republics are said to be, ours has aimed to +recognize merit and reward it, and those who at first hailed you with +contumely, are now glad to greet you as heroes and saviors of a common +country. + +No true soldier desires to forget the price of his country's liberty, or +that of his own; it is the recollection of the terrible bloody +onset--the audacious charge--the enemy's repulse, which sweetens +victory. And surely no soldiers can appreciate the final triumph with a +keener sense of gladness than those who fought against such odds as did +the Black Phalanx. Beating down prejudice and upholding the national +cause at the same time, they have inscribed upon their banners every +important battle from April, 1863, to April, 1865. + +If what I have written here shall call to your minds, and present justly +to the patriotic public, the indescribable hardships which you endured +on the march, in the bivouac, and in the seething flames of the battle's +front, my task will have served its purpose. In the name of and as a +token of the gratitude of a freed race, this book is dedicated to you. + + JOSEPH T. WILSON. + + _Navy Hill, Richmond, Va._ + + + + +PREFACE. + + +It was a dark, stormy night in the winter of 1882, when less than a +hundred men, all of whom had served their country in crushing the great +Rebellion of 1861-'65, gathered around a camp-fire. The white and the +colored American were there; so were the German, Frenchman, and +Irishman,--all American citizens,--all veterans of the last war. The +empty sleeve, the absent leg, the sabred face, the bullet-scarred body +of the many, told the story of the service they had seen. It was the +annual Encampment of the Department of Virginia, Grand Army of the +Republic, and the comrades of Farragut Post had tastefully arranged +their quarters for the occasion. + +At midnight a sumptuous soldiers fare--baked beans, hot coffee and hard +tack--was spread before the veterans, who ate and drank heartily as in +the days when resting from the pursuit of the enemy. In the morning +hour, when weary from the joy of song and toast, it was proposed that +the history of the American negro soldier should be written, that +posterity might have a fuller and more complete record of the deeds of +the negro soldiers than had been given in the numerous already published +histories of the conflicts in which they played so important a part. + +The task of preparing the history fell to my lot, and it is in obedience +to the duty laid upon me by my former comrades, with whom I shared the +toils and joys of camp, march, battle and siege, that this volume, the +result of my efforts, is launched upon the sea of war literature. + +Whether or not there is any merit in the work, the reader must judge. +His charity is asked, however, toward such defects as may be apparent, +and which, perhaps, might be expected in the literary work of one whose +life has been largely spent amid the darkness of the South American +countries and the isolation of the South Sea Islands. It was not until +May, 1862, while domiciled at the capitol of Chili, that I first learned +of the war in the United States, when, hastening to this country, I fell +into the ranks with the first negro soldiers that left the Touro +Building at New Orleans, in November, 1862, and marched out on the +Opelousas road, to serve in defence of the Union. + +With whatever forebodings of failure I entered upon the work of +collecting the literature of the war, from which to cull and arrange +much of the matter contained herein,--which has required years of +incessant search and appeal,--I can but _feel_ that it has been +thoroughly done. The public libraries of the cities of Boston, +Cincinnati, New Bedford, New York, the War Department at Washington, and +the private libraries of several eminent citizens, have alike been made +use of by me. + +It seemed proper, also, that the memory of our forefathers should not be +allowed to remain in longer obscurity; that it was fitting to recall +_their_ deeds of heroism, that all might know the sacrifices they made +for the freedom their descendants were so long denied from enjoying. In +gathering together the scattered facts relating to the negroe's +participation in the wars of 1775 and 1812, difficulties well-nigh +insurmountable have been overcome, and it has been only through patient +and persistent effort that I have been able to prepare the chapters +devoted to the early wars of the United States. + +Descriptions of a number of the battles in which negro troops took part +in the late war of the Rebellion, are given to call attention to the +unsurpassed carnage which occurred, and to give them proper place in the +war's history rather than to present a critical account of the battles. +My aim has been to write in the spirit which impelled the soldiers to go +forth to battle, and to reverse the accounts given in the popular +histories which ascribe to the generals and colonels who commanded, +instead of the soldiers who did the fighting, victory or defeat. "The +troops who do what can neither be expected nor required, are the ones +which are victorious. The men, who, tired and worn and hungry and +exhausted, yet push into battle, are those who win. They who persist +against odds, against obstacles, against hope, who proceed or hold out +reasonably, are the conquerors," says Gen. Grant's historian. With no +desire of detracting from the commanders--if I were able--the honor due +them, my aim is to credit the soldiers with whatever heroism they may +have displayed. + +I acknowledge it has been a labor of love to fight many of the battles +of the war of the rebellion over again, not because of a relish for +blood and the destruction of human life, but for the memories of the +past; of the bondage of a race and its struggle for freedom, awakening +as they do the intense love of country and liberty, such as one who has +been without either feels, when both have been secured by heroic effort. + +To those who have responded to my appeal for information regarding the +negro soldier, I have aimed to give full credit; if any are omitted it +is not intentionally done. To no one am I more indebted for assisting in +collecting data, than to Lt. J. M. Trotter, of the 55th Mass. Reg't. nor +am I unmindful of the kindness of Hon. Robert Lincoln, late Secretary of +War, nor that of Col. James D. Brady, member of Congress from Virginia, +for copies of public records; to Col. H. C. Corbin, for the record of +the 14th Reg't.; and to Col. D. Torrance for that of the 29th Reg't. +Conn. I am also indebted to Maj. Gen. Wm. Mahone for a map of the +defences of Petersburg, showing the crater; to the librarian of the +Young Men's Mercantile Library, of Cincinnati, for the use of Col. +Albert's carved map of Fort Wagner, and to Col. G. M. Arnold and Hon. +Joseph Jergenson for copies of historical papers; also to Hon. Libbey. + + J. T. W. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + +PART I. + +_THE WARS FOR INDEPENDENCE._ + + +CHAPTER I.--THE WAR OF 1775. PAGE. + +The Sentiments of the Colonists--The Agreement of 1774--The Resolutions +of Ga.--The Virginians Boycotting a Slaver--Tories Opposed to a Negro +Army--Caste Prejudice not strong--The Militia Law of Mass. in +1652--Negro Sentinels at Meeting houses--Crispus Attucks leads the +whites to an attack upon British Soldiers--Resolution of the Committee +of Safety--Battle of Bunker Hill--Peter Salem Kills the British Maj. +Pitcairn--Petition to the General court of Mass. Bay--Biographical +account of Peter Salem--Manumitting of Slaves to allow them to become +Soldiers--Meeting of the Committee of Conference--Gen. Washington writes +the President regarding Negro Soldiers--Action of Congress sustaining +Gen. Washington--The First Question of "color" in the Army--Negroes +allowed in the S. C. Militia--Dr. Hopkins' Article concerning +Slavery--Lord Dunmore visits Norfolk, 1775--Proclamation of Lord +Dunmore--The Dread of the Colonists--An Unreasonable Fear--Action of the +Conn. General Assembly, 1777--Letter from Gen. Green to Gen. +Washington--Daring Exploits of Prince and other Negroes at Newport, R. +I.--The Storming of Fort Griswold--Action of the State of R. I.--Action +of the State of New York, 1781--Proclamation of Sir Henry Clinton--The +Colonists beginning to favor Negro Troops--Gen. Washington's Emphatic +Language--Re-enslavement of Discharged Negro Soldiers--Action of the +Legislature of Virginia 21 + + +CHAPTER II.--THE WAR OF 1812. + +The Principal Cause of the War--Seizure of American Negro +Sailors--Outrages upon American Ships--The Declaration of War--The +Battle of Lake Erie--Negroes on American Privateers--Action of the +Legislature of La.--Review of Negro Troops in New Orleans--The Battle of +New Orleans 72 + + +PART II. + +_THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES._ + + +CHAPTER I.--PUBLIC OPINION. + +Existing Prejudice--No Prejudice in Europe--DeTocqueville's Views--The +New Race--Southern Opinions--The Negro's Ambition--The Coast Pursuit in +the Navy--A Change of Policy--Public Opinions Changed 81 + + +CHAPTER II.--RECRUITING AND ORGANIZING. + +The Unpleasant duties of a Recruiting Officer--Henry Wilson's Bill in +Congress for the Arming of Negroes, 1862--Mr. Stevens' Amendment to the +Enrollment Act, 1864--Orders for the Enrollment of Negroes in the Miss. +Valley--Curious way of Keeping ranks full--The Date of the First +Organization of Colored Troops--The Organization of the 24th Mass. +Regiment--Their Quarters at Morris Island--Refusing to do Menial +Service--Short Pay for Negro Troops--Negroes Enlisting for +Bounty--Record of total number of Negroes who Served in the Army 93 + + +CHAPTER III.--RECRUITING AND ORGANIZING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. + +Private Miles O'Reilly's Account of Gen. Hunter's Black Troops--The +First Negro Troops in the Field--Gen. Hunter's Humorous Report to +Congress--Jefferson Davis declares Gen. Hunter and his Officers +Outlaws--Gen. Hunter's suppressed Letter to Jefferson Davis--Miles +O'Reilly's Humorous Poem, "Sambo's Right to be Kil't" 145 + + +CHAPTER IV.--OFFICERS OF THE PHALANX. + +Officers of the Phalanx--Character and Qualifications of the men who +commanded Negro Troops--The Examination of Candidates for +Commissioners--Some of the Negroes who rose from the Ranks--Gen. Banks' +idea of Officering the Corps d'Afrique 166 + + +CHAPTER V.--DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. + +The Surrender of Confederate Negro Troops at New Orleans--Slaves +flocking to the Union Camp--Gen. Phelps desires to Arm them--Butler +Refuses--Gen. Phelps' Resignation--Gen. Butler converted to the Policy +of Arming Negroes--Negroes Enlisted at New Orleans--Gen. Weitzel placed +in Command--The fight at Mansfield--The Battle of Milliken's +Bend--Indignities offered to Phalanx Soldiers--The affair at Ship +Island--Port Hudson--The Struggle--Desperate Fighting of the Phalanx--A +Useless Effort--Perilous Duties of the Engineers--Boker's Poem on the +fight at Port Hudson 183 + + +CHAPTER VI.--THE ARMY OF THE FRONTIER. + +Iowa's splendid Response to the Call--Refusal of the Phalanx Troops to +Accept the Pay offered by the Government--Active times at Helena--The +Confederate General Dobbins makes an Attack--A Spirited Fight--A +Critical Situation--Re-enforcement by White Cavalry--The Honor Due to +Kansas--The report of the Service of Kansas Negro Troops--Col. +Crawford's report for the 2nd Kansas Regiment 220 + + +CHAPTER VII.--DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH. + +Gen. Hunter's Important Action--Organization of the 1st South +Carolina--An Expedition up the St. Mary's River--Fort +Wagner--Description of the Fort--Plans for the Assault--The forming of +the line--The Assault--Magnificent Fighting--Death of Col. Shaw--Useless +Slaughter--The Confederate Account of the Assault upon Fort +Wagner--Movements in Florida--The Landing at Jacksonville--Raids on the +surrounding country--The Advance towards Tallahassee--The Troops reach +Barbour's Station--The Battle of Olustee--Desperate Fighting on both +Sides--A Terrible Defeat--The Union Troops routed--Drawing away the +Wounded on railway cars--Return to Baldwin's--The 54th Mass.--Boykin's +Mill--The "Swamp Angel"--Inquiries Respecting Negro Troops--Labor Days +of the Negro Troops 249 + + +CHAPTER VIII.--THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. + +Services in the West--The Mississippi River Guarded by the Phalanx--Gen. +Morgan's Historical Sketch--The Rendezvous at Gallatin--The Place +Threatened by Guerillas--Organizing a Regiment--Negro Soldiers ordered +to Alabama--An Incident--A School in camp--The Battle at Dalton, +Ga.--Good Behavior of the troops there--Honors to the 51st +Colored--Sharp Fighting at Pulaski, Tenn.--An Incident of the Fight--An +Engagement at Decatur--Ordered to Nashville--Severe Fighting at that +place--A Reconnoissance--The Defeat of Gen. Hood--A Pursuit to +Huntsville--A Glorious Record 286 + + +CHAPTER IX.--THE PHALANX AT MARION, TENN. + +Sherman's March to the Sea--Destruction of the Confederate Bridge over +the Big Black river--Confederates Attack Federals near +Morristown--Gillem's Troops Driven into Knoxville--The Confederates +Retreat--Federals Pursued to Marion--Struggle for the Possession of the +Salt Works--The Charge of the 6th Regiment--Gen. Brisbin's account of +the Battle--The Salt Works Destroyed--Personal Bravery 308 + + +CHAPTER X.--THE BLACK FLAG. + +The Phalanx acquiring a Reputation--No Blacks Paroled--Gen. Grant's +Letter to the Confederate General Taylor--Jefferson Davis' Proclamation +respecting Negro Soldiers--Mr. Davis' Third Annual Message--Action of +the Confederate Congress--Negro Soldiers Captured by the Confederates +receive Punishment--Retaliation by the Federal Government--Refusal to +Exchange captured Negro Troops--Order from President Lincoln in relation +thereto--Report of the Congressional Committee in regard to Barbarities +Inflicted upon captured Union Prisoners--Report of the Congressional +Committee in regard to the Fort Pillow Massacre--Testimony +given--Sketches of Prison Life--Schemes for Escaping from Confederate +Prisons--Life in Libby Prison--The Effect of the Fort Pillow Massacre on +the Black Soldiers--Their Desire to Retaliate--Correspondence between +Gens. Forrest and Washburn--A Confederate Account, written in 1883--A +Confederate Account of Price's Cross-Roads--Heavy Fighting--Gallant +Conduct of the Federal Cavalry--The Rout of the Federal Force--The +Phalanx Saves the White Troops from Capture--Gen. Sturgis Criticised 315 + + +CHAPTER XI.--THE PHALANX IN VIRGINIA. + +Transfer of Negro Troops from the West and South to +Virginia--Preparations for a New Campaign--9th Army Corps passing +Through Washington--Army of the Potomac--Battle at Bailey's farm--Siege +of Petersburg--Digging a Mine--Phalanx Troops preparing to lead the +Assault--Disappointment--Explosion of the Mine--Terrible +Slaughter--Failure of the Attempt to Take the Redoubt--New Movement +Against Richmond--New Market Heights--Capture of Petersburg--Fall of +Richmond--Appomattox--Surrender of Lee 377 + + +Chapter XII.--THE ROLL OF HONOR. + +Phalanx Soldiers who received Medals of Honor from the United States +Government for Heroism 463 + + +CHAPTER XIII.--THE ROSTER OF THE BLACK PHALANX. + +Complete list from the Government Records, as far as can be obtained, of +Negro Military Organizations in all branches of the Service, with their +Chief Commanders--Battles--Dates of Organization and Dismissal 464 + + +CHAPTER XIV.--THE CONFEDERATE SERVICE. + +Preparation in the South for Hostilities--Early Organizations of +Battalions of Free Negroes--Review of Troops in New Orleans--Employment +of Negroes in Constructing Fortifications--Early Enacting of State Laws +authorizing the enrollment of Negroes for Military Service--The +Appearance of a few Negro Troops announced by the Press--Apparent +Enthusiasm of some Blacks--Effect on the Negroes of the Change in +Northern Policy--Necessity for Negro Troops--Strong Opposition +throughout the South--Letters from Gen. R. E. Lee urging the +Organization of Black Regiments--Exciting Debates in the Confederate +Congress--Passage of the Negro Bill--The Clerk's of the War Department +Record--Letter from Jefferson Davis--Enlistment began, etc. 481 + + +PART III. + +_MISCELLANY._ + + +CHAPTER I.--THE PHALANX AT SCHOOL. + +Efforts of Negro Soldiers to Educate themselves--Studies pursued in the +Army--Officers acting as Teachers--Contributions to Educational +Institutions 503 + + +CHAPTER II.--BENEVOLENCE AND FRUGALITY. + +Personal Economy practiced for Benevolent purposes--Contributions to the +Lincoln Institute as a Monument--Magnificent Contributions to the +Lincoln Monument--Some figures in reference to the Freemen's Bank 508 + + +CHAPTER III.--BIBLIOGRAPHY. + +List of Publications made use of 517 + + +APPENDIX. + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + +1. Portrait--JOSEPH T. WILSON Frontispiece. +2. DEATH OF CRISPUS ATTUCKS Face Page 26 +3. BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL 34 +4. ON PICKET 52 +5. NAVAL BATTLE 77 +6. UNSHACKLED 90 +7. Portrait--ROBERT SMALLS 96 +8. " --WILLIAM MORRISON " +9. " --A. GRADINE " +10. " --JOHN SMALLS " +11. QUARTERS FOR CONTRABANDS 103 +12. DRIVING GOVERNMENT CATTLE 104 +13. SCENE IN AND NEAR A RECRUITING OFFICE 110 +14. TEAMSTER OF THE ARMY 112 +15. HEADQUARTERS OF SUPERINTENDENT OF THE POOR 116 +16. PROVOST GUARD SECURING CONSCRIPTS 123 +17. NEW RECRUITS TAKING CARS 126 +18. SCENE AT NEW BERNE, N. C. 134 +19. MUSTERING INTO SERVICE 138 +20. ORGANIZING AND DRILLING 142 +21. FORTIFICATIONS AT HILTON HEAD 148 +22. BUILDING ROADS 154 +23. OFF FOR THE WAR 160 +24. Portrait--MAJOR MARTIN R. DELANEY 166 +25. Portrait--CAPT. O. S. B. WALL 172 +26. Portrait--CAPT. P. B. S. PINCHBACK. 176 +27. " --LT. JAMES M. TROTTER " +28. " --SURGEON A. T. AUGUSTA " +29. " --LT. W. H. DUPREE. " +30. Portrait--SERG'T W. H. CARNEY 180 +31. WASHING IN CAMP 184 +32. COOKING IN CAMP 191 +33. POINT ISABEL, TEXAS 199 +34. THE RECRUITING OFFICE 200 +35. BATTLE OF MILLIKEN'S BEND 204 +36. UNLOADING GOVERNMENT STORES 211 +37. CHARGE OF THE PHALANX AT PORT HUDSON 214 +38. PRESENTATION OF COLORS (1) 223 +39. REPELLING AN ATTACK 231 +40. CAVALRY BRINGING IN PRISONERS 236 +41. CAPTURING BATTERY OF ARTILLERY 242 +42. THE WOODEN HORSE 249 +43. AT FORT WAGNER 255 +44. BRILLIANT CHARGE OF THE PHALANX 270 +45. RIVER PICKET DUTY 277 +46. CHANGED CONDITIONS 286 +47. SERVING REFRESHMENTS TO UNION TROOPS 306 +48. SCOUTING SERVICE 312 +49. FIGHTING BLOODHOUNDS 320 +50. NEGROES FEEDING ESCAPING UNION PRISONERS 342 +51. MASSACRE AT FORT PILLOW 350 +52. PHALANX REGIMENT RECEIVING ITS FLAGS (2) 377 +53. PARADE OF THE 20TH REGIMENT U. S. C. T. IN NEW YORK 378 +54. SCENE IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 391 +55. AT WORK ON RIVER OBSTRUCTIONS 401 +56. PHALANX CHARGE AT PETERSBURG, VA. 402 +57. IN THE TRENCHES 411 +58. BEFORE PETERSBURG, BURYING DEAD UNDER FLAG OF TRUCE 425 +59. A GOVERNMENT BLACKSMITH SHOP 445 +60. GENERAL GRANT AND THE NEGRO SENTINEL 446 +61. ABRAHAM LINCOLN ENTERING RICHMOND 452 +62. ON DUTY FOR THE CONFEDERATES 484 +63. A CONFEDERATE SHARPSHOOTER 499 +64. "PAYING OFF" 506 + + + + +PART I. + +THE WARS FOR INDEPENDENCE + +1775-1812. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE WAR OF 1775. + + +The history of the patriotic Negro Americans who swelled the ranks of +the Colonial and Continental armies has never been written, nor was any +attempt made by the historians of that day to record the deeds of those +who dared to face death for the independence of the American Colonies. +W. H. Day, in addressing a convention of negro men at Cleveland, O., in +1852, truly said: "Of the services and sufferings of the colored +soldiers of the Revolution, no attempt has, to our knowledge, been made +to preserve a record. Their history is not written; it lies upon the +soil watered with their blood; who shall gather it? It rests with their +bones in the charnel house; who shall exhume it?" Upon reading these +lines, it occurred to me that somewhere among the archives of that +period there must exist at least a clue to the record of the negro +patriots of that war. If I cannot exclaim _Eureka_, after years of +diligent search, I take pride in presenting what I _have_ found +scattered throughout the pages of the early histories and literature, +and from the correspondence of men who in that period discussed the +topics of the day--who led and fashioned public opinion, many of whom +commanded in the field. Not a few biographers have contributed to my +fund of knowledge. To avoid as much as possible the charge of plagiarism +I have aimed to give credit to my informants for what shall follow +regarding the colored patriots in the war of the Revolution. I have +reason to believe that I have gathered much that has been obscure; that +I have exhumed the bones of that noble Phalanx who, at Bunker Hill and +Yorktown, in various military employments, served their country. It is +true they were few in number when compared to the host that entered the +service in the late Rebellion, but it must be remembered that their +number was small at that time in the country, and that the seat of war +was at the North, and not, as in the late war, at the South, where their +numbers have always been large. + +Of the three hundred thousand troops in the Revolutionary war, it has +been estimated that five thousand were colored, and these came +principally from the North, whose colored population at that time was +about 50,000, while the Southern colonies contained about 300,000. The +interest felt in the two sections for the success of the cause of +independence, if referred to the army, can easily be seen. The Northern +colonies furnished two hundred and forty-nine thousand, five hundred and +three, and the Southern colonies one hundred and forty-seven thousand, +nine hundred and forty soldiers, though the whole population of each +section was within a few hundred of being equal. + +The love of liberty was no less strong with the Southern than with the +Northern colored man, as their efforts for liberty show. At the North he +gained his freedom by entering the American army; at the South, only by +entering the British army, which was joined by more than fifteen +thousand colored men. Jefferson says 30,000 negroes from Virginia alone +went to the British army. I make the digression simply to assert that +had the colored men at the South possessed the same opportunity as those +at the North, of enlisting in the American army, a large force of +colored men would have been in the field, fighting for America's +independence. Of the services of the little band, scattered as they were +throughout the army, two or three in a company composed of whites, a +squad in a regiment, a few companies with an army, made it quite +impossible for their record, beyond this, to be distinct from the +organizations they were attached to. However, enough has been culled +from the history of that conflict, to show that they bore a brave part +in the struggle which wrested the colonies from the control of Great +Britain, and won for themselves and offspring, freedom, which many of +them never enjoyed. I have studiously avoided narrating the conduct of +those who cast their fortune with the British, save those who went with +Lord Dunmore, for reasons too obvious to make mention of. + +The sentiments of a majority of the people of the colonies were in full +accord with the declaration opposing slavery, and they sought to give it +supremacy by their success in the conflict. Slavery, which barred the +entrance to the army of the colored man at the South, had been denounced +by the colonist before the adoption of the articles of confederation, +and was maintained solely by local regulations. As early as 1774, all +the colonies had agreed to, and their representatives to the congress +had signed, the articles of the Continental Association, by which it was +agreed, "that we will neither import nor purchase any slave imported +after the first day of December next, (1774), after which we will wholly +discontinue the slave trade, and will neither be concerned in it +ourselves, nor will we hire our vessels, nor sell our commodities or +manufactories to those who are concerned in it." Georgia not being +represented in this Congress, consequently was not in the Association, +but as soon as her Provincial Congress assembled in July, 1775, it +passed the following resolutions: + + "_I._--_Resolved_, That this Congress will adopt and carry + into execution all and singular the measures and + recommendations of the late Continental Congress. + + "_IV._--_Resolved_, That we will neither import or purchase + any slave imported from Africa or elsewhere after this day, + (July, 6.") + + +The sincerity with which this agreement was entered into may be seen by +the action of the colonists at Norfolk, Virginia, where, in March, 1775, +a brig arrived from the coast of Guinea, via Jamaica, with a number of +slaves on board consigned to a merchant of that town. To use a modern +phrase the vessel was _boycotted_ by the committee, who published the +following: + + "TO THE FREEMEN OF VIRGINIA. + { COMMITTEE CHAMBER, + { NORFOLK, March 6th, 1775. + + "Trusting to your sure resentment against the enemies of + your country, we, the committee, elected by ballot for the + Borough of Norfolk, hold up for your just indignation Mr. + John Brown, merchant, of this place. + + "On Thursday, the 2nd of March, this committee were informed + of the arrival of the brig Fanny, Capt. Watson, with a + number of slaves for Mr. Brown; and, upon inquiry, it + appeared they were shipped from Jamaica as his property, and + on his account; that he had taken great pains to conceal + their arrival from the knowledge of the committee; and that + the shipper of the slaves, Mr. Brown's correspondent, and + the captain of the vessel, were all fully apprised of the + Continental prohibition against the article. + + "From the whole of this transaction, therefore, we, the + committee for Norfolk Borough, do give it as our unanimous + opinion, that the said John Brown has wilfully and + perversely violated the Continental Association, to which he + had with his own hand subscribed obedience; and that, + agreeable to the eleventh article, we are bound, forthwith, + to publish the truth of the case, to the end that all such + foes to the rights of British America may be publicly known + and universally contemned as the enemies of American + liberty, and that every person may henceforth break off all + dealings with him." + +This was the voice of a majority of the colonists, and those who +dissented were regarded as Tories, and in favor of the crown as against +the independence of the colonies, although there were many at the North +and South who held slaves, and were yet loyal to the cause of the +colonies; but the public sentiment was undoubtedly as strong against the +institution as it was in 1864. But the Tories were numerous at the +South, and by continually exciting the imagination of the whites by +picturing massacre and insurrection on the part of the negros if they +were armed, thwarted the effort of Col. Lauren's and of Congress to +raise a "negro army" at the South. The leaders were favorable to it, but +the colonists, for the reason cited, were distrustful of its +practicability. Though a strong effort was made, as will be seen, the +scare raised by the Tories prevented its success. Notwithstanding, +hundreds of colored men, slave and free, at the South, not only followed +the army but in every engagement took an active part on the side of the +colonist. They were not enrolled and mustered into the army, it is true, +but they rendered important service to the cause. + +The caste prejudice now so strong in the country was then in its +infancy. A white man at that time lived with a colored woman without +fear of incurring the ostracism of his neighbors, and with the same +impunity he lived with an Indian Squaw. So common was this practice, +that in order to correct it laws were passed forbidding it. The +treatment of the slaves was not what it came to be after the war, nor +had the spirit of resentment been stifled in them as it was +subsequently. Manifestations of their courage and manliness were not +wanting when injustice was attempted to be practiced against them, +consequently the spirit and courage with which they went into the +conflict were quite equal to that of the whites, who were ever ready to +applaud them for deeds of daring. It is only through this medium that we +have discovered the meed of praise due the little Phalanx, which linked +its fortune with the success of the American army, and of whom the +following interesting facts can now be recorded. + +It is well for the negro and for his descendants in America, +cosmopolitan as it is, that his race retains its distinctive +characteristics, color and features, otherwise they would not have, as +now, a history to hand down to posterity so gloriously patriotic and +interesting. His amalgamation with other races is attributable to the +relation which it bore to them, although inter-marriage was not allowed. +By the common consent of his enslavers, he was allowed to live +clandestinely with the women of his own color; sometimes from humane +considerations, sometimes from a standpoint of gain, but always as a +slave or a subject of the slave code. Reduced from his natural state of +freedom by his misfortune in tribal war, to that of a slave, and then +transported by the consent of his captors and enemies to these shores, +and sold into an unrequited bondage, the fire of his courage,--like +that of other races similarly situated, without hope of liberty; doomed +to toil,--slackened into an apathetic state, and seeming willing +servitude, which produced a resignation to fate from 1619 to 1770, more +than a century and a half. At the latter date, for the first time in the +history of what is now the United States, the negro, inspired with the +love of liberty, aimed a blow at the authority that held him in bondage. +In numerous instances, when the Indians attacked the white settlers, +particularly in the Northern colonies, negroes were summoned and took +part in the defense of the settlements. + +As early as 1652, the militia law of Massachusetts required negroes, +Scotchmen and Indians,--the indentured slaves of Cromwell, who +encountered his army at the battle of Dunbar,--to train in the militia. +Nor was it an uncommon occurrence for them to be manumitted for +meritorious and courageous action in defending their masters' families, +often in the absence of the master, when attacked by the red men of the +woods. It was not infrequent to find the negro as a sentinel at the +meeting-house door; or serving as a barricade for the master's mansion. +The Indian was more of a terror to him than the boa-constrictor; though +slaves, they knew that if captured by the Indians their fate would be +the same as that of the white man; consequently they fought with a +desperation equal to that of the whites, against the common enemy. So +accustomed did they become to the use of arms, that one of the first +acts of the settlers after the Indians were driven from the forest, was +to disarm and forbid negroes keeping or handling fire-arms and weapons +of every sort. This was done from a sense of self-preservation and fear +that the negroes might (and many did) attempt to revenge themselves when +cruelly treated, or rise in mutiny and massacre the whites. + +[Illustration: DEATH OF CRISPUS ATTUCKS. + +While leading an attack against British troops in Boston.] + +But it was not until 1770, when the fervor of rebellion had influenced +the people of the colonies, and Capt. Preston, with the King's soldiers, +appeared in King Street, Boston, to enforce the decree of the British +Parliament, that the people met the troops face to face. This lent force +to the rebellious spirit against the Mother Country, which the people of +the United Northern Colonies had felt called upon to manifest in public +meetings and by written resolutions. The soldiers were regarded as +invaders. And while the leading men of Boston were discussing and +deliberating as to what steps should be taken to drive the British +troops out of the town, Crispus Attucks, a negro runaway slave,[1] led a +crowd against the soldiers, with brave words of encouragement. The +soldiers fired upon them, killing the negro leader, Attucks, first, and +then two white men, and mortally wounding two others. A writer says: + + "The presence of the British soldiers in King Street, + excited the patriotic indignation of the people. The whole + community was stirred, and sage counsellors were + deliberating and writing and talking about the public + grievances. But it was not for the 'wise and prudent' to be + first to _act_ against the encroachments of arbitrary power. + A motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes and mulattoes, Irish + Jeazues, and outlandish Jack tars, (as John Adams described + them in his plea in defence of the soldiers), could not + restrain their emotion, or stop to enquire if what they + _must_ do was according to the letter of the law. Led by + Crispus Attucks, the mulatto slave, and shouting, 'The way + to get rid of these soldiers is to attack the main guard; + strike at the root; this is the nest;' with more valor than + discretion they rushed to King Street, and were fired upon + by Capt. Preston's company. Crispus Attucks was the first to + fall; he and Samuel Gray and Jonas Caldwell were killed on + the spot. Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr were mortally + wounded. The excitement which followed was intense. The + bells of the town were rung. An impromptu town-meeting was + held, and an immense assembly was gathered. Three days + after, on the 17th, a public funeral of the martyr took + place. The shops in Boston were closed, and all the bells of + Boston and the neighboring towns were rung. It is said that + a greater number of persons assembled on this occasion, than + ever before gathered on this continent for a similar + purpose. The body of Crispus Attucks, the mulatto, had been + placed in Fanueil Hall with that of Caldwell; both being + strangers in the city. Maverick was buried from his + mother's house in Union Street, and Gray, from his + brother's, in Royal Exchange Lane. The four hearses formed a + junction in King Street, and then the procession marched in + columns six deep, with a long file of coaches belonging to + the most distinguished citizens, to the Middle Burying + Ground, where the four victims were deposited in one grave; + over which a stone was placed with the inscription: + + 'Long as in Freedom's cause the wise contend, + Dear to your country shall your fame extend; + While to the world the lettered stone shall tell + Where Caldwell, Attucks, Gray and Maverick fell.' + + "The anniversary of this event was publicly commemorated in + Boston by an oration and other exercises every year until + our National Independence was achieved, when the Fourth of + July was substituted for the Fifth of March, as the more + proper day for a general celebration. Not only was the event + commemorated, but the martyrs who then gave up their lives + were remembered and honored." + +Thus the first blood for liberty shed in the colonies was that of a real +slave and a negro. As the news of the affray spread, the people became +aroused throughout the land. Soon, in every town and village, meetings +were held, and the colonists urged to resist the oppressive and +aggressive measures which the British Parliament had passed, and for the +enforcement of which troops had been stationed in Boston, and as we see, +had shot down those who dared to oppose them. In all the colonies +slavery was at this time tolerated, though the number of slaves was by +no means large in the Northern Colonies, nor had there been a general +ill treatment of them, as in after years in the Southern States. Their +war-like courage, it is true, had been slackened, but their manhood had +not been crushed. + +Crispus Attucks was a fair representative of the colonial negro, as they +evinced thereafter, during the prolonged struggle which resulted in the +Independence of the United States. When the tocsin sounded "to arms, to +arms, ye who would be free," the negro responded to the call, and side +by side with the white patriots of the colonial militia, bled and died. + +Mr. Bancroft in his history of the United States says: + + "Nor should history forget to record, that as in the army at + Cambridge, so also in this gallant band, the free negroes of + the colony had their representatives. For the right of free + negroes to bear arms in the public defense was, at that day, + as little disputed in New England as other rights. They took + their place, not in a separate corps, but in the ranks with + the white men; and their names may be seen on the + pension-rolls of the country, side by side with those of + other soldiers of the Revolution." + +It was not the free only who took up arms in defence of America's +independence; not alone those who, in preceding wars,--Indian and +French,--had gained their liberty, that swelled the ranks of the +colonial militia; but slaves, inspired by the hope of freedom, went to +the front, as Attucks had done when he cut the Gordian knot that held +the colonies to Great Britain. "From that moment we may date the +severance of the British Empire," said Daniel Webster, in his Bunker +Hill oration, referring to the massacre on the 5th of March, 1770. The +thirst for freedom was universal among the people of New England. With +them liberty was not circumscribed by condition and now, since the slave +Attucks had struck the first blow for America's independence, thereby +electrifying the colonies and putting quite a different phase upon their +grievances, the people were called upon to witness a real slave +struggling with his oppressors for his freedom. It touched the people of +the colonies as they had never been touched before, and they arrayed +themselves for true freedom. + +Dr. Joseph Warren thus heralds the sentiment of the colonist, in his +oration delivered at Boston, March 5th, 1775: + + "That personal freedom is the natural right of every man, + and that property, or an exclusive right to dispose of what + he has honestly acquired by his own labor, necessarily + arises therefrom, are truths which common sense has placed + beyond the reach of contradiction. And no man, or body of + men, can, without being guilty of flagrant injustice, claim + a right to dispose of the persons or acquisitions of any + other man or body of men, unless it can be proved that such + a right has arisen from some compact between the parties, in + which it has been explicitly and freely granted." + +The year previous, John Hancock was the orator on the occasion of the +4th anniversary of the shedding of the first blood for the Independence +of America, and he thus presents the case to a Boston audience yet +smarting under the insult and sting given them by the British soldiery: + + "But I forbear, and come reluctantly to the transactions of + that dismal night, when in such quick succession, we felt + the extremes of grief, astonishment and rage; when Heaven, + in anger, for a dreadful moment suffered Hell to take the + reins; when Satan with his chosen band opened the sluices of + New England's blood, and sacrilegiously polluted our land + with the dead bodies of her guiltless sons. Let this sad + tale of death never be told without a tear; let the heaving + bosom cause to burn with a manly indignation at the + barbarous story, through the long tracts of future time; let + every parent tell the shameful story to his listening + children 'til tears of pity glisten in their eyes, and + boiling passions shake their tender frames; and whilst the + anniversary of that ill-fated night is kept a jubilee in the + grim court of pandemonium, let all America join in one + common prayer to Heaven, that the inhuman, unprovoked + murders of the 5th of March, 1770, planned by Hillsborough + and a knot of treacherous knaves in Boston, and executed by + the cruel hand of Preston and his sanguinary coadjutors, may + ever stand in history without a parallel. But what, my + countrymen, withheld the ready arm of vengeance from + executing instant justice on the vile assassins? Perhaps you + feared promiscuous carnage might ensue, and that the + innocent might share the fate of those who had performed the + infernal deed. But were not all guilty? Were you not too + tender of the lives of those who came to fix a yoke on your + necks? But I must not too severely blame you for a fault + which great souls only can commit. May that magnificence of + spirit which scorns the low pursuit of malice; may that + generous compassion which often preserves from ruin, even a + guilty villain, forever actuate the noble bosoms of + Americans! But let not the miscreant host vainly imagine + that we feared their arms. No, those we despised; we dread + nothing but slavery. Death is the creature of a poltroon's + brains; 'tis immortality to sacrifice ourselves for the + salvation of our country. We fear not death. That gloomy + night, the pale-face moon, and the affrighted stars that + hurried through the sky, can witness that we fear not death. + Our hearts, which, at the recollection, glow with rage that + four revolving years have scarcely taught us to restrain, + can witness that we fear not death; and happy it is for + those who dared to insult us, that their naked bones are not + now piled up an ever-lasting monument of Massachusetts + bravery. But they retired; they fled, and in that flight + they found their only safety. We then expected that the hand + of public justice would soon inflict that punishment upon + the murderers, which, by the laws of God and man, they had + incurred. But let the unbiassed pen of a Robertson, or + perhaps of some equally famed American, conduct this trial + before the great tribunal of succeeding generations. And + though the murderers may escape the just resentment of an + enraged people; though drowsy justice, intoxicated by the + poisonous draft prepared for her cup, still nods upon her + rotten seat, yet be assured, such complicated crimes will + meet their due reward. Tell me, ye bloody butchers! ye + villains high and low! ye wretches who contrived, as well as + you who executed the inhuman deed! do you not feel the goads + and stings of conscious guilt pierce through your savage + bosoms? Though some of you may think yourselves exalted to a + height that bids defiance to human justice, and others + shroud yourselves beneath the mask of hypocrisy, and build + your hopes of safety on the low arts of cunning, chicanery + and falsehood; yet do you not sometimes feel the gnawings of + that worm which never dies; do not the injured shades of + Maverick, Gray, Cadwell, Attucks and Carr, attend you in + your solitary walks; arrest you in the midst of your + debaucheries and fill even your dreams with terror?" + +The orators of New England poured out upon this once slave,--now hero +and martyr,--their unstinted praise. We have but to recall the +recollection of the earliest conflicts which the colonist had with the +British, in order to see the negro occupying a place in the ranks of the +patriot army. Their white fellow-citizens were only too glad to take +ground to the left, in order that they could fall in on their colors. +And they did good service whenever they fought, as the record shows. + +The Committee of safety upon reviewing the situation and the army, +before the first great battle of the Revolution had been fought, adopted +the following resolution: + + "_Resolved_, That it is the opinion of this committee, that + as the contest now between Great Britain and the Colonies + respects the liberties and privileges of the latter, which + the Colonies are determined to maintain, that the admission + of any persons, as soldiers, into the army now raising, but + such as are Freeman, will be inconsistent with the + principals that are supported, and reflect dishonor on this + Colony; and that no Slaves be admitted into this army upon + any consideration whatever." + +The exception was well taken, and this act of the Committee, excluding +slaves from the army, placed the rebels upon the basis of patriots, +fighting for freedom. This, however, did not detract from those who had +already distinguished themselves, by their bravery at Bunker Hill a few +weeks previous, where Peter Salem, once a slave, fought side by side in +the ranks with the white soldiers. When the British Major Pitcairn +mounted the redoubt, upon that memorable occasion, shouting, "The day +is ours!" Peter Salem poured the contents of his gun into that officer's +body, killing him instantly, and checking, temporarily, the advance of +the British. Swett, in his "Sketches of Bunker Hill Battle," says: + + "Major Pitcairn caused the first effusion of blood at + Lexington. In that battle, his horse was shot under him, + while he was separated from his troops. With presence of + mind he feigned himself slain; his pistols were taken from + his holsters, and he was left for dead, when he seized the + opportunity and escaped. He appeared at Bunker Hill, and, + says the historian, 'Among those who mounted the works was + the gallant Major Pitcairn, who exultingly cried out, 'The + day is ours!' when a black soldier, named Salem, shot him + through and he fell. His agonized son received him in his + arms, and tenderly bore him to the boats.' A contribution + was made in the army for the colored soldier, and he was + presented to Washington as having performed this feat." + +Mr. Aaron White, of Thompson, Conn., in a letter to George Livermore, +Esq., of the Massachusetts Historical Society, writes: + + "With regard to the black Hero of Bunker Hill, I never knew + him personally, nor did I ever hear from his lips the story + of his achievements; but I have better authority. About the + year 1809, I heard a soldier of the Revolution, who was + present at the Bunker Hill Battle, relate to my father the + story of the death of Major Pitcairn. He said the Major had + passed the storm of fire without, and had mounted the + redoubt, when, waving his sword, he commanded, in a loud + voice, the 'rebels' to surrender. His sudden appearance, and + his commanding air, at first startled the men immediately + before him. They neither answered nor fired; probably not + being exactly certain what was next to be done. At this + critical moment, a negro soldier stepped forward, and, + aiming his musket directly at the Major's bosom, blew him + through. My informant declared that he was so near, that he + distinctly saw the act. The story made quite an impression + on my mind. I have frequently heard my father relate the + story, and have no doubt of its truth. My father on the day + of the battle was a mere child, and witnessed the battle and + burning of Charlestown from Roxbury Hill, sitting on the + shoulders of the Rev. Mr. Jackson, who said to him as he + placed him on the ground, 'Now, boy, do you remember this!' + Consequently, after such an injunction, he would necessarily + pay particular attention to anecdotes concerning the first + and only battle he ever witnessed." + +[Illustration: BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. + +Peter Salem shooting the British Major Pitcairn.] + +Salem was undoubtedly one of the chief heroes of that ever memorable +battle. Orator, historian, poet, all give this sable patriot credit for +having been instrumental in checking the British advance and saving the +day. + +At the unveiling of the statue erected to the memory of Gen. Joseph +Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill, the orator of the occasion, Hon. Edward +Everett, said: + + "It is the monument of the day of the event, of the battle + of Bunker Hill; all of the brave men who shared its + perils,--alike of Prescott and Putnam and Warren, the chiefs + of the day, and the colored man, Salem, who, is reported to + have shot the gallant Pitcairn, as he mounted the parapet. + Cold as the clods on which it rests, still as the silent + Heaven to which it soars, it is yet vocal, eloquent, in + their individual praise." + +The following is a copy of a petition now in the Archive Department of +Massachusetts: + + "TO THE HONORABLE GENERAL COURT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS' BAY. + + "The subscribers beg leave to report to your Honorable + House, (which we do in justice to the character of so brave + a man), that under our own observation, we declare that a + negro man named Salem Poor, of Col. Frye's regiment, Capt. + Ame's company, in the late battle at Charleston, behaved + like an experienced officer, as well as an excellent + soldier. To set forth particulars of his conduct would be + tedious. We only beg leave to say, in the person of this + said negro, centers a brave and gallant soldier. The reward + due to so great and distinguished a character, we submit to + Congress. + + "JONA. BREWER, Col. + THOMAS NIXON, Lt. Col. + WM. PRESCOTT, Col. + EPHM. COREY, Lieut. + JOSEPH BAKER, Lieut. + JOSHUA ROW, Lieut. + JONAS RICHARDSON, Capt + ELIPHALET BODWELL, SG'T. + THOMAS NIXON, Lt. Col. + WM. PRESCOTT, Col. + EPHM. COREY, Lieut. + JOSEPH BAKER, Lieut. + JOSHUA ROW, Lieut. + JONAS RICHARDSON, Capt. + + CAMBRIDGE, Dec. 5, 1775. + + "In Council Dec. 21, 1775.--Read, and sent down. + PEREZ MORTON, Dep'y Sec'y." + +A biographical account of Peter Salem is given in the following +newspaper extract: + + "April, 1882, the town of Framingham voted to place a + memorial stone over the grave of Peter Salem, alias Salem + Middlesex, whose last resting place in the old burial ground + at Framingham Centre has been unmarked for years. For this + purpose $150 was appropriated by the town. The committee in + charge of the matter has placed a neat granite memorial over + his grave, and it bears the following inscription: "Peter + Salem, a soldier of the revolution, Died Aug. 16, 1816. + Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga. Erected by the town, 1882." + Peter Salem was the colored man who particularly + distinguished himself in the revolutionary war by shooting + down Major Pitcairn at the battle of Bunker Hill, as he was + mounting a redoubt and shouting, "The day is ours!" this + being the time when Pitcairn fell back into the arms of his + son. Peter Salem served faithfully in the war for seven + years in the companies of minute men under the command of + Capt. John Nixon and Capt. Simon Edgell of Framingham, and + came out of it unharmed. He was a slave, and was owned, + originally, by Capt. Jeremiah Belknap of Framingham, being + sold by him to Major Lawson Buckminster of that town, he + becoming a free man when he joined the army. Salem was born + in Framingham, and, in 1783, married Katie Benson, a + Granddaughter of Nero, living for a time near what is now + the State muster field. He removed to Leicester after the + close of the war, his last abode in that town being a cabin + on the road leading from Leicester to Auburn. He was removed + to Framingham, where he had gained a settlement in 1816 and + there he died." + +Salem was not the only negro at the battle of Bunker Hill. Says an +authority: + + "Col. Trumbull in his celebrated historic picture of this + battle, introduces conspicuously the colored patriot. At the + time of the battle, the artist, then acting as adjutant, was + stationed with his regiment at Roxbury, and saw the action + from this point. The picture was painted in 1786 when the + event was fresh in his mind. It is a significant historical + fact, pertinent to our present research, that, among the + limited number of figures introduced on the canvas, more + than one negro soldier can be distinctly seen." + +Of the others who participated in the battle we have knowledge of Salem +Poor, whose bravery won for him favorable comment. + +Major Wm. Lawrence, who fought through the war for independence, from +Concord, until the peace of 1783, participating in many of the severest +battles of the war. Says a memoir: + + "At Bunker Hill, where he was slightly wounded, his coat and + hat were pierced with the balls of the enemy, and were + preserved in the family for several years. At one time he + commanded a company whose rank and file were all negroes, of + whose courage, military discipline, and fidelity, he always + spoke with respect. On one occasion, being out + reconnoitering with his company, he got so far in advance of + his command, that he was surrounded, and on the point of + being made prisoner by the enemy. The men, soon discovering + his peril, rushed to his rescue, and fought with the most + determined bravery till that rescue was effectually + secured. He never forgot this circumstance, and ever took + special pains to show kindness and hospitality to any + individual of the colored race, who came near his dwelling." + +The Committee of Safety having excluded slaves from the army, many were +thereafter manumitted, that they might enlist. There was no law +regulating enlistment in the army at the time which required the color +of a soldier's skin to be recorded or regarded. A prejudice existed in +the legislature that prompted that body to begin a series of special +enactments, regarding negroes, which did not exclude them altogether +from the army, but looked to their organization into exclusive +companies, batallions and regiments. + +Notwithstanding the record made by the negroes who had swollen the ranks +of the American army a few weeks after the battle of Bunker Hill, +General Gates, then at Cambridge, issued the following order to the +officers, then recruiting for the service: + + "You are not to enlist any deserter from the Ministerial + army, nor any stroller, negro, or vagabond, or persons + suspected of being an enemy to the liberty of America, nor + any under eighteen years of age. As the cause is the best + that can engage men of courage and principle to take up + arms, so it is expected that none but such will be accepted + by the recruiting officer. The pay, provision, &c., being so + ample, it is not doubted but that the officers sent upon + this service will, without delay, complete their respective + corps, and march the men forthwith to camp. You are not to + enlist any person that is not an American born, unless such + person has a wife and family, and is a settled resident in + this country. The persons you enlist must be provided with + good and complete arms." + +This was in July, and on the 26th of the following September, Edward +Rutledge, of South Carolina, moved in the Colonial Congress that all +negroes be discharged that were in the army. As might be expected, his +proposition was strongly supported by the Southern delegates, but the +Northern delegates being so much stronger, voted it down. The negroes +were crowding so rapidly into the army, and the Northern colonists +finding their Southern comrades so strongly opposing this element of +strength, submitted the question of their enlistment to a conference +committee in October, composed of such men as Dr. Franklin, Benjamin +Harrison and Thomas Lynch, with the Deputy Governors of Connecticut and +Rhode Island. This committee met at Cambridge, with a committee of the +council of Massachusetts Bay. The object and duty of the meeting was to +consider the condition of the army, and to devise means by which it +could be improved. + +General Washington was present at the meeting, and took part in the +discussions. Among others, the following subject was considered and +reported upon: "'Ought not negroes to be excluded from the new +enlistment, especially those such as are slaves?' All were thought +improper by the council of officers. '_Agreed_, That they may be +rejected altogether.'" + +In the organization of the new army, were many officers and men, who had +served with negroes in the militia, and who had been re-enlisted in the +colonial army. They protested against the exclusion of their old +comrades, on account of color. So very strong were their protests that +most of the rank and file of the Northern troops regarded the matter as +of serious import to the colonies, and of danger to the wives and +families of those in the field. There was quite a large number of free +negroes in the Northern Colonies at this time, and the patriotism +displayed by those who had the opportunity of serving in the militia +during the early stages of the war, aroused a feeling which prompted a +great many masters to offer to the commander of the army the services of +their slaves, and to the slaves their freedom, if their services were +accepted. So weighty were the arguments offered, and to soften the gloom +which hung about the homes and the camps of the soldiers, Gen. +Washington wrote to the President of Congress regarding the matter, from +Cambridge, in December, 1775: + + "It has been represented to me that the free negroes who + have served in this army are very much dissatisfied at being + discarded. As it is to be apprehended that they may seek + employment in the Ministerial army, I have presumed to + depart from the resolution respecting them, and have given + license for their being enlisted. If this is disapproved by + Congress, I will put a stop to it."[2] + +The letter was submitted to Congress, and General Washington's action +was sustained by the passage of the following resolution: "That the free +negroes, who had served faithfully in the army at Cambridge, may be +re-enlisted therein, but no others." + +The question of color first entered the army by order of Washington's +predecessor, Gen. Artemus Ward, who in his first general order required +the "complexion" of the soldier to be entered upon the roll. In October, +1775, Gen. Thomas wrote the following letter to John Adams. The general +was in every way competent to draw a true picture of the army, and had +the opportunity of observation. He says: + + "I am sorry to hear that any prejudices should take place in + any Southern Colony, with respect to the troops raised in + this. I am certain that the insinuations you mention are + injurious, if we consider with what precipitation we are + obliged to collect an army. In the regiments at Roxbury, the + privates are equal to any that I served with in the last + war; very few old men, and in the ranks very few boys. Our + fifes are many of them boys. We have some negroes; but I + look on them, in general, as equally serviceable with other + men for fatigue; and in action many of them have proved + themselves brave. I would avoid all reflection, or anything + that may tend to give umbrage; but there is in this army + from the southward, a number called riflemen, who are the + most indifferent men I ever served with. These privates are + mutinous, and often deserting to the enemy; unwilling for + duty of any kind; exceedingly vicious; and I think the army + here would be as well off without them. But to do justice to + their officers, they are, some of them, likely men." + +Despite all prejudice, the negro, as in all conflicts since, sought +every opportunity to show his patriotism, and his unquenchable thirst +for liberty; and no matter in what capacity he entered the service, +whether as body-servant, hostler or teamster, he always displayed the +same characteristic courage. In November of the same year the Provincial +Congress of South Carolina, by the passage of the following resolution, +gave permission to her militia officers, to use slaves in the army for +certain purposes: + + "On motion, _Resolved_, That the colonels of the several + regiments of militia throughout the Colony have leave to + enroll such a number of able male slaves, to be employed as + pioneers and laborers, as public exegencies may require; and + that a daily pay of seven shillings and six-pence be allowed + for the service of each such slave while actually employed." + +The foregoing resolution must not in any way be understood as +sanctioning the employment of negroes as soldiers, notwithstanding some +of the ablest men of the State advocated the enlistment of negroes in +the army; the opposition was too strong to carry the measure through +either Congress or the legislature. The feeling among the Northern +colonists may be shown by citing the views of some of their leading men, +and none perhaps was better calculated to give a clear expression of +their views, than the Rev. Dr. Hopkins, of Newport, R. I., who wrote a +"Dialogue Concerning the slavery of the Africans," published soon after +the commencement of hostilities. Here is an extract from a note to the +Dialogue: + + "God is so ordering it in his providence, that it seems + absolutely necessary something should speedily be done with + respect to the slaves among us, in order to our safety, and + to prevent their turning against us in our present struggle, + in order to get their liberty. Our oppressors have planned + to gain the blacks, and induce them to take up arms against + us, by promising them liberty on this condition; and this + plan they are prosecuting to the utmost of their power, by + which means they have persuaded numbers to join them. And + should we attempt to restrain them by force and severity, + keeping a strict guard over them, and punishing them + severely who shall be detected in attempting to join our + oppressors, this will only be making bad worse, and serve to + render our inconsistence, oppression, and cruelty more + criminal, perspicuous, and shocking, and bring down the + righteous vengeance of Heaven on our heads. The only way + pointed out to prevent this threatening evil is to set the + blacks at liberty ourselves by some public acts and laws, + and then give them proper encouragement to labor, or take + arms in the defence of the American cause, as they shall + choose. This would at once be doing them some degree of + justice, and defeating our enemies in the scheme that they + are prosecuting." + +Therefore it will be observed that public opinion regarding the arming +of negroes in the North and South, was controlled by sectional interest +in the one, and the love of liberty in the other. That both desired +America's Independence, no one will doubt, but that one section was +more willing than the other to sacrifice slavery for freedom, I think is +equally as plain. While the colonists were debating with much anxiety +the subject of what to do with the negroes, the New England States were +endeavoring to draw the Southern States or Colonies into the war by +electing George Washington as Commander of the army at Cambridge, and +accepting the mis-interpretations of the declarations of war. The Punic +faith with which the Southern States entered the war for liberty +humiliated the army, and wrung from its commander the letter written to +Congress, and its approval of his course in re-enlisting free negroes. +Meanwhile the British were actively engaged in recruiting and organizing +negroes into their army and navy. + +In November, 1775, Lord Dunmore visited Norfolk, Virginia,[3] and, as +Governor, finding his authority as such not regarded by the whites, +issued a proclamation offering freedom to the slaves who would join the +British army. A full description of the State of affairs at that time, +is thus given by an English historian: + + "In letters which had been laid before the English + Parliament, and published to the whole world, he (Lord + Dunmore) had represented the planters as ambitious, selfish + men, pursuing their own interest and advancement at the + expense of their poorer countrymen, and as being ready to + make every sacrifice of honesty and principle, and he had + said more privately, that, since they were so anxious for + liberty,--for more freedom than was consistent with the free + institutions of the Mother Country and the charter of the + Colony,--that since they were so eager to abolish a fanciful + slavery in a dependence on Great Britain, he would try how + they liked abolition of real slavery, by setting free all + their negroes and indentured servants, who were, in fact, + little better than _white_ slaves. This to the Virginians + was like passing a rasp over a gangrened place; it was + probing a wound that was incurable, or one which had not yet + been healed. Later in the year, when the battle of Bunker's + Hill had been fought, when our forts on Lake Champlain had + been taken from us, and when Montgomery and Arnold were + pressing on our possessions in Canada, Lord Dunmore carried + his threat into execution. Having established his + headquarters at Norfolk, he proclaimed freedom to all the + slaves who would repair to his standard and bear arms for + the King. The summons was readily obeyed by the most of the + negroes who had the means of escape to him. He, at the same + time, issued a proclamation, declaring martial law + throughout the colony of Virginia; and he collected a number + of armed vessels, which cut off the coasting trade, made + many prizes, and greatly distressed an important part of + that Province. If he could have opened a road to slaves in + the interior of the Province, his measures would have been + very fatal to the planters. In order to stop the alarming + desertion of the negroes, and to arrest his Lordship in his + career, the provincial Assembly detached against him a + strong force of more than a thousand men, who arrived in the + neighborhood of Norfolk in the month of December. Having + made a circuit, they came to a village called Great Bridge, + where the river Elizabeth was traversed by a bridge; but + before their arrival the bridge had been made impassable, + and some works, defended chiefly by negroes, had been thrown + up." + +During the same month Edmund Pendleton wrote to Richard Henry Lee that +many slaves had flocked to the British standard: + + "The Governor, * * * * marched out with three hundred and + fifty soldiers, Tories and _slaves_, to Kemp's Landing; and + after setting up his standard, and issuing his proclamation, + declaring all persons rebels who took up arms for the + country, and inviting all slaves, servants and apprentices + to come to him and receive arms, he proceeded to intercept + Hutchings and his party, upon whom he came by surprise, but + received, it seems, so warm a fire, that the ragmuffins ran + away. They were, however, rallied on discovering that two + companies of our militia gave away; and left Hutchings and + Dr. Reid with a volunteer company, who maintained their + ground bravely till they were overcome by numbers, and took + shelter in a swamp. The slaves were sent in pursuit of them; + and one of Col. Hutching's, with another, found him. On + their approach, he discharged his pistol at his slave, but + missed him; and he was taken by them, after receiving a + wound in the face with a sword. The number taken or killed + on either side is not ascertained. It is said the Governor + went to Dr. Reid's shop, and after taking the medicines and + dressing necessary for his wounded men, broke all the others + to pieces. Letters mention that slaves flock to him in + abundance: but I hope it is magnified." + +Five months after he issued the proclamation, Lord Dunmore thus writes, +concerning his success: + + [No. 1] + + "_Lord Dunmore to the Secretary of State._ + {SHIP 'DUNMORE,' IN ELIZABETH RIVER, VA., + { 30th March, 1776. + + "Your Lordship will observe by my letter, No. 34, that I + have been endeavoring to raise two regiments here--one of + white people, the other of black. The former goes on very + slowly, but the latter very well, and would have been in + great forwardness, had not a fever crept in amongst them, + which carried off a great many very fine fellows." + + * * * * * + + + [No. 3] + + {"SHIP 'DUNMORE,' IN GWIN'S ISLAND HARBOR, VA., + { June 26, 1776. + + "I am extremely sorry to inform your Lordship, that that + fever of which I informed you in my letter No. 1 has proved + a very malignant one, and has carried off an incredible + number of our people, especially the blacks. Had it not been + for this horrid disorder, I am satisfied I should have had + no doubt of penetrating into the heart of this colony." + +The dread in which the colonists held the negro was equal to that with +which they regarded the Indians. The incendiary torch, massacre, +pillage, and revolt, was ever presenting a gloomy and disastrous picture +to the colonists at the South. Their dreams at night; their thoughts by +day; in the field and in the legislature hall, were how to keep the +negro down. If one should be seen in a village with a gun, a half score +of white men would rush and take it from him, while women in the street +would take shelter in the nearest house. The wrongs which they continued +to practice upon him was a terror to them through their conscience, +though then, as in later years, many, and particularly the leaders, +endeavored to impress others with their feigned belief of the natural +inferiority of the negro to themselves. This doctrine served them, as +the whistle did the boy in the woods; they talked in that way simply to +keep their courage up, and their conscience down. + +The commander of the American army regarded the action of Lord Dunmore +as a serious blow to the national cause. To take the negroes out of the +field from raising produce for the army, and place them in front of the +patriots as opposing soldiers, he saw was a danger that should be +averted. With this in view he wrote to Joseph Reed in December, saying: + + "If the Virginians are wise, that arch-traitor to the rights + of humanity, Lord Dunmore, should be instantly crushed, if + it takes the whole army to do it; otherwise, like a snowball + in rolling, his army will get size, some through fear, some + through promises, and some through inclination, joining his + standard; but that which renders the measure indispensable + is the negroes; for, if he gets formidable, numbers of them + will be tempted to join, who will be afraid to do it + without." + +Notwithstanding this, the Southern States still kept the negro out of +the army. It was not until affairs became alarmingly dangerous, and a +few weeks before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, that +the subject of arming the slaves came again before the people. + +In May, 1777, the General Assembly of Connecticut postponed in one house +and rejected in the other the report of a committee "that the effective +negro and mulatto slaves be allowed to enlist with the Continental +battallions now raising in this State." But under a law passed at the +same session "white and black, bond and free, if 'able bodied,' went on +the roll together, accepted as the representatives of their 'class,' or +as substitutes for their employers." At the next session (October, +1777), the law was so amended as to authorize the selectmen of any town, +on the application of the master--after 'inquiry into the age, +abilities, circumstances, and character' of the servant or slave, and +being satisfied 'that it was likely to be consistent with his real +advantage, and that he would be able to support himself,'--to grant +liberty for his emancipation, and to discharge the master 'from any +charge or cost which may be occasioned by maintaining or supporting the +servant or slave made free as aforesaid.' Mr. J. H. Trumbull, of +Connecticut, in giving the foregoing facts, adds: + + "The slave (or servant for term of years) might receive his + freedom; the master might receive exemption from draft, and + a discharge from future liabilities, to which he must + otherwise have been subjected. In point of fact, some + hundreds of blacks,--slaves and freemen,--were enlisted, + from time to time, in the regiments of State troops and of + the Connecticut line." + +The British were determined, it seems, to utilize all the available +strength they could command, by enlisting negroes at the North as well +as at the South. They conceived the idea of forming regiments of them at +the North, as the letter of Gen. Greene to Gen. Washington will show: + + "CAMP ON LONG ISLAND, July 21, 1776, two o'clock. + + "SIR:--Colonel Hand reports seven large ships are coming up + from the Hook to the Narrows. + + "A negro belonging to one Strickler, at Gravesend, was taken + prisoner (as he says) last Sunday at Coney Island. Yesterday + he made his escape, and was taken prisoner by the rifle + guard. He reports eight hundred negroes collected on Staten + Island, this day to be formed into a regiment. + + I am your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant, + N. GREENE. + "To His Excellency Gen. Washington, Headquarters, New York." + +Occasionally the public would be startled by the daring and bravery of +some negro in the American army, and then the true lovers of liberty, +North and South, would again urge that negroes be admitted into the +ranks of the army. When Lt.-Col. Barton planned for the capture of the +British Maj.-Gen. Prescott, who commanded the British army at Newport R. +I., and whose capture was necessary in order to effect the release of +Gen. Lee, who was then in the hands of the British, and of the same rank +as that of Gen. Prescott, Col. Barton's plan was made a success through +the aid of Prince, a negro in Col. Barton's command. The daring of the +exploit excited the highest patriotic commendations of the Americans, +and revived the urgent appeals that had been made for a place in the +armed ranks for all men, irrespective of color. The Pennsylvania Evening +_Post_ of Aug. 7th, 1777, gives the following account of the capture: + + "They landed about five miles from Newport, and three + quarters of a mile from the house, which they approached + cautiously, avoiding the main guard, which was at some + distance. _The Colonel went foremost, with a stout active + negro close behind him, and another at a small distance; the + rest followed so as to be near but not seen._ + + "A single sentinel at the door saw and hailed the Colonel; + he answered by exclaiming against and inquiring for, rebel + prisoners, but kept slowly advancing. The sentinel again + challenged him and required the countersign. He said he had + not the countersign; but amused the sentry by talking about + rebel prisoners, and still advancing till he came within + reach of the bayonet, which, he presenting, the colonel + struck aside, and seized him. He was immediately secured, + and ordered to be silent, on pain of instant death. + _Meanwhile, the rest of the men surrounding the house, the + negro, with his head, at the second stroke, forced a passage + into it, and then into the landlord's apartment. The + landlord at first refused to give the necessary + intelligence; but, on the prospect of present death, he + pointed to the General's chamber, which being instantly + opened by the negro's head, the Colonel, calling the General + by name, told him he was a prisoner._" + +Congress voted Col. Barton a magnificent sword, but the real captor of +Gen. Prescott, so far as known, received nothing. A surgeon in the +American army, Dr. Thacher, writes, under date of Aug. 3d, 1777, at +Albany: + + "The pleasing information is received here that Lieut.-Col. + Barton, of the Rhode Island Militia, planned a bold exploit + for the purpose of surprising and taking Maj.-Gen. Prescott, + the commanding officer of the Royal army at Newport. Taking + with him, in the night, about forty men, in two boats, with + oars muffled, he had the address to elude the vigilance of + the ships-of-war and guard boats; and, having arrived + undiscovered at the quarters of Gen. Prescott, they were + taken for the sentinels; and the general was not alarmed + till the captors were at the door of his lodging chamber, + which was fast closed. _A negro man, named Prince, instantly + thrust his beetle head through the panel door, and seized + his victim while in bed._ This event is extremely honorable + to the enterprising spirit of Col. Barton, and is considered + an ample retaliation for the capture of Gen. Lee by Col. + Harcourt. The event occasions great joy and exultation, as + it puts in our possession an officer of equal rank with Gen. + Lee, by which means an exchange may be obtained. Congress + resolved that an elegant sword should be presented to Col. + Barton, for his brave exploit." + +To recite here every incident and circumstance illustrating the heroism +and the particular services rendered the patriotic army by negroes, who +served in regiments and companies with white soldiers, would fill this +entire volume. Yet, with the desire of doing justice to the memory of +all those negroes who aided in achieving the independence of America, I +cannot forbear introducing notices,--gathered from various sources,--of +some prominent examples. + +Ebenezer Hill, a slave at Stonington, Conn., who served throughout the +war, and who took part in the battles of Saratoga and Stillwater, and +witnessed the surrender of Burgoyne. + +Prince Whipple acted as bodyguard to General Whipple, one of +Washington's aids. Prince is the negro seen on horseback in the +engraving of Washington crossing the Delaware, and again pulling the +stroke oar in the boat which Washington crossed in. + +At the storming of Fort Griswold, Maj. Montgomery was lifted upon the +walls of the fort by his soldiers, and called upon the Americans to +surrender. John Freeman, a negro soldier, with his pike, pinned him dead +to the earth. Among the American soldiers who were massacred by the +British soldiers, after the surrender of the fort, were two negro +soldiers, Lambo Latham and Jordan Freeman. + +Quack Matrick, a negro, fought through the Revolutionary war, as a +soldier, for which he was pensioned. Also Jonathan Overtin, who was at +the battle of Yorktown. The grandfather of the historian Wm. Wells +Brown, Simon Lee, was also a soldier "in the times which tried men's +souls." + + "Samuel Charlton was born in the State of New Jersey, a + slave, in the family of Mr. M., who owned, also, other + members belonging to his family--all residing in the English + neighborhood. During the progress of the war, he was placed + by his master (as a substitute for himself) in the army then + in New Jersey, as a teamster in the baggage train. He was in + active service at the battle of Monmouth, not only + witnessing, but taking a part in, the great struggle of that + day. He was also in several other engagements in different + sections of that part of the State. He was a great admirer + of General Washington, and was, at one time, attached to his + baggage train, and received the General's commendation for + his courage and devotion to the cause of liberty. Mr. + Charlton was about fifteen or seventeen years of age when + placed in the army, for which his master rewarded him with a + silver dollar. At the expiration of his time, he returned to + his master, to serve again in bondage, after having toiled, + fought and bled for liberty, in common with the regular + soldiery. Mr. M., at his death, by will, liberated his + slaves, and provided a pension for Charlton, to be paid + during his lifetime. + + * * * * + + "James Easton, of Bridgewater, a colored man, participated + in the erection of the fortifications on Dorchester Heights, + under command of Washington, which the next morning so + greatly surprised the British soldiers then encamped in + Boston." + + "Among the brave blacks who fought in the battles for + American liberty was Major Jeffrey, a Tennesseean, who, + during the campaign of Major-General Andrew Jackson in + Mobile, filled the place of "regular" among the soldiers. In + the charge made by General Stump against the enemy, the + Americans were repulsed and thrown into disorder,--Major + Stump being forced to retire, in a manner by no means + desirable, under the circumstances. Major Jeffrey, who was + but a common soldier, seeing the condition of his comrades, + and comprehending the disastrous results about to befall + them, rushed forward, mounted a horse, took command of the + troops, and, by an heroic effort, rallied them to the + charge,--completely routing the enemy, who left the + Americans masters of the field. He at once received from the + General the title of "Major," though he could not, according + to the American policy, so commission him. To the day of his + death, he was known by that title in Nashville, where he + resided, and the circumstances which entitled him to it were + constantly the subject of popular conversation. + + "Major Jeffrey was highly respected by the whites generally, + and revered, in his own neighborhood, by all the colored + people who knew him. + + "A few years ago receiving an indignity from a common + ruffian, he was forced to strike him in self-defense; for + which act, in accordance with the laws of slavery in that, + as well as many other of the slave States, he was compelled + to receive, on his naked person, _nine and thirty lashes + with a raw hide!_ This, at the age of seventy odd, after the + distinguished services rendered his country,--probably when + the white ruffian for whom he was tortured was unable to + raise an arm in its defense,--was more than he could bear; + _it broke his heart_, and he sank to rise no more, till + summoned by the blast of the last trumpet to stand on the + battle-field of the general resurrection." + +Jeffrey was not an exception to this kind of treatment. Samuel Lee died +on a tobacco plantation after the war. + +The re-enslaving of the negroes who fought for American Independence +became so general at the South, that the Legislature of Virginia in +1783, in compliance with her honor, passed an act directing the +emancipation of certain slaves, who had served as soldiers of the State, +and for the emancipation of the slave Aberdeen. + +James Armistead during the war acted as a scout and spy for LaFayette +during his campaign in Virginia, and at one time gave information of an +intended surprise to be made upon the forces of the Marquis, thereby +saving probably a rout of the army. Armistead, after the surrender of +Cornwallis at Yorktown, was returned to his master three years after the +close of the war. He was manumitted by especial act of the Virginia +Legislature, whose attention was called to the worthiness of the service +rendered by Armistead. + +The opposition to the employment of negroes as soldiers, by the +persistency of its advocates and the bravery of those who were then +serving in white regiments, was finally overcome, so that their +enlistment became general and regulated by law. Companies, battalions +and regiments of negro troops soon entered the field and the struggle +for independence and liberty, giving to the cause the reality of +freedmen's fight. For three years the army had been fighting under the +smart of defeats, with an occasional signal victory, but now the tide +was about to be turned against the English. The colonists had witnessed +the heroism of the negro in Virginia at Great Bridge, and at Norfolk; in +Massachusetts at Boston and Bunker Hill, fighting, in the former, for +freedom under the British flag, in the latter for liberty, under the +banner of the colonies. The echoing shouts of the whites fell heavily +upon the ears of the black people; they caught the strain as by martial +instinct, and reverberated the appeal, "_Liberty and Independence_." + +The negro's ancestors were not slaves, so upon the altar of their hearts +the fire of liberty was re-kindled by the utterances of the white +colonists. They heard Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams, whose eloquence +vehemently aroused their compatriots, and, like them, they too resolved +to be free. They held no regular organized meetings; at the North they +assembled with their white fellow-citizens; at the South each balmy gale +that swept along the banks of the rivers were laden with the negro's +ejaculations for freedom, and each breast was resolute and determined. +The advocates and friends of the measure for arming all men for freedom, +were on the alert, and now the condition of the army was such as to +enable them to press the necessity of the measure upon the attention of +the American people. Washington needed reinforcements; nay, more, the +perilous situation of the army as it lay in camp at Valley Forge, at the +conclusion of the campaign of 1777, was indeed distressing. The +encampment consisted of huts, and there was danger of a famine. The +soldiers were nearly destitute of comfortable clothing. "Many," says the +historian, "for want of shoes, walked barefoot on the frozen ground; +few, if any, had blankets for the night. Great numbers sickened; near +three thousand at a time were incapable of bearing arms." + +Within fifteen miles of them lay the city of Philadelphia and the +British army. These gloomy circumstances overshadowed the recent victory +at Bennington, and the surrender of Burgoyne. Under these circumstances, +the difficulty of recruiting the patriot army may be easily imagined. A +general enlistment bill had failed to pass the legislature in the +spring, because, perhaps, the spirit of the patriots were up at the +time; but now they were down, and the advocates of arming negroes sought +the opportunity of carrying their plan. It was not attempted in +Connecticut, but in the General Assembly of Rhode Island an act was +passed for the purpose. Here are some of the principal provisions of +this act: + + "_It is Voted and Resolved_, That every able-bodied negro, + mulatto, or Indian man slave in this State, may enlist into + either of the said two battalions to serve during the + continuance of the present war with Great Britain; that + every slave so enlisted shall be entitled to receive all the + bounties, wages, encouragements allowed by the Continental + Congress to any soldier enlisted into their service. + + "_It is further Voted and Resolved_, That every slave so + enlisting shall, upon his passing muster before Col. + Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the + service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free, + as though he had never been encumbered with any kind of + servitude or slavery. And in case such slave shall, by + sickness or otherwise, be unable to maintain himself, he + shall not be chargable to his master or mistress, but shall + be supported at the expense of the State. + + "And whereas slaves have been by the laws deemed the + property of their owners; and therefore compensation ought + to be made to the owners for the loss of their service,-- + + "_It is further Voted and Resolved_, That there be allowed, + and paid by this State to the owners, for every such slave + so enlisting, a sum according to his worth at a price not + exceeding one hundred and twenty pounds for the most + valuable slave, and in proportion for a slave of less value; + _Provided_ the owner of said slave shall deliver up to the + officer who shall enlist him the clothes of said slave; or + otherwise he shall not be entitled to said sum." + +[Illustration: ON PICKET] + +To speak of the gallantry of the negro soldiers recalls the recollection +of some of their daring deeds at Red Bank, where four hundred men met +and repulsed, after a terrible, sanguinary struggle, fifteen hundred +Hessian troops led by Count Donop. + + "The glory of the defence of Red Bank, which has been + pronounced one of the most heroic actions of the war, + belongs in reality to black men; yet who now hears them + spoken of in connection with it? Among the traits which + distinguished the black regiment was devotion to their + officers. In the attack made upon the American lines, near + Croton river, on the 13th of May, 1781, Col. Greene, the + commander of the regiment, was cut down and mortally + wounded; but the sabres of the enemy only reached him + through the bodies of his faithful blacks, who gathered + around him to protect him, _and every one of whom was + killed_." + +Now the negro began to take the field; not scattered here and there +throughout the army, filling up the shattered ranks of white regiments, +but in organizations composed entirely of men of their own race, +officered, however, by white officers, men of high social and military +character and standing. The success of the measure in Rhode Island, +emboldened the effort in Massachusetts, where the advocates of separate +negro organizations had been laboring zealously for its accomplishment. +Officers of the army in the field, expressed their desire to be placed +in command of negro troops, in separate and distinct organizations. +Every effort, however, up to this time to induce Massachusetts to +consent to the proposition had failed. Rhode Island alone sent her negro +regiments to the field, whose gallantry during the war more than met the +most sanguine expectations of their warmest friends, and fully merited +the trust and confidence of the State and country. As the struggle +proceeded, re-enforcements were more frequently in demand; but recruits +were scarce, and the question of arming negroes became again prominent +in the colonies and the army. + +In April, 1778, Thomas Kench, then serving in an artillery regiment, +addressed letters to the Massachusetts Legislature urging the enlistment +of negroes. He wrote: + + "A re-enforcement can quickly be raised of two or three + hundred men. Will your honors grant the liberty, and give me + the command of the party? And what I refer to is negroes. + We have divers of them in our service, mixed with white men. + But I think it would be more proper to raise a body by + themselves, than to have them intermixed with the white men; + and their ambition would entirely be to outdo the white men + in every measure that the fortunes of war calls a soldier to + endure. And I could rely with dependence upon them in the + field of battle or to any post that I was sent to defend + with them; and they would think themselves happy could they + gain their freedom by bearing a part of subduing the enemy + that is invading our land, and clear a peaceful inheritance + for their masters, and posterity yet to come, that they are + now slaves to." + +The letter from which this extract was made was duly referred to a joint +committee "to consider the same and report." Some days later "a +resolution of the General Assembly of Rhode Island for enlisting negroes +in the public service" was referred to the same committee. They duly +reported the draft of a law, differing little from the Rhode Island +Resolution. A separate organization of negro companies, by Kench, does +not appear to have been deemed advisable at that time. The usage was +continued of "taking," in the words of Kench, "negroes in our service, +intermixed with the white men." + +The negroes of Boston and their abolition friends, rather insisted upon +the intermingling of the races in the army, believing that this course +had a greater tendency to destroy slavery, and the inequality of rights +among the blacks and whites; though it deprived the negroes, as we now +see, of receiving due credit for their valor, save in a few individual +cases. It was not in Massachusetts alone, but in many other States that +the same idea prevailed; and now the facts connected with the services +of the negroes are to be gathered only in fragments, from the histories +of villages and towns, or among the archives of the State, in a +disconnected and unsatisfactory form. + +The legislature of New York, two months after the murder of Col. Greene +and his faithful negro troops at Point's Bridge, in that State, by the +British, passed an act (March, 1781) looking to the raising of two +regiments. The sixth section of the act reads as follows: + + "And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that + any person who shall deliver one or more of his able-bodied + male slaves to any warrant officer, as aforesaid, to serve + in either of the above regiments or independent corps, and + produce a certificate thereof, signed by any person + authorized to muster and receive the men to be raised by + virtue of this act, and produce such certificate to the + Surveyor-General, shall, for every male slave so entered and + mustered as aforesaid, be entitled to the location and grant + of one right, in manner as in and by this act is directed; + and shall be, and hereby is discharged from any further + maintenance of such slave, any law to the contrary + notwithstanding. And such slave so entering as aforesaid, + who shall serve for the term of three years or until + regularly discharged, shall, immediately after such service + or discharge, be, and is hereby declared to be, a free man + of this State." + +In 1821, in the convention which revised the constitution of New York, +Mr. Clark, speaking in favor of allowing negroes to vote, said in the +course of his remarks: + + "My honorable colleague has told us, that, as the colored + people are not required to contribute to the protection or + defence of the State, they are not entitled to an equal + participation in the privileges of its citizens. But, Sir, + whose fault is this? Have they ever refused to do military + duty when called upon? It is haughtily asked, Who will stand + in the ranks shoulder to shoulder with a negro? I answer, No + one, in time of peace; no one, when your musters and + trainings are looked upon as mere pastimes; no one, when + your militia will shoulder their muskets and march to their + trainings with as much unconcern as they would go to a + sumptuous entertainment or a splendid ball. But, Sir, when + the hour of danger approaches, your white 'militia' are just + as willing that the man of color should be set up as a mark + to be shot at by the enemy, as to be set up themselves. In + the War of the Revolution, these people helped to fight your + battles by land and by sea. Some of your States were glad to + turn out corps of colored men, and to stand 'shoulder to + shoulder' with them. + + "In your late war, they contributed largely towards some of + your most splendid victories. On Lakes Erie and Champlain, + where your fleets triumphed over a foe superior in numbers + and engines of death, they were manned, in a large + proportion, with men of color. And, in this very house, in + the fall of 1814, a bill passed, receiving the approbation + of all the branches of your government, authorizing the + Governor to accept the services of a corps of two thousand + free people of color. Sir, these were times which tried + men's souls. In these times it was no sporting matter to + bear arms. These were times, when a man who shouldered his + musket did not know but he bared his bosom to receive a + death wound from the enemy ere he laid it aside; and in + these times, these people were found as ready and as willing + to volunteer in your service as any other. They were not + compelled to go; they were not drafted. No, your pride had + placed them beyond your compulsory power. But there was no + necessity for its exercise; they were volunteers; yes, Sir, + volunteers to defend that very country from the inroads and + ravages of a ruthless and vindictive foe, which had treated + them with insult, degradation and slavery. + + "Volunteers are the best of soldiers. Give me the men, + whatever be their complexion, that willingly volunteer, and + not those who are compelled to turn out. Such men do not + fight from necessity, nor from mercenary motives, but from + principle." + +Hon. Mr. Martindale, who represented a District of the State of New +York, in Congress in 1828, thus speaks of the negro soldiers: + + "Slaves, or negroes who have been slaves, were enlisted as + soldiers in the War of the Revolution; and I myself saw a + battalion of them, as fine martial-looking men as I ever + saw, attached to the Northern army." + +Up to this time the East had been the theatre of the war, with now and +then a battle in some one of the Middle Colonies, but the British +discovering that the people of the South acted indifferently in +maintaining and recruiting the army, transferred their operations to +that section. Maryland then stood as a middle State or Colony. Her +statesmen, seeing the threatened danger of the invasion of Pennsylvania, +endeavored to prepare to meet it, and taking council from her sister +States at the East, accepted the negro as a soldier. In June, 1781, John +Cadwater, writing from Annapolis, Md., to Gen. Washington, says: + + "We have resolved to raise, immediately, seven hundred and + fifty negroes, to be incorporated with the other troops; and + a bill is now almost completed." + +It does not appear that the negroes were formed into separate +organizations in this State, but filled the depleted ranks of the +Continental regiments, where their energy and daring was not less than +that displayed by their white comrades, with whom they fought, shoulder +to shoulder. The advocates of arming the negroes were not confined to +the Eastern and Middle sections; some of the best men of the South +favored and advocated the enlistment of free negroes, and made many, +though for a long time unsuccessful, efforts to obtain legal sanction +for such enlistment throughout the South. But their advice was not +listened to, even in the face of certain invasion, and then the whites +would not, and could not be induced to rally to the defence of their own +particular section and homes. + +For fear that I may be accused of too highly coloring the picture of the +Southern laxity of fervor and patriotism, I quote from the valuable +essay which accompanies the history of the American Loyalists: + + "The whole number of regulars enlisted for the Continental + service, from the beginning to the close of the struggle, + was 231,959. Of these, I have once remarked, 67,907 were + from Massachusetts; and I may now add, that every State + south of Pennsylvania provided but 59,493, or 8,414 _less_ + than this single State." + +The men of Massachusetts did not more firmly adhere to their policy of +mixed troops as against separate organizations, based upon color, than +did the men of the South to their peculiar institution, and against the +arming of negroes, free or slave. The war having fairly set in upon +Southern soil, and so urgent the necessity for recruiting the army, that +Congress again took up the subject of enrolling negroes as soldiers. It +was decided that the general Government had no control over the States +in the matter, but a series of resolutions were adopted recommending to +the States of Georgia and South Carolina, the arming of three thousand +able-bodied negroes. + +Now began an earnest battle for the carrying out of the policy, as +recommended by Congress. Its friends were among the bravest and truest +to the cause of freedom in the States. Hon. Henry Laurens lead in the +effort. Even before the matter was brought to the attention of Congress, +he wrote to Gen. Washington, as follows: + + "Our affairs in the Southern department are more favorable + than we had considered them a few days ago; nevertheless, + the country is greatly distressed, and will be so unless + further re-inforcements are sent to its relief. Had we arms + for three thousand such black men as I could select in + Carolina, I should have no doubt of success in driving the + British out of Georgia, and subduing East Florida before the + end of July." + +Washington knew the temper of the Southerners. He was well aware that +slaves could not be entrusted with arms within sight of the enemy's +camp, and within hearing of his proclamation of freedom to all who would +join his Majesty's standard, unless equal inducements were offered them +by the colonists, and to this he knew the Southern colonist would not +consent. In his reply to Mr. Laurens, he said: + + "The policy of our arming slaves, is, in my opinion a moot + point, unless the enemy set the example. For, should we + begin to form battallions of them, I have not the smallest + doubt, if the war is to be prosecuted, of their following us + in it, and justifying the measure upon our own ground. The + contest then must be, who can arm fastest. And where are our + arms? Besides, I am not clear that a discrimination will not + render slavery more irksome to those who remain in it. Most + of the good and evil things in this life are judged of by + comparison; and I fear a comparison in this case will be + productive of much discontent in those who are held in + servitude. But, as this is a subject that has never employed + much of my thoughts, these are no more than the first crude + ideas that have struck me upon the occasion." + +Washington certainly had no doubts as to the value of the negro as a +soldier, but for the reasons stated, did not give the weight of his +influence, at this important juncture, to the policy of their +enlistment, while so many of the leading men of the colonies were +favorable to the action. + +Among those who advocated the raising of negro troops was Col. John +Laurens, a native of South Carolina and a brave patriot, who had acted +as aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief, and had seen service in Rhode +Island and elsewhere. He was the son of Hon. Henry Laurens, at one time +President of Congress, and was noted for his high qualities of +character. A commission of lieutenant-colonel was granted to him by +Congress, and he proceeded to South Carolina to use his personal +influence to induce the Legislature to authorize the enlistment of +negroes. His services in Rhode Island had given him an opportunity to +witness the conduct and worth of the negro soldier. + +Alexander Hamilton in the course of a long letter to John Jay, relating +to the mission of Col. Laurens to South Carolina, says: + + "I foresee that this project will have to combat much + opposition from prejudice and self-interest. The contempt we + have been taught to entertain for the blacks makes us fancy + many things that are founded neither in reason nor + experience; and an unwillingness to part company with + property of so valuable a kind will furnish a thousand + arguments to show the impracticability or pernicious + tendency of a scheme which requires such a sacrifice. But it + should be considered, that, if we do not make use of them in + this way, the enemy probably will; and that the best way to + counteract the temptations they will hold out will be to + offer them ourselves. An essential part of the plan is to + give them their freedom with their muskets. This will secure + their fidelity, animate their courage, and, I believe, will + have a good influence upon those who remain, by opening a + door to their emancipation. This circumstance, I confess has + no small weight in inducing me to wish the success of the + project; for the dictates of humanity and true policy, + equally interest me in favor of this unfortunate class of + men." + +The patriotic zeal of Col. Laurens for the accomplishment of his design +was earnest and conscientious. He wrote to his friend Hamilton in these +words: + + "Ternant will relate to you how many violent struggles I + have had between duty and inclination--how much my heart was + with you, while I appeared to be most actively employed + here. But it appears to me, that I should be inexcusable in + the light of a citizen, if I did not continue my utmost + efforts for carrying the plan of the black levies into + execution, while there remains the smallest hope of + success." + +The condition of the colonies and the Continental army at that time was +critical in the extreme. The campaign of 1779 had closed gloomily for +the Americans. The British had not only been active in raiding in +Virginia and destroying property, but in organizing negro troops. Lord +Dunmore, as we have seen, as early as November, 1775, had issued a +proclamation, inviting the negroes to join the Royal forces, to which a +great many slaves responded, and were organized into companies. A +regiment had been organized by the British on Long Island in 1776, and +now, Sir Henry Clinton invited them by the following proclamation: + + "By his Excellency Sir Henry Clinton, K. B., General and + Commander-in-Chief of all his Majesty's Forces, within the + Colonies lying on the Atlantic Ocean, from Nova Scotia to + West Florida, inclusive, &c., &c. + + PROCLAMATION. + + "Whereas the enemy have adopted a practice of enrolling + _Negroes_ among their _Troops_, I do hereby give notice + _That_ all Negroes taken in arms, or upon any military + _Duty_, shall be purchased for _the public service_ at a + stated _Price_; the money to be paid to the _Captors_. + + "But I do most strictly forbid any _Person_ to sell or claim + _Right_ over any Negro, the property of a Rebel, who may + take refuge in any part of this _Army_: And I do promise to + every negro who shall desert the _Rebel Standard_, full + security to follow within these _Lines_, any Occupation + which he shall think proper. + + "Given under my Hand at Head-Quarters, Philipsburg, the 30th day + of June, 1779. H. CLINTON. + + "By his Excellency's command, John Smith, Secretary." + +It is highly probable that many negroes made their way to the British +camp. Col. Laurens wrote to General Washington, under date of February, +1780, six months after the issuing of Sir Henry Clinton's proclamation, +as follows: + + "Private accounts say that General Provost is left to + command at Savannah; that his troops consist of Hessians and + Loyalists that were there before, _re-inforced by a corps of + blacks and a detachment of savages_. It is generally + reported that Sir. Henry Clinton commands the present + expedition." + +Clinton left New York in the latter part of 1779, for the reduction of +Charleston, which he completed in May, three months after the date of +Col. Laurens' letter. Gen. Lincoln, who commanded the American forces at +Charleston, joined in the effort to arm the negroes. In a letter to Gov. +Rutledge, dated Charleston, March 13th, 1780, he says: + + "Give me leave to add once more, that I think the measure of + raising a black corps a necessary one; that I have great + reason to believe, if permission is given for it, that many + men would soon be obtained. I have repeatedly urged this + matter, not only because Congress has recommended it, and + because it thereby becomes my duty to attempt to have it + executed, but because my own mind suggests the utility and + importance of the measure, as the safety of the town makes + it necessary." + +The project of raising negro troops gained some friends in all sections, +and Statesmen, both South and North, as they talked about it, became +more free to express their approbation of the measure. They had +witnessed the militia from Virginia and North Carolina, at the battle of +Camden, throw down their arms before the enemy;[4] they had seen black +and white troops under command of Gen. Provost occupy Savannah; the +surrender of Charlestown had become necessary; and these evils were all +brought about by the apathy of the white inhabitants. + +Among those who spoke out in favor of Col. Laurens' and Gen. Lincoln's +plan, was Hon. James Madison, who, on the 20th of November, 1780, wrote +to Joseph Jones: + + "I am glad to find the Legislature persisting in their + resolution to recruit their line of the army for the war; + though, without deciding on the expediency of the mode under + their consideration, would it not be as well to liberate and + make soldiers at once of the blacks themselves, as to make + them instruments for enlisting white soldiers? It would + certainly be more consonant with the principles of liberty: + and, with white officers and a majority of white soldiers, + no imaginable danger could be feared from themselves; as + there certainly could be none from the effect of the example + on those who should remain in bondage; experience having + shown that a freedman immediately loses all attachment and + sympathy with his former fellow slaves." + +No circumstances under which the South was placed, could induce either +their legislators or the people to adopt the recommendations of Congress +or the advice of the patriots and statesmen of their section. The +opposition to the arming of the negroes was much stronger than the love +for independence. The British, however, adopted the plan, and left no +stone unturned to augment the strength of their army. Thousands of +negroes flocked to the Royal standard at every opportunity, just as in +the war of the Rebellion in 1861-'65, they sought freedom under the +national banner. + +It has ever been the rule among American historians to omit giving +credit to those negroes who sought to gain their freedom by joining the +British. They have generally also failed to acknowledge the valor of +those who swelled the ranks of the Continental army. Enough, however, +can be gathered, mostly from private correspondence, to show that the +hope of success for the Americans rested either in the docility of the +negroes at the South, or in their loyalty to the cause of Independence. +At all events, upon the action of the blacks more than upon the bravery +and valor of the American troops, depended the future status of the +Colonies; hence the solicitude of officers and of the leading citizens; +and it was not the love of universal freedom, which prompted their +efforts for arming negroes; not at all, but their keen appreciation of +the value of a neutral power, which could be utilized for the benefit of +America's Independence. Nor do I attribute other than the same motive to +the British, who did arm and did free a great many of the negroes, who +joined their service, especially at the South, where they must have +organized quite a large force,--not less than 5,000. Early in 1781, +(Feb'y) Gen. Greene, then in command in North Carolina, writing to +General Washington about the doings of the enemy in South Carolina, +where he formally commanded, says: + + "The enemy have ordered two regiments of negroes to be + immediately embodied, and are drafting a great portion of + the young men of that State [South Carolina], to serve + during the war." + +A few days after writing this letter, Gen. Greene met the British at +Guilford Court House, and again witnessed the cowardice of the Southern +militia,[5] whose conduct gave victory to the British, under Cornwallis. + +The persistency of Col. Laurens in his effort to organize negro troops, +was still noteworthy. Having returned from France, whither he went on +important business, connected with the welfare of the States, he resumed +his "favorite pursuit." Under date of May, 19, 1782, in a letter +addressed to Washington, he says: + + "The plan which brought me to this country was urged with + all the zeal which the subject inspired, both in our Privy + Council and Assembly; but the single voice of reason was + drowned by the howling of a triple-headed monster, in which + prejudice, avarice, and pusillanimity were united. It was + some degree of consolation to me, however, to perceive that + the truth and philosophy had gained some ground; the + suffrages in favor of the measure being twice as numerous as + on a former occasion. Some hopes have been lately given me + from Georgia; but I fear, when the question is put, we + shall be out-voted there with as much disparity as we have + been in this country. + + * * * * + + "I earnestly desire to be where any active plans are likely + to be executed, and to be near your Excellency on all + occasions in which my services can be acceptable. The + pursuit of an object which, I confess, is a favorite one + with me, because I always regarded the interests of this + country and those of the Union as intimately connected with + it, has detached me more than once from your family, but + those sentiments of veneration and attachments with which + your Excellency has inspired me, keep me always near you, + with the sincerest and most zealous wishes for a continuance + of your happiness and glory." + +Here ended the project of arming negroes in South Carolina, and before +an earnest effort could be made in Georgia, the brave man laid his life +upon the altar of American liberty. + +But to show the state of public opinion at the South, as understood by +the Commander-in-Chief of the American army, we have but to read +Washington's reply to Col. Laurens' last letter, in which he speaks of +"making a last effort" in Georgia. Gen. Washington uses this emphatic +language: + + "I must confess that I am not at all astonished at the + failure of your plan. That spirit of freedom, which, at the + commencement of this contest, would have gladly sacrificed + everything to the attainment of its object, has long since + subsided, and every selfish passion has taken its place. It + is not the public but private interest which influences the + generality of mankind; nor can the Americans any longer + boast an exception. Under the circumstances, it would rather + have been surprising if you had succeeded; nor will you, I + fear, have better success in Georgia." + +This letter settles forever any boast of the Southerners, that to them +is due the credit of gaining the independence of the United States. It +is true Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, Va., was the last of the +series of battles fought for independence.[6] But we must remember that +the French were at Yorktown. It cannot be doubted but that from +Charleston to Yorktown the Americans met negro troops more than once +fighting under the Royal flag; while at the east, in every important +engagement between the two enemies,--British and American,--the negro +was found fighting with the Americans. This division of the negroes can +easily be accounted for, since at the North and East the object of the +war was acknowledged to be set forth in the Declaration of Independence; +at the South only so much of the Declaration was accepted as demanded +Independence from Great Britain. Therefore, though in separate and +opposing armies, the object of the negro was the same--liberty. It is to +be regretted that the historians of the Revolutionary period did not +more particularly chronicle the part taken by negroes at the South, +though enough is known to put their employment beyond doubt. + +Johnson, the author of the life of Gen. Greene, speaking of Greene's +recommendation to the Legislature of South Carolina to enroll negroes, +says: + + "There is a sovereign, who, at this time, draws his soldiery + from the same class of people; and finds a facility in + forming and disciplining an army, which no other power + enjoys. Nor does his immense military force, formed from + that class of his subjects, excite the least apprehension; + for the soldier's will is subdued to that of his officer, + and his improved condition takes away the habit of + identifying himself with the class from which he has been + separated. Military men know what mere machines men become + under discipline, and believe that any men, who may be + obedient, may be made soldiers; and that increasing their + numbers increases the means of their own subjection and + government." + +Cornwallis doubtless had gathered within his lines a large number of +negroes, to whose energy and labor, the erection of his breastworks were +mainly due. Lafayette feeling satisfied that the position of his army +before Yorktown would confine the British, and make the escape of +Cornwallis impossible without battle, wrote to Gen. Washington in +September: + + "I hope you will find we have taken the best precautions to + lessen his Lordship's escape. I hardly believe he will make + the attempt. If he does, he must give up ships, artillery, + baggage, part of his horses, and all the negroes." + +All this time in some of the Northern States an opposition as strong as +at the South had existed against organizing negro troops, and in some +instances even against employing them as soldiers. The effort for +separate organizations had been going on, but with only the little +success that has been already noticed. In a biographical sketch of Col. +David Humphreys, in the "National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished +Americans," is the following: + + "In November, 1782, he was, by resolution of Congress, + commissioned as a Lieutenant-Colonel, with order that his + commission should bear date from the 23rd of June, 1780, + when he received his appointment as aid-de-camp to the + Commander-in-Chief. He had, when in active service, given + the sanction of his name and influence in the establishment + of a company of colored infantry, attached to Meigs', + afterwards Butler's, regiment, in the Connecticut line. He + continued to be the nominal captain of that company until + the establishment of peace." + +Though the Legislature of Connecticut had taken up the subject of arming +negroes generally, as early as 1777, and a bill, as we have seen, was +presented to that Legislature, for their enrollment, the advocates of +the measure, in every attempt to pass it, had been beaten. Nevertheless, +as appears by the record given above, Col. Humphrey took charge and +organized a company, with which he served until the close of the war. +But this company of fifty odd men were not all that did service in the +army from Connecticut, for in many of her white regiments, negroes, bond +and free, stood in the ranks with the whites. And, notwithstanding the +unsuccessful attempts of Col. Laurens and the advocates of negro +soldiery at the South, the negro was an attache of the Southern army, +and rendered efficient aid during the struggle, in building breastworks, +driving teams and piloting the army through dense woods, swamps, and +across rivers. Not a few were spies and drummers. To select or point out +a particular battle or siege, in which they rendered active service to +the British, would not be a difficult task, though the information at +hand is too limited for a detailed account of the part which they bore +in these struggles. The true patriots of the Revolution were not slow in +according to their black compatriots that meed of praise which was their +due. In almost every locality, either North or South, after the war, +there lived one or two privileged negroes, who, on great +occasions,--days of muster, 4th of July, Washington's birthday, and the +like,--were treated with more than ordinary courtesy by the other +people. That a great and dastardly wrong was committed upon many, in +like manner in which Simon Lee[7] was treated, is true. Many negroes at +the South, who fought for American independence were re-enslaved, and +this is so far beyond a doubt that no one denies it. The re-enslaving of +these soldiers,--not by those who took part in the conflict, but the +_stay-at-home's_,--was so flagrant an outrage that the Legislature of +Virginia, in 1783, in order to give freedom to those who had been +re-enslaved, and to rebuke the injustice of the treatment, passed the +following act: + + _An Act directing the Emancipation of certain Slaves who had + served as Soldiers in this State, and for the Emancipation + of the Slave, Aberdeen._ + + "I. Whereas, it hath been represented to the present General + Assembly, that, during the course of the war, many persons + in this State had caused their slaves to enlist in certain + regiments or corps, raised within the same, having tendered + such slaves to the officers appointed to recruit forces + within the State, as substitutes for free persons whose lot + or duty it was to serve in such regiments or corps, at the + same time representing to such recruiting officers that the + slaves, so enlisted by their direction and concurrence, were + freemen; and it appearing further to this Assembly, that on + the expiration of the term of enlistment of such slaves, + that the former owners have attempted again to force them to + return to a state of servitude, contrary to the principles + of justice, and to their own solemn promise; + + "II. And whereas it appears just and reasonable that all + persons enlisted as aforesaid, who have faithfully served + agreeable to the terms of their enlistment, and have hereby + of course contributed towards the establishment of American + liberty and independence, should enjoy the blessings of + freedom as a reward for their toils and labors. + + "_Be it therefore enacted_, That each and every slave, who, + by the appointment and direction of his owner, hath enlisted + in any regiment or corps raised within this State, either on + Continental or State establishment, and hath been received + as a substitute for any free person whose duty or lot it was + to serve in such regiment or corps, and hath served + faithfully during the term of such enlistment, or hath been + discharged from such service by some officer duly authorized + to grant such discharge, shall, from and after the passing + of this act, be fully and completely emancipated, and shall + be held and deemed free, in as full and ample a manner as if + each and every one of them were specially named in this act; + and the Attorney-general for the Commonwealth is hereby + required to bring an action, _in forma pauperis_, in behalf + of any of the persons above described who shall, after the + passage of this act, be detained in servitude by any person + whatsoever; and if, upon such prosecution, it shall appear + that the pauper is entitled to his freedom in consequence of + this act, a jury shall be empaneled to assess the damages + for his detention. + + "III. And whereas it has been represented to this General + Assembly, that Aberdeen, a negro man slave, hath labored a + number of years in the public service at the lead mines, and + for his meritorious services is entitled to freedom; + + "_Be it therefore enacted_, That the said slave Aberdeen, + shall be, and he is hereby, emancipated and declared free in + as full and ample a manner as if he had been born free." + +In 1786 an act was passed to emancipate a negro slave who had acted as a +spy for Lafayette. This practice was not perhaps wholly confined to the +South. Although Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783, her territory +was, it seems, still subject to slave hunts, and her negro soldiers to +the insult of an attempt to re-enslave them. But Gen. Washington, though +himself a slave-holder, regarded the rights of those who fought for +liberty and national independence, with too much sacredness and the +honor of the country with too much esteem, to permit them to be set +aside, merely to accommodate those who had rendered the nation's cause +no help or assistance. Gen. Putnam received the following letter, which +needs no explanation: + + "HEADQUARTERS, Feb. 2, 1783. + + "SIR:--Mr. Hobby having claimed as his property a negro man + now serving in the Massachusetts Regiment, you will please + to order a court of inquiry, consisting of five as + respectable officers as can be found in your brigade, to + examine the validity of the claim and the manner in which + the person in question came into service. Having inquired + into the matter, with all the attending circumstances, they + will report to you their opinion thereon; which you will + report to me as soon as conveniently may be. + + "I am, Sir, with great respect, your most obedient servant, + + "GEORGE WASHINGTON. + + "P. S.--All concerned should be notified to attend. + + "Brig.-Gen. Putnam." + +Not only did some of the negro soldiers who fought in the American Army +receive unjust treatment at the close of the war, but those who served +under the Royal standard, also shared a fate quite different from what +they supposed it would be when the proclamations of Lord Dunmore, +Clinton and Cornwallis, were inviting them to cast their lot with the +British. + +The high character of Thomas Jefferson induces me to reproduce his +letter to Dr. Gordon, or rather that portion of it which refers to the +treatment of the negroes who went with the British army. Mr. Jefferson +says: + + "From an estimate I made at that time, on the best + information I could collect, I supposed the State of + Virginia lost, under Lord Cornwallis' hand, that year, about + thirty thousand slaves; and that, of these, twenty-seven + thousand died of the small-pox and camp fever; the rest were + partly sent to the West Indies, and exchanged for rum, + sugar, coffee and fruit; and partly sent to New York, from + whence they went, at the peace, either to Nova Scotia or to + England. From this last place, I believe they have lately + been sent to Africa. History will never relate the horrors + committed by the British army in the Southern States of + America." + +The heroism of the negro soldier has ever been eulogized by the true +statesmen of our country, whenever the question of the American +patriots was the theme. And I find no better eulogy to pronounce upon +them than that Hon. Charles Pinckney, of South Carolina, delivered in +the United States House of Representatives in 1820, and that of Hon. Wm. +Eustis, of Massachusetts, during the same debate. Mr. Pinckney said: + + "It is a remarkable fact, that notwithstanding, in the + course of the Revolution, the Southern States were + continually overrun by the British, and that every negro in + them had an opportunity of leaving their owners, few did; + proving thereby not only a most remarkable attachment to + their owners, but the mildness of the treatment, from whence + their affection sprang. They then were, as they still are, + as valuable a part of our population to the union as any + other equal number of inhabitants. They were in numerous + instances the pioneers, and in all the laborers, of your + armies. To their hands were owing the erection of the + greatest part of the fortifications raised for the + protection of our country; some of which, particularly Fort + Moultrie, gave, at the early period of the inexperience and + untried valor of our citizens, immortality to American arms; + and, in the Northern States, numerous bodies of them were + enrolled into, and fought, by the side of the whites, the + battles of the Revolution."--_Annals of Congress._ + +And said Mr. Eustis: + + "At the commencement of the Revolutionary war, there were + found in the Middle and Northern States, many blacks, and + other people of color, capable of bearing arms; a part of + them free, the greater part slaves. The freemen entered our + ranks with the whites. The time of those who were slaves was + purchased by the States; and they were induced to enter the + service in consequence of a law by which, on condition of + their serving in the ranks during the war, they were made + freemen. + + "The war over, and peace restored, these men returned to + their respective States; and who could have said to them, on + their return to civil life, after having shed their blood in + common with the whites in the defence of the liberties of + their country, 'You are not to participate in the liberty + for which you have been fighting?' Certainly no white man in + Massachusetts." + +Such is the historic story of the negro in the American Revolution, and +it is a sad one as regards any benefit to his own condition by his +connection with either side. But it is one of the most memorable of all +history on exhibition of the fidelity of a race to the cause of the +freedom of all men. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[1] "Ran away from his master, William Brown, of Framingham, on the 30th +of Sept. last, a Mullato Fellow, about 27 years of age, named _Crispus_, +6 feet 2 inches high, short, curl'd hair, his knees nearer together than +common; had on a light coloured Bearskin Coat, plain brown Fustain +Jacket, or brown All Wool one, new Buck skin breeches, blue Yarn +Stockings, and a checked woolen shirt. Whoever shall take up said +Runaway, and convey him to his abovesaid master, shall have _ten +pounds_, old Tenor Reward, and all necessary charges paid. And all +Masters of Vessels and others, are hereby cautioned against concealing +or carrying off said Servant on Penalty of the Law. Boston, October 2, +1750."--_Boston Gazette._ + +[2] Mr. Sparks appends to this letter the following note: "At a meeting +of the general officers, previously to the arrival of the committee from +Congress in camp, it was unanimously resolved, that it was not expedient +to enlist slaves in the new army; and by a large majority, negroes of +every description were excluded from enlistment. When the subject was +referred to the Committee in conference, the resolve was not adhered to, +and probably for the reason here mentioned by Washington. Many black +soldiers were in the service during all stages of the war."--Spark's +Washington, Vol. III. pp. 218-219. + +[3] Dunmore after destroying Norfolk, sailed with his fleet of +men-of-war and more than fifty transports, on board of which were many +armed negroes and Royal troops, to the mouth of the Piankatank river, +and took possession of Gwynn's Island, where he landed his troops and +entrenched. Here he was attacked by Gen. Lewis' men from the opposite +shore. One of Dunmore's ships was badly damaged by cannon balls, and he +drew off and sailed up the Potomoc river, and occupied St. Georgia's +Island, after having burned a mansion at the mouth of Aqua Creek. He was +here attacked by a militia force and retired. Misfortune followed him; +disease, shipwreck and want of provisions. He soon made sail, and with +his negroes reached England, where he remained. + +[4] At the first onset, a large body of the Virginia militia, under a +charge of the British infantry with fixed bayonets, threw down their +arms and fled. A considerable part of the North Carolina militia +followed their unworthy example. But the Continentals evinced the most +unyielding firmness, and pressed forward with unusual ardor. Never did +men acquit themselves more honorably. They submitted only when forsaken +by their brethren in arms, and when overpowered by numbers. + +[5] "The British loss, in this battle, exceeded five hundred in killed +and wounded, among whom were several of the most distinguished officers. +The American loss was about four hundred, in killed and wounded, of +which more than three-fourths fell upon the Continentals. Though the +numerical force of Gen. Greene nearly doubled that of Cornwallis, yet, +when we consider the difference between these forces; the shameful +conduct of the North Carolina militia, who fled at the first fire; the +desertion of the second Maryland regiment, and that a body of reserve +was not brought into action, it will appear that our numbers, actually +engaged, but little exceeded that of the enemy."--_Grimshaw's U. S. +History._ + +[6] The Burlington _Gazette_, in an issue of some time ago, gives the +following account of an aged negro Revolutionary patriot: "The attention +of many of our citizens has doubtless been arrested by the appearance of +an old colored man, who might have been seen, sitting in front of his +residence, in east Union street, respectfully raising his hat to those +who might be passing by. His attenuated frame, his silvered head, his +feeble movements, combine to prove that he is very aged: and yet, +comparatively few are aware that he is among the survivors of the +gallant army who fought for the liberties of our country. + +"On Monday last, we stopped to speak to him, and asked how old he was. +He asked the day of the month, and upon being told that it was the 24th +of May, replied, with trembling lips, 'I am very old--I am a hundred +years old to-day.' + +"His name is Oliver Cromwell, and he says that he was born at the Black +Horse, (now Columbus), in this county, in the family of John Hutchins. +He enlisted in a company commanded by Capt. Lowry, attached to the +Second New Jersey Regiment, under the command of Col. Israel Shreve. He +was at the battles of Trenton, Brandywine, Princetown, Monmouth, and +Yorktown, at which latter place, he told us, he saw the last man killed. +Although his faculties are failing, yet he relates many interesting +reminiscences of the Revolution. He was with the army at the retreat of +the Delaware, on the memorable crossing of the 25th of December, 1776, +and relates the story of the battle on the succeeding day, with +enthusiasm. He gives the details of the march from Trenton to +Princetown, and told us, with much humor, that they 'knocked the British +around lively,' at the latter place. He was also at the battle of +Springfield, and says that he saw the house burning in which Mrs. +Caldwell was shot, at Connecticut Farms." + +"I further learn, (says the author of the 'Colored Patriots of the +Revolution'), that Cromwell was brought up a farmer, having served his +time with Thomas Hutchins, Esq., his maternal uncle. He was, for six +years and nine months under the immediate command of Washington, whom he +loved affectionately." + +"His discharge," says Dr. M'Cune Smith, "at the close of the war, was in +Washington's own handwriting, of which he was very proud, often speaking +of it. He received annually, ninety-six dollars pension. He lived a long +and honorable life. Had he been of a little lighter complexion, (he was +just half white), every newspaper in the land would have been eloquent +in praise of his many virtues." + +[7] Simon Lee, the grandfather of William Wells Brown, on his mother's +side, was a slave in Virginia, and served in the war of the Revolution. +Although honorably discharged, with the other Virginia troops, at the +close of the war, he was sent back to his master, where he spent the +remainder of his life toiling on a tobacco plantation.--_Patriotism of +Colored Americans._ + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE WAR OF 1812. + + +While there is no intention of entering into an examination of the +causes of the war between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, +yet in order to carry out the design of the author to show that in this +war,--like all others in which the government of the United States has +been engaged,--the negro, as a soldier, took part, it is deemed +necessary to cite at least one of the incidents, perhaps _the_ incident, +which most fired the national heart of America, and hastened the +beginning of hostilities. + +The war between England and France gave to the American merchant marine +interest an impetus that increased the number of vessels three-fold in a +few years; it also gave command of the carrying trade of the West +Indies, from which Napoleon's frigates debarred the English merchantmen. +In consequence England sought and used every opportunity to cripple +American commerce and shipping. One plan was to deprive American ships +of the service of English seamen. Her war vessels claimed and exercised +the right of searching for English seamen on board American vessels. +During the year 1807, the English Admiral Berkeley, in command of the +North American Station, issued instructions to commanders of vessels in +his fleet to look out for the American frigate Chesapeake, and if they +fell in with her at sea, to board her and search for deserters, as all +English seamen in the American service were regarded by England. With +the instructions, were the descriptions of four sailors, three negroes +and one white man, who were missing. + +The persons who deserted from the Melampus, then lying in Hampton Roads, +were William Ware, Daniel Martin, John Strachan, John Little and Ambrose +Watts. Within a month from their escape from the Melampus, the first +three of these deserters offered themselves for enlistment, and were +received on board the Chesapeake, then at Norfolk, Va., preparing for +sea. The British consul at Norfolk, being apprized of the circumstance, +wrote a letter to the American naval officer, requesting the men to be +returned. With this request, the officer refused to comply, and the +British lost no time in endeavoring to procure an order from the +American government for their surrender. On receipt of the application, +the Secretary of the Navy ordered an examination into the characters and +claims of the men in question. The examination resulted in proof that +the three negroes, Ware, Martin and Strachan were natives of America. +The two former had "_protections_," or notarial certificates of their +citizenship;[8] Strachan had no "_protection_," but asserted that he +lost it previous to his escape. Such being the circumstances, the +government refused to give the men up, insisting that they were American +citizens, and though, they had served in the British navy, they were +pressed into the service and had a right to desert it. + +The Chesapeake was one of the finest of the frigates in the American +Navy, and after receiving an outfit requiring six months to complete at +the Gosport Navy Yard, at Norfolk, Va., started for the Mediterranean. +The English frigate Leopard, which lay in the harbor at Norfolk when the +Chesapeake sailed, followed her out to sea, hailed her and sent a letter +to her commander, Commodore James Barron, demanding the surrender of the +deserters. Barron sent a note refusing to comply with the demand, +whereupon the Leopard fired several broadsides into the Chesapeake. +Barron struck his colors without firing a shot, and permitted the +officers of the Leopard to board his vessel and search her. The British +captain refused to accept the surrender of the Chesapeake, but took from +her crew the three men who had been demanded as deserters; also a +fourth, John Wilson, a white man, claimed as a runaway from a merchant +ship. + +The white sailor, it was admitted by the American government, was a +British subject, and his release was not demanded; he was executed for +deserting the British Navy. Of the negroes, two only were returned by +the British government, the other one having died in England. Says an +American historian: + + "An outrage like this, inflicted not by accident or the + brutality of a separate commander, naturally excited the + whole nation to the utmost. + + "President Jefferson very soon interdicted American harbors + and waters to all vessels of the English Navy, and forbade + intercourse with them. He sent a vessel of war with a + special minister to demand satisfaction. The English Admiral + hanged the deserter, and dismissed the three black men with + a reprimand, blaming them for _disturbing the peace of two + nations_. That the outrage did not end in immediate war, was + due partly to the fact that the Americans had no Navy to + fight with." + +Nearly four years elapsed before the final settlement of the Chesapeake +affair, and then the English government insisted upon its right to, and +issued orders for the search for British sailors to be continued; thus a +cause for quarrel remained. + +The principal grounds of war, set forth in a message of the President to +Congress, June 1st, 1812, and further explained by the Committee on +Foreign Relations, in their report on the subject of the message, were +summarily: + + "The impressment of American seamen by the British; the + blockade of her enemy's ports, supported by no adequate + force, in consequence of which the American commerce had + been plundered in every sea, and the great staples of the + country cut off from their legitimate markets; and the + British orders in council." + +[Illustration: A NAVAL BATTLE.] + +On these grounds, the President urged the declaration of war. In unison +with the recommendation of the President, the Committee on Foreign +Relations concluded their reports as follows: + + "Your committee, believing that the freeborn sons of America + are worthy to enjoy the liberty which their fathers + purchased at the price of much blood and treasure, and + seeing by the measures adopted by Great Britain, a course + commenced and persisted in, which might lead to a loss of + national character and independence, feel no hesitation in + advising resistance by force, in which the Americans of the + present day will prove to the enemy and the world, that we + have not only inherited that liberty which our fathers gave + us, but also the will and power to maintain it. Relying on + the patriotism of the nation, and confidently trusting that + the Lord of Hosts will go with us to battle in a righteous + cause, and crown our efforts with success, your committee + recommend an immediate appeal to _arms_." + +War was declared by Congress on the 17th of June, and proclaimed by the +President on the second day following. + +The struggle was principally carried on upon the water, between the +armed vessels of the two nations, consequently no great armies were +called into active service upon the field. This was indeed fortunate for +America, whose military establishments at the time were very defective. +Congress called for twenty thousand men, but a very few enlisted. The +President was authorized to raise fifty thousand volunteers and to call +out one hundred thousand militia for the defence of the seacoast and +frontiers; but officers could not be found to nominally command the few +thousand that responded to the call; which state of affairs was no doubt +largely due to the opposition to the war, which existed in the New +England States. + +Since the peace of 1783, a class of marine merchants at the North had +vied with each other in the African slave trade, in supplying the +Southern planters. Consequently the increase in negro population was +great; in 1800 it was 1,001,463, and in 1810, two years before war was +declared, 1,377,810, an increase of 376,347. Of the 1,377,810, there +were 1,181,362 slaves, and 186,448 free. Of course their increase was +not due solely to the importation by the slave trade, but the aggregate +increase was large, compared with the increase of the white population +for the same period. + +The free negroes were mainly residents of the Northern States, where +they enjoyed a nominal freedom. They entered the service with alacrity; +excluded from the army, they enlisted in the navy, swelling the number +of those who, upon the rivers, lakes, bays and oceans, manned the guns +of the war vessels, in defense of Free Trade, Sailor's Rights and +Independence on the seas as well as on the land. It is quite impossible +to ascertain the exact number of negroes who stood beside the guns that +won for America just recognition from the maritime powers of the world. +Like the negro soldiers in the Revolutionary war who served with the +whites, so the negro sailors in the war of 1812 served in the American +Navy; in the mess, at the gun, on the yard-arm and in the gangway, +together with others of various nationalities, they achieved many +victories for the navy of our common country. The best evidence I can +give in substantiation of what has been written, is the following letter +from Surgeon Parsons to George Livermore, Esq., of the Massachusetts +Historical Society: + + "PROVIDENCE, October 18, 1862. + + "MY DEAR SIR:--In reply to your inquiries about the + employing of blacks in our navy in the war of 1812, and + particularly in the battle of Lake Erie, I refer you to + documents in Mackenzie's 'Life of Commodore Perry,' vol. i. + pp. 166 and 187. + + "In 1814, our fleet sailed to the Upper Lakes to co-operate + with Colonel Croghan at Mackinac. About one in ten or twelve + of the crews were black. + + "In 1816, I was surgeon of the 'Java,' under Commodore + Perry. The white and colored seamen messed together. About + one in six or eight were colored. + + "In 1819, I was surgeon of the 'Guerriere,' under Commodore + Macdonough; and the proportion of blacks was about the same + in her crew. There seemed to be an entire absence of + prejudice against the blacks as messmates among the crew. + What I have said applies to the crews of the other ships + that sailed in squadrons. + + "Yours very respectfully, + + "USHER PARSONS." + +Dr. Parsons had reference to the following correspondence between +Captain Perry and Commodore Chauncey, which took place in 1813, before +the former's victory on Lake Erie. As will be seen, Perry expressed +dissatisfaction as to the recruits sent him to man the squadron then on +Lake Erie, and with which he gained a decisive victory over the British +fleet, under command of Capt Barley: + + "SIR,--I have this moment received, by express, the enclosed + letter from General Harrison. If I had officers and + men,--and I have no doubt you will send them,--I could fight + the enemy, and proceed up the lake; but, having no one to + command the 'Niagara,' and only one commissioned lieutenant + and two acting lieutenants, whatever my wishes may be, going + out is out of the question. The men that came by Mr. + Champlin are a motley set,--blacks, soldiers, and boys. I + cannot think you saw them after they were selected. I am, + however, pleased to see any thing in the shape of a + man."--_Mackenzie's Life of Perry_, vol. i. pp. 165, 166. + +Commodore Chauncey then rebuked him in his reply, and set forth the +worth of the negro seaman: + + "SIR,--I have been duly honored with your letters of the + twenty-third and twenty-sixth ultimo, and notice your + anxiety for men and officers. I am equally anxious to + furnish you; and no time shall be lost in sending officers + and men to you as soon as the public service will allow me + to send them from this lake. I regret that you are not + pleased with the men sent you by Messrs Champlin and Forest; + for, to my knowledge, a part of them are not surpassed by + any seamen we have in the fleet: and I have yet to learn + that the color of the skin, or the cut and trimmings of the + coat, can effect a man's qualifications or usefulness. I + have nearly fifty blacks on board of this ship, and many of + them are among my best men; and those people you call + soldiers have been to sea from two to seventeen years; and I + presume that you will find them as good and useful as any + men on board of your vessel; at least if you can judge by + comparison; for those which we have on board of this ship + are attentive and obedient, and, as far as I can judge, many + of them excellent seamen: at any rate, the men sent to Lake + Erie have been selected with a view of sending a fair + proportion of petty officers and seamen; and I presume, upon + examination, it will be found that they are equal to those + upon this lake."--_Mackenzie's Life of Perry_, vol. i. pp. + 186, 187. + +The battle of Lake Erie is the most memorable naval battle fought with +the British; of it Rossiter Johnson, in his "History of the War of +1812," in the description of the engagement, says: + + "As the question of the fighting qualities of the black man + has since been considerably discussed, it is worth noting + that in this bloody and brilliant battle a large number of + Perry's men were negroes." + +It was not left to Commodores Chauncey and Perry, solely, to applaud +them; there was not an American war vessel, perhaps, whose crew, in +part, was not made up of negroes, as the accounts of various sea fights +prove. And they are entitled to no small share of the meed of praise +given the American seamen, who fought and won victory over the British. +Not only in the Navy, but on board the privateers,[9] the American negro +did service, as the following extract will show: + + "_Extract of a Letter from Nathaniel Shaler, Commander of + the private-armed Schooner Gov. Tompkins, to his Agent in + New York._ + + AT SEA, Jan. 1, 1813. + + "Before I could get our light sails on, and almost before I + could turn round, I was under the guns, not of a transport, + but of a large _frigate_! and not more than a quarter of a + mile from her. * * Her first broadside killed two men and + wounded six others * * My officers conducted themselves in a + way that would have done honor to a more permanent service * + * * The name of one of my poor fellows who was killed ought + to be registered in the book of fame, and remembered with + reverence as long as bravery is considered a virtue. He was + a black man by the name of John Johnson. A twenty-four pound + shot struck him in the hip, and took away all the lower part + of his body. In this state, the poor brave fellow lay on the + deck, and several times exclaimed to his shipmates, '_Fire + away, my boy: no haul a color down_' The other was a black + man, by the name of John Davis, and was struck in much the + same way. He fell near me, and several times requested to be + thrown overboard, saying he was only in the way of others. + + "When America has such tars, she has little to fear from the + tyrants of the ocean."--_Nile's Weekly Register, Saturday, + Feb. 26, 1814._ + +As in the late war of the rebellion, the negroes offered their services +at the outset when volunteers were called for, and the true patriots at +the North sought to have their services accepted; but the government +being in the control of the opponents of universal freedom and the +extension of the rights of citizenship to the negro, the effort to admit +him into the ranks of the army, even in separate organizations, was +futile. At the same time American whites would not enlist to any great +extent, and but for the tide of immigration, which before the war had +set in from Ireland, the fighting on shore would probably not have +lasted six months; certainly the invasion of Canada would not have been +attempted. + +The reverses which met the American army in the first year of the war, +slackened even the enlistment that was going on and imperiled the safety +of the country, and the defences of the most important seaports and +manufacturing states. Battle after battle had been lost, the invasion of +Canada abandoned, and the British had turned their attention southward. +The war in Europe had been brought to a close, and Napoleon was a +captive. England was now at liberty to reinforce her fleet and army in +America, and fears were entertained that other European powers might +assist her in invading the United States. The negro soldier again loomed +up, and as the British were preparing to attack New Orleans with a +superior force to that of Gen. Jackson's, he sought to avail himself of +every possible help within his reach. Accordingly he issued the +following proclamation: + + +GENERAL JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION TO THE NEGROES. + + HEADQUARTERS, SEVENTH MILITARY DISTRICT, + MOBILE, September 21, 1814. + + _To the Free Colored Inhabitants of Louisiana_: + + Through a mistaken policy, you have heretofore been deprived + of a participation in the glorious struggle for national + rights in which our country is engaged. This no longer shall + exist. + + As sons of freedom, you are now called upon to defend our + most inestimable blessing. As Americans, your country looks + with confidence to her adopted children for a valorous + support, as a faithful return for the advantages enjoyed + under her mild and equitable government. As fathers, + husbands, and brothers, you are summoned to rally around the + standard of the Eagle, to defend all which is dear in + existence. + + Your country, although calling for your exertions, does not + wish you to engage in her cause without amply remunerating + you for the services rendered. Your intelligent minds are + not to be led away by false representations. Your love of + honor would cause you to despise the man who should attempt + to deceive you. In the sincerity of a soldier and the + language of truth I address you. + + To every noble-hearted, generous freeman of color + volunteering to serve during the present contest with Great + Britain, and no longer, there will be paid the same bounty, + in money and lands, now received by the white soldiers of + the United States, viz: one hundred and twenty-four dollars + in money, and one hundred and sixty acres of land. The + non-commissioned officers and privates will also be + entitled to the same monthly pay, and daily rations, and + clothes, furnished to any American soldier. + + On enrolling yourselves in companies, the Major-General + Commanding will select officers for your government from + your white fellow-citizens. Your non-commissioned officers + will be appointed from among yourselves. + + Due regard will be paid to the feelings of freeman and + soldiers. You will not, by being associated with white men + in the same corps, be exposed to improper comparisons or + unjust sarcasm. As a distinct, independent battalion or + regiment, pursuing the path of glory, you will, undivided, + receive the applause and gratitude of your countrymen. + + To assure you of the sincerity of my intentions, and my + anxiety to engage your invaluable services to our country, I + have communicated my wishes to the Governor of Louisiana, + who is fully informed as to the manner of enrollment, and + will give you every necessary information on the subject of + this address. + + ANDREW JACKSON, _Major-General Commanding._ + + [_Niles Register, vol. vii. p. 205._] + +When the news of Gen. Jackson arming the free negroes reached the North +it created no little surprise, and greatly encouraged those, who, from +the commencement of hostilities, had advocated it. The successes of the +summer were being obliterated by the victories which the British were +achieving. The national capitol was burned; Maine had virtually fallen +into their hands; gloom and disappointment prevailed throughout the +country. Enlistment was at a stand-still, and as the British were +threatening with annihilation the few troops then in the field, it +became evident that the States would have to look to their own defence. +New York again turned her attention to her free negro population; a bill +was prepared and introduced in the legislature looking to the arming of +her negroes, and in October, a month after Gen. Jackson issued his +appeal to the negroes of Louisiana, the Legislature passed a bill of +which the following are the most important sections: + +"_An Act to authorize the raising of Two Regiments of Men of Color; +passed Oct. 24, 1814._ + + "SECT. 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of New + York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That the Governor + of the State be, and he is hereby authorized to raise, by + voluntary enlistment, two regiments of free men of color, + for the defence of the State for three years, unless sooner + discharged. + + "SECT. 2. And be it further enacted, That each of the said + regiments shall consist of one thousand and eighty + able-bodied men; and the said regiments shall be formed into + a brigade, or be organized in such manner, and shall be + employed in such service, as the Governor of the State of + New York shall deem best adapted to defend the said State. + + "SECT. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the + commissioned officers of the said regiments and brigade + shall be white men; and the Governor of the State of New + York shall be, and he is hereby, authorized to commission, + by brevet, all the officers of the said regiments and + brigade, who shall hold their respective commissions until + the council of appointment shall have appointed the officers + of the said regiments and brigade, in pursuance of the + Constitution and laws of the said State. + + "SECT. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful + for any able-bodied slave, with the written assent of his + master or mistress, to enlist into the said corps; and the + master or mistress of such slave shall be entitled to the + pay and bounty allowed him for his service: and, further, + that the said slave, at the time of receiving his discharge, + shall be deemed and adjudged to have been legally manumitted + from that time, and his said master or mistress shall not + thenceforward be liable for his maintenance.--_Laws of the + State of New York, passed at the Thirty-eighth Session of + the Legislature_, chap. xviii." + +The organization of negro troops was now fairly begun; at the South +enlistment was confined to the free negroes as set forth in Gen. +Jackson's Proclamation. In New York, the slaves who should enlist with +the consent of their owners were to be free at the expiration of their +service, as provided in the Sixth section of the law quoted above. + +Animated by that love of liberty and country which has ever prompted +them, notwithstanding the disabilities under which they labored, to +enter the ranks of their country's defenders whenever that country has +been assailed by foes without or traitors within, the negroes responded +to the call of General Jackson and to that of New York, with a zeal and +energy characteristic only of a brave and patriotic people. Inspired by +the hope of impartial liberty, they rallied to the support of that +banner which Commodore Barron lowered when he failed to protect them +from British aggression, but which Commodore Decatur gallantly and +successfully defended. + +The forcible capture and imprisonment of Ware, Martin and Strachan, the +three negroes taken from the Chesapeake, and who were recognized by the +United States authorities as citizens of the republic, was sounded as +the key-note and rallying cry of the war; the outrage served greatly to +arouse the people. The fact that the government sought to establish the +liberty of the free negroes, and the further fact that she regarded them +as citizens, heightened their indignation at the outrage committed by +the British, and appealed to their keenest patriotic sensibilities. New +York was not long in raising her two battalions, and sending it forward +to the army, then at Sacket's Harbor. + +On the 18th of December, 1814, following the issuing of his +Proclamation, Gen. Jackson reviewed the troops under his command at New +Orleans, amounting to about six thousand, and of this force about five +hundred were negroes, organized into two battalions, commanded by Maj. +Lacoste and Maj. Savory. These battalions, at the close of the review, +says Parton, in his Life of Jackson, had read to them by Edward +Livingston, a member of Jackson's staff, the following address, from the +Commander of the American forces: + + "TO THE EMBODIED MILITIA.--_Fellow Citizens and Soldiers:_ + The General commanding in chief would not do justice to the + noble ardor that has animated you in the hour of danger, he + would not do justice to his own feeling, if he suffered the + example you have shown to pass without public notice. + + * * * * + + "Fellow-citizens, of every description, remember for what + and against whom you contend. For all that can render life + desirable--for a country blessed with every gift of + nature--for property, for life--for those dearer than + either, your wives and children--and for liberty, without + which, country, life, property, are no longer worth + possessing; as even the embraces of wives and children + become a reproach to the wretch who could deprive them by + his cowardice of those invaluable blessings. + + * * * * + + "TO THE MEN OF COLOR.--Soldiers! From the shores of Mobile I + collected you to arms,--I invited you to share in the perils + and to divide the glory of your white countrymen. I expected + much from you; for I was not uninformed of those qualities + which must render you so formidable to an invading foe. I + knew that you could endure hunger and thirst, and all the + hardships of war. I knew that you loved the land of your + nativity, and that, like ourselves, you had to defend all + that is most dear to man. But you surpass my hopes. I have + found in you, united to these qualities, that noble + enthusiasm which impels to great deeds. + + "Soldiers! The President of the United States shall be + informed of your conduct on the present occasion; and the + voice of the Representatives of the American nation shall + applaud your valor, as your General now praises your ardor. + The enemy is near. His sails cover the lakes. But the brave + are united; and, if he finds us contending among ourselves, + it will be for the prize of valor, and fame its noblest + reward."--_Niles's Register_, vol. vii. pp. 345, 346. + +Thus in line with the white troops on the soil of Louisiana, amid a +large slave population, the negro soldiers were highly praised by the +commanding General. The British had already made their appearance on the +coast near the mouth of the Mississippi, and at the time of their +landing, General Jackson went out to meet them with two thousand one +hundred men; the British had two thousand four hundred. This was on the +23rd of December. The two armies met and fought to within a few miles of +the city, where the British general, Pakenham, who had arrived with +reinforcements, began on the 31st to lay siege. On Jan. 8th the short +but terrible struggle took place which not only taxed the energies and +displayed the great courage of both forces, but made the engagement one +of historic interest. In the short space of twenty-five minutes seven +hundred of the British were killed; fourteen hundred were wounded and +four hundred were taken prisoners. The American army was so well +protected that only four were killed and thirteen wounded. It was in +this great battle that two battalions of negroes participated, and +helped to save the city, the coveted prize, from the British. The two +battalions numbered four hundred and thirty men, and were commanded by +Maj. Lacoste and Maj. Savory. Great Britain also had her negro soldiers +there,--a regiment imported from the West Indies which headed the +attacking column against Jackson's right,--they led her van in the +battle; their failure, with that of the Irish regiment which formed also +a part of the advance column, lost the British the battle. The conduct +of the negro soldiers in Gen. Jackson's army on that occasion has ever +been applauded by the American people. Mr. Day, in Nell's "Colored +Patriots of the American Revolution," says: + + "From an authenticated chart, belonging to a soldier friend, + I find that, in the battle of New Orleans, Major-General + Andrew Jackson, Commander-in-Chief, and his staff, were just + at the right of the advancing left column of the British, + and that very near him were stationed the colored soldiers. + He is numbered 6, and the position of the colored soldiers + 8. The chart explanation of No. 8 reads thus:--'8. Captains + Dominique and Bluche, two 24 pounders; Major Lacoste's + battalion, formed of the men of color of New Orleans and, + Major Daquin's battalion, formed of the men of color of St. + Domingo, under Major Savary, second in command.' + + "They occupied no mean place, and did no mean service. + + "From other documents in my possession, I am able to state + the number of the 'battalion of St. Domingo men of color' to + have been one hundred and fifty; and of 'Major Lacoste's + battalion of Louisiana men of color,' two hundred and + eighty. + + "Thus were over four hundred 'men of color' in that battle. + When it is remembered that the whole number of soldiers + claimed by Americans to have been in that battle reached + only 3600, it will be seen that the 'men of color' were + present in much larger proportion than their numbers in the + country warranted. + + "Neither was there colorphobia then. Major Planche's + battalion of uniformed volunteer companies, and Major + Lacoste's 'men of color,' fought together; so, also, did + Major Daquin's 'men of color,' and the 44th, under Captain + Baker." + +Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, in his speech in Congress on the Imprisonment +of Colored Seamen, September, 1850, bore this testimony to their gallant +conduct: + + "I have an impression, that, not, indeed, in these piping + times of peace, but in the time of war, when quite a boy, I + have seen black soldiers enlisted, who did faithful and + excellent service. But, however it may have been in the + Northern States, I can tell the Senator what happened in the + Southern States at this period. I believe that I shall be + borne out in saying, that no regiments did better service, + at New Orleans, than did the black regiments, which were + organized under the direction of General Jackson himself, + after a most glorious appeal to the patriotism and honor of + the people of color of that region; and which, after they + came out of the war, received the thanks of General Jackson, + in a proclamation which has been thought worthy of being + inscribed on the pages of history." + +Perhaps the most glowing account of the services of these black American +soldiers, appeared in an article in the New Orleans _Picayune_: + + "Not the least interesting, although the most novel feature + of the procession yesterday, was the presence of ninety of + the colored veterans who bore a conspicuous part in the + dangers of the day they were now for the first time called + to assist in celebrating, and who, by their good conduct in + presence of the enemy, deserved and received the approbation + of their illustrious commander-in-chief. During the + thirty-six years that have passed away since they assisted + to repel the invaders from our shores, these faithful men + have never before participated in the annual rejoicings for + the victory which their valor contributed to gain. Their + good deeds have been consecrated only in their memories, or + lived but to claim a passing notice on the page of the + historian. Yet, who more than they deserve the thanks of the + country, and the gratitude of succeeding generations? Who + rallied with more alacrity in response to the summons of + danger? Who endured more cheerfully the hardships of the + camp, or faced with greater courage the perils of the fight? + If, in that hazardous hour, when our homes were menaced with + the horrors of war, we did not disdain to call upon the + colored population to assist in repelling the invading + horde, we should not, when the danger is passed, refuse to + permit them to unite with us in celebrating the glorious + event, which they helped to make so memorable an epoch in + our history. We were not too exalted to mingle with them in + the affray; they were not too humble to join in our + rejoicings. + + "Such, we think, is the universal opinion of our citizens. + We conversed with many yesterday, and, without exception, + they expressed approval of the invitation which had been + extended to the colored veterans to take part in the + ceremonies of the day, and gratification at seeing them in a + conspicuous place in the procession. + + "The respectability of their appearance, and the modesty of + their demeanor, made an impression on every observer, and + elicited unqualified approbation. Indeed, though in saying + so we do not mean disrespect to any one else, we think that + they constituted decidedly the most interesting portion of + the pageant, as they certainly attracted the most + attention." + +It was during the rebellion of 1861-65 that the author saw one of the +colored drummer boys of that column beating his drum at the head of a +negro United States regiment marching through the streets of New Orleans +in 1862. + +The New York battalion was organized and marched to the reinforcement of +the American army at Sacket's Harbor, then threatened by the enemy. +This battalion was said to be a fine looking body of men, well drilled +and disciplined. In Congress Mr. Martindale, of New York, said, in a +speech delivered on the 22nd January 1828, before that body: + + "Slaves or negroes who had been slaves were enlisted as + soldiers in the war of the Revolution: and I myself saw a + battalion of them,--as fine martial looking men as I ever + saw attached to the Northern army in the last war + (1812),--on its march from Plattsburg to Sacket's Harbor, + where they did service for the country with credit to New + York and honor to themselves." + +As in the dark days of the Revolution, so now in another period of +national danger, the negroes proved their courage and patriotism by +service in the field. However, the lamentable treatment of Major +Jeffrey[10] is evidence that these services were not regarded as a +protection against outrage. + +In the two wars in which the history of the negroes has been traced in +these pages, there is nothing that mitigates against his manhood, though +his condition, either bond or free, was lowly. But on the contrary the +honor of the race has been maintained under every circumstance in which +it has been placed. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[8] So indiscriminate were English officers in these outrages, that it +sometimes happened that black men were seized as English seamen. At that +time the public opinion of the world was such, that few statesmen +troubled themselves much about the rights of negroes. But in another +generation, when it proved convenient in the United States to argue that +free negroes had never been citizens, it was remembered that the +cabinets of Jefferson and Madison, in their diplomatic discussions with +Great Britain, had been willing to argue that the impressment of a free +negro was the seizure of an American citizen.--_Bryant's History of the +United States._ + +[9] "Hammond Golar, a colored man who lived in Lynn for many years, died +a few years since at the age of 80 years. He was born a slave, was a +privateer "powder boy" in the war of 1812, and was taken to Halifax as a +prisoner. The English Government did not exchange colored prisoners +because they would then be returned to slavery, and Golar remained a +prisoner until the close of the war." + +[10] See page 50 + + + + +PART II. + +THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES. + +1861. + +[Illustration: UNSHACKLED.] + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +PUBLIC OPINION. + + +It seems proper, before attempting to record the achievements of the +negro soldiers in the war of the Rebellion, that we should consider the +state of public opinion regarding the negroes at the outbreak of the +war; also, in connection therewith, to note the rapid change that took +place during the early part of the struggle. + +For some cause, unexplained in a general sense, the white people in the +Colonies and in the States, came to entertain against the colored races +therein a prejudice, that showed itself in a hostility to the latter's +enjoying equal civil and political rights with themselves. Various +reasons are alleged for it, but the difficulty of really solving the +problem lies in the fact that the early settlers in this country came +without prejudice against color. The Negro, Egyptian, Arab, and other +colored races known to them, lived in European countries, where no +prejudice, on account of color existed. How very strange then, that a +feeling antagonistic to the negroes should become a prominent feature in +the character of the European emigrants to these shores and their +descendants. It has been held by some writers that the American +prejudice against the negroes was occasioned by their docility and +unresenting spirit. Surely no one acquainted with the Indian will agree +that he is docile or wanting in spirit, yet occasionally there is +manifested a prejudice against him; the recruiting officers in +Massachusetts refused to enlist Indians, as well as negroes, in +regiments and companies made up of white citizens, though members of +both races, could sometimes be found in white regiments. During the +rebellion of 1861-5, some Western regiments had one or two negroes and +Indians in them, but there was no general enlistment of either race in +white regiments.[11] The objection was on account of color, or, as some +writers claim, by the fact of the races--negro and Indian[12]--having +been enslaved. Be the cause what it may, a prejudice, strong, +unrelenting, barred the two races from enjoying with the white race +equal civil and political rights in the United States. So very strong +had that prejudice grown since the Revolution, enhanced it may be by +slavery and docility, that when the rebellion of 1861 burst forth, a +feeling stronger than law, like a Chinese wall only more impregnable, +encircled the negro, and formed a barrier betwixt him and the army. +Doubtless peace--a long peace--lent its aid materially to this state of +affairs. Wealth, chiefly, was the dream of the American from 1815 to +1860, nearly half a century; a period in which the negro was friendless, +save in a few strong-minded, iron-hearted men like John Brown in Kansas, +Wendell Philips in New England, Charles Sumner in the United States +Senate, Horace Greeley in New York and a few others, who dared, in the +face of strong public sentiment, to plead his cause, even from a humane +platform. In many places he could not ride in a street car that was not +inscribed, "_Colored persons ride in this car_." The deck of a +steamboat, the box cars of the railroad, the pit of the theatre and the +gallery of the church, were the locations accorded him. The church lent +its influence to the rancor and bitterness of a prejudice as deadly as +the sap of the Upas. + +To describe public opinion respecting the negro a half a century ago, is +no easy task. It was just budding into maturity when DeTocqueville +visited the United States, and, as a result of that visit, he wrote, +from observation, a pointed criticism upon the manners and customs, and +the laws of the people of the United States. For fear that I might be +thought over-doing--heightening--giving too much coloring to the +strength, and extent and power of the prejudice against the negro I +quote from that distinguished writer, as he clearly expressed himself +under the heading, "_Present and Future condition of the three races +inhabiting the United States_." He said of the negro: + + "I see that in a certain portion of the United States at the + present day, the legal barrier which separates the two races + is tending to fall away, but not that which exists in the + manners of the country. Slavery recedes, but the prejudice + to which it has given birth remains stationary. Whosoever + has inhabited the United States, must have perceived, that + in those parts of the United States, in which the negroes + are no longer slaves, they have in nowise drawn nearer the + whites; on the contrary, the prejudice of the race appears + to be stronger in those States which have abolished slavery, + than in those where it still exists. And, nowhere is it so + intolerant as in the states where servitude has never been + known. It is true, that in the North of the Union, marriages + may be legally contracted between negroes and whites, but + public opinion would stigmatize a man, who should content + himself with a negress, as infamous. If oppressed, they may + bring an action at law, but they will find none but whites + among their judges, and although they may legally serve as + jurors, prejudice repulses them for that office. In theatres + gold cannot procure a seat for the servile race beside their + former masters, in hospitals they lie apart. They _are_ + allowed to invoke the same divinity as the whites. The gates + of heaven are not closed against those unhappy beings; but + their inferiority is continued to the very confines of the + other world. The negro is free, but he can share, neither + the rights, nor the labor, nor the afflictions of him, whose + equal he has been declared to be, and he cannot meet him + upon fair terms in life or death." + +DeTocqueville, as is seen, wrote with much bitterness and sarcasm, and, +it is but fair to state, makes no allusion to any exceptions to the +various conditions of affairs that he mentions. In all cases matters +might not have been exactly as bad as he pictures them, but as far as +the deep-seated prejudice against the negroes, and indifference to their +rights and elevation are concerned, the facts will freely sustain the +views so forcibly presented. + +The negro had no remembrance of the country of his ancestry, Africa, +and he abjured their religion. In the South he had no family; women were +merely the temporary sharer of his pleasures; his master's cabins were +the homes of his children during their childhood. While the Indian +perished in the struggle for the preservation of his home, his hunting +grounds and his freedom, the negro entered into slavery as soon as he +was born, in fact was often purchased in the womb, and was born to know, +first, that he was a slave. If one became free, he found freedom harder +to bear than slavery; half civilized, deprived of nearly all rights, in +contact with his superiors in wealth and knowledge, exposed to the rigor +of a tyrannical prejudice moulded into laws, he contented himself to be +allowed to live. + +The Negro race, however, it must be remembered, is the only race that +has ever come in contact with the European race, and been able to +withstand its atrocities and oppression; all others, like the Indian, +whom they could not make subservient to their use, they have destroyed. +The Negro race, like the Israelites, multiplied so rapidly in bondage, +that the oppressor became alarmed, and began discussing methods of +safety to himself. The only people able to cope with the Anglo-American +or Saxon, with any show of success, must be of _patient fortitude, +progressive intelligence, brave in resentment and earnest in endeavor_. + +In spite of his surroundings and state of public opinion the African +lived, and gave birth, largely through amalgamation with the +representatives of the different races that inhabited the United States, +to a new race,--the _American Negro_. Professor Sampson in his mixed +races says: + + "The Negro is a new race, and is not the direct descent of + any people that have ever flourished. The glory of the negro + race is yet to come." + +As evidence of its capacity to acquire glory, the record made in the +late struggle furnishes abundant proof. At the sound of the tocsin at +the North, negro waiter, cook, barber, boot-black, groom, porter and +laborer stood ready at the enlisting office; and though the recruiting +officer refused to list his name, he waited like the "patient ox" for +the partition--_prejudice_--to be removed. He waited two years before +even the door of the partition was opened; then he did not hesitate, but +walked in, and with what effect the world knows. + +[Illustration: ROBERT SMALLS, (pilot). WILLIAM MORRISON, (sailor). A. +GRADINE, (Engineer). JOHN SMALLS, (sailor). + +Four of the crew who, while the white officers were ashore in +Charleston. S. C., ran off with the Confederate war steamer, "Planter," +passed Fort Sumter and delivered the vessel to the United States +authorities. On account of the daring exploit a special act of Congress +was passed ordering one-half the value of the captured vessel to be +invested in U. S. bonds, and the interest thereof to be annually paid +them or their heirs. Robert Smalls joined the Union army, and after the +war became active and prominent in politics.] + +The war cloud of 1860 still more aroused the bitter prejudice against +the negro at both the North and South; but he was safer in South +Carolina than in New York, in Richmond than in Boston. + +It is a natural consequence, when war is waged between two nations, for +those on either side to forget local feuds and unite against the common +enemy, as was done in the Revolutionary war. How different was the +situation now when the threatened war was not one between nations, but +between states of the same nation. The feeling of hostility toward the +negro was not put aside and forgotten as other troublesome matters were, +but the bitterness became intensified and more marked. + +The Confederate Government though organized for the perpetual +enslavement of the negro, fostered the idea that the docility of the +negroes would allow them to be used for any purpose, without their +having the least idea of becoming freemen. Some idea may be formed of +public opinion at the South at the beginning of the war by what Mr. +Pollard, in his history, gives as the feeling at the South at the close +of the second year of the struggle: + + "Indeed, the war had shown the system of slavery in the + South to the world in some new and striking aspects, and had + removed much of that cloud of prejudice, defamation, + falsehood, romance and perverse sentimentalism through which + our peculiar institution had been formerly known to Europe. + It had given a better vindication of our system of slavery + than all the books that could be written in a generation. It + had shown that slavery was an element of strength to us; + that it had assisted us in our struggle; that no servile + insurrections had taken place in the South, in spite of the + allurements of our enemy; that the slave had tilled the soil + while his master had fought; that in large districts, + unprotected by our troops, and with a white population, + consisting almost exclusively of women and children, the + slave had continued his work, quiet, faithful, and cheerful; + and that, as a conservative element in our social system, + the institution of slavery had withstood the shocks of war, + and been a faithful ally of our army, although instigated to + revolution by every art of the enemy, and prompted to the + work of assassination and pillage by the most brutal + examples of the Yankee soldiers." + +With this view, the whole slave population was brought to the assistance +of the Confederate Government, and thereby caught the very first hope of +freedom. An innate reasoning taught the negro that slaves could not be +relied upon to fight for their own enslavement. To get to the +breastworks was but to get a chance to run to the Yankees; and thousands +of those whose elastic step kept time with the martial strains of the +drum and fife, as they marched on through city and town, enroute to the +front, were not elated with the hope of Southern success, but were +buoyant with the prospects of reaching the North. The confederates found +it no easy task to watch the negroes and the Yankees too; their +attention could be given to but one at a time; as a slave expressed it, +"when marsa watch the Yankee, nigger go; when marsa watch the nigger, +Yankee come." But the Yankees did not always receive him kindly during +the first year of the war. + +In his first inaugural, Mr. Lincoln declared "that the property, peace +and security of no section are to be in anywise endangered by the new +incoming administration." The Union generals, except Fremont and Phelps +and a few subordinates, accepted this as public opinion, and as their +guide in dealing with the slavery question. That opinion is better +expressed in the doggerel, sung in after months by the negro troops as +they marched along through Dixie: + + "McClellan went to Richmond with two hundred thousand braves, + He said, '_keep back the niggers and the Union he would save_.' + Little Mac. he had his way, still the Union is in tears, + And they call for the help of the colored volunteers." + +The first two lines expressed the sentiment at the time, not only of the +Army of the Potomoc, but the army commanders everywhere, with the +exceptions named. The administration winked at the enforcement of the +fugitive slave bill by the soldiers engaged in capturing and returning +the negroes coming into the Union lines.[13] Undoubtedly it was the idea +of the Government to turn the course of the war from its rightful +channel, or in other words,--in the restoration of the Union,--to +eliminate the anti-slavery sentiment, which demanded the freedom of the +slaves. + +[Illustration: QUARTERS PROVIDED FOR CONTRABANDS.] + +Hon. Elisha R. Potter, of Rhode Island,--"who may," said Mr. Greeley, +"be fairly styled the hereditary chief of the Democratic party of that +State,"--made a speech on the war in the State Senate, on the 10th of +August 1861, in which he remarked: + + "I have said that the war may assume another aspect, and be + a short and bloody one. And to such a war--_an anti-slavery + war_--it seems to me we are _inevitably_ drifting. It seems + to me hardly in the power of human wisdom to prevent it. We + may commence the war without meaning to interfere with + slavery; but let us have one or two battles, and get our + blood excited, and we shall not only not restore any more + slaves, but shall proclaim freedom wherever we go. And it + seems to me almost judicial blindness on the part of the + South that they do not see that this must be the inevitable + result, if the contest is prolonged." + +This sentiment became bolder daily as the thinking Union men viewed the +army turning aside from its legitimate purposes, to catch runaway +negroes, and return them. Party lines were also giving away; men in the +army began to realize the worth of the negroes as they sallied up to the +rebel breastworks that were often impregnable. They began to complain, +finding the negro with his pick and spade, a greater hinderance to their +progress than the cannon balls of the enemy; and more than one said to +the confederates, when the pickets of the two armies picnicked together +in the battle's lull, as frequently they did: "We can whip you, if you +keep your negroes out of your army." + +Quite a different course was pursued in the navy. Negroes were readily +accepted all along the coast on board the war vessels, it being no +departure from the regular and established practice in the service. The +view with which the loyal friends of the Union began to look at the +negro and the rebellion, was aptly illustrated in an article in the +Montgomery (Ala.) _Advertiser_ in 1861, which said: + + "THE SLAVES AS A MILITARY ELEMENT IN THE SOUTH.--The total + white population of the eleven States now comprising the + Confederacy is 6,000,000, and, therefore, to fill up the + ranks of the proposed army (600,000) about ten per cent of + the entire white population will be required. In any other + country than our own such a draft could not be met, but the + Southern States can furnish that number of men, and still + not leave the material interests of the country in a + suffering condition. Those who are incapacitated for bearing + arms can oversee the plantations, and the negroes can go on + undisturbed in their usual labors. In the North the case is + different; the men who join the army of subjugation are the + laborers, the producers, and the factory operatives. Nearly + every man from that section, especially those from the rural + districts, leaves some branch of industry to suffer during + his absence. The institution of slavery in the South alone + enables her to place in the field a force much larger in + proportion to her white population than the North, or indeed + any country which is dependent entirely on free labor. The + institution is a tower of strength to the South, + particularly at the present crisis, and our enemies will be + likely to find that the 'moral cancer' about which their + orators are so fond of prating, is really one of the most + effective weapons employed against the Union by the South. + Whatever number of men may be needed for this war, we are + confident our people stand ready to furnish. We are all + enlisted for the war, and there must be no holding back + until the independence of the South is fully acknowledged." + +The facts already noted became apparent to the nation very soon, and +then came a change of procedure, and the war began to be prosecuted upon +quite a different policy. Gen. McClellan, whose loyalty to the new +policy was doubted, was removed from the command of the Army of the +Potomac, and slave catching ceased. The XXXVII Congress convened in Dec. +1861, in its second session, and passed the following additional article +of war: + + "All officers are prohibited from employing any of the + forces under their respective commands for the purpose of + returning fugitives from service or labor who may have + escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is + claimed to be due. Any officer who shall be found guilty by + court-martial of violating this article shall be dismissed + from the service." + +This was the initatory measure of the new policy, which progressed to +its fulfillment rapidly. And then what Mr. Cameron, Secretary of War, +had recommended in December, 1861, and to which the President objected, +very soon developed, through a series of enactments, in the arming of +the negro; in which the loyal people of the whole country acquiesced, +save the border states people, who fiercely opposed it as is shown in +the conduct of Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky; Salisbury, of Delaware, and +others in Congress. + +[Illustration: DRIVING GOVT. CATTLE] + +Public opinion was now changed, Congress had prohibited the surrender of +negroes to the rebels, the President issued his Emancipation +Proclamation, and more than 150,000 negroes were fighting for the Union. +The Republican party met in convention at Chicago, and nominated Mr. +Lincoln for the second term as President of the United States; the +course of his first administration was now to be approved or rejected by +the people. In the resolutions adopted, the fifth one of them related to +Emancipation and the negro soldiers. It was endorsed by a very large +majority of the voters. A writer in one of the magazines, prior to the +election, thus reviews the resolutions: + + "The fifth resolution commits us to the approval of two + measures that have aroused the most various and strenuous + opposition, the Proclamation of Emancipation and the use of + negro troops. In reference to the first, it is to be + remembered that it is a war measure. The express language of + it is: 'By virtue of the power in me vested as + commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States + in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and + Government of the United States, and as a _fit and necessary + war measure for suppressing said rebellion_.' Considered + thus, the Proclamation is not merely defensible, but it is + more; it is a proper and efficient means of weakening the + rebellion which every person desiring its speedy overthrow + must zealously and perforce uphold. Whether it is of any + legal effect beyond the actual limits of our military lines, + is a question that need not agitate us. In due time the + supreme tribunal of the nation will be called to determine + that, and to its decision the country will yield with all + respect and loyalty. But in the mean time let the + Proclamation go wherever the army goes, let it go wherever + the navy secures a foothold on the outer border of the rebel + territory, and let it summon to our aid the negroes who are + truer to the Union than their disloyal masters; and when + they have come to us and put their lives in our keeping, let + us protect and defend them with the whole power of the + nation. Is there anything unconstitutional in that? Thank + God, there is not. And he who is willing to give back to + slavery a single person who has heard the summons and come + within our lines to obtain his freedom, he who would give up + a single man, woman, or child, once thus actually freed, is + not worthy the name of American. He may call himself + Confederate, if he will. + + "Let it be remembered, also that the Proclamation has had a + very important bearing upon our foreign relations. It + evoked in behalf of our country that sympathy on the part of + the people in Europe, whose is the only sympathy we can ever + expect in our struggle to perpetuate free institutions. + Possessing that sympathy, moreover, we have had an element + in our favor which has kept the rulers of Europe in + wholesome dread of interference. The Proclamation relieved + us from the false position before attributed to us of + fighting simply for national power. It placed us right in + the eyes of the world, and transferred men's sympathies from + a confederacy fighting for independence as a means of + establishing slavery, to a nation whose institutions mean + constitutional liberty, and, when fairly wrought out, must + end in universal freedom." + +The change of policy and of public opinion was so strongly endorsed that +it affected the rebels, who shortly passed a Congressional measure for +arming 200,000 negroes themselves. What a reversal of things; what a +change of sentiment, in less than twenty-four months![14] Mr. Lincoln, +in justifying the change, is reported to have said to Judge Mills, of +Wisconsin: + + "The slightest knowledge of arithmetic will prove to any man + that the rebel armies cannot be destroyed with Democratic + strategy. It would sacrifice all the white men of the North + to do it. There are now in the service of the United States + near two hundred thousand able-bodied colored men, most of + them under arms, defending and acquiring Union territory. + The Democratic strategy demands that these forces be + disbanded, and that the masters be conciliated by restoring + them to slavery. The black men who now assist Union + prisoners to escape, they are to be converted into our + enemies in the vain hope of gaining the good will of their + masters. We shall have to fight two nations instead of one. + You cannot conciliate the South if you guarantee to them + ultimate success; and the experience of the present war + proves their success is inevitable if you fling the + compulsory labor of millions of black men into their side of + the scale. Will you give our enemies such military + advantages as insure success, and then depend on coaxing, + flattery, and concession to get them back into the Union? + Abandon all the posts now garrisoned by black men; take two + hundred thousand men from our side and put them in the + battle-field or cornfield against us, and we would be + compelled to abandon the war in three weeks. We have to hold + territory in inclement and sickly places; where are the + Democrats to do this? It was a free fight, and the field + was open to the war Democrats to put down this rebellion by + fighting against both master and slave, long before the + present policy was inaugurated. There have been men base + enough to propose to me to return to slavery the black + warriors of Port Hudson and Olustee, and thus win the + respect of the masters they fought. Should I do so, I should + deserve to be dammed in time and eternity. Come what will, I + will keep my faith with friend and foe. My enemies pretend I + am now carrying on this war for the sole purpose of + abolition. So long as I am President, it shall be carried on + for the sole purpose of restoring the Union. But no human + power can subdue this rebellion without the use of the + emancipation policy, and every other policy calculated to + weaken the moral and physical forces of the rebellion. + Freedom has given us two hundred thousand men raised on + southern soil. It will give us more yet. Just so much it has + subtracted from the enemy; and instead of alienating the + South, there are now evidences of a fraternal feeling + growing up between our men and the rank and file of the + rebel soldiers. Let my enemies prove to the country that the + destruction of slavery is not necessary to the restoration + of the Union. I will abide the issue." + +But the change of policy did not change the opinion of the Southerners, +who, notwithstanding the use which the Confederate Government was making +of the negro, still regarded him, in the _United States_ uniform, as a +vicious brute, to be shot at sight. I prefer, in closing this chapter, +to give the Southern opinion of the negro, in the words of a +distinguished native of that section. Mr. George W. Cable, in his +"Silent South," thus gives it: + + "He was brought to our shores a naked, brutish, unclean, + captive, pagan savage, to be and remain a kind of connecting + link between man and the beasts of burden. The great changes + to result from his contact with a superb race of masters + were not taken into account. As a social factor he was + intended to be as purely zero as the brute at the other end + of his plow line. The occasional mingling of his blood with + that of the white man worked no change in the sentiment; + one, two, four, eight, multiplied upon or divided in to + zero, still gave zero for the result. Generations of + American nativity made no difference; his children and + children's children were born in sight of our door, yet the + old notion held fast. He increased to vast numbers, but it + never wavered. He accepted our dress, language, religion, + all the fundamentals of our civilization, and became forever + expatriated from his own land; still he remained, to us, an + alien. Our sentiment went blind. It did not see that + gradually, here by force and there by choice, he was + fulfilling a host of conditions that earned at least a + solemn moral right to that naturalization which no one at + first had dreamed of giving him. Frequently he even bought + back the freedom of which he had been robbed, became a + tax-payer, and at times an educator of his children at his + own expense; but the old idea of alienism passed laws to + banish him, his wife, and children by thousands from the + State, and threw him into loathsome jails as a common felon + for returning to his native land. It will be wise to + remember that these were the acts of an enlightened, God + fearing people." + +[Illustration: SCENE IN AND NEAR A RECRUITING OFFICE.] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[11] I arrived in New York in August, 1862, from Valparaiso, Chili, on +the steamship "Bio-Bio," of Boston, and in company with two Spaniards, +neither of whom could speak English, enlisted in a New York regiment. We +were sent to the rendezvous on one of the islands in the harbor. The +third day after we arrived at the barracks, I was sent with one of my +companions to carry water to the cook, an aged negro, who immediately +recognized me, and in such a way as to attract the attention of the +corporal, who reported the matter to the commanding officer, and before +I could give the cook the hint, he was examined by the officer of the +day. At noon I was accompanied by a guard of honor to the launch, which +landed me in New York. I was a negro, that was all; how it was accounted +for on the rolls I cannot say. I was honorably discharged, however, +without receiving a certificate to that effect. + +[12] The Indians referred to are many of those civilized and living as +citizens in the several States of the Union. + +[13] See Appendix, "A." + +[14] "Those who have declaimed loudest against the employment of negro +troops have shown a lamentable amount of ignorance, and an equally +lamentable lack of common sense. They know as little of the military +history and martial qualities of the African race as they do of their +own duties as commanders. + +"All distinguished generals of modern times who have had opportunity to +use negro soldiers, have uniformly applauded their subordination, +bravery, and powers of endurance. Washington solicited the military +services of negroes in the revolution, and rewarded them. Jackson did +the same in the war of 1812. Under both those great captains, the negro +troops fought so well that they received unstinted praise."--_Charles +Sumner._ + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +RECRUITING AND ORGANIZING. + + +The recruiting officer, in the first year of the enlistment of negroes, +did not have a pleasant service to perform. At New Orleans there was no +trouble in recruiting the regiments organized under Butler's command, +for, beside the free negroes, the slave population for miles around were +eager to enlist, believing that with the United States army uniform on, +they would be safe in their escape from "ole master and the rebs." And +then the action of the confederate authorities in arming the free +negroes lent a stimulant and gave an ambition to the whole slave +population to be soldiers. Could arms have been obtained, a half a dozen +regiments could have been organized in sixty days just as rapidly as +were three. Quite early in 1862, while the negroes in New Orleans were +being enrolled in the Confederate service, under Gov. Moore's +proclamation, in separate and distinct organizations from the whites, +the Indians and negroes were enlisting in the Union service, on the +frontier, in the same company and regiments, with white officers to +command them. In the "Kansas Home Guard," comprising two regiments of +Indians, were over 400 negroes, and these troops were under Custer, +Blunt and Herron. They held Fort Gibson twenty months against the +assaults of the enemy. Two thousand five hundred negroes served in the +Federal army from the Indian Nations, and these, in all probability, are +a part of 5,896 "not accounted for" on the Adjutant General's rolls. + +Quite a different state of things existed in South Carolina; rumors +were early afloat, when recruiting began, that the government officers +were gathering up the negroes to ship away to Cuba, Africa and the West +Indies. These reports for a long time hindered the enlistment very much. +Then there was no large city for contrabands to congregate in; besides +they had no way of traveling from island to island except on government +vessels. Before the Proclamation of freedom was issued, the city of +Washington, with Virginia and Maryland as additional territory to +recruit from, afforded an officer a better field to operate in than any +other point except New Orleans. The conduct of the Government in +revoking Gen. Fremont's Proclamation, and of McClellan's with the Army +of the Potomac, in catching and returning escaped slaves, also had a +tendency for some time to keep back even the free negroes of Virginia +and Maryland. But this class of people never enlisted to any great +numbers, either before or after 1863, and there finally came to be a +general want of spirit with them, while with the slave class there was a +ready enthusiasm to enlist. Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts, was +Chairman of the Committee of Military Affairs, and reported from that +committee on the 8th of July 1862, a bill authorizing the arming of +negroes as a part of the army. The bill finally passed both houses and +received the approval of the President on the 17th of July, 1862. The +battle for its success is as worthy of record as any fought by the +Phalanx. The debate was characterized by eloquence and deep feeling on +both sides. Says an account of the proceedings in Henry Wilson's +"Anti-slavery Measures of Congress": + +[Illustration: TEAMSTER OF THE ARMY] + + "Mr. Sherman (Rep.) of Ohio said, "The question arises, + whether the people of the United States, struggling for + national existence, should not employ these blacks for the + maintenance of the Government. The policy heretofore pursued + by the officers of the United States has been to repel this + class of people from our lines, to refuse their services. + They would have made the best spies; and yet they have been + driven from our lines."--"I tell the President," said Mr. + Fessenden (Rep.) of Maine, "from my place here as a senator, + I tell the generals of our army, they must reverse their + practices and their course of proceeding on this subject. * + * * I advise it here from my place,--treat your enemies as + enemies, as the worst of enemies, and avail yourselves like + men of every power which God has placed in your hands to + accomplish your purpose within the rules of civilized + warfare." Mr. Rice, (war Dem.) of Minnesota, declared that + "not many days can pass before the people of the United + States North must decide upon one of two questions: we have + either to acknowledge the Southern Confederacy as a free and + independent nation, and that speedily; or we have as + speedily to resolve to use all the means given us by the + Almighty to prosecute this war to a successful termination. + The necessity for action has arisen. To hesitate is worse + than criminal. Mr. Wilson said, "The senator from Delaware, + as he is accustomed to do, speaks boldly and decidedly + against the proposition. He asks if American soldiers will + fight if we organize colored men for military purposes. Did + not American soldiers fight at Bunker Hill with negroes in + the ranks, one of whom shot down Major Pitcairn as he + mounted the works? Did not American soldiers fight at Red + Bank with a black regiment from your own State, sir? (Mr. + Anthony in the chair.) Did they not fight on the + battle-field of Rhode Island with that black regiment, one + of the best and bravest that ever trod the soil of this + continent? Did not American soldiers fight at Fort Griswold + with black men? Did they not fight with black men in almost + every battle-field of the Revolution? Did not the men of + Kentucky and Tennessee, standing on the lines of New + Orleans, under the eye of Andrew Jackson, fight with colored + battalions whom he had summoned to the field, and whom he + thanked publicly for their gallantry in hurling back a + British foe? It is all talk, idle talk, to say that the + volunteers who are fighting the battles of this country are + governed by any such narrow prejudice or bigotry. These + prejudices are the results of the teachings of demagogues + and politicians, who have for years undertaken to delude and + deceive the American people, and to demean and degrade + them." + + Mr. Grimes had expressed his views a few weeks before, and + desired a vote separately on each of these sections. Mr. + Davis declared that he was utterly opposed, and should ever + be opposed, to placing arms in the hands of negroes, and + putting them into the army. Mr. Rice wished "to know if Gen. + Washington did not put arms into the hands of negroes, and + if Gen. Jackson did not, and if the senator has ever + condemned either of those patriots for doing so." "I deny," + replied Mr. Davis, "that, in the Revolutionary War, there + ever was any considerable organization of negroes. I deny, + that, in the war of 1812, there was ever any organization of + negro slaves. * * * In my own State, I have no doubt that + there are from eighty to a hundred thousand slaves that + belong to disloyal men. You propose to place arms in the + hands of the men and boys, or such of them as are able to + handle arms, and to manumit the whole mass, men, women, and + children, and leave them among us. Do you expect us to give + our sanction and our approval to these things? No, no! We + would regard their authors as our worst enemies; and there + is no foreign despotism that could come to our rescue, that + we would not joyously embrace, before we would submit to + any such condition of things as that. But, before we had + invoked this foreign despotism, we would arm every man and + boy that we have in the land, and we would meet you in a + death-struggle, to overthrow together such an oppression and + our oppressors." Mr. Rice remarked in reply to Mr. Davis, + "The rebels hesitate at nothing. There are no means that God + or the Devil has given them that they do not use. The + honorable senator said that the negroes might be useful in + loading and swabbing and firing cannon. If that be the case, + may not some of them be useful in loading, swabbing, and + firing the musket?" + +On the 10th of February, 1864, Mr. Stevens (Republican) of Pennsylvania, +in the House of Representatives, moved an amendment to the Enrollment +Act. Says the same authority before quoted: + + The Enrollment Bill was referred to a Conference Committee, + consisting of Mr. Wilson of Massachusetts, Mr. Nesmet of + Oregon, and Mr. Grimes of Iowa, on the part of the Senate; + and Mr. Schenck of Ohio, Mr. Deming of Connecticut, and Mr. + Kernan of New York, on the part of the House. In the + Conference Committee, Mr. Wilson stated that he never could + assent to the amendment, unless the drafted slaves were made + free on being mustered into the service of the United + States. Mr. Grimes sustained that position; and the House + committee assented to it. The House amendment was then + modified so as to read, "That all able-bodied male colored + persons between the ages of twenty and forty-five years, + whether citizens or not, resident in the United States, + shall be enrolled according to the provisions of this act, + and of the act to which this is an amendment, and form part + of the national forces; and, when a slave of a loyal master + shall be drafted and mustered into the service of the United + States, his master shall have a certificate thereof; and + thereupon such slave shall be free; and the bounty of a + hundred dollars, now payable by law for each drafted man, + shall be paid to the person to whom such drafted person was + owing service or labor at the time of his muster into the + service of the United States. The Secretary of War shall + appoint a commission in each of the slave States represented + in Congress, charged to award, to each loyal person to whom + a colored volunteer may owe service, a just compensation, + not exceeding three hundred dollars, for each such colored + volunteer, payable out of the fund derived from commutation; + and every such colored volunteer, on being mustered into the + service, shall be free." + + "The report of the Conference Committee was agreed to; and + it was enacted that every slave, whether a drafted man or a + volunteer, shall be free on being mustered into the military + service of the United States, not by the act of the master, + but by the authority of the Federal Government." + +[Illustration: HEADQUARTERS OF VINCENT COLLYER, SUPT. OF THE POOR AT +NEWBERNE N. C. Distributing clothing, captured from the Confederates, to +the free negroes.] + +When Gen. Banks took command of the Gulf Department, Dec. 1862, he very +soon after found the negro troops an indispensable quantity to the +success of his expeditions; consequently he laid aside his prejudice, +and endeavored to out-Herod Gen. Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General of the +Army,--who in March had been dispatched on a military inspection tour +through the armies of the West and the Mississippi Valley, and also to +organize a number of negro regiments[15]--by issuing in May the +following order: + + GENERAL ORDERS} + No. 40.} + + _Corps d'Afrique._ + HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. + 19TH ARMY CORPS, + + _Opelousas_, May 1, 1863. + + The Major General commanding the Department proposes the + organization of a corps d'armee of colored troops, to be + designated as the "Corps d'Afrique." It will consist + ultimately of eighteen regiments, representing all + arms--Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry, organized in three + Divisions of three Brigades each, with appropriate corps of + Engineers and flying Hospitals for each Division. + Appropriate uniforms, and the graduation of pay to + correspond with value of services, will be hereafter + awarded. + + In the field, the efficiency of every corps depends upon the + influence of its officers upon the troops engaged, and the + practicable limits of one direct command is generally + estimated at one thousand men. The most eminent military + historians and commanders, among others Thiers and Chambray, + express the opinion, upon a full review of the elements of + military power, that the valor of the soldier is rather + acquired than natural. Nations whose individual heroism in + undisputed, have failed as soldiers in the field. The + European and American continents exhibit instances of this + character, and the military prowess of every nation may be + estimated by the centuries it has devoted to military + contest, or the traditional passion of its people for + military glory. With a race unaccustomed to military + service, much more depends on the immediate influence of + officers upon individual members, than with those that have + acquired more or less of warlike habits and spirit by + centuries of contest. It is deemed best, therefore, in the + organization of the Corps d'Afrique, to limit the regiments + to the smallest number of men consistent with efficient + service in the field, in order to secure the most thorough + instruction and discipline, and the largest influence of the + officers over the troops. At first they will be limited to + five hundred men. The average of American regiments is less + than that number. + + _The Commanding General desires to detail for temporary or + permanent duty the best officers of the army, for the + organization, instruction and discipline of this corps._ + With their aid, he is confident that the corps will render + important service to the Government. It is not established + upon any dogma of equality or other theory, but as a + practical and sensible matter of business. The Government + makes use of mules, horses, uneducated and educated white + men, in the defense of its institutions. Why should not the + negro contribute whatever is in his power for the cause in + which he is as deeply interested as other men? We may + properly demand from him whatever service he can render. The + chief defect in organizations of this character has arisen + from incorrect ideas of the officers in command. Their + discipline has been lax, and in some cases the conduct of + the regiments unsatisfactory and discreditable. + Controversies unnecessary and injurious to the service have + arisen between them and other troops. The organization + proposed will reconcile and avoid many of these troubles. + + Officers and soldiers will consider the exigencies of the + service in this Department, and the absolute necessity of + appropriating every element of power to the support of the + Government. The prejudices or opinions of men are in nowise + involved. The co-operation and active support of all + officers and men, and the nomination of fit men from the + ranks, and from the lists of non-commissioned and + commissioned officers, are respectfully solicited from the + Generals commanding the respective Divisions. + + BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL BANKS: + + RICHARD B. IRWIN, + _Assistant Adjutant General._ + + WAR DEPARTMENT, + _Washington City_, March 25th, 1803. + +His plan of organization is here given, but it was never fully +consummated: + + GENERAL ORDERS} + No. 47} + + Corps d'Afrique. + HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. + 19TH ARMY CORPS, + + _Before Port Hudson_, June 6th, 1863. + + I.--The regiments of infantry of the Corps d'Afrique, + authorized by General Orders No. 44, current series, will + consist of ten companies each, having the following minimum + organization: + + 1 Captain, 1 First Lieutenant, 1 Second Lieutenant, 1 First + Sergeant, 4 Sergeants, 4 Corporals, 2 Buglers, 40 Privates. + + To the above may be added hereafter, at the discretion of + the Commanding General, four corporals and forty-two + privates; thus increasing the strength to the maximum fixed + by law for a company of infantry. + + The regimental organization will be that fixed by law for a + regiment of infantry. + + II.--The Commissary and Assistant Commissaries of Musters + will muster the Second Lieutenant into service as soon as he + is commissioned; the First Lieutenant when thirty men are + enlisted; and the Captain when the minimum organization is + completed. + + III.--The First, Second, Third and Fourth Regiments of + Louisiana Native Guards will hereafter be known as the + First, Second, Third and Fourth Regiments of Infantry of the + Corps d'Afrique. + + IV.--The regiment of colored troops in process of + organization in the district of Pensacola will be known as + the Fifth Regiment of Infantry of the Corps d'Afrique. + + V.--The regiments now being raised under the direction of + Brigadier General Daniel Ullman, and at present known as the + First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Regiments of Ullman's + Brigade, will be respectively designated as the Sixth, + Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Regiments of Infantry of + the Corps d'Afrique. + + VI.--The First Regiment of Louisiana Engineers, Colonel + Justin Hodge, will hereafter be known as the First Regiment + of Engineers of the Corps d'Afrique. + + BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL BANKS: + + RICHARD B. IRWIN, + _Assistant Adjutant General._ + + OFFICIAL: + _NATHANIEL BURBANK, Acting Assistant Adjutant General._ + +General Banks' treatment of the negroes was so very different from that +which they had received from Gen. Butler,--displacing the negro officers +of the first three regiments organized,--that it rather checkmated +recruiting, so much so that he found it necessary to resort to the +provost guard to fill up regiments, as the following order indicates: + +[Illustration: PROVOST GUARD SECURING CONSCRIPTS. Compelling all +able-bodied men to join the army.] + + Commission of Enrollment. + GENERAL ORDERS HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, + No. 64. _New Orleans_, August 29, 1863. + + I. Colonel JOHN S. CLARK, Major B. RUSH PLUMLY and Colonel + GEORGE H. HANKS, are hereby appointed a Commission to + regulate the Enrollment, Recruiting and Employment and + Education of persons of color. All questions concerning the + enlistment of troops for the Corps d'Afrique, the regulation + of labor, or the government and education of negroes, will + be referred to the decision of this commission, subject to + the approval of the Commanding General of the Department. + + II. No enlistments for the Corps d'Afrique will be + authorized or permitted, except under regulations approved + by this Commission. + + III. _The Provost Marshal General will cause to be enrolled + all able-bodied men of color in accordance with the Law of + Conscription, and such number as may be required for the + military defence of the Department, equally apportioned to + the different parishes, will be enlisted for the military + service under such regulations as the Commission may adopt. + Certificates of exemption will be furnished to those not + enlisted, protecting them from arrest or other interference, + except for crime._ + + IV. Soldiers of the Corps d'Afrique will not be allowed to + leave their camps, or to wander through the parishes, except + upon written permission, or in the company of their + officers. + + V. Unemployed persons of color, vagrants and camp loafers, + will be arrested and employed upon the public works, by the + Provost Marshal's Department, without other pay than their + rations and clothing. + + VI. Arrests of persons, and seizures of property, will not + be made by colored soldiers, nor will they be charged with + the custody of persons or property, except when under the + command, and accompanied by duly authorized officers. + + VII. Any injury or wrong done to the family of any soldier, + on account of his being engaged in military service, will be + summarily punished. + + VIII. As far as practicable, the labor of persons not + adapted to military service will be provided in substitution + for that of enlisted men. + + IX. All regulations hitherto established for the government + of negroes, not inconsistent herewith, will be enforced by + the Provost Marshals of the different parishes, under the + direction of the Provost Marshal General. + + BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL BANKS: + + RICHARD B. IRWIN, + _Assistant Adjutant General._ + +In the department the actual number of negroes enlisted was never known, +from the fact that a practice prevailed of putting a live negro in a +dead one's place. For instance, if a company on picket or scouting lost +ten men, the officer would immediately put ten new men in their places +and have them answer to the dead men's names. I learn from very reliable +sources that this was done in Virginia, also in Missouri and Tennessee. +If the exact number of men could be ascertained, instead of 180,000 it +would doubtless be in the neighborhood of 220,000 who entered the ranks +of the army. An order was issued which aimed to correct the habit and to +prevent the drawing, by collusion, of the dead men's pay. + +The date of the first organization of colored troops is a question of +dispute, but it seems as if the question might be settled, either by the +records of the War Department or the personal knowledge of those +interested. Of course the muster of a regiment or company is the record +of the War Department, but the muster by no means dates the organization +of the troops.[16] For example, a colonel may have been commissioned +July, 1862, and yet the muster of his regiment may be September 1862, +and even later, by two months, as is the case in more than one instance. +It is just as fair to take the date of a soldier's enlistment as the +date of the organization of a regiment, as that of the date of the order +detailing an officer to recruit as the date of the colonel's commission. +The writer's discharge from the Second Reg't. Louisiana Native Guards +credits him as enlisting on the 1st day of September, 1862; at this date +the 1st Reg't. La. N. G. was in the field, in November the Second +Regiment took the field, so that the date of the organization of the +first regiment of colored troops was in September, 1862. Col. Higginson, +says in his volume: + + "Except the Louisiana soldiers mentioned,--of whom no + detailed reports have, I think, been published,--my regiment + was unquestionably the first mustered into the service of + the United States; the first company mustered bearing date, + November 7, 1862, and the others following in quick + succession." + +Save the regiments recruited in Kansas, South Carolina and New Orleans +during the year 1862, nothing was done towards increasing the negro +army, but in January 1863, when the policy of the Government was changed +and the Emancipation Proclamation foreshadowed the employment of negroes +in the armed service, an activity such as had not been witnessed since +the beginning of the war became apparent. Many officers without +commands, and some with, but who sought promotion, were eager to be +allowed to organize a regiment, a battalion or a brigade of negro +troops. Mr. Lincoln found it necessary in less than six months after +issuing his Proclamation of Freedom, to put the whole matter of negro +soldiers into the hands of a board.[17] Ambition, as ambition will, +smothered many a white man's prejudice and caused more than one West +Pointer to forget his political education. This order was issued: + + ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, + _Washington, D. C._, January 13th, 1863. + + BRIGADIER GENERAL D. ULLMAN, Washington, D. C. + + SIR:--By direction of the Secretary of War you are hereby + authorized to raise a Brigade of (four regiments) of + Louisiana Volunteer Infantry, to be recruited in that State + to serve for three years or during the War. + + Each regiment of said Brigade will be organized as + prescribed in General orders No. 126, series of 1862, from + this office. + + The recruitment will be conducted in accordance with the + rules of the service, and the orders of the War Department, + and by the said department all appointments of officers will + be made. + + All musters will be made in strict conformity to Paragraph + 86 Revised Mustering Regulations of 1862. + + I am, Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant, + THOMAS M. VINCENT, _Asst. Adjt. Gen'l._ + + + ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, + + _Washington, D. C._, March 24, 1863. + + BRIG. GENERAL ULLMAN, Washington, D. C. + + GENERAL:--By direction of the Secretary of War, you are + hereby authorized to raise a Battalion (six companies) of + Louisiana Volunteer Infantry to be used for scouting + purposes, to be recruited in that State, and to serve for + three years or during the war. + + The said force will be organized as prescribed in Paragraph + 83, Mustering Regulations. + + The recruitment will be conducted in accordance with the + rules of the service, and the orders of the War Department, + and by the said Department all appointments of officers will + be made. + + All musters will be made in accordance with the orders given + in reference to the troops authorized by the instructions + from this office of January 13, 1863. + + I am, General Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant, + + THOMAS M. VINCENT, _Asst. Adjt. General._ + + +In furtherance of the order General Ullman proceeded to New Orleans and +assumed command of seven thousand troops already organized. It was said +that he had arranged to place 500 white officers in command of the +troops in Louisiana. + +In October thereafter General Banks issued the following order, which +fully explains itself: + + Recruiting for the Corps d'Afrique. + + GENERAL ORDERS HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. + No. 77. _New Orleans_, October 27, 1863. + + I. All persons of Color coming within the lines of the army, + or following the army when in the field, other than those + employed in the Staff Department of the army, or as servants + of officers entitled by the Regulations to have servants, or + cooks, will be placed in charge of and provided for by the + several Provost Marshals of the Parishes, or if the army be + on the march, or in the field, by the Provost Marshal of the + Army. + + II. The several Provost Marshals of the Parishes and of the + Army will promptly forward to the nearest recruiting depot + all able bodied males for service in the Corps d'Afrique. + + III. Recruits will be received for the Corps d'Afrique of + all able bodied men from sections of the country not + occupied by our forces, and beyond our lines, without regard + to the enrollment provided for in General Orders No. 64 and + 70, from these Headquarters. + + IV. Instructions will be given by the President of the + Commission of Enrollment to the Superintendent of + Recruiting, to govern in all matters of detail relating to + recruiting, and officers will be held to a strict + accountability for the faithful observance of existing + orders and such instructions; but no officer will be + authorized to recruit beyond the lines without first having + his order approved by the officer commanding the nearest + post, or the officer commanding the Army in the Field, who + will render such assistance as may be necessary to make the + recruiting service effective. + + BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL BANKS: + + G. NORMAN LIEBER, _Act. Asst. Adjt. Gen'l._ + +At the North where negroes had been refused admission to the army, the +President's Proclamation was hailed with delight. Gov. Andrew, of +Massachusetts, at once began the organization of the 54th Regiment of +his State, composed entirely of negroes, and on the 28th of May the +regiment being ready to take the field, embarked for South Carolina. +Other Northern States followed. Pennsylvania established Camp Wm. Penn, +from which several regiments took their departure, while Connecticut and +Rhode Island both sent a regiment. + +[Illustration: NEW RECRUITS TAKING CARS FOR CAMP.] + +The taste with which the negro soldiers arranged their quarters often +prompted officers of white regiments to borrow a detail to clean and +beautify the quarters of their commands. An occurrence of this kind came +very near causing trouble on Morris Island, S.C. The matter was brought +to the commanding General's attention and he immediately issued this +order: + + DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD. + + GENERAL ORDERS, _Morris Island, S.C._, Sept. 17th, 1863. + No. 77. + + 1. It has come to the knowledge of the Brig. Gen. Commanding + that detachments of colored troops, detailed for fatigue + duty, have been employed in one instance at least, to + prepare camps and perform menial duty for white troops. Such + use of these details is unauthorized and improper, and is + hereafter expressly prohibited. Commanding Officers of + colored regiments are directed to report promptly, to the + Headquarters, any violations of this order which may come to + their knowledge. + + BY ORDER OF GEN. Q. A. GILLMORE, + + OFFICIAL: ED. W. SMITH, _Asst. Adjt. Gen'l._ + + _ISRAEL Z. SEALEY, Capt. 47th N.Y. Vols., + Act. Asst. Adjt. General._ + +The Southern troops generally made no objection to cleaning the quarters +of their white allies, but when a detail from the 54th Mass. Reg't., on +its way to the front, was re-detailed for that purpose, they refused to +obey. The detail was placed under arrest. When this information reached +the regiment it was only by releasing the prisoners that a turbulent +spirit was quieted. There were about ten thousand negro troops in and +about Morris Island at that time, and they quickly sneezed at the 54th's +snuff. The negro barbers in this department had been refusing to shave +and to cut the hair of negro soldiers in common with the whites. +Corporal Kelley of the 54th Mass. Regiment, who had been refused a shave +at a shop located near one of the brigade Headquarters, went there one +evening accompanied by a number of the members of Company C. The men +gathered around the barber's place of business, which rested upon posts +a little up from the ground; the negro barbers were seated in their +chairs resting from their labors and listening to the concert, which it +was customary for a band to give each evening. As the last strains of +music were being delivered, one side of the barber shop was lifted high +and then suddenly dropped; it came down with a crash making a wreck of +the building and its contents, except the barbers, who escaped unhurt, +but who never made their appearance again. The episode resulted in the +issuing of an order forbidding discrimination on account of color. + +The Washington authorities established recruiting stations throughout +the South. Of the difficulties under which recruiting officers labored +some idea may be formed by reading the following, written by the +historian of the 7th Regiment: + + "The position of recruiting officer for colored troops was + by no means a sinecure; on the contrary, it was attended + with hardships, annoyances and difficulties without number. + Moving about from place to place; often on scant rations, + and always without transportation, save what could be + pressed into service; sleeping in barns, out-houses, public + buildings,--wherever shelter could be found, and meeting + from the people everywhere opposition and dislike. To have + been an officer of colored troops was of itself sufficient + to ostracize, and when, in addition, one had to take from + them their slaves, dislike became absolute hatred. There + were, of course, exceptions, and doubtless every officer + engaged on this disagreeable duty can bear testimony to + receiving at times a hospitality as generous as it was + unexpected, even from people whom duty compelled them to + despoil. But this was always from "_union men_," for it must + be confessed that a large proportion of the property-holders + on both the eastern and western shores of the Chesapeake + were as deeply in sympathy with the rebellion as their + brethren over the Virginia border. + + "Perhaps the most disagreeable feature of this recruiting + duty was that Gen. Birney (Supt. of recruiting of negro + troops in Maryland) seldom saw fit to give his subordinates + anything but _verbal_ instructions. Officers were ordered to + open recruiting stations; to raid through the country, + carrying off slaves from under the eyes of their masters; to + press horses for their own use and that of their men, and + teams and vehicles for purposes of transportation; to take + forage when needed; to occupy buildings and appropriate + fuel; in short, to do a hundred things they had really no + legal right to do, and had they been called upon, as was + likely to happen at any time, for the authority under which + they were acting, they would have had nothing to show but + their commissions; and if, in carrying out these verbal + instructions from their chief, they had become involved in + serious difficulty, they had little reason to suppose that + they would be sustained by him. + + "When it is remembered that slavery was at that time still a + recognized institution, and that the duty of a recruiting + officer often required him to literally strip a plantation + of its field hands, and that, too, at a time of the year + when the crops were being gathered, it is perhaps to be + wondered that the bitter feelings of the slave-owners did + not often find vent in open resistence and actual violence. + That this delicate and disagreeable duty was performed in a + manner to avoid serious difficulty certainly speaks well for + the prudence and good judgment of the officers and men + engaged in it. + + "The usual method of proceeding was, upon reaching a + designated point, to occupy the most desirable public + building, dwelling-house, warehouse, or barn found vacant, + and with this as a rendezvous, small parties were sent into + the surrounding country, visiting each plantation within a + radius of twenty or thirty miles. The parties, sometimes + under charge of an officer, usually consisted of a + non-commissioned officer and ten or twelve men. + + "In these journeys through the country the recruiting + officer often met with strange experiences. Recruits were + taken wherever found, and as their earthly possessions + usually consisted of but what they wore upon their backs, + they required no time to settle their affairs. The laborer + in the field would throw down his hoe or quit his plow and + march away with the guard, leaving his late owner looking + after him in speechless amazement. On one occasion the + writer met a planter on the road, followed by two of his + slaves, each driving a loaded wagon. The usual questions + were asked and the whilom slaves joined the recruiting + party, leaving their teams and late master standing in the + highway. At another time a negro was met with a horse and + wagon. Having expressed his desire to "'list," he turned his + horse's head toward home, and marched away in the opposite + direction. + + "On one occasion the writer visited a large plantation near + Capeville, Va., and calling upon the proprietor asked him to + call in his slaves. He complied without a word, and when + they came and were asked if they wished to enlist, replied + that they did, and fell into the ranks with the guard. As + they started away the old man turned to me, and with tears + in his eyes, said, "Will you take them all? Here I am, an + old man; I cannot work; my crops are ungathered; my negroes + have all enlisted or run away, and what am I to do?" A hard + question, truly. Another officer was called upon by a + gentleman with this question, "You have taken all my + able-bodied men for soldiers, the others have run away, and + only the women and children are left;--what do you propose + to do with them?" Another hard question. + + "At another time, when the _Balloon_ was lying at the mouth + of the Pocomoke, accompanied by Lieut. Brown and with a + boat's crew, we pulled up the river to the plantation of a + Mrs. D., a noted rebel sympathizer. We were met, as we + expected, with the most violent abuse from the fair + proprietoress, which was redoubled when three of her best + slaves, each of whom had probably been worth a couple of + thousand dollars in _ante-bellum_ days, took their bundles + and marched off to the boat. We bade the lady farewell, and + pushed off amid the shouts and screams of a score of negro + women and children, and the tears and execrations of the + widow. + + "To illustrate the unreasonable orders Gen. Birney was + sometimes in the habit of giving to officers engaged under + him on recruiting service, the writer well remembers being + placed by him, at Pungoteague, Va., in charge of some 200 + recruits he had forcibly taken from an officer recruiting + under Col. Nelson's orders, and receiving from him (Gen. + Birney) the most positive orders under no circumstances to + allow Col. Nelson to get possession of them,--Col. Nelson's + steamer was hourly expected--and that I should be held + personally responsible that they were put on board his own + steamer, and this when I had neither men nor muskets to + enforce the order. Fortunately (for myself) Gen. Birney's + steamer arrived first and the men were safely put on board. + Some days later, Lieut. Brown, who was then in charge of the + same station, had a squad of recruits taken from him by Col. + Nelson, in retaliation. + + "Many a hap-hazard journey was undertaken in search of + recruits and recruiting stations. On one occasion an officer + was ordered by Gen. Birney to take station at a town(?) not + many miles from Port Tobacco, on the Potomac. After two + days' careful search he discovered that the town he was in + search of had been a post-office twenty years before, but + then consisted of one house, uninhabited and uninhabitable, + with not another within the circuit of five miles." + +When the Government decided to arm the negroes and ordered the +organization of a hundred regiments, it was with great difficulty the +equipment department met the requisitions. It necessitated a departure +from the accustomed uniform material for volunteers, and helped to +arouse the animosity of the white troops. Instead of the coarse material +issued at first, the Phalanx was clothed in a fine blue-black dress coat +for the infantry, and a superb dark blue jacket for the artillery and +cavalry, all neatly trimmed with brass buttons and white, red and yellow +cord, representing the arm of service; heavy sky blue pantaloons, and a +flannel cap, or high crown black felt hat or _chapeau_ with a black +feather looped upon the right side and fastened with a brass eagle. For +the infantry and for the cavalry two swords crossed; for the artillery +two cannons on the front of the _chapeau_ crossed, with the letters of +the company, and number of the regiment to which the soldier belonged. +On the caps these insignias were worn on the top of the crown. The +uniform of the Phalanx put the threadbare clothes of the white veterans +in sad contrast, and was the cause of many a black soldier being badly +treated by his white comrades.[18] + +At the outbreak of the Rebellion, the pay of soldiers (volunteers) was +the same as soldiers of the regular army, by law, $13 per month. The +soldiers of the Phalanx enlisted under the same law and regulations as +did the white volunteers, as to pay and term of service, but the +Secretary of War, after a few regiments were in the field, decided, and +so ordered, that negro troops should be paid ten dollars per month. The +instructions given to General Saxton on the 25th day of August, 1862, +had stated that the pay would be the same as that of the other troops: + + "In view of the small force under your command, and the + inability of the Government at the present time to increase + it, in order to guard the plantations and settlements + occupied by the United States, from invasion, and to protect + the inhabitants thereof from captivity and murder by the + enemy, you are also authorized to arm, uniform, equip, and + receive into the service of the United States, such number + of volunteers of African descent as you may deem expedient, + not exceeding five thousand, and may detail officers to + instruct them in military drill, discipline and duty, and to + command them. _The persons so received into service, and + their officers, to be entitled to, and receive, the same pay + and rations as are allowed, by law, to volunteers in the + service._" + +As to the white officers they were paid in full, but the privates and +non-commissioned officers were allowed but $10 per month, three of which +were deducted on account of clothing. In several instances the paymaster +not having received special instructions to that effect, disregarded the +general orders, and paid the negro soldiers in full, like other +volunteers; but the order was generally recognized, though many of the +regiments refused to receive the $7 per month, which was particularly +the case of regiments from the Northern States. The order at one time in +the Department of the Gulf, came very near causing a mutiny among the +troops, because white troops, and conscripts at that, and those who had +done provost duty about the cities, were paid $16 per month,--Congress +having raised the pay,--while the Phalanx regiments in the field and +fortifications were offered $7. The dissatisfaction was so strongly +manifested as to cause twelve members of the Phalanx to lose their +lives, which were not the only ones lost by the bad faith on the part of +the Government. However, in no instance did the Phalanx refuse to do +its duty when called upon, and at the sound of the long roll, though the +black flag was raised against them, and many of their families were +suffering at home, their patriotic ardor never abated in the least. At +the North, provisions were made by the States to relieve the families of +the brave men. Massachusetts sent paymasters to make good the promises +of the Government, but the deficiency was rejected. Her regiments, +although a year without pay, refused to accept, and demanded full pay +from the Government. The loyal people of the country, at public meetings +and the press,[19] severely criticised the Government, while the +patriotic black men continued to pour out their blood and to give their +lives for liberty and the Union. + +[Illustration: SCENE AT NEW BERNE, N. C. + +Enthusiasm of the Blacks at the prospect of their being allowed to +enlist as U.S. Soldiers.] + +The matter being one for Congress to adjust, Henry Wilson, of +Massachusetts, on the 8th of Jan. 1864, introduced in the Senate of the +United States, a bill to promote enlistments in the army, and in this +measure justice to the black soldiers was proposed. After months of +debate, it was finally passed; not only placing the Phalanx soldiers on +a footing with all other troops, but made free, the mothers, wives and +children of the noble black troops. + +The fight of the Phalanx for equal pay and allowance with the white +troops, was a long one. The friends of the black soldiers in Congress +fought it, however, to the successful issue. Senator Wilson, of +Massachusetts, took the lead in the matter in the Senate, as he did in +the amending of the enrolling acts, and the act calling out the +militia, whereby negroes were enrolled. + +In the winter of '64 Gen. Butler began the organization of the Army of +the James and the enlistment of negro troops. A camp was established +near Fortress Monroe, where a great many men enlisted. The Secretary of +War gave permission to the several Northern States to send agents South, +and to enlist negroes to fill up their quotas of troops needed. Large +bounties were then being paid and many a negro received as much as $500 +to enlist; while many who went as substitutes received even more than +that. The recruiting officers or rather agents from the different States +established their headquarters largely within Gen. Butlers departments, +where negro volunteers were frequently secured at a much less price than +the regular bounty offered, the agent putting into his own pocket the +difference, which often amounted to $200 or even $400 on a single +recruit. To correct this wrong, Gen. Butler issued the following order: + + HEADQUARTERS DEP'T. VIRGINIA & NORTH CAROLINA, + + GENERAL ORDERS, IN THE FIELD, Va., _August 4th, 1864._ + No. 90. + + With all the guards which the utmost vigilance and care have + thrown around the recruitment of white soldiers, it is a + fact, as lamentable as true, that a large portion of the + recruits have been swindled of part, if not all, of their + bounties. Can it be hoped that the colored man will be + better able to protect himself from the infinite ingenuity + of fraud than the white? + + Therefore, to provide for the families of the colored + recruits enlisted in this Department--to relieve the United + States, as far as may be, from the burden of supporting the + families,--and to insure that at least a portion of the + bounty paid to the negro shall be received for his use and + that of his family; + + _It is ordered_: I--That upon the enlistment of any negro + recruit into the service of the United States for three (3) + years, by any State agent or other person not enlisting + recruits under the direct authority of the War Department, a + sum of one hundred (100) dollars, or one-third (1/3) of the + sum agreed to be paid as bounty, shall be paid if the amount + exceeds three times that sum, into the hands of the + Superintendent of Recruiting, or an officer to be designated + by him, and in the same proportion for any less time; and no + Mustering Officer will give any certificate or voucher for + any negro recruit mustered into the service of the United + States, so that he may be credited to the quota of any + State, or as a substitute, until a certificate is filed with + him that the amount called for by this order has been paid, + to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Recruiting of + the district wherein the recruit was enlisted; but the + mustering officer will, in default of such payment, certify + upon the roll that the recruit is not to be credited to the + quota of any State, or as a substitute. + + II--The amount as paid to the Superintendent of Recruiting + shall be turned over, on the last day of each month, to the + Superintendent of Negro Affairs, to be expended in aid of + the families of negro soldiers in this Department. The + certificates filed with Commissary of Musters will be + returned to said Superintendent of Negro Affairs, on the + first day of every month, so that the Superintendent may + vouch for the accounts of the Superintendent of Recruiting, + for the amounts received by him. + + And the Superintendent of Negro Affairs will account monthly + to the Financial Agent of this Department for the amounts + received and expended by him. + + III--As there are unfilled colored Regiments in this + Department sufficient to receive all the negro recruits + therein, no negro male person above the age of sixteen (16) + years, shall be taken out or attempted to be taken out of + this Department, either as a recruit, as officer's servant, + or otherwise, in any manner whatever, without a pass from + these Head Quarters. Any officer, Master of Transportation, + Provost Marshal, or person, who shall aid, assist or permit + any male negro of the age of sixteen (16) years or upwards, + to go out of this Department, in contravention of this + order, will be punished, on conviction thereof before the + Provost Court, by not less than six (6) months imprisonment + at hard labor, under the Superintendent of Prison Labor, at + Norfolk, and if this offence is committed by or with the + connivance of any Master of Steamboat, Schooner, or other + vessel, the steamboat or other vessel shall be seized and + sold, and the proceeds be paid to the Superintendent of + Negro Affairs, for the use of the destitute negroes + supported by the Government. + + By command of Major General B. F. BUTLER: + + _R. S. DAVIS, Major and Asst. Adjt. General._ + + OFFICIAL: H. T. SCHROEDER, Lt. & A. A. A. Gen'l. + OFFICIAL: WM. M. PRATT, Lt. & Aide-de-Camp. + +[Illustration: MUSTERING INTO SERVICE + +Phalanx soldiers taking the oath of allegiance to the United States.] + +The chief result of Butler's order was the establishment of the +Freedmens' Savings Bank. At the close of the war, there were in the +hands of the Superintendent of Negro Affairs, eight thousand dollars +unclaimed bounties, belonging, the most of it without doubt, to _dead +men_; it was placed in a bank at Norfolk, Va. This sum served as a +nucleus for the Freedmens' Bank, which, after gathering large sums of +the Freedmens' money, collapsed suddenly. + +At Camp Hamilton several regiments were organized, including two of +cavalry. The general enlistment ordered by the War Department was pushed +most actively and with great results, till more than one hundred and +seventy-eight thousand, by the records, were enlisted into the army. + +The opposition to negro soldiers did not cease with many of the Union +generals even after the Government at Washington issued its mandate for +their enlistment and impressment, and notwithstanding that the many +thousands in the service, with their display of gallantry, dash and +courage, as exhibited at Port Hudson, Milliken's Bend, Wagner, and in a +hundred other battles, had astonished and aroused the civilized world. +In view of all this, and, even more strangely, in the face of the Fort +Pillow butchery, General Sherman wrote to the Washington authorities, in +September, 1864, protesting against negro troops being organized in his +department. If Whitelaw Reid's "Ohio in the War," is to be relied upon, +Sherman's treatment of the negroes in his march to the sea was a +counterpart of the Fort Pillow massacre. His opposition was in keeping +with that of the authorities of his state,[20] notwithstanding it has +credited to its quota of troops during the war 5,092 negroes, but one +regiment was raised in the State, out of a negro population of 36,673 by +the canvas of 1860. + +According to the statistics on file in the Adjutant General's office, +the States are accredited with the following number of negroes who +served in the army during the Rebellion: + + ALABAMA, 2,969 + LOUISIANA, 24,052 + NEW HAMPSHIRE, 125 + MASSACHUSETTS, 3,966 + CONNECTICUT, 1,764 + NEW JERSEY, 1,185 + DELAWARE, 954 + DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 3,269 + NORTH CAROLINA, 5,035 + SOUTH CAROLINA, 5,462 + FLORIDA, 1,044 + TENNESSEE, 20,133 + MICHIGAN, 1,387 + INDIANA, 1,537 + MISSOURI, 8,344 + IOWA, 440 + KANSAS, 2,080 + COLORADO TERRITORY, 95 + MISSISSIPPI, 17,869 + MAINE, 104 + VERMONT, 120 + RHODE ISLAND, 1,837 + NEW YORK, 4,125 + PENNSYLVANIA, 8,612 + MARYLAND, 8,718 + VIRGINIA, 5,723 + WEST VIRGINIA, 196 + GEORGIA, 3,486 + ARKANSAS, 5,526 + KENTUCKY, 23,703 + OHIO, 5,092 + ILLINOIS, 1,811 + MINNESOTA, 104 + WISCONSIN, 165 + TEXAS, 47 + NOT ACCOUNTED FOR, 5,896 + + TOTAL, 178,975. + +The losses these troops sustained from sickness, wounds, killed in +battle and other casualties incident to war, was 68,178. + +The aggregate negro population in the U. S. in 1860 was 4,449,201, of +which 3,950,531 were slaves. + +[Illustration: PHALANX SOLDIERS ORGANIZING AND DRILLING.] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[15] General:--The exigencies of the service require that an inspection +should be made of the Armies, military posts and military operations in +the West; you will therefore make arrangements immediately to perform +that service. Without entering into any minute details, I beg to direct +your attention to the following subjects of investigation: + +First. On arriving at Cairo, you will make a careful examination of the +military condition of that post, in the various branches of service, and +report to this Department, the result of your investigation, suggesting +whatever in your opinion, the service may require. You will observe +particularly the condition of that class of population known as +contrabands; the manner in which they are received, provided for and +treated by the military authorities, and give such directions to the +Commissary and Quartermaster Departments, and to the officers +commanding, as shall, in your judgement, be necessary to secure to them +humane and proper treatment, in respect to food, clothing, compensation +for their service, and whatever is necessary to enable them to support +themselves, and to furnish useful service in any capacity to the +Government. + +Second. You will make similar observation at Columbus, Memphis and other +posts in your progress to the Headquarters of General Grant's Army. + +Third. The President desires that you should confer freely with Major +General Grant, and the officers with whom you may have communication, +and explain to them the importance attached by the Government to the use +of the colored population emancipated by the President's Proclamation, +and particularly for the organization of their labor and military +strength. You will cause it to be understood that no officer in the +United States service is regarded as in the discharge of his duties +under the Acts of Congress, the President's Proclamation, and orders of +this Department, who fails to employ to the utmost extent, the aid and +co-operation of the loyal colored population in performing the labor +incident to military operations, and also in performing the duties of +soldiers under proper organization, and that any obstacle thrown in the +way of these ends, is regarded by the President as a violation of the +Acts of Congress, and the declared purposes of the Government in using +every means to bring the war to an end. + +Fourth. You will ascertain what military officers are willing to take +command of colored troops; ascertain their qualifications for that +purpose, and if troops can be raised and organized, you will, so far as +can be done without prejudice to the service, relieve officers and +privates from the service in which they are engaged, to receive +commissions such as they may be qualified to exercise in the +organization of brigades, regiments and companies of colored troops. You +are authorized in this connection, to issue in the name of this +department, letters of appointment for field and company officers, and +to organize such troops for military service to the utmost extent to +which they can be obtained in accordance with the rules and regulations +of the service. You will see, more over, and expressly enjoin upon the +various staff departments of the service, that such troops are to be +provided with supplies upon the requisition of the proper officers, and +in the same manner as other troops in the service. + + * * * * * + + Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant, + EDWARD M. STANTON, _Sec. of War._ + + BRIG. GEN. L. THOMAS, + Adjt. Gen'l. U.S. Army. + +[16] Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson in an appendix to his "Army Life in +a Black Regiment," gives some account of the organization of negro +troops, from which is condensed the following: + +"It is well known that the first systematic attempt to organize colored +troops during the war of the rebellion was the so-called "Hunter +Regiment." The officer originally detailed to recruit for this purpose +was Sergeant C. T. Trowbridge, of the New York Volunteer Engineers (Col. +Serrell.) His detail was dated May 7, 1862, S. O. 84, Dept. South. + +"The second regiment in order of muster was the First Kansas Colored, +dating from January 13, 1863. The first enlistment in the Kansas +regiment goes back to August 6, 1862; while the earliest technical date +of enlistment in my regiment was October 19, 1862, although, as was +stated above, one company really dated its organization back to May, +1862. My muster as Colonel dates back to November 10, 1862, several +months earlier than any other of which I am aware, among colored +regiments, except that of Col. Stafford, (First Louisiana Native +Guards,) Sept. 27, 1862. Colonel Williams, of the First Kansas Colored, +was mustered as Lt. Colonel on Jan. 13, 1863; as Col., March 8, 1863. +These dates I have (with the other facts relating to the regiment) from +Col. R. J. Hinton, the first officer detailed to recruit it. + +"The first detachment of the Second South Carolina Volunteers (Col. +Montgomery) went into camp at Port Royal Island, February 23, 1863, +numbering one hundred and twenty men. I do not know the date of his +muster; it was somewhat delayed, but was probably dated back to about +that time. + +"Recruiting for the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts (colored) began on +February 9, 1863, and the first squad went into camp at Readville, +Massachusetts, on February 21, 1863, numbering twenty-five men. Col. +Shaw's commission--and probably his muster--was dated April 17, 1863. +(Report of Adjutant General of Massachusetts for 1863, pp. 896-899.) +These were the earliest colored regiments, so far as I know." + +[17] + + GENERAL ORDERS} WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, + No. 143. } _Washington_, May 22, 1863. + +I.--A Bureau is established in the Adjutant General's Office for the +record of all matters relating to the organization of Colored Troops. An +officer will be assigned to the charge of the Bureau, with such number +of clerks as may be designated by the Adjutant General. + +II.--Three or more field officers will be detailed as Inspectors to +supervise the organization of colored troops at such points as may be +indicated by the War Department in the Northern and Western States. + +III.--Boards will be convened at such posts as may be decided upon by +the War Department to examine applicants for commissions to command +colored troops, who, on application to the Adjutant General, may receive +authority to present themselves to the board for examination. + +IV--No persons shall be allowed to recruit for colored troops except +specially authorized by the War Department; and no such authority will +be given to persons who have not been examined and passed by a board; +nor will such authority be given any one person to raise more than one +regiment. + +V.--The reports of Boards will specify the grade of commission for which +each candidate is fit, and authority to recruit will be given in +accordance. Commissions will be issued from the Adjutant General's +Office when the prescribed number of men is ready for muster into +service. + +VI.--Colored troops may be accepted by companies, to be afterwards +consolidated in battalions and regiments by the Adjutant General. The +regiments will be numbered _seriatim_, in the order in which they are +raised, the numbers to be determined by the Adjutant General. They will +be designated: "---- Regiment of U. S. Colored Troops." + +VII.--Recruiting stations and depots will be established by the Adjutant +General as circumstances shall require, and officers will be detailed to +muster and inspect the troops. + +VIII.--The non-commissioned officers of colored troops may be selected +and appointed from the best men of their number in the usual mode of +appointing non-commissioned officers. Meritorious commissioned officers +will be entitled to promotion to higher rank if they prove themselves +equal to it. + +IX.--All personal applications for appointments in colored regiments, or +for information concerning them, must be made to the Chief of the +Bureau; all written communications should be addressed to the Chief of +the Bureau, to the care of the Adjutant General. + + BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: + E. D. TOWNSEND. _Asst. Adjt. General._ + +[18] I attempted to pass Jackson Square in New Orleans one day in my +uniform, when I was met by two white soldiers of the 24th Conn. They +halted me and then ordered me to undress. I refused, when they seized me +and began to tear my coat off. I resisted, but to no good purpose; a +half a dozen others came up and began to assist. I recognized a sergeant +in the crowd, an old shipmate on board of a New Bedford, Mass., Whaler; +he came to my rescue, my clothing was restored and I was let go. It was +nothing strange to see a black soldier _a la Adam_ come into the +barracks out of the streets. This conduct led to the killing of a +portion of a boat's crew of the U. S. Gunboat _Jackson_, at Ship Island, +Miss., by members of a Phalanx regiment stationed there. + +[19] The injustice done the Phalanx, in discriminating between the +Northern and Southern negro, may be clearly seen by the following +letters: + +"NEW VICTORIES AND OLD WRONGS.--_To the Editors of the Evening Post_: On +the 2d of July, at James Island, S. C., a battery was taken by three +regiments, under the following circumstances: + +"The regiments were the One Hundred and Third New York (white), the +Thirty-Third United States (formerly First South Carolina Volunteers), +and the Fifty-Fifth Massachusetts, the two last being colored. They +marched at one A. M., by the flank, in the above order, hoping to +surprise the battery. As usual the rebels were prepared for them, and +opened upon them as they were deep in one of those almost impassable +Southern marshes. The One Hundred and Third New York, which had +previously been in twenty battles, was thrown into confusion; the +Thirty-Third United States did better, being behind; the Fifty-Fifth +Massachusetts being in the rear, did better still. All three formed in +line, when Colonel Hartwell, commanding the brigade, gave the order to +retreat. The officer commanding the Fifty-Fifth Massachusetts, either +misunderstanding the order, or hearing it countermanded, ordered his +regiment to charge. This order was at once repeated by Major Trowbridge, +commanding the Thirty-Third United States, and by the commander of the +One Hundred and Third New York, so that the three regiments reached the +fort in reversed order. The color-bearers of the Thirty-Third United +States and of the Fifty-Fifth Massachusetts had a race to be first in, +the latter winning. The One Hundred and Third New York entered the +battery immediately after. + +"These colored regiments are two of the five which were enlisted in +South Carolina and Massachusetts, under the written pledge of the War +Department that they should have the same pay and allowances as white +soldiers. That pledge has been deliberately broken by the War +Department, or by Congress, or by both, except as to the short period, +since last New Year's Day. Every one of those killed in this action from +these two colored regiments--under a fire before which the veterans of +twenty battles recoiled--_died defrauded by the Government of nearly +one-half of his petty pay_. + +"Mr. Fessenden, who defeated in the Senate the bill for the fulfillment +of the contract with these soldiers, is now Secretary of the Treasury. +Was the economy of saving six dollars per man worth to the Treasury the +ignominy of the repudiation? + +"Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, on his triumphal return to his +constituents, used to them this language: 'He had no doubt whatever as +to the final result of the present contest between liberty and slavery. +The only doubt he had was whether the nation had yet been satisfactorily +chastised for their cruel oppression of a harmless and long-suffering +race.' Inasmuch as it was Mr. Stevens himself who induced the House of +Representatives, most unexpectedly to all, to defeat the Senate bill for +the fulfilment of the national contract with these soldiers, I should +think he had excellent reasons for the doubt. + + Very respectfully, T. W. HIGGINSON, + July 10, 1864. _Col. 1st S. C. Vols. (now 33d U. S.)_ + + * * * * * + +"_To the Editor of the New York Tribune_: No one can possibly be so +weary of reading of the wrongs done by Government toward the colored +soldiers as I am of writing about them. This is my only excuse for +intruding on your columns again. + +"By an order of the War Department, dated Aug 1, 1864, it is at length +ruled that colored soldiers shall be paid the full pay of soldiers from +date of enlistment, provided they were free on April 19, 1861,--not +otherwise; and this distinction is to be noted on the pay-rolls. In +other words, if one half of a company escaped from slavery on April 18, +1861, they are to be paid thirteen dollars per month and allowed three +dollars and a half per month for clothing. If the other half were +delayed two days, they receive seven dollars per month and are allowed +three dollars per month for precisely the same articles of clothing. If +one of the former class is made first sergeant, his pay is put up to +twenty-one dollars per month; but if he escaped two days later, his pay +is still estimated at seven dollars. + +"It had not occurred to me that anything could make the pay-rolls of +these regiments more complicated than at present, or the men more +rationally discontented. I had not the ingenuity to imagine such an +order. Yet it is no doubt in accordance with the spirit, if not with the +letter, of the final bill which was adopted by Congress under the lead +of Mr. Thaddeus Stevens. + +"The ground taken by Mr. Stevens apparently was that the country might +honorably save a few dollars by docking the promised pay of those +colored soldiers whom the war had made free. _But the Government should +have thought of this before it made the contract with these men and +received their services._ When the War Department instructed +Brigadier-General Saxton, August 25, 1862, to raise five regiments of +negroes in South Carolina, it was known very well that the men so +enlisted had only recently gained their freedom. But the instructions +said: 'The persons so received into service, and their officers, to be +entitled to and receive the same pay and rations as are allowed by law +to volunteers in the service.' Of this passage Mr. Solicitor Whiting +wrote to me: 'I have no hesitation in saying that the faith of the +Government was thereby pledged to every officer and soldier enlisted +under that call.' Where is that faith of the Government now? + +"The men who enlisted under the pledge were volunteers, every one; they +did not get their freedom by enlisting; they had it already. They +enlisted to serve the Government, trusting in its honor. Now the nation +turns upon them and says: Your part of the contract is fulfilled; we +have had your services. If you can show that you had previously been +free for a certain length of time, we will fulfil the other side of the +contract. If not, we repudiate it. Help yourselves, if you can. + +"In other words, a freedman (since April 19, 1861) has no rights which a +white man is bound to respect. He is incapable of making a contract. No +man is bound by a contract made with him. Any employer, following the +example of the United States Government, may make with him a written +agreement, receive his services, and then withhold the wages. He has no +motive to honest industry, or to honesty of any kind. He is virtually a +slave, and nothing else, to the end of time. + +"Under this order, the greater part of the Massachusetts colored +regiments will get their pay at last, and be able to take their wives +and children out of the almshouses, to which, as Governor Andrew informs +us, the gracious charity of the nation has consigned so many. For so +much I am grateful. But toward my regiment, which had been in service +and under fire, months before a Northern colored soldier was recruited, +the policy of repudiation has at last been officially adopted. There is +no alternative for the officers of South Carolina regiments but to wait +for another session of Congress, and meanwhile, if necessary, act as +executioners for these soldiers who, like Sergeant Walker, refuse to +fulfil their share of a contract where the Government has openly +repudiated the other share. If a year's discussion, however, has at +length secured the arrears of pay for the Northern colored regiments, +possibly two years may secure it for the Southern. + + "T. W. HIGGINSON, + + "August 12, 1864. _Col. 1st S. C. Vols., (now 33d U. S.)_" + +[20] "It has been said that one negro regiment was raised in 1863. More +ought to have been secured; let it never be said that it was the fault +of the colored men themselves that they were not. + +"At the first call for troops in 1861, Governor Dennison was asked if he +would accept negro volunteers. In deference to a sentiment then almost +universal, not less than to the explicit regulations of the Government, +he replied that he could not. When the Emancipation Proclamation changed +the status of negroes so completely, and the Government began to accept +their services, they resumed their applications to the State +authorities. Governor Tod still discouraged them. He had previously +committed himself, in repelling the opportunities of their leaders, to +the theory that it would be contrary to our laws, and without warrant +either in their spirit or letter, to accept them, even under calls for +militia. He now did all he could to transfer such as wished to enlist, +to the Massachusetts regiments. + +"The Adjutant-General, in his report for 1863, professed his inability +to say why Massachusetts should be permitted to make Ohio a +recruiting-ground for filling her quotas. If he had looked into the +correspondence which the Governor gave to the public in connection with +his message, he would have found out. As early as May 11th the Governor +said, in a letter to Hon. Wm. Porter, of Millon, Ohio: 'I do not propose +to raise any colored troops. Those now being recruited in this State are +recruited by authority from Governor Andrew, of Massachusetts.' + +"A few days later he wrote to Hon. John M. Langston: 'As it was +uncertain what number of colored men could be promptly raised in Ohio. I +have advised and still do advise, that those disposed to enter the +service promptly join the Massachusetts regiments. * * * Having +requested the Governor of Massachusetts to organize the colored men from +Ohio into separate companies, so far as practicable, and also to keep me +fully advised of the names, age, and place of residence of each, Ohio +will have the full benefit of all enlistments from the State, and the +recruits themselves the benefit of the State Associations to the same +extent nearly as if organized into a State regiment.' And to persons +proposing to recruit said companies he wrote that all commissions would +be issued by the Governor of Massachusetts. In this course he had the +sanction if not the original suggestion of the Secretary of War. +Afterward his applications for authority to raise an Ohio regiment were +for sometime refused, but finally he secured it, and the One Hundred and +Twenty-Seventh was the quick result. Unfortunately it was numbered the +Fifth United States Colored. The result of all this was that Ohio +received credit for little over a third of her colored citizens who +volunteered for the war."--_Reid's Ohio in the War, Vol. I, p. 176._ + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +RECRUITING AND ORGANIZING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. + + +"Private Miles O'Reilly" was the _nom de plume_ of a talented literary +gentleman of the city of New York, who wrote much in humorous prose and +verse. His real name was Charles G. Halpine. After an honorable service +in the war, rising to high rank, he was elected Register of New York, +and died suddenly while in office, in 1868. The following sketches from +his pen, published during the war, give an account of matters connected +with the recruiting and organizing of negro troops in South Carolina, +and are quoted here as interesting historical facts connected with the +subject: + + "Black troops are now an established success, and + hereafter--while the race can furnish enough able-bodied + males--the probability would seem that one-half the + permanent naval and military forces of the United States + will be drawn from this material, under the guidance and + control of the white officers. To-day there is much + competition among the field and staff officers of our white + volunteers--more especially in those regiments about being + disbanded--to obtain commission of like or even lower grades + in the colored regiments of Uncle Sam. General Casey's board + of examination cannot keep in session long enough, nor + dismiss incompetent aspirants quick enough, to keep down the + vast throngs of veterans, with and without shoulder-straps, + who are now seeking various grades of command in the colored + brigades of the Union. Over this result all intelligent men + will rejoice,--the privilege of being either killed or + wounded in battle, or stricken down by the disease, toil and + privations incident to the life of a marching soldier, not + belonging to that class of prerogative for the exclusive + enjoyment of which men of sense, and with higher careers + open to them, will long contend. Looking back, however, but + a few years, to the organization of the first regiment of + black troops in the departments of the South, what a change + in public opinion are we compelled to recognize! In sober + verity, war is not only the sternest, but the quickest, of + all teachers; and contrasting the Then and Now of our negro + regiments, as we propose to do in this sketch, the contrast + will forcibly recall Galileo's obdurate assertion that 'the + world still moves.' + + "Be it known, then, that the first regiment of black troops + raised in our recent war, was raised in the Spring of 1862 + by the commanding general of the department of the South, of + his own motion, and without any direct authority of law, + order, or even sanction from the President, the Secretary of + War, or our House of Congress. It was done by General Hunter + as 'a military necessity' under very peculiar circumstances, + to be detailed hereafter; and although repudiated at first + by the Government as were so many other measures originated + in the same quarter, it was finally adopted as the settled + policy of the country and of our military system; as have + likewise since been adopted, all the other original measures + for which these officers, at the time of their first + announcement, was made to suffer both official rebuke and + the violently vituperative denunciation of more than + one-half the Northern press. + + "In the Spring of 1862, General Hunter, finding himself with + less than eleven thousand men under his command, and charged + with the duty of holding the whole tortuous and broken + seacoast of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, had applied + often, and in vain, to the authorities at Washington for + reinforcements. All the troops that could be gathered in the + North were less than sufficient for the continuous drain of + General McClellan's great operations against the enemy's + capital; and the reiterated answer of the War Department + was: 'You must get along as best you can. Not a man from the + North can be spared.' + + "On the mainland of three States nominally forming the + Department of the South, the flag of the Union had no + permanent foothold, save at Fernandina, St. Augustine, and + some few unimportant points along the Florida coast. It was + on the Sea-islands of Georgia and South Carolina that our + troops were stationed, and continually engaged in + fortifying,--the enemy being everywhere visible, and in + force, across the narrow creeks dividing us from the + mainland; and in various raids they came across to our + islands, and we drove them back to the mainland, and up + their creeks, with a few gunboats to help us--being the + order of the day; yea, and yet oftener, of the night. + + "No reinforcements to be had from the North; vast fatigue + duties in throwing up earthworks imposed on our insufficient + garrison; the enemy continually increasing both in insolence + and numbers; our only success the capture of Fort Pulaski, + sealing up of Savannah; and this victory offset, if not + fully counter-balanced, by many minor gains of the enemy; + this was about the condition of affairs as seen from the + headquarters fronting Port Royal bay, when General Hunter + one fine morning, with twirling glasses, puckered lips, and + dilated nostrils, (he had just received another + 'don't-bother-us-for-reinforcements' dispatch from + Washington) announced his intention of 'forming a negro + regiment, and compelling every able-bodied black man in the + department to fight for the freedom which could not but be + the issue of our war.' + + "This resolution being taken, was immediately acted upon + with vigor, the General causing all the necessary orders to + be issued, and taking upon himself, as his private burden, + the responsibility for all the irregular issues of arms, + clothing, equipments, and rations involved in collecting and + organizing the first experimental negro regiment. The men he + intended to pay, at first, by placing them as laborers on + the pay-roll of the Chief Quartermaster; but it was his hope + that the obvious necessity and wisdom of the measure he had + thus presumed to adopt without authority, would secure for + it the immediate approval of the higher authorities, and the + necessary orders to cover the required pay and supply-issue + of the force he had in contemplation. If his course should + be endorsed by the War Department, well and good; if it were + not so indorsed, why, he had enough property of his own to + pay back to the Government all he was irregularly expending + in this experiment. + + "But now, on the very threshold of this novel enterprise, + came the first--and it was not a trivial--difficulty. Where + could experienced officers be found for such an + organization? 'What! command niggers?' was the reply--if + possible more amazed than scornful--of nearly every + competent young lieutenant or captain of volunteers to whom + the suggestion of commanding this class of troops was made. + 'Never mind,' said Hunter, when this trouble was brought to + his notice; 'the fools or bigots who refuse are enough + punished by their refusal. Before two years they will be + competing eagerly for the commission they now reject.' + Straightly there was issued a circular to all commanding + officers in the department, directing them to announce to + the non-commissioned officers and men of their respective + commands that commissions in the 'South Carolina Regiment of + Colored Infantry,' would be given to all deserving and + reputable sergeants, corporals; and men who would appear at + department headquarters, and prove able to pass an + examination in the manual and tactics before a Band of + Examiners, which was organized in a general order of current + date. Capt. Arthur M. Kenzie, of Chicago, aid-de-camp,--now + of Hancock's Veterans Reserve Corps--was detailed as Colonel + of the regiment, giving place, subsequently, in consequence + of injured health, to the present Brig.-Gen. James D. + Fessenden, then a captain in the Berdan Sharpshooters, + though detailed as acting aid-de-camp on Gen. Hunter's + staff. Capt. Kenzie, we may add, was Gen. Hunter's nephew, + and his appointment as Colonel was made partly to prove--so + violent was then the prejudice against negro troops--that + the Commanding General asks nothing of them which he was not + willing that one of his own flesh and blood should be + engaged in. + + "The work was now fairly in progress, but the barriers of + prejudice were not to be lightly overthrown. + Non-commissioned officers and men of the right stamp, and + able to pass the examination requisite, were scarce + articles. Ten had the hardihood or moral courage to face + the screaming, riotous ridicule of their late associates in + the white regiments. We remember one very striking instance + in point, which we shall give as a sample of the whole. + + "Our friend Mr. Charles F. Briggs, of this city, so well + known in literary circles, had a nephew enlisted in that + excellent regiment the 48th New York, then garrisoning Fort + Pulaski and the works of Tybee Island. This youngster had + raised himself by gallantry and good conduct to be a + non-commissioned officer; and Mr. Briggs was anxious that he + should be commissioned, according to his capacities, in the + colored troops then being raised. The lad was sent for, + passed his examination with credit, and was immediately + offered a first lieutenancy, with the promise of being made + captain when his company should be filled up to the required + standard,--probably within ten days. + + "The inchoate first-lieutenant was in ecstasies; a gentleman + by birth and education, he longed for the shoulder-straps. + He appeared joyously grateful; and only wanted leave to run + up to Fort Pulaski for the purpose of collecting his traps, + taking leave of his former comrades, and procuring his + discharge-papers from Col. Barton. Two days after that came + a note to the department headquarters respectfully declining + the commission! He had been laughed and jeered out of + accepting a captaincy by his comrades; and this--though we + remember it more accurately from our correspondence with Mr. + Briggs--was but one of many scores of precisely similar + cases. + + "At length, however, officers were found; the ranks were + filled; the men learned with uncommon quickness, having the + imitativeness of so many monkeys apparently, and such + excellent ears for music that all evolutions seemed to come + to them by nature. At once, despite all hostile influence, + the negro regiment became one of the lions of the South; and + strangers visiting the department, crowded out eagerly to + see its evening parades and Sunday-morning inspection. By a + strange coincidence, its camp was pitched on the lawn and + around the mansion of Gen. Drayton, who commanded the rebel + works guarding Hilton Head, Port Royal and Beaufort, when + the same were first captured by the joint naval and military + operations under Admiral DuPont and General Timothy W. + Sherman,--General Drayton's brother, Captain Drayton of our + navy, having command of one of the best vessels in the + attacking squadron; as he subsequently took part in the + first iron-clad attack on Fort Sumpter. + + "Meantime, however, the War Department gave no sign, and the + oracles of the Adjutant-General's office were dumb as the + statue of the Sphynx. Reports of the organization of the + First South Carolina infantry were duly forwarded to army + headquarters; but evoked no comment, either of approval or + rebuke. Letters detailing what had been done, and the reason + for doing it; asking instructions, and to have commissions + duly issued to the officers selected; appeals that the + department paymaster should be instructed to pay these negro + troops like other soldiers; demands that the Government + should either shoulder the responsibility of sustaining the + organization, or give such orders as would absolve Gen. + Hunter from the responsibility of backing out from an + experiment which he believed to be essential to the + salvation of the country,--all these appeals to Washington + proved in vain; for the oracles still remained profoundly + silent, probably waiting to see how public opinion and the + politicians would receive this daring innovation. + +[Illustration: FORTIFICATIONS AT HILTON HEAD. + +Gen'l. Hunter's black regiment in the distance.] + + "At length one evening a special dispatch steamer plowed her + way over the bar, and a perspiring messenger delivered into + Gen. Hunter's hands a special despatch from the War + Department, 'requiring immediate answer.' The General was + just about mounting his horse for his evening ride along the + picket-line, when this portentous missive was brought under + his notice. Hastily opening it, he first looked grave, then + began to smile, and finally burst into peals of + irrepressible laughter, such as were rarely heard from + 'Black David,' his old army name. Never was the General + seen, before or since, in such good spirits; he literally + was unable to speak from constant interruption of laughter; + and all his Adjutant-General could gather from him was: + 'That he would not part with the document in his hand for + fifty thousand dollars.' + + "At length he passed over the dispatch to his Chief of + Staff, who on reading it, and re-reading it, could find in + its texts but little apparent cause for merriment. It was a + grave demand from the War Department for information in + regard to our negro regiment--the demand being based on a + certain resolution introduced by the Hon. Mr. Wickliffe, of + Kentucky, asking for specific information on the point, in a + tone clearly not friendly. These resolutions had been + adopted by Congress; and as Hunter was without authority for + any of his actions in this case, it seemed to his then not + cheerful Adjutant-General that the documents in his hands + were the reverse of hilarious. + + "Still Hunter was in extravagant spirits as he rode along, + his laughter startling the squirrels in the dense pine + woods, and every attempt that he made to explain himself + being again and again interrupted by renewed peals of + inextinguishable mirth. 'The fools!' he at length managed to + say; 'that old fool has just given me the very chance I was + growing sick for! The War Department has refused to notice + my black regiment; but now, in reply to this resolution, I + can lay the matter before the country, and force the + authorities either to adopt my negroes or to disband them.' + He then rapidly sketched out the kind of reply he wished to + have prepared; and, with the first ten words of his + explanation, the full force of the cause he had for laughter + became apparent. Never did a General and his Chief-of-Staff, + in a more unseemly state of cachinnation, ride along a + picket-line. At every new phase of the subject it presented + new features of the ludicrous; and though the reply at this + late date may have lost much of the drollery which then it + wore, it is a serio-comic document of as much vital + importance in the moral history of our late contest as any + that can be found in the archives under the care of Gen. E. + D. Townsend. It was received late Sunday evening, and was + answered very late that night, in order to be in time for + the steamer _Arago_, which sailed at daylight next + morning,--the dispatch-steamer which brought the request + 'for immediate information' having sustained some injuries + which prevented an immediate return. It was written after + midnight, we may add, in a tornado of thunder and tempest + such as has rarely been known even on that tornado-stricken + coast; but loud as were the peals and vivid the flashes of + heaven's artillery, there were at least two persons within + the lines on Hilton Head who were laughing far too noisily + themselves to pay any heed to external clamors. The reply + thus concocted and sent, from an uncorrected manuscript copy + now in our possession, ran as follows: + + "HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, + _Hilton Head, S. C._, June, 1862. + + "To the HON. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. + + "SIR:--I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a + communication from the Adjutant-General of the Army, dated + June 13, 1862, requesting me to furnish you with the + information necessary to answer certain Resolutions + introduced in the House of Representatives June 9, 1862, on + motion of the Hon. Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky; their + substance being to enquire: + + "1st--Whether I had organized, or was organizing, a regiment + of 'fugitive slaves' in this department. + + "2d--Whether any authority had been given to me from the War + Department for such an organization; and + + "3rd--Whether I had been furnished, by order of the War + Department, with clothing, uniforms, arms, equipments, and + so forth, for such a force? + + "Only having received the letter at a late hour this + evening, I urge forward my answer in time for the steamer + sailing to-morrow morning,--this haste preventing me from + entering, as minutely as I could wish, upon many points of + detail, such as the paramount importance of the subject + would seem to call for. But, in view of the near termination + of the present session of Congress, and the wide-spread + interest which must have been awakened by Mr. Wickliffe's + resolutions, I prefer sending even this imperfect answer to + waiting the period necessary for the collection of fuller + and more comprehensive data. + + "To the first question, therefore, I reply: That no regiment + of 'fugitive slaves' has been, or is being, organized in + this department. There is, however, a fine regiment of loyal + persons whose late masters are fugitive rebels--men who + everywhere fly before the appearance of the national flag, + leaving their loyal and unhappy servants behind them, to + shift, as best they can, for themselves. So far, indeed, are + the loyal persons composing the regiment from seeking to + evade the presence of their late owners, that they are now, + one and all, endeavoring with commendable zeal to acquire + the drill and discipline requisite to place them in a + position to go in full and effective pursuit of their + fugacious and traitorous proprietors. + + "To the second question, I have the honor to answer that the + instructions given to Brig.-Gen. T. W. Sherman by the Hon. + Simon Cameron, late Secretary of War, and turned over to me, + by succession, for my guidance, do distinctly authorize me + to employ 'all loyal persons offering their service in + defence of the Union, and for the suppression of this + rebellion,' in any manner I may see fit, or that + circumstances may call for. There is no restriction as to + the character or color of the persons to be employed, or the + nature of the employment--whether civil or military--in + which their services may be used. I conclude, therefore, + that I have been authorized to enlist 'fugitive slaves' as + soldiers, could any such fugitives be found in this + department. No such characters, however, have yet appeared + within view of our most advanced pickets,--the loyal negroes + everywhere remaining on their plantations to welcome us, aid + us, and supply us with food, labor and information. It is + the masters who have in every instance been the 'fugitives,' + running away from loyal slaves as well as loyal soldiers; + and these, as yet, we have only partially been able to + see--chiefly their heads over ramparts, or dodging behind + trees, rifles in hand, in the extreme distance. In the + absence of any 'fugitive master law,' the deserted slaves + would be wholly without remedy had not the crime of treason + given them right to pursue, capture and bring those persons + of whose benignant protection they have been thus suddenly + and cruelly bereft. + + "To the third interrogatory, it is my painful duty to reply + that I have never received any specific authority for issue + of clothing, uniforms, arms, equipments and so forth, to the + troops in question,--my general instructions from Mr. + Cameron, to employ them in any manner I might find + necessary, and the military exigencies of the department and + the country, being my only, but I trust, sufficient + justification. Neither have I had any specific authority for + supplying these persons with shovels, spades, and pickaxes, + when employing them as laborers; nor with boats and oars, + when using them as lighter-men; but these are not points + included in Mr. Wickliffe's resolution. To me it seemed that + liberty to employ men in any particular capacity implied and + carried with it liberty, also, to supply them with the + necessary tools; and, acting upon this faith, I have + clothed, equiped, and armed the only loyal regiment yet + raised in South Carolina, Georgia or Florida. + + "I must say, in vindication of my own conduct, that, had it + not been for the many other diversified and imperative + claims on my time and attention, a much more satisfactory + result might to have been achieved; and that, in place of + only one regiment, as at present, at least five or six + well-drilled, and thoroughly acclimated regiments should, by + this time, have been added to the loyal forces of the Union. + + "The experiment of arming the blacks, so far as I have made + it, has been a complete and even marvellous success. They + are sober, docile, attentive, and enthusiastic; displaying + great natural capacities in acquiring the duties of the + soldier. They are now eager beyond all things to take the + field and be led into action; and it is the unanimous + opinion of the officers who have had charge of them that, in + the peculiarities of this climate and country, they will + prove invaluable auxiliaries, fully equal to the similar + regiments so long and successfully used by the British + authorities in the West India Islands. + + "In conclusion, I would say, it is my hope--there appearing + no possibility of other reinforcements, owing to the + exigencies of the campaign in the Peninsula--to have + organized by the end of next fall, and be able to present to + the government, from forty-eight to fifty thousand of these + hardy and devoted soldiers. + + "Trusting that this letter may be made part of your answer + to Mr. Wickliffe's resolutions, I have the honor to be, + + Very respectfully your most obedient servant, + DAVID HUNTER, _Maj.-Gen. Commanding._" + + "This missive was duly sent, with many misgivings that it + would not get through the routine of the War Department in + time to be laid before Congress previous to the adjournment + of that honorable body which was then imminent. There were + fears; too, that the Secretary of War might think it not + sufficiently respectful, or serious in its tone; but such + apprehensions proved unfounded. The moment it was received + and read in the War Department, it was hurried down to the + House, and delivered, _ore retundo_, from the clerk's desk. + + "Here its effects were magical. The clerk could scarcely + read it with decorum; nor could half his words be heard + amidst the universal peals of laughter in which both + Democrats and Republicans appeared to vie as to which should + be the more noisy. Mr. Wickliffe, who only entered during + the reading of the latter half of the document, rose to his + feet in a frenzy of indignation, complaining that the reply, + of which he had only heard some portion, was an insult to + the dignity of the House, and should be severely noticed. + The more he raved and gesticulated, the more irrepressibly + did his colleagues, on both sides of the slavery question, + scream and laugh; until finally, the merriment reached its + climax on a motion made by some member--Schuyler Colfax, if + we remember rightly--that 'as the document appeared to + please the honorable gentleman from Kentucky so much, and as + he had not heard the whole of it the Clerk be now requested + to read the whole again'--a motion which was instantaneously + carried amid such an uproar of universal merriment and + applause as the frescoed walls of the chamber have seldom + heard, either before or since. It was the great joke of the + day, and coming at a moment of universal gloom in the public + mind, was seized upon by the whole loyal press of the + country as a kind of politico-military champaign cocktail. + + "This set that question at rest forever; and not long after, + the proper authorities saw fit to authorize the employment + of 'fifty thousand able-bodied blacks for labor in the + Quartermaster's Department,' and the arming and drilling as + soldiers of five thousand of these, but for the sole purpose + of 'protecting the women and children of their + fellow-laborers who might be absent from home in the public + service.' + + "Here we have another instance of the reluctance with which + the National Government took up this idea of employing + negroes as soldiers; a resolution, we may add, to which they + were only finally compelled by General Hunter's disbandment + of his original regiment, and the storm of public + indignation which followed that act. + + "Nothing could have been happier in its effect upon the + public mind than Gen. Hunter's reply to Mr. Wickliffe, of + Kentucky, given in our last. It produced a general broad + grin throughout the country, and the advocate who can set + his jury laughing rarely loses his cause. It also + strengthened the spinal column of the Government in a very + marked degree; although not yet up to the point of fully + endorsing and accepting this daring experiment. + + "Meantime the civil authorities of course got wind of what + was going on,--Mr. Henry J. Windsor, special correspondent + of the New York _Times_, in the Department of the south, + having devoted several very graphic and widely-copied + letters to a picture of that new thing under the sun, + 'Hunter's negro regiment.' + + "Of course the chivalry of the rebellion were incensed + beyond measure at this last Yankee outrage upon Southern + rights. Their papers teemed with vindictive articles against + the commanding general who had dared to initiate such a + novelty. The Savannah _Republican_, in particular, + denouncing Hunter as 'the cool-blooded abolition miscreant + who, from his headquarters at Hilton Head, is engaged in + executing the bloody and savage behest of the imperial + gorilla who, from his throne of human bones at Washington, + rules, reigns and riots over the destinies of the brutish + and degraded North.' + + "Mere newspaper abuse, however, by no means gave content to + the outraged feeling of the chivalry. They therefore sent a + formal demand to our Government for information as to + whether Gen. Hunter, in organizing his regiment of + emancipated slaves, had acted under the authority of our War + Department, or whether the villany was of his own + conception. If he had acted under orders, why then terrible + measures of fierce retaliation against the whole Yankee + nation were to be adopted; but if, _per contra_, the + iniquity were of his own motion and without the sanction of + our Government, then the foreshadowed retribution should be + made to fall only on Hunter and his officers. + +[Illustration: BUILDING ROADS] + + "To this demand, with its alternative of threats, President + Lincoln was in no mood to make any definitive reply. In fact + no reply at all was sent, for, as yet, the most far-seeing + political augurs could not determine whether the bird seen + in the sky of the Southern Department would prove an eagle + or a buzzard. Public opinion was not formed upon the + subject, though rapidly forming. There were millions who + agreed with Hunter in believing that 'that the black man + should be made to fight for the freedom which could not but + be the issue of our war;' and then they were outraged at the + prospect of allowing black men to be killed or maimed in + company with our nobler whites. + + "Failing to obtain any reply therefor, from the authorities + at Washington, the Richmond people determined to pour out + all their vengeance on the immediate perpetrators of this + last Yankee atrocity; and forthwith there was issued from + the rebel War Department a General Order number 60, we + believe, of the series of 1862--reciting that 'as the + government of the U. S. had refused to answer whether it + authorized the raising of a black regiment by Gen. Hunter or + not' said General, his staff, and all officers under his + command who had directly or indirectly participated in the + unclean thing, should hereafter be outlaws not covered by + the laws of war; but to be executed as felons for the crimes + of 'inciting negro insurrections wherever caught.' + + "This order reached the ears of the parties mainly + interested just as Gen. Hunter was called to Washington, + ostensibly for consultation on public business; but really + on the motion of certain prominent speculators in marine + transportation, with those 'big things,' in Port Royal + harbor,--and they were enormous--with which the General had + seen fit to interfere. These frauds, however, will form a + very fruitful and pregnant theme for some future chapters. + At present our business is with the slow but certain growth + in the public mind of this idea of allowing some black men + to be killed in the late war, and not continuing to arrogate + death and mutilation by projectiles and bayonets as an + exclusive privilege for our own beloved white race. + + "No sooner had Hunter been relieved from this special duty + at Washington, than he was ordered back to the South, our + Government still taking no notice of the order of outlawry + against him issued by the rebel Secretary of War. He and his + officers were thus sent back to engage, with extremely + insufficient forces, in an enterprise of no common + difficulty, and with an agreeable sentence of _sus. per + col._, if captured, hanging over their devoted heads! + + "Why not suggest to Mr. Stanton, General, that he should + either demand the special revocation of that order, or + announce to the rebel War Department that our Government has + adopted your negro-regiment policy as its own--which would + be the same thing. + + "It was partly on this hint that Hunter wrote the following + letter to Jefferson Davis,--a letter subsequently suppressed + and never sent, owing to influences which the writer of this + article does not feel himself as yet at liberty to + reveal,--further than to say that Mr. Stanton knew nothing + of the matter. Davis and Hunter, we may add, had been very + old and intimate friends, until divided, some years previous + to our late war, by differences on the slavery question. + Davis had for many years been adjutant of the 1st U. S. + Dragoons, of which Hunter had been Captain Commanding; and a + relationship of very close friendship had existed between + their respective families. It was this thorough knowledge of + his man, perhaps, which gave peculiar bitterness to Hunter's + pen; and the letter is otherwise remarkable as a prophecy, + or preordainment of that precise policy which Pres't. + Johnson has so frequently announced, and reiterated since + Mr. Lincoln's death. It ran--with some few omissions, no + longer pertinent or of public interest--as follows: + + "TO JEFFERSON DAVIS, TITULAR PRESIDENT OF THE SO-CALLED + CONFEDERATE STATES. + + "SIR:--While recently in command of the Department of the + South, in accordance with the laws of the war and the + dictates of common sense, I organized and caused to be + drilled, armed and equipped, a regiment of enfranchised + bondsmen, known as the 1st South Carolina Volunteers. + + "For this action, as I have ascertained, the pretended + government of which you are the chief officer, has issued + against me and all of my officers who were engaged in + organizing the regiment in question, a General Order of + Outlawry, which announces that, if captured, we shall not + even be allowed the usual miserable treatment extended to + such captives as fall into your hands; but that we are to be + regarded as felons, and to receive the death by hanging due + to such, irrespective of the laws of war. + + "Mr. Davis, we have been acquainted intimately in the past. + We have campaigned together, and our social relations have + been such as to make each understand the other thoroughly. + That you mean, if it be ever in your power, to execute the + full rigor of your threats, I am well assured; and you will + believe my assertion, that I thank you for having raised in + connection with me and my acts, this sharp and decisive + issue. I shall proudly accept, if such be the chance of war, + the martyrdom you menace; and hereby give you notice that + unless your General Order against me and my officers be + formally revoked, within thirty days from the date of the + transmission of this letter, sent under a flag of truce, I + shall take your action in the matter as finale; and will + reciprocate it by hanging every rebel officer who now is, or + may hereafter be taken, prisoner by the troops of the + command to which I am about returning. + + "Believe me that I rejoice at the aspect now being given to + the war by the course you have adopted. In my judgment, if + the undoubted felony of treason had been treated from the + outset as it deserves to be--as the sum of all felonies and + crimes--this rebellion would never have attained its present + menacing proportions. The war you and your fellow + conspirators have been waging against the United States must + be regarded either as a war of justifiable defence, carried + on for the integrity of the boundaries of a sovereign + Confederation of States against foreign aggression, or as + the most wicked, enormous, and deliberately planned + conspiracy against human liberty and for the triumph of + treason and slavery, of which the records of the world's + history contain any note. + + "If our Government should adopt the first view of the case, + you and your fellow rebels may justly claim to be + considered a most unjustly treated body of disinterested + patriots,--although, perhaps, a little mistaken in your + connivance with the thefts by which your agent, John B. + Floyd, succeeded in arming the South and partially disarming + the North as a preparative to the commencement of the + struggle. + + "But if on the other hand--as is the theory of our + Government--the war you have levied against the U. S. be a + rebellion the most causeless, crafty and bloody ever + known,--a conspiracy having the rule-or-ruin policy for its + basis; the plunder of the black race and the reopening of + the African slave trade for its object, the continued and + further degradation of ninety per cent. of the white + population of the South in favor of a slave driving ten per + cent. aristocracy, and the exclusion of all foreign-born + immigrants from participation in the generous and equal + hospitality foreshadowed to them in the Declaration of + Independence,--if this, as I believe, be a fair statement of + the origin and motives of the rebellion of which you are the + titular head, then it would have been better had our + Government adhered to the constitutional view of treason + from the start, and hung every man taken in arms against the + U. S. from the first butchery in the streets of Baltimore, + down to the last resultless battle fought in the vicinity of + Sharpsburg. If treason, in other words, be any crime, it is + the essence of all crimes; a vast machinery of guilt, + multiplying assassinations into wholesale slaughter, and + organizing plunder as the basis for supporting a system of + National Brigandage. Your action, and that of those with + whom you are in league, has its best comment in the sympathy + extended to your cause by the despots and aristocracies of + Europe. You have succeeded in throwing back civilization for + many years; and have made of the country that was the + freest, happiest, proudest, richest, and most progressive + but two short years ago, a vast temple of mourning, doubt, + anxiety and privation; our manufactories of all but war + material nearly paralyzed; the inventive spirit which was + forever developing new resources destroyed, and our flag, + that carried respect everywhere, now mocked by enemies who + think its glory tarnished, and that its power is soon to + become a mere tradition of the past. + + "For all these results, Mr. Davis, and for the three hundred + thousand lives already sacrificed on both sides in the + war--some pouring out their blood on the battle-field, and + others fever stricken and wasting away to death in + overcrowded hospitals--you and the fellow miscreants who + have been your associates in this conspiracy are + responsible. Of you and them it may, with truth be said, + that if all the innocent blood which you have spilled could + be collected in one pool, the whole government of your + Confederacy might swim in it. + + "I am aware that this is not the language in which the + prevailing etiquette of our army is in the habit of + considering your conspiracy. It has come to pass--through + what instrumentalities you are best able to decide--that the + greatest and worst crime ever attempted against the human + family, has been treated in certain quarters as though it + were a mere error of judgment on the part of some gifted + friend; a thing to be regretted, of course, as causing more + or less disturbance to the relation of amity and esteem + heretofore existing between those charged with the + repression of such eccentricities and the eccentric actors; + in fact, as a slight political miscalculation or peccadillo, + rather than as an outrage involving the desolation of a + continent, and demanding the promptest and severest + retribution within power of human law. + + "For myself, I have never been able to take this view of the + matter. During a lifetime of active service, I have seen the + seeds of this conspiracy planted in the rank soil of + slavery, and the upas-growth watered by just such tricklings + of a courtesy alike false to justice, expediency, and our + eternal future. Had we at an earlier day commenced to call + things by their right names, and to look at the hideous + features of slavery with our ordinary eyesight and common + sense, instead of through the rose-colored glasses of + supposed political expediency, there would be three hundred + thousand more men alive to-day on American soil; and our + country would never for a moment have forfeited her proud + position as the highest exampler of the blessings--morals, + intellectual and material--to be derived from a free form of + government. + + "Whether your intention of hanging me and those of my staff + and other officers who were engaged in organizing the 1st S. + C. Volunteers, in case we are taken prisoners in battle, + will be likely to benefit your cause or not, is a matter + mainly for your own consideration. For us, our profession + makes the sacrifice of life a contingency ever present and + always to be accepted; and although such a form of death as + your order proposes, is not that to the contemplating of + which soldiers have trained themselves, I feel well assured, + both for myself and those included in my sentence, that we + could die in no manner more damaging to your abominable + rebellion and the abominable institution which is its + origin. + + "The South has already tried one hanging experiment, but not + with a success--one would think--to encourage its + repetition. John Brown, who was well known to me in Kansas, + and who will be known in appreciative history through + centuries which will only recall your name to load it with + curses, once entered Virginia with seventeen men and an + idea. The terror caused by the presence of his idea, and the + dauntless courage which prompted the assertion of his faith, + against all odds, I need not now recall. The history is too + familiar and too painful. 'Old Ossawatomie' was caught and + hung; his seventeen men were killed, captured or dispersed, + and several of them shared his fate. Portions of his skin + were tanned, I am told, and circulated as relics dear to the + barbarity of the slave-holding heart. But more than a + million of armed white men, Mr. Davis, are to-day marching + South, in practical acknowledgement that they regard the + hanging of three years ago as the murder of a martyr; and as + they march to a battle which has the emancipation of all + slaves as one of its most glorious results, his name is on + their lips; to the music of his memory their marching feet + keep time; and as they sling knapsacks each one becomes + aware that he is an armed apostle of the faith preached by + him, + + "'Who has gone to be a soldier + In the army of the Lord!' + + "I am content, if such be the will of Providence to ascend + the scaffold made sacred by the blood of this martyr; and I + rejoice at every prospect of making our struggle more + earnest and inexorable on both sides; for the sharper the + conflict the sooner ended; the more vigorous and remorseless + the strife, the less blood must be shed in it eventually. + + "In conclusion, let me assure you, that I rejoice with my + whole heart that your order in my case, and that of my + officers, if unrevoked, will untie our hands for the future; + and that we shall be able to treat rebellion as it deserves, + and give to the felony of treason a felon's death. + + "Very obediently yours, + DAVID HUNTER, _Maj.-Gen._" + + "Not long after General Hunter's return to the Department of + the South, the first step towards organizing and recognizing + negro troops was taken by our Government, in a letter of + instructions directing Brigadier-General Rufus Saxton--then + Military Governor of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, + within the limits of Gen. Hunter's command--to forthwith + raise and organize fifty thousand able-bodied blacks, for + service as laborers in the quartermaster's department; of + whom five thousand--only five thousand, mark you--might be + armed and drilled as soldiers for the purpose of 'protecting + the women and children of their fellow-laborers who might be + absent from home in the public service.' + + "Here was authority given to Gen. Saxton, over Hunter's + head, to pursue some steps farther the experiment which + Hunter--soon followed by General Phelps, also included in + the rebel order of 'outlawry'--had been the first to + initiate. The rebel order still remained in full force, and + with no protest against it on the part of our Government; + nor to our knowledge, was any demand from Washington ever + made for its revocation during the existence of the + Confederacy. If Hunter, therefore, or any of his officers, + had been captured in any of the campaigns of the past two + and a half years, they had the pleasant knowledge for their + comfort that any rebel officers into whose hands they might + fall, was strictly enjoined to--not 'shoot them on the + spot,' as was the order of General Dix, but to hang them on + the first tree; and hang them quickly. + +[Illustration: OFF FOR THE WAR. + +Negro men marching aboard a steamer to join their regiments at Hilton +Head, S. C.] + + "With the subsequent history of our black troops the public + is already familiar. General Lorenzo Thomas, titular + Adjutant-General of our army, not being regarded as a very + efficient officer for that place, was permanently detailed + on various services; now exchanging prisoners, now + discussing points of military law, now organizing black + brigades down the Mississippi and elsewhere. In fact, the + main object seemed to be to keep this Gen. Thomas--who must + not be confounded with Gen. George H. Thomas, one of the + true heroes of our army,--away from the Adjutant-General's + office at Washington, in order that Brigadier-General E. W. + Townsend--only a Colonel until quite recently--might perform + all the laborious and crushing duties of Adjutant-General of + our army, while only signing himself and ranking as First + Assistant Adjutant-General. If there be an officer who has + done noble service in the late war while receiving no public + credit for the same,--no newspaper puffs nor public + ovation,--that man is Brigadier-General E. W. Townsend, who + should long since have been made a major-general, to rank + from the first day of the rebellion. + + "And now let us only add, as practical proof that the + rebels, even in their most rabid state, were not insensible + to the force of proper "reasons," the following anecdote: + Some officers of one of the black regiments--Colonel + Higginson's, we believe--indiscreetly rode beyond our lines + around St. Augustine in pursuit of game, but whether + feathered or female this deponent sayeth not. Their guide + proved to be a spy, who had given notice of the intended + expedition to the enemy, and the whole party were soon + surprised and captured. The next we heard of them, they were + confined in the condemned cells of one of the Florida State + prisons, and were to be "tried"--i. e., sentenced and + executed--as 'having been engaged in inciting negro + insurrection.' + + "We had some wealthy young slave-holders belonging to the + first families of South Carolina in the custody of + Lieutenant-Colonel J. F. Hall--now Brigadier-General of this + city, who was our Provost Marshal; and it was on this basis + Gen. Hunter resolved to operate. 'Release my officers of + black troops from your condemned cells at once, and notify + me of the fact. Until so notified, your first family + prisoners in my hands'--the names then given--'will receive + precisely similar treatment. For each of my officers hung, I + will hang three of my prisoners who are slave-holders.' This + dose operated with instantaneous effect, and the next letter + received from our captured officers set forth that they were + at large on parole, and treated as well as they could wish + to be in that miserable country. + + "We cannot better conclude this sketch, perhaps, than by + giving the brief but pregnant verses in which our + ex-orderly, Private Miles O'Reilly, late of the Old Tenth + Army Corps, gave his opinion on this subject. They were + first published in connection with the banquet given in New + York by Gen. T. F. Meagher and the officers of the Irish + Brigade, to the returned veterans of that organization on + the 13th of Jan. 1864, at Irving Hall. Of this song it may, + perhaps, be said, in verity and without vanity, that, as + Gen. Hunter's letter to Mr. Wickliffe had settled the negro + soldiers' controversy in its official and Congressional + form, so did the publication and immediate popular adoption + of these verses conclude all argument upon this matter in + the mind of the general public. Its common sense, with a + dash of drollery, at once won over the Irish, who had been + the bitterest opponents of the measure, to become its + friends; and from that hour to this, the attacks upon the + experiment of our negro soldiery have been so few and far + between that, indeed, they may be said to have ceased + altogether. It ran as follows, and appeared in the _Herald_ + the morning after the banquet as a portion of the report of + the speeches and festivities: + + "SAMBO'S RIGHT TO BE KIL'T. + + (_Air--The Low-Backed Chair._) + + Some say it is a burnin' shame + To make the naygurs fight, + An' that the thrade o' being kilt + Belongs but to the white; + But as for me, upon me sowl, + So liberal are we here, + I'll let Sambo be murthered in place o' meself + On every day in the year. + On every day in the year, boys, + An' every hour in the day, + The right to be kil't I'll divide wid him, + An' divil a word I'll say. + + In battle's wild commotion + I shouldn't at all object, + If Sambo's body should stop a ball + That was comin' for me direct; + An' the prod of a Southern bagnet, + So liberal are we here, + I'll resign and let Sambo take it, + On every day in the year. + On every day in the year boys, + An' wid none o' your nasty pride, + All right in a Southern bagnet prod + Wid Sambo I'll divide. + + The men who object to Sambo + Should take his place and fight; + An' it's betther to have a naygur's hue + Than a liver that's wake an' white; + Though Sambo's black as the ace o' spades + His finger a thrigger can pull, + An' his eye runs sthraight on the barrel sight + From under its thatch o' wool. + So hear me all, boys, darlins! + Don't think I'm tippen' you chaff, + The right to be kilt I'll divide wid him, + An' give him the largest half! + + "In regard to Hunter's reply to Mr. Wickliffe, we shall only + add this anecdote, told us one day by that brilliant + gentleman and scholar, the Hon "Sunset" Cox, of Ohio (now of + New York): 'I tell you, that letter from Hunter spoiled the + prettiest speech I had ever thought of making. I had been + delighted with Wickliffe's motion, and thought the reply to + it would furnish us first-rate Democrat's thunder for the + next election. I made up my mind to sail in against Hunter's + answer--no matter what it was--the moment it came; and to be + even more humorously successful in its delivery and + reception than I was in my speech against War Horse Gurley, + of Ohio, which you have just been complimenting. Well, you + see, man proposes, but providence orders otherwise. When the + Clerk announced the receipt of the answer, and that he was + about to read it, I caught the Speaker's eye and was booked + for the first speech against your negro experiment. The + first sentence, being formal and official, was very well; + but at the second the House began to grin, and at the third, + not a man on the floor--except Father Wickliffe, of + Kentucky, perhaps--who was not convulsed with laughter. Even + my own risibles I found to be affected; and before the + document was concluded, I motioned the Speaker that he might + give the floor to whom he pleased, as my desire to + distinguish myself in that particular tilt was over.'" + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +OFFICERS OF THE PHALANX. + + +The character, qualifications and proficiency of the men, who, as +officers, commanded the negro troops, may be judged by the process which +they had to undergo in order to obtain commissions. Unlike the officers +of the white volunteers (with whom loyalty and dash were the essential +qualifications) they were required to possess much more than an ordinary +knowledge of military tactics. Major-General Hunter, by whose order the +first negro regiment with white officers was organized, commencing May, +1862, had an eye single to the make up of the men who should be placed +in command of the regiments. As a beginning, Gen. Saxton addressed the +following letter to Capt. T. W. Higginson, of the 51st Reg't. Mass. +Volunteers, Beaufort, S. C., Nov. 5th, 1862: + + "MY DEAR SIR:--I am organizing the First Regiment of South + Carolina Volunteers, with every prospect of success. Your + name has been spoken of in connection with the command of + this regiment, by some friends in whose judgment I have + confidence. I take great pleasure in offering you the + position of Col. in it, and hope that you may be induced to + accept. I shall not fill the place until I hear from you, or + sufficient time shall have passed for me to receive your + reply. Should you accept I enclose a pass for Port Royal, of + which I trust you will feel disposed to avail yourself at + once. I am, with sincere regard, + + Yours truly, + R. SAXTON, + _Brig. Gen., Mil. Gov._" + +This was an excellent selection, and Captain Higginson's acceptance +rather assured a fair trial for the men who should compose this +regiment, as well as the quality of its officers. + +[Illustration: MAJOR MARTIN R. DELANEY, U. S. A.] + +The first Kansas regiment which recruited in that State, commencing in +August, 1862, was also fortunate in having Colonel R. J. Hinton. + +General Butler, at New Orleans, was prevented by circumstances +surrounding him at the time, from choosing among the friends of the +negro race, as was the case in the before mentioned regiments, men to +command the first and second regiments organized by him in the above +named city, in August, 1862. He was only too glad to find white men of +military capacity to take charge of the drilling and disciplining of the +troops. As an experiment he was more than lucky in the appointment of +Colonels Stafford and Daniels to the command of these regiments, +seconded by Lieut. Cols. Bassett and Hall, and Finnegass of the 3rd +Regiment. These officers proved themselves worthy of the trust reposed +in them, and made these regiments, in drill and discipline, second to +none in the Department of the Gulf. Notwithstanding the captains and +subordinate officers of the first and second regiments were men, who +like those in a large majority of the white regiments had never made +arms a profession, and, who, through American prejudice, had but very +limited opportunities for acquiring even the rudiments of a common +English education. Several of them, however, being mulattoes, had had +some training in the schools of the parishes, and some few in the higher +schools of France, and in the Islands of the Caribbean Sea. Maj. Dumas, +of the 2nd Regiment, whose slaves composed nearly one whole company, was +a gentleman of fine tact and ability, as were others. + +Considering that they were all negroes, free and slave, their dash and +manly courage, no less than their military aptitude, was equal, and in +many instances superior, to those found in the regiments of Maine and +New York. The 3rd Regiment was officered by soldiers of undoubted +character and pluck, as they proved themselves to be, during the siege +of Port Hudson, especially Capt. Quinn, who won distinction and +promotion, as the record shows. The regiments raised thereafter were +officered, more or less, by the non-commissioned officers of the white +regiments, as a reward for gallantry and meritorious service upon the +field, or on account of proficiency in drill. This rule of selection +held good throughout all the departments in the organizing of negro +troops. In May, 1863, President Lincoln, with a view of correcting an +abuse that a certain commanding general had begun to practice in +assigning inferior, though brave, men to the command of negro regiments; +and in keeping with his new policy of arming the negroes, for which Gen. +Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant General of the Army, had gone into the +Mississippi Valley region to raise twenty regiments, he appointed a +Board for the examination of those applying for commands in negro +regiments. + +The "Record of the 7th Reg't. U.S. Colored Troops," in regard to the +matter, says: "That the labors of this Board contributed very materially +to the success of the experiment of raising this class of troops, no one +cognizant with the facts can doubt. The operations of the Board can best +be shown by quoting the following letter received from Gen. Casey in +reply to some enquiries on the subject: + + "BROOKLYN, Nov. 30th, 1875. + + * * * "The Board for the Examination of candidates for + officers in colored regiments, of which I was President, was + appointed in May, 1863, and continued its duties about two + years. This movement was, at first, very unpopular with a + portion of the people of the country, as also with a large + portion of the army. I, although doubting at first with + regard to the expediency of operating in large bodies with + this species of force, determined, that so far as I was + concerned, it should have a fair trial. + + "A system was adopted for the examination of candidates + which did not allow influence, favor or affection to + interfere with the enforcement of its provisions. The Board + examined nearly three thousand candidates, seventeen hundred + of whom they recommended for commissions in various grades, + from colonel down. + + "From my knowledge of the officers of white volunteers, + gained in my duties connected with receiving and organizing, + in the city of Washington, 300,000 of them, and also as + commander of a division on the Peninsula, I have no + hesitation in saying that the officers of the colored + regiments, _who passed the Board_, as a body were superior + to them, physically, mentally and morally. + + "From the concurrent reports received from various sources, + there is but little doubt that the success of the colored + troops in the field was brought about in no small degree by + the action of the Board. + + "The following is the copy of a letter which I addressed to + a gentleman of Philadelphia, and which you may find of + interest: + + 'In conversation with you a few days since, I promised to + elaborate somewhat the ideas which I expressed with regard + to the appointment of officers of colored troops. + + 'Military men, whose opinion is worth having, will agree in + this, that to have good and efficient troops it is + indispensable that we should have good officers. The + material for soldiers which the loyal States have furnished + during this rebellion, I have no hesitation in saying, is + the best that the world has ever seen. Such men deserve to + have officers to command them who have been educated to the + military profession. But few men are really fit to command + men who have not had such an education. In default of this, + as a sufficient number of such men cannot be found in the + country, the number has to be made up from the best + available material. In order to ascertain whether or not the + aspirant possesses the proper knowledge and capacity for + command, it is necessary that he be examined by a board of + competent officers. The fact that the life and death of the + men of the regiment is intimately connected with the + competency of its officers, is not sufficiently appreciated + by the community. + + 'The Board for the examination of officers of colored troops + over which I preside, considers three things as + indispensable before recommending a candidate, viz.: A good + moral character, physical capacity, true loyalty to the + country. A person possessing these indispensable + qualifications is now submitted to an examination as to his + knowledge of tactics and capacity for command. + + 'The following grades are entertained, viz.: + + Colonel--1st, 2d and 3d Class. + Lieut.-Colonel--1st, 2d and 3d Class. + Major-- " + Captain-- " + 1st Lieut.-- " + 2d Lieut.-- " + + and the recommendations for appointment made according to + the applicant's merits. + + 'We have endeavored, to the best of our ability, to make + this recommendation without partiality, favor or affection. + We consider alone, in making our awards, the ability of the + person to serve his country in the duties appertaining to + the office. If, in the opinion of the Board, the person is + not possessed of sufficient knowledge or capacity to fill + either of the above named to the advantage of his country, + he is rejected, notwithstanding any influence he may be able + to bring to bear in the case. Let it be remembered that zeal + alone is not sufficient; but what we require for a good + officer is zeal combined with knowledge. No ordinary man can + properly fill the office of colonel of a regiment. To + acquire that knowledge of tactics as would fit him to + command his regiment, as it ought to be in all situations, + requires much study and practice, and is by no means easy. + He should, besides, possess good administrative qualities, + in order that affairs should run smoothly in his command, + and the officers and privates be as contented and happy as + circumstances admit. Nor can too much trouble be taken + properly to prepare persons to fill the responsible position + of officers. Each State should have its military academy. In + the meantime much good can be done by instituting a school + for the instruction of persons (especially those who have + had some experience in the service) who may have the + requisite capacity and zeal to serve their country with + advantage. Eschew all humbuggery and mere pretension, and + let merit be the test of advancement. + + 'Let it be impressed deeply on the conscience of every man + of influence and authority that when he places in command an + incompetent officer he is guilty of manslaughter. The + country has lost millions of treasure and thousands of lives + by the incompetency of officers. We have many enemies on + earth besides the Southern rebels. The fate of free + institutions, not only in our own country, but in other + lands, the destiny of millions unborn, depend upon our + ability to maintain this contest to a successful issue + against all our enemies, both foreign and domestic. + + 'The system of examination instituted by this Board, in my + opinion, should be extended to the white as well as colored + troops. + + 'Many of those who have been unsuccessful in the examination + before the Board have, no doubt, in some cases, felt + aggrieved, as also their friends. + + 'We have established a system of examination for officers, + the good effects of which are already apparent in the + colored organizations in the field. In the performance of + this responsible, and not always agreeable duty, of + presiding over this Board, I have always endeavored to be + guided by conscientious regard for the good of the country, + and I have every confidence that a just and intelligent + people will award their approbation. + + SILAS CASEY, + _Bvt. Major-General U.S. Army._'" + +Of course this did not apply to regiments raised at the North, +generally. They were officered by the _elite_, such as Col. R. G. Shaw, +of the 54th Massachusetts, a former member of the 7th New York Regiment, +and upon whose battle monument his name is carved. Cols. James C. +Beecher, Wm. Birney and a host of others, whose names can now be found +on the army rolls, with the prefix General, commanded these regiments. +Of those who commanded Southern regiments this is equally true, +especially of those who served in the 9th, 10th, 18th and 19th Corps. +Col. Godfred Weitzel, who in March, 1865, had been promoted to Major +General of Volunteers, commanded the 25th Corps of 30,000 negro +soldiers. The select corps of officers intended to officer Gen. Ullman's +brigade of four regiments to be raised at New Orleans by order of the +War Department, dated January 1863, as well as the battalion, which he +was also ordered to raise for scouting purposes, the following March, +included many men of rank. To command a negro regiment or company was at +this date a coveted prize, for which men of wealth and education +contended. The distinction which they were continually winning for their +officers, frequently overcame the long-cherished prejudice of West +Point, and the graduates of this caste institution now vied for +commissions in negro regiments, in which many of them served during the +Rebellion and since. + +[Illustration: CAPT. O. S. B. WALL, U. S. A.] + +It was the idea of Gen. Banks when organizing the Corps d'Afrique to +appoint even the non-commissioned officers from the ranks of white +regiments, and he did so in several instances. His hostility to negro +officers was the cause of his removing them from the regiments, which +Major General Butler organized at New Orleans in 1862. In organizing the +Corps d'Afrique, the order, No. 40, reads: + + "The Commanding General desires to detail for temporary or + permanent duty, the best officers of the army, for the + organization, instruction, and discipline of this Corps. + With them he is confident that the Corps will render + important service to the Government. It is not established + upon any dogma of equality or other theory, but as a + practical and sensible matter of business. The Government + makes use of mules, horses, uneducated white men in the + defence of its institutions; why should not the negro + contribute whatever is in his power, for the cause in which + he is as deeply interested as other men? We may properly + demand from him whatever service he can render." + +At first it was proposed to pay the officers of negro troops less than +was paid the officers of white soldiers, but this plan was abandoned. +Toward the close of the war nearly all the chaplains appointed to negro +regiments were negroes; non-commissioned officers were selected from the +ranks, where they were found as well qualified as those taken from the +ranks of white regiments. In the 10th and 18th Corps it was a common +thing for the orderly sergeants to call their company's roll from +memory, and the records of many companies and regiments are kept at the +War Department in Washington, as mementoes of their efficiency. + +Such were the men who commanded the Black Phalanx. The following are the +names of the negro commissioned officers of the Butler Louisiana +Regiments: + + +ROSTER OF NEGRO OFFICERS OF THE LOUISIANA NATIVE GUARD VOLUNTEER +REGIMENTS. + +FIRST REGIMENT. + + Capts. Andrew Cailloux, Louis A. Snaer, John Depass, + " Henry L. Rey, Edward Carter, Joseph Follin, + " James Lewis, James H. Ingraham, Aleide Lewis. + Lieuts. Lewis Petit, Ernest Sougpre, J. G. Parker, + " J. E. Morre, Wm. Harding, John Hardman, + " F. Kimball, V. Lesner, J. D. Paddock, + " Louis D. Lucien. + +SECOND REGIMENT. + + Major F. E. Dumas,[21] + Capts. E. A. Bertinnean, Hannibal Carter, E. P. Chase, + " W. P. Barrett, S. W. Ringgold, P. B. S. Pinchback, + " William Bellez, Monroe Menllim, Joseph Villeverde, + " Samuel J. Wilkerson, R. H. Isabella. + Lieuts. Octave Rey, J. P. Lewis, Jasper Thompson, + " Ernest Murphy, Calvin Glover, J. Wellington, + " Louis Degray, George T. Watson, Joseph Jones, + " Alphonso Fluery, Rufus Kinsley, Ernest Hubian, + " Theo. A. Martin, Soloman Hoys, Alfred Arnis, + " Peter O. Depremont. + +THIRD REGIMENT. + + Capts. Jacques Gla, Peter A. Gardner, Leon G. Forstall, + " Joseph C. Oliver, Charles W. Gibbons, Samuel Laurence, + " John J. Holland. + Lieuts. Paul Paree, Morris W. Morris, Emile Detrege, + " Eugene Rapp, E. T. Nash, Alfred Bourgoan, + " E. Moss, Chester W. Converse, G. B. Miller, + " G. W. Talmon, Octave Foy, Chas. Butler. + + +NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. + +74TH U. S. C. T. CO. I. 2D LA. N. G. + + Sergts. Joseph Boudraux, Andrieu Vidal, Joseph Bellevue, + " Louis Martin, Jessy C. Wallace, + Corpls. Paul Bonne, Thos. William, Joseph Labeaud, + " Joseph Toolmer, Louis Ford, Peter Fleming, + +As "muster in" rolls show. + +74TH U. S. C. T. CO. D. 2ND N. G. + + 1st Sergts. Joseph Francois, Adolph Augustin, John Frick, + " Francois Remy, Louis Duquenez. + Corpls. Dorsin Sebatier, Auguste Martin, Lucien Boute, + " Adolphe Decoud, Oscar Samuel, Andre Gregoire, + " Joseph Armand, Achilles Decoud. + +As "muster out" rolls show. + +[Illustration: CAPT. P. B. S. PINCHBACK 2ND LA. VOLS. + +SURGEON. A. T. AUGUSTA. + +LT. JAMES M. TROTTER 55TH MASS. VOLS. + +LT. W. H. DUPREE 55TH MASS. VOLS.] + +75TH U. S. C. T. CO. F. 3RD N. G. + + Sergts. Hy. White, Robert Williams, Mathew Roden, + " Frank Nichols, + + Corpls. Alfred Kellie, Philip Craff, Julius Vick. + +As mustered out. + +73RD U. S. C. T. CO. A. 1ST LA. N. G. + + Sergts. Joseph R. Forstall, Edmund Tomlinson, Edgar Thezan, + " Numa Brihou, Edward P. Ducloslange, + Corpls. John G. Seldon, Thelesphore J. Sauvinet, Alonzo Tocca, + " Joseph Francois, Antonio Segura, Auguste Martin, + " Francois Remy, Ernest Brustic, + +73RD U. S. C. T. CO. B. 1ST LA. N. G. + + Sergts. Faustin Zenon, Louis Francois, August Bartholenny, + " Joseph Alfred, Wm. Armstrong, + +Arthur Gaspard was a Sergeant at "muster in" of company; discharged for +wounds Dec. 10th, 1863. + + Corpls. Alphonse Barbe, Albert Victor, Wm. John Baptist, + " Louis Gille. + +These were non-commissioned officers of Co. B at "muster out." + +73RD U. S. C. T. CO. H. 1ST LA. N. G. + + Capt. Henry L. Rey, 1st Lieut. Eugene Rapp, + 2nd Lieut. Louis Arthur Thibaut, + 1st Sergt. Henry Mathien, 2nd Sergt. Armand Daniel, + 3rd Sergt. J. B. Dupre. + 4th " Felix Mathien, 5th " Lucien Dupre, + Corpls. Ernest Hewlett, Frank Delhomme, D. J. Marine, + " Felix Santini, Celestine Ferrand, Auguste Campbell, + " Narcis Hubert, Caliste Dupre. + +As "muster in." + +73RD U. S. C. T. CO. G, 1ST LA. N. G. + + Sergts. Theodule Drinier, Peter Pascal, Peter Robin, + " Gustave St. Leger, Armand Le Blanc. + Corpls. Edward Louis, Cherry Fournette, Townsen Lee, + " John Thompson, Perrin Virgile, William Charity, + " John Marshall, Soloman Fisher. + +The above were the non-commissioned officers at "muster out" of Company. + +Corporal W. Heath, killed at Port Hudson. + +74TH U. S. C. T. CO. G. 2ND LA. N. G. + + Sergts. Thos. Martin, Etienne Duluc, Arthur Frilot, + " Louis Martin, J. B. Lavigne, + Corpls. Martin Forstals, Emile Duval, Gustave Ducre, + " Joseph Naroce, Polin Paree,* Jerome Alugas, + " Ernest Butin, Pierre Jignac. + +* Deserted Oct. 5th, 1863. + +The above were the non-commissioned officers at "muster in" of company, +Oct. 1862. + +OTHER REGIMENTS. + +Surgeons U. S. Army.--Dr. W. P. Powell, Dr. A. T. Augusta. +Major, Martin R. Delaney. Capt., O. S. B. Wall. +Lieuts. 55th Regt.--James M. Trotter, Chas. L. Mitchell, W. H. Dupree, + " J. F. Shorter. + +There were a number of negroes commissioned during the war whose record +it has not been possible to obtain. Quite a number of mulattoes served +in white regiments, some as officers; they were so light in complexion +that their true race connection could not be told. This is true of one +of the prominent Ohioans of to-day, who served on the staff of a Major +General of volunteers. There were several among the Pennsylvania troops, +and not a few in the New York and Massachusetts regiments. While lying +on a battle-field wounded and exhausted, an officer of the brigade to +which the writer belonged, rode up, passed me his canteen, and enquired +if I knew him. A negative answer was given. "I am Tom Bunting," he +replied. "You know me now, don't you? We used to play together in our +boyhood days in Virginia; keep the canteen. I will let your people know +about you." So saying he dashed away to his command; he belonged to a +Massachusetts regiment. There was quite a large number of mulattoes who +enlisted under Butler, at New Orleans, and served in white regiments; +this is also true of the confederate army. The writer has an intimate +acquaintance now living in Richmond, Va., who served in a New York +Regiment, who, while marching along with his regiment through Broad +street, after the capture of that city, was recognized by his mother, +and by her was pulled from the ranks and embraced. A man who became +United States Marshal of one of the Southern States after the war, was +Captain in the 2nd Louisiana Native Guards Regiment. Numerous instances +of this kind could be cited. + +[Illustration: SERG'T. W. H. CARNEY.--Co. C. 54TH MASS. VOLS. + +"The old flag never touched the ground, boys!"] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[21] Capt. F. E. Dumas organized a company of his own slaves, and +attached it to this regiment. He was promoted to the rank of Major, and +commanded two companies at Pascagoula, Miss., during the fight. He was a +free negro, wealthy, brave and loyal. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF. + + +When Admiral Farragut's fleet anchored at New Orleans, and Butler +occupied the city, three regiments of confederate negro troops were +under arms guarding the United States Mint building, with orders to +destroy it before surrendering it to the Yankees. The brigade, however, +was in command of a Creole mulatto, who, instead of carrying out the +orders given him, and following the troops out of the city on their +retreat, counter-marched his command and was cut off from the main body +of the army by the Federal forces, to whom they quietly surrendered a +few days after. + +General Phelps commanded the Federal forces at Carrolton, about seven +miles from New Orleans, the principal point in the cordon around the +city. Here the slaves congregated in large numbers, seeking freedom and +protection from their barbarous overseers and masters. Some of these +poor creatures wore irons and chains; some came bleeding from gunshot +wounds. General Phelps was an old abolitionist, and had early conceived +the idea that the proper thing to do was for the government to arm the +negroes. Now came his opportunity to act. Hundreds of able-bodied men +were in his camps, ready and willing to fight for their freedom and the +preservation of the Union. The secessionists in that neighborhood +complained to General Butler about their negroes leaving them and going +into camp with the Yankees. So numerous were the complaints, that the +General, acting under orders from Washington, and also foreseeing that +General Phelps intended allowing the slaves to gather at his post, +issued the following order: + + "NEW ORLEANS, May 23, 1862. + + "GENERAL:--You will cause all unemployed persons, black and + white, to be excluded from your lines. + + "You will not permit either black or white persons to pass + your lines, not officers and soldiers or belonging to the + navy of the United States, without a pass from these + headquarters, except they are brought in under guard as + captured persons, with information, and those to be examined + and detained as prisoners of war, if they have been in arms + against the United States, or dismissed and sent away at + once, as the case may be. This does not apply to boats + passing up the river without landing within the lines. + + "Provision dealers and marketmen are to be allowed to pass + in with provisions and their wares, but not to remain over + night. + + "Persons having had their permanent residence within your + lines before the occupation of our troops, are not to be + considered unemployed persons. + + "Your officers have reported a large number of servants. + Every officer so reported employing servants will have the + allowance for servants deducted from his pay-roll. + + Respectfully, your obedient servant, + + B. F. BUTLER. + + "Brig.-Gen. PHELPS, Commanding Camp Parapet." + +This struck Gen. Phelps as an inhuman order, though he obeyed it and +placed the slaves just outside of his camp lines. Here the solders, +having drank in the spirit of their commander, cared for the fugitives +from slavery. But they continued to come, according to divine +appointment, and their increase prompted Gen. Phelps to write this +patriotic, pathetic and eloquent appeal, knowing it must reach the +President: + + "CAMP PARAPET, NEAR CARROLLTON, LA., June 16, 1862. + + "Capt. R. S. DAVIS, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, New Orleans. + La.: + + "SIR: I enclose herewith, for the information of the + major-general commanding the department, a report of Major + Peck, officer of the day, concerning a large number of + negroes, of both sexes and all ages, who are lying near our + pickets, with bag and baggage, as if they had already + commenced an exodus. Many of these negroes have been sent + away from one of the neighboring sugar plantations by their + owner, a Mr. Babilliard La Blanche, who tells them, I am + informed, that 'the Yankees are king here now, and that they + must go to their king for food and shelter.' + + "They are of that four millions of our colored subjects who + have no king or chief, nor in fact any government that can + secure to them the simplest natural rights. They can not + even be entered into treaty stipulations with and deported + to the east, as our Indian tribes have been to the west. + They have no right to the mediation of a justice of the + peace or jury between them and chains and lashes. They have + no right to wages for their labor; no right to the Sabbath; + no right to the institution of marriage; no right to letters + or to self-defense. A small class of owners, rendered + unfeeling, and even unconscious and unreflecting by habit, + and a large part of them ignorant and vicious, stand between + them and their government, destroying its sovereignty. This + government has not the power even to regulate the number of + lashes that its subjects may receive. It can not say that + they shall receive thirty-nine instead of forty. To a large + and growing class of its subjects it can secure neither + justice, moderation, nor the advantages of Christian + religion; and if it can not protect _all_ its subjects, it + can protect none, either black or white. + + "It is nearly a hundred years since our people first + declared to the nations of the world that all men are born + free; and still we have not made our declaration good. + Highly revolutionary measures have since then been adopted + by the admission of Missouri and the annexation of Texas in + favor of slavery by the barest majorities of votes, while + the highly conservative vote of two-thirds has at length + been attained against slavery, and still slavery + exists--even, moreover, although two-thirds of the blood in + the veins of our slaves is fast becoming from our own race. + If we wait for a larger vote, or until our slaves' blood + becomes more consanguined still with our own, the danger of + a violent revolution, over which we can have no control, + must become more imminent every day. By a course of + undecided action, determined by no policy but the vague will + of a war-distracted people, we run the risk of precipitating + that very revolutionary violence which we seem seeking to + avoid. + + "Let us regard for a moment the elements of such a + revolution. + +[Illustration: WASHING IN CAMP] + + "Many of the slaves here have been sold away from the border + States as a punishment, being too refractory to be dealt + with there in the face of the civilization of the North. + They come here with the knowledge of the Christian religion, + with its germs planted and expanding, as it were, in the + dark, rich soil of their African nature, with feelings of + relationship with the families from which they came, and + with a sense of unmerited banishment as culprits, all which + tends to bring upon them a greater severity of treatment and + a corresponding disinclination 'to receive punishment'. They + are far superior beings to their ancestors, who were brought + from Africa two generations ago, and who occasionally + rebelled against comparatively less severe punishment than + is inflicted now. While rising in the scale of Christian + beings, their treatment is being rendered more severe than + ever. The whip, the chains, the stocks, and imprisonment are + no mere fancies here; they are used to any extent to which + the imagination of civilized man may reach. Many of them are + as intelligent as their masters, and far more moral, for + while the slave appeals to the moral law as his vindication, + clinging to it as to the very horns of the altar of his + safety and his hope, the master seldom hesitates to wrest + him from it with violence and contempt. The slave, it is + true, bears no resentment; he asks for no punishment for his + master; he simply claims justice for himself; and it is this + feature of his condition that promises more terror to the + retribution when it comes. Even now the whites stand + accursed by their oppression of humanity, being subject to a + degree of confusion, chaos, and enslavement to error and + wrong, which northern society could not credit or + comprehend. + + "Added to the four millions of the colored race whose + disaffection is increasing even more rapidly than their + number, there are at least four millions more of the white + race whose growing miseries will naturally seek + companionship with those of the blacks. This latter portion + of southern society has its representatives, who swing from + the scaffold with the same desperate coolness, though from a + directly different cause, as that which was manifested by + John Brown. The traitor Mumford, who swung the other day for + trampling on the national flag, had been rendered placid and + indifferent in his desperation by a government that either + could not or would not secure to its subjects the blessings + of liberty which that flag imports. The South cries for + justice from the government as well as the North, though in + a proud and resentful spirit; and in what manner is that + justice to be obtained? Is it to be secured by that wretched + resource of a set of profligate politicians, called + 'reconstruction?' No, it is to be obtained by the abolition + of slavery, and by no other course. + + "It is vain to deny that the slave system of labor is giving + shape to the government of the society where it exists, and + that that government is not republican, either in form or + spirit. It was through this system that the leading + conspirators have sought to fasten upon the people an + aristocracy or a despotism; and it is not sufficient that + they should be merely defeated in their object, and the + country be rid of their rebellion; for by our constitution + we are imperatively obliged to sustain the State against the + ambition of unprincipled leaders, and secure to them the + republican form of government. We have positive duties to + perform, and should hence adopt and pursue a positive, + decided policy. We have services to render to certain states + which they cannot perform for themselves. We are in an + emergency which the framers of the constitution might easily + have foreseen, and for which they have amply provided. + + "It is clear that the public good requires slavery to be + abolished; but in what manner is it to be done? The mere + quiet operation of congressional law can not deal with + slavery as in its former status before the war, because the + spirit of law is right reason, and there is no reason in + slavery. A system so unreasonable as slavery can not be + regulated by reason. We can hardly expect the several states + to adopt laws or measures against their own immediate + interests. We have seen that they will rather find arguments + for crime than seek measures for abolishing or modifying + slavery. But there is one principle which is fully + recognized as a necessity in conditions like ours, and that + is that the public safety is the supreme law of the State, + and that amid the clash of arms the laws of peace are + silent. It is then for our president, the commander-in-chief + of our armies, to declare the abolition of slavery, leaving + it to the wisdom of congress to adopt measures to meet the + consequences. This is the usual course pursued by a general + or by a military power. That power gives orders affecting + complicated interests and millions of property, leaving it + to the other functions of government to adjust and regulate + the effects produced. Let the president abolish slavery, and + it would be an easy matter for congress, through a + well-regulated system of apprenticeship, to adopt safe + measures for effecting a gradual transition from slavery to + freedom. + + "The existing system of labor in Louisiana is unsuited to + the age; and by the intrusion of the national forces it + seems falling to pieces. It is a system of mutual jealousy + and suspicion between the master and the man--a system of + violence, immorality and vice. The fugitive negro tells us + that our presence renders his condition worse with his + master than it was before, and that we offer no alleviation + in return. The system is impolitic, because it offers but + one stimulent to labor and effort, viz.: the lash, when + another, viz.: money, might be added with good effect. Fear, + and the other low and bad qualities of the slave, are + appealed to, but never the good. The relation, therefore, + between capital and labor, which ought to be generous and + confiding, is darkling, suspicious, unkindly, full of + reproachful threats, and without concord or peace. This + condition of things renders the interests of society a prey + to politicians. Politics cease to be practical or useful. + + "The questions that ought to have been discussed in the late + extraordinary convention of Louisiana, are: _First_, What + ought the State of Louisiana to do to adopt her ancient + system of labor to the present advanced spirit of the age? + And _Second_, How can the State be assisted by the general + government in effecting the change? But instead of this, the + only question before that body was how to vindicate slavery + by flogging the Yankees! + + "Compromises hereafter are not to be made with politicians, + but with sturdy labor and the right to work. The interests + of workingmen resent political trifling. Our political + education, shaped almost entirely to the interest of + slavery, has been false and vicious in the extreme, and it + must be corrected with as much suddenness, almost, as that + with which Salem witchcraft came to an end. The only + question that remains to decide is how the change shall take + place. + + "We are not without examples and precedents in the history + of the past. The enfranchisement of the people of Europe has + been, and is still going on, through the instrumentality of + military service; and by this means our slaves might be + raised in the scale of civilization and prepared for + freedom. Fifty regiments might be raised among them at once, + which could be employed in this climate to preserve order, + and thus prevent the necessity of retrenching our liberties, + as we should do by a large army exclusively of whites. For + it is evident that a considerable army of whites would give + stringency to our government, while an army, partly of + blacks, would naturally operate in favor of freedom and + against those influences which at present most endanger our + liberties. At the end of five years they could be sent to + Africa, and their places filled with new enlistments. + + "There is no practical evidence against the effects of + immediate abolition, even if there is not in its favor. I + have witnessed the sudden abolition of flogging at will in + the army, and of legalized flogging in the navy, against the + prejudice-warped judgments of both, and, from the beneficial + effects there, I have nothing to fear from the immediate + abolition of slavery. I fear, rather, the violent + consequences from a continuance of the evil. But should such + an act devastate the whole State of Louisiana, and render + the whole soil here but the mere passage-way of the fruits + of the enterprise and industry of the Northwest, it would be + better for the country at large than it is now as the seat + of disaffection and rebellion. + + "When it is remembered that not a word is found in our + constitution sanctioning the buying and selling of human + beings, a shameless act which renders our country the + disgrace of Christendom, and worse, in this respect, even + than Africa herself, we should have less dread of seeing the + degrading traffic stopped at once and forever. Half wages + are already virtually paid for slave labor in the system of + tasks which, in an unwilling spirit of compromise, most of + the slave states have already been compelled to adopt. At + the end of five years of apprenticeship, or of fifteen at + farthest, full wages could be paid to the enfranchised negro + race, to the double advantage of both master and man. This + is just; for we now hold the slaves of Louisiana by the same + tenure that the State can alone claim them, viz: by the + original right of conquest. We have so far conquered them + that a proclamation setting them free, coupled with offers + of protection, would devastate every plantation in the + State. + + "In conclusion, I may state that Mr. La Blanche is, as I am + informed, a descendant from one of the oldest families of + Louisiana. He is wealthy and a man of standing, and his act + in sending away his negroes to our lines, with their clothes + and furniture, appears to indicate the convictions of his + own mind as to the proper logical consequences and + deductions that should follow from the present relative + status of the two contending parties. He seems to be + convinced that the proper result of the conflict is the + manumission of the slave, and he may be safely regarded in + this respect as a representative man of the State. I so + regard him myself, and thus do I interpret his action, + although my camp now contains some of the highest symbols of + secessionism, which have been taken by a party of the + Seventh Vermont volunteers from his residence. + + "Meantime his slaves, old and young, little ones and all, + are suffering from exposure and uncertainty as to their + future condition. Driven away by their master, with threats + of violence if they return, and with no decided welcome or + reception from us, what is to be their lot? Considerations + of humanity are pressing for an immediate solution of their + difficulties; and they are but a small portion of their race + who have sought, and are still seeking, our pickets and our + military stations, declaring that they can not and will not + any longer serve their masters, and that all they want is + work and protection from us. In such a state of things, the + question occurs as to my own action in the case. I cannot + return them to their masters, who not unfrequently come in + search of them, for I am, fortunately, prohibited by an + article of war from doing that, even if my own nature did + not revolt at it. I can not receive them, for I have neither + work, shelter, nor the means or plan of transporting them to + Hayti, or of making suitable arrangements with their masters + until they can be provided for. + + "It is evident that some plan, some policy, or some system + is necessary on the part of the government, without which + the agent can do nothing, and all his efforts are rendered + useless and of no effect. This is no new condition in which + I find myself; it is my experience during the some + twenty-five years of my public life as a military officer of + the government. The new article of war recently adopted by + congress, rendering it criminal in an officer of the army to + return fugitives from injustice, is the first support that I + have ever felt from the government in contending against + those slave influences which are opposed to its character + and to its interests. But the mere refusal to return + fugitives does not now meet the case. A public agent in the + present emergency must be invested with wider and more + positive powers than this, or his services will prove as + valueless to the country as they are unsatisfactory to + himself. + + "Desiring this communication to be laid before the + president, and leaving my commission at his disposal, I have + the honor to remain, sir, + + "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, + J. W. PHELPS, _Brigadier-General._" + +On the day on which he received this letter, Gen. Butler forwarded to +Washington this dispatch: + + "NEW ORLEANS, LA., June 18, 1862. + + "Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War: + + "SIR:--Since my last dispatch was written, I have received + the accompanying report from General Phelps. + + "It is not my duty to enter into a discussion of the + questions which it presents. + + "I desire, however, to state the information of Mr. La + Blanche, given me by his friends and neighbors, and also + _Jack_ La Blanche, his slave, who seems to be the leader of + this party of negroes. Mr. La Blanche I have not seen. He, + however, claims to be loyal, and to have taken no part in + the war, but to have lived quietly on his plantation, some + twelve miles above New Orleans, on the opposite side of the + river. He has a son in the secession army, whose uniform and + equipments, &c., are the symbols of secession of which + General Phelps speaks. Mr. La Blanche's house was searched + by the order of General Phelps, for arms and contraband of + war, and his neighbors say that his negroes were told that + they were free if they would come to the general's camp. + +[Illustration: COOKING IN CAMP] + + "That thereupon the negroes, under the lead of Jack, + determined to leave, and for that purpose crowded into a + small boat which, from overloading, was in danger of + swamping. + + "La Blanche then told his negroes that if they were + determined to go, they would be drowned, and he would hire + them a large boat to put them across the river, and that + they might have their furniture if they would go and leave + his plantation and crop to ruin. + + "They decided to go, and La Blanche did all a man could to + make that going safe. + + "The account of General Phelps is the negro side of the + story; that above given is the story of Mr. La Blanche's + neighbors, some of whom I know to be loyal men. + + "An order against negroes being allowed in camp is the + reason they are outside. + + "Mr. La Blanche is represented to be a humane man, and did + not consent to the 'exodus' of his negroes. + + "General Phelps, I believe, intends making this a test case + for the policy of the government. I wish it might be so, for + the difference of our action upon this subject is a source + of trouble. I respect his honest sincerity of opinion, but I + am a soldier, bound to carry out the wishes of my government + so long as I hold its commission, and I understand that + policy to be the one I am pursuing. I do not feel at liberty + to pursue any other. If the policy of the government is + nearly that I sketched in my report upon the subject and + that which I have ordered in this department, then the + services of General Phelps are worse than useless here. If + the views set forth in his report are to obtain, then he is + invaluable, for his whole soul is in it, and he is a good + soldier of large experience, and no braver man lives. I beg + to leave the whole question with the president, with perhaps + the needless assurance that his wishes shall be loyalty + followed, were they not in accordance with my own, as I have + now no right to have any upon the subject. + + "I write in haste, as the steamer 'Mississippi' is awaiting + this dispatch. + + "Awaiting the earliest possible instructions, I have the + honor to be, + + "Your most obedient servant, + + "B. F. BUTLER, _Major General Commanding._" + +Gen. Phelps waited about six weeks for a reply, but none came. Meanwhile +the negroes continued to gather at his camp. He said, in regard to not +receiving an answer, "I was left to the inference that silence gives +consent, and proceeded therefore to take such decided measures as +appeared best calculated, to me, to dispose of the difficulty." +Accordingly he made the following requisition upon headquarters: + + "CAMP PARAPET, LA., July 30, 1862. + + "Captain R. S. DAVIS, A. A. A. General, New Orleans, La.: + + "SIR:--I enclose herewith requisitions for arms, + accouterments, clothing, camp and garrison equipage, &c., + for three regiments of Africans, which I propose to raise + for the defense of this point. The location is swampy and + unhealthy, and our men are dying at the rate of two or three + a day. + + "The southern loyalists are willing, as I understand, to + furnish their share of the tax for the support of the war; + but they should also furnish their quota of men, which they + have not thus far done. An opportunity now offers of + supplying the deficiency; and it is not safe to neglect + opportunities in war. I think that, with the proper + facilities, I could raise the three regiments proposed in a + short time. Without holding out any inducements, or offering + any reward, I have now upward of three hundred Africans + organized into five companies, who are all willing and ready + to show their devotion to our cause in any way that it may + be put to the test. They are willing to submit to anything + rather than to slavery. + + Society in the South seems to be on the point of + dissolution; and the best way of preventing the African from + becoming instrumental in a general state of anarchy, is to + enlist him in the cause of the Republic. If we reject his + services, any petty military chieftain, by offering him + freedom, can have them for the purpose of robbery and + plunder. It is for the interests of the South, as well of + the North, that the African should be permitted to offer his + block for the temple of freedom. Sentiments unworthy of the + man of the present day--worthy only of another Cain--could + alone prevent such an offer from being accepted. + + I would recommend that the cadet graduates of the present + year should be sent to South Carolina and this point to + organize and discipline our African levies, and that the + more promising non-commissioned officers and privates of the + army be appointed as company officers to command them. + Prompt and energetic efforts in this direction would + probably accomplish more toward a speedy termination of the + war, and an early restoration of peace and unity, than any + other course which could be adopted. + + "I have the honor to remain, sir, + very respectfully, your obedient servant, + J. W. PHELPS, _Brigadier-General._" + +This reply was received: + + NEW ORLEANS, July 31, 1862. + + "GENERAL:--The general commanding wishes you to employ the + contrabands in and about your camp in cutting down all the + trees, &c., between your lines and the lake, and in forming + abatis, according to the plan agreed upon between you and + Lieutenant Weitzel when he visited you some time since. What + wood is not needed by you is much needed in this city. For + this purpose I have ordered the quartermaster to furnish you + with axes, and tents for the contrabands to be quartered in. + + "I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, + + "By order of Major-General BUTLER. + + "R. S. DAVIS, Capt. and A. A. A. G. + + "To Brigadier-General J. W. PHELPS, Camp Parapet." + +General Butler's effort to turn the attention of Gen. Phelps to the law +of Congress recently passed was of no avail, that officer was determined +in his policy of warring on the enemy; but finding General Butler as +firm in his policy of leniency, and knowing of his strong pro-slavery +sentiments prior to the war,--notwithstanding his "contraband" order at +Fortress Monroe,--General Phelps felt as though he would be humiliated +if he departed from his own policy and became what he regarded as a +slave-driver, therefore he determined to resign. He replied to General +Butler as follows: + + "CAMP PARAPET, LA., July 31, 1862. + + "Captain R. S. DAVIS, A. A. A. General, New Orleans, La.: + + "SIR:--The communication from your office of this date, + signed, 'By order of Major-General Butler,' directing me to + employ the 'contrabands' in and about my camp in cutting + down all the trees between my lines and the lake, etc., has + just been received. + + "In reply, I must state that while I am willing to prepare + African regiments for the defense of the government against + its assailants, I am not willing to become the mere + slave-driver which you propose, having no qualifications in + that way. I am, therefore, under the necessity of tendering + the resignation of my commission as an officer of the army + of the United States, and respectfully request a leave of + absence until it is accepted, in accordance with paragraph + 29, page 12, of the general regulations. + + "While I am writing, at half-past eight o'clock P. M., a + colored man is brought in by one of the pickets who has just + been wounded in the side by a charge of shot, which he says + was fired at him by one of a party of three slave-hunters or + guerillas, a mile or more from our line of sentinels. As it + is some distance from the camp to the lake, the party of + wood-choppers which you have directed will probably need a + considerable force to guard them against similar attacks. + + "I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, + + "J. W. PHELPS, _Brigadier-General._" + +Phelps was one of Butler's most trusted commanders, and the latter +endeavored, but in vain, to have him reconsider his resignation. General +Butler wrote him: + + NEW ORLEANS, August, 2, 1862. + + "GENERAL:--I was somewhat surprised to receive your + resignation for the reasons stated. + + "When you were put in command at Camp Parapet, I sent + Lieutenant Weitzel, my chief engineer, to make a + reconnoissance of the lines of Carrollton, and I understand + it was agreed between you and the engineer that a removal + of the wood between Lake Pontchartrain and the right of your + intrenchment was a necessary military precaution. The work + could not be done at that time because of the stage of water + and the want of men. But now both water and men concur. You + have five hundred Africans organized into companies, you + write me. This work they are fitted to do. It must either be + done by them or my soldiers, now drilled and disciplined. + You have said the location is unhealthy for the soldier; it + is not to the negro; is it not best that these unemployed + Africans should do this labor? My attention is specially + called to this matter at the present time, because there are + reports of demonstrations to be made on your lines by the + rebels, and in my judgment it is a matter of necessary + precaution thus to clear the right of your line, so that you + can receive the proper aid from the gunboats on the lake, + besides preventing the enemy from having cover. To do this + the negroes ought to be employed; and in so employing them I + see no evidence of 'slave-driving' or employing you as a + 'slave-driver.' + + "The soldiers of the Army of the Potomac did this very thing + last summer in front of Arlington Heights; are the negroes + any better than they? + + "Because of an order to do this necessary thing to protect + your front, threatened by the enemy, you tender your + resignation and ask immediate leave of absence. I assure you + I did not expect this, either from your courage, your + patriotism, or your good sense. To resign in the face of an + enemy has not been the highest plaudit to a soldier, + especially when the reason assigned is that he is ordered to + do that which a recent act of congress has specially + authorized a military commander to do, _i. e._, employ the + Africans to do the necessary work about a camp or upon a + fortification. + + "General, your resignation will not be accepted by me, leave + of absence will not be granted, and you will see to it that + my orders, thus necessary for the defense of the city, are + faithfully and diligently executed, upon the responsibility + that a soldier in the field owes to his superior. I will see + that all proper requisitions for the food, shelter, and + clothing of these negroes so at work are at once filled by + the proper departments. You will also send out a proper + guard to protect the laborers against the guerilla force, if + any, that may be in the neighborhood. + + "I am your obedient servant, + + "BENJ. F. BUTLER, _Major-General Commanding._ + + "Brigadier-General J. W. PHELPS, _Commanding at Camp Parapet._" + +On the same day, General Butler wrote again to General Phelps: + + "NEW ORLEANS, August 2, 1862. + + "GENERAL:--By the act of congress, as I understand it, the + president of the United States alone has the authority to + employ Africans in arms as a part of the military forces of + the United States. + + "Every law up to this time raising volunteer or militia + forces has been opposed to their employment. The president + has not as yet indicated his purpose to employ the Africans + in arms. + + "The arms, clothing, and camp equipage which I have here for + the Louisiana volunteers, is, by the letter of the secretary + of war, expressly limited to white soldiers, so that I have + no authority to divert them, however much I may desire so to + do. + + "I do not think you are empowered to organize into companies + negroes, and drill them as a military organization, as I am + not surprised, but unexpectedly informed you have done. I + cannot sanction this course of action as at present advised, + specially when we have need of the services of the blacks, + who are being sheltered upon the outskirts of your camp, as + you will see by the orders for their employment sent you by + the assistant adjutant-general. + + "I will send your application to the president, but in the + mean time you must desist from the formation of any negro + military organization. + + "I am your obedient servant, + + "BENJ. F. BUTLER, _Major-General Commanding._ + + "Brigadier-General PHELPS, _commanding forces at Camp Parapet._" + +General Phelps' resignation was accepted by the Government. He received +notification of the fact on the 8th of September and immediately +prepared to return to his farm in Vermont. In parting with his officers, +who were, like his soldiers, much attached to him, he said: "And now, +with earnest wishes for your welfare, and aspirations for the success of +the great cause for which you are here, I bid you good-bye." Says +Parton: + + "When at length, the government had arrived at a negro + policy, and was arming slaves, the president offered General + Phelps a major-general's commission. He replied, it is said, + that he would willingly accept the commission if it were + dated back to the day of his resignation, so as to carry + with it an approval of his course at Camp Parapet. This was + declined, and General Phelps remains in retirement. I + suppose the president felt that an indorsement of General + Phelps' conduct would imply a censure of General Butler, + whose conduct every candid person, I think, must admit, was + just, forbearing, magnanimous." + +General Butler was carrying out the policy of the Government at that +time, but it was not long before he found it necessary to inaugurate a +policy of his own for the safety of his command. On the 5th of August +Breckenridge assaulted Baton Rouge, the capital of the State, which +firmly convinced General Butler of the necessity of raising troops to +defend New Orleans. He had somewhat realized his situation in July and +appealed to the "home authorities" for reinforcements, but none could be +sent. Still, the Secretary of War said to him, in reply to his +application: "New Orleans must be held at all hazards." + +With New Orleans threatened and no hope of reinforcement, General +Butler, on the 22d day of August, before General Phelps had retired to +private life, was obliged to accept the policy of arming negroes. He +issued the following order: + + "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, + GENERAL ORDERS "NEW ORLEANS, August 22, 1862. + NO. 63. + + "Whereas on the 23d day of April, in the year eighteen + hundred and sixty-one, at a public meeting of the free + colored population of the city of New Orleans, a military + organization, known as the "Native Guards" (colored,) had + its existence, which military organization was duly and + legally enrolled as a part of the militia of the State, its + officers being commissioned by Thomas O. Moore, Governor and + Commander-in-Chief of the militia of the State of Louisiana, + in the form following, that is to say: + + "'THE STATE OF LOUISIANA. + [Seal of the State.] + + "'By Thomas Overton Moore, Governor of the State of + Louisiana, and commander-in-chief of the militia thereof. + + "'In the name and by the authority of the State of + Louisiana: Know ye that ----- ----, having been duly and + legally elected captain of the "Native Guards" (colored,) + 1st division of the Militia of Louisiana, to serve for the + term of the war, + + "'I do hereby appoint and commission him captain as + aforesaid, to take rank as such, from the 2d day of May, + eighteen hundred and sixty-one. + + "'He is, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge + the duties of his office by doing and performing all manner + of things thereto belonging. And I do strictly charge and + require all officers, non-commissioned officers and privates + under his command, to be obedient to his orders as captain; + and he is to observe and follow such orders and directions, + from time to time, as he shall receive from me, or the + future Governor of the State of Louisiana, or other superior + officers, according to the Rules and Articles of War, and in + conformity to law. + + "'In testimony whereof, I have caused these letters to be + made patent, and the seal of the State to be hereunto + annexed. + + "'Given under my hand, at the city of Baton Rouge, on the + second day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand + eight hundred and sixty-one. + + [L.S.] [Signed,] THOS. O. MOORE. + "'By the Governor: + [Signed,] "'P. D. Hardy, Secretary of State. + [Endorsed.] + + "'I, Maurice Grivot, Adjutant and Inspector General of the + State of Louisiana, do hereby certify that ---- ----, named + in the within commission, did, on the second day of May, in + the year 1861, deposit in my office his written acceptance + of the office to which he is commissioned, and his oath of + office taken according to law. + + [Signed,] "'M. GRIVOT, + Adjutant and Inspector General, La.' + + "And whereas, said military organization elicited praise and + respect, and was complimented in General Orders for its + patriotism and loyalty, and was ordered to continue during + the war, in the words following: + + "'HEADQUARTERS LOUISIANA MILITIA, + + "'Order No. 426.] "'Adjutant General's Office, March 24, 1862. + + "'I.--The Governor and Commander-in-Chief, relying + implicitly upon the loyalty of the free colored population + of the city and State for the protection of their homes, + their property, and for Southern rights, from the pollution + of a ruthless invader, and believing that the military + organization which existed prior to the 15th of February, + 1862, and elicited praise and respect for the patriotic + motives which prompted it, should exist for and during the + war, calls upon them to maintain their organization, and to + hold themselves prepared for such orders as may be + transmitted to them. + + "'II.--The colonel commanding will report without delay to + Major General Lewis, commanding State militia. + + "'By order of THOS. O. MOORE, Governor. + + [Signed,] M. GRIVOT, Adjutant General.' + + "And whereas, said military organization, by the same order, + was directed to report to Major-General Lewis for service, + but did not leave the city of New Orleans when he did: + + "Now, therefore, the Commanding General, believing that a + large portion of this militia force of the State of + Louisiana are willing to take service in the volunteer + forces of the United States, and be enrolled and organized + to 'defend their homes from 'ruthless invaders;' to protect + their wives and children and kindred from wrong and outrage; + to shield their property from being seized by bad men; and + to defend the flag of their native country as their fathers + did under Jackson at Chalmette against Packenham and his + myrmidons, carrying the black flag of 'beauty and booty;' + + "Appreciating their motives, relying upon their 'well-known + loyalty and patriotism,' and with 'praise and respect' for + these brave men--it is ordered that all the members of the + 'Native Guards' aforesaid, and all other free colored + citizens recognized by the first and late governor and + authorities of the State of Louisiana as a portion of the + militia of the State, who shall enlist in the volunteer + service of the United States, shall be duly organized by the + appointment of proper officers, and accepted, paid, + equipped, armed and rationed as are other volunteer troops + of the United States, subject to the approval of the + President of the United States. All such persons are + required at once to report themselves at the Touro Charity + Building, Front Levee St., New Orleans, where proper + officers will muster them into the service of the United + States. + + "By command of Major General Butler: + + "R. S. DAVIS, _Capt. and A. A. A. G._" + +Notwithstanding the harsh treatment they had been receiving from +Military-Governor Shepley and the Provost Guard, the rendezvous +designated was the scene of a busy throng the next day. Thousands of men +were enlisted during the first week, and in fourteen days a regiment was +organized. The first regiment's line officers were colored, and the +field officers were white. Those who made up this regiment were not all +free negroes by more than half. Any negro who would swear that he was +free, if physically good, was accepted, and of the many thousand slave +fugitives in the city from distant plantations, hundreds found their way +into Touro building and ultimately into the ranks of the three regiments +formed at that building. The second, like the first, had all colored +line officers; the third was officered regardless of color. This was +going beyond the line laid down by General Phelps. He proposed that +white men should take command of these troops exclusively. By November +these three regiments were in the field, where in course of time they +often met their former masters face to face and exchanged shots with +them. The pro-slavery men of the North and their newspapers endeavored +to make the soldiers in the field believe that the negroes would not +fight; while not only the papers and the soldiers, but many officers, +especially those from the West Point Academy, denounced General Butler +for organizing the regiments. General Weitzel, to whose command these +regiments were assigned in an expedition up the river, objected to them, +and asked Butler to relieve him of the command of the expedition. Butler +wrote him in reply: + + "You say that in these organizations you have no confidence. + As your reading must have made you aware, General Jackson + entertained a different opinion upon that subject. It was + arranged between the commanding general and yourself, that + the colored regiments should be employed in guarding the + railroad. You don't complain, in your report, that they + either failed in this duty, or that they have acted + otherwise than correctly and obediently to the commands of + their officers, or that they have committed any outrage or + pillage upon the inhabitants. The general was aware of your + opinion, that colored men will not fight. You have failed to + show, by the conduct of these free men, so far, anything to + sustain that opinion. And the general cannot see why you + should decline the command, especially as you express a + willingness to go forward to meet the only organized enemy + with your brigade alone, without farther support. The + commanding general cannot see how the fact that they are + guarding your line of communication by railroad, can weaken + your defense. He must, therefore, look to the other reasons + stated by you, for an explanation of your declining the + command. + + "You say that since the arrival of the negro regiment you + have seen symptoms of a servile insurrection. But as the + only regiment that arrived there got there as soon as your + own command, of course the appearance of such symptoms is + since their arrival. + + "Have you not mistaken the cause? Is it the arrival of a + negro regiment, or is it the arrival of United States + troops, carrying by the act of congress freedom to this + servile race? Did you expect to march into that country, + drained, as you say it is, by conscription of all its + able-bodied white men, without leaving the negroes free to + show symptoms of servile insurrection? Does not this state + of things arise from the very fact of war itself? You are in + a country where now the negroes outnumber the whites ten to + one, and these whites are in rebellion against the + government, or in terror seeking its protection. Upon + reflection, can you doubt that the same state of things + would have arisen without the presence of a colored + regiment? Did you not see symptoms of the same things upon + the plantations here upon our arrival, although, under much + less favorable circumstances for revolt? + + "You say that the prospect of such an insurrection is + heart-rending, and that you cannot be responsible for it. + The responsibility rests upon those who have begun and + carried out this war, and who have stopped at no barbarity, + at no act of outrage, upon the citizens and soldiers of the + United States. You have forwarded me the records of a + pretended court-martial, showing that seven men of one of + your regiments, who enlisted here in the Eighth Vermont, who + had surrendered themselves prisoners of war, were in cold + blood murdered, and, as certain information shows me, + required to dig their own graves! You are asked if this is + not an occurrence as heart-rending as a prospective servile + insurrection. + + "The question is now to be met, whether, in a hostile, + rebellious part of the state, where this very murder has + been committed by the militia, you are to stop in the + operations of the field to put down servile insurrection, + because the men and women are terror-stricken? Whenever was + it heard before that a victorious general, in an + unsurrendered province, stopped in his course for the + purpose of preventing the rebellious inhabitants of that + province from destroying each other, or refuse to take + command of a conquered province lest he should be made + responsible for their self-destruction? + + "As a military question, perhaps, the more terror-stricken + the inhabitants are that are left in your rear, the more + safe will be your lines of communication. You say there have + appeared before your eyes the very facts, in terror-stricken + women and children and men, which you had before + contemplated in theory. Grant it. But is not the remedy to + be found in the surrender of the neighbors, fathers, + brothers, and sons of the terror-stricken women and + children, who are now in arms against the government within + twenty miles of you? And when that is done, and you have no + longer to fear from these organized forces, and they have + returned peaceably to their homes, you will be able to use + the full power of your troops to insure your safety from the + so much feared (by them, not by you) servile insurrection. + +[Illustration: POINT ISABEL, TEXAS. Phalanx soldiers on duty, throwing +up earthworks.] + + "If you desire, you can send a flag of truce to the + commander of these forces, embracing these views, and + placing upon him the responsibility which belongs to him. + Even that course will not remove it from you, for upon you + it has never rested. Say to them, that if all armed + opposition to the authority of the United States shall cease + in Louisiana, on the west bank of the river, you are + authorized by the commanding general to say, that the same + protection against negro or other violence will be afforded + that part of Louisiana that has been in the part already in + the possession of the United States. If that is refused, + whatever may ensue is upon them, and not upon you or upon + the United States. You will have done all that is required + of a brave, humane man, to avert from these deluded people + the horrible consequences of their insane war upon the + government. * * * * + + "Consider this case. General Bragg is at liberty to ravage + the houses of our brethren of Kentucky because the Union + army of Louisiana are protecting his wife and his home + against his negroes. Without that protection he would have + to come back to take care of his wife, his home and his + negroes. It is understood that Mrs. Bragg is one of the + terrified women of whom you speak in your report. + + "This subject is not for the first time under the + consideration of the commanding general. When in command of + the Department of Annapolis, in May, 1861, he was asked to + protect a community against the consequences of a servile + insurrection. He replied, that when that community laid down + its arms, and called upon him for protection, he would give + it, because from that moment between them and him war would + cease. The same principle initiated there will govern his + and your actions now; and you will afford such protection as + soon as the community through its organized rulers shall ask + it. + + " * * * * In the mean time, these colored regiments of free + men, raised by the authority of the president, and approved + by him as the commander-in-chief of the army, must be + commanded by the officers of the army of the United States, + like any other regiment." + +General Butler continued General Weitzel in command but placed the +negroes under another officer. However, General Weitzel; like thousands +of others, changed his mind in regard to the colored troops. "If he was +not convinced by General Butler's reasoning," says Parton, "he must have +been convinced by what he saw of the conduct of those very colored +regiments at Port Hudson, where he himself gave such a glorious example +of prudence and gallantry." + +Notwithstanding these troops did good service, it did not soften or +remove very much of the prejudice at the North against the negro +soldiers, nor in the ranks of the army. Many incidents might be cited to +show the feeling of bitterness against them.[22] However, General +Butler's example was followed very soon by every officer in command, and +by the time the President's Emancipation Proclamation was issued there +were not less than 10,000 negroes armed and equipped along the +Mississippi river. Of course the Government knew nothing of this.(?) +Not only armed, but some of them had been in skirmishes with the enemy. +That as a Phalanx they were invaluable in crushing the rebellion, let +their acts of heroism tell. In the light of history and of their own +deeds, it can be said that in courage, patriotism and dash, they were +second to no troops, either in ancient or modern armies. They were +enlisted after rigid scrutiny, and the examination of every man by +competent surgeons. Their acquaintance with the country in which they +marched, encamped and fought, made them in many instances superior to +the white troops. Then to strengthen their valor and tenacity, each +soldier of the Phalanx knew when he heard the long roll beat to arms, +and the bugle sound the charge, that they were not to go forth to meet +those who regarded them as opponents in arms, but who met them as a man +in his last desperate effort for life would meet demons; they knew, +also, that there was no reserve--no reinforcements behind to support +them when they went to battle; their alternative was _life or death_. It +was the consciousness of this fact that made the black phalanx a wall of +adamant to the enemy. + +The not unnatural willingness of the white soldiers to allow the negro +troops to stop the bullets that they would otherwise have to receive was +shown in General Bank's Red River Campaign. At Pleasant Grove, Dickey's +black brigade prevented a slaughter of the Union troops. The black +Phalanx were represented there by a brigade attached to the first +division of the 19th Corps. When the confederates routed the army under +Banks at Sabine Cross Roads, below Mansfield, they drove it for several +hours toward Pleasant Grove, despite the ardor of the combined forces of +Banks and Franklin. It became apparent that unless the confederates +could be checked at this point, all was lost. General Emory prepared for +the emergency on the western edge of a wood, with an open field sloping +toward Mansfield. Here General Dwight formed a brigade of the black +Phalanx across the road. Hardly was the line formed when out came the +gallant foe driving 10,000 men before them. Flushed with two days' +victory, they came charging at double quick time, but the Phalanx held +its fire until the enemy was close upon them, and then poured a deadly +volley into the ranks of the exultant foe, stopping them short and +mowing them down like grass. The confederates recoiled, and now began a +fight such as was always fought when the Southerners became aware that +black soldiers were in front of them, and for an hour and a half they +fought at close quarters, ceasing only at night. Every charge of the +enemy was repulsed by the steady gallantry of General Emory's brigade +and the black Phalanx, who saved the army from annihilation against a +foe numbering three to one. During this memorable campaign the Phalanx +more than once met the enemy and accepted the face of their black flag +declarations. The confederates knew full well that every man of the +Phalanx would fight to the last; they had learned that long before. + +[Illustration: THE RECRUITING OFFICE. + +Negroes enlisting in the army, and being examined by surgeons.] + +As early as June, 1863, General Grant was compelled, in order to show a +bold front to Gens. Pemberton and Johnston at the same time, while +besieging Vicksburg, to draw nearly all the troops from Milliken's Bend +to his support, leaving three infantry regiments of the black Phalanx +and a small force of white cavalry to hold this, to him an all important +post. Milliken's Bend was well fortified, and with a proper garrison was +in condition to stand a siege. Brigadier-General Dennis was in command, +and the troops consisted of the 9th and 11th Louisiana Regiments, the +1st Mississippi and a small detachment of white cavalry, in all about +1,400 men, raw recruits. General Dennis looking upon the place more as a +station for organizing and drilling the Phalanx, had made no particular +arrangements in anticipation of an attack. He was surprised, therefore, +when a force of 3,000 men, under General Henry McCulloch, from the +interior of Louisiana, attacked and drove his pickets and two companies +of the 23d Iowa Cavalry, (white) up to the breastworks of the Bend. The +movement was successful, however, and the confederates, holding the +ground, rested for the night, with the expectation of marching into the +fortifications in the morning, to begin a massacre, whether a resistance +should be shown them or not. The knowledge this little garrison had of +what the morrow would bring it, doubtless kept the soldiers awake, +preparing to meet the enemy and their own fate. About 3 o'clock, in the +early grey of the morning, the confederate line was formed just outside +of the intrenchments; suddenly with fixed bayonets the men came rushing +over the works, driving everything before them and shouting, "No +quarter! No quarter to negroes or their officers!" In a moment the +blacks formed and met them, and now the battle began in earnest, hand to +hand. The gunboats "Choctaw" and "Lexington" also came up as the +confederates were receiving the bayonets and the bullets of the +Unionists, and lent material assistance. The attacking force had flanked +the works and was pouring in a deadly, enfilading musketry fire. The +defenders fell back out of the way of the gunboat's shells, but finally +went forward again with what was left of their 150 white allies, and +drove the enemy before them and out of the captured works. One division +of the enemy's troops hesitated to leave a redoubt, when a company of +brave black men dashed forward at double-quick time and engaged them. +The enemy stood his ground, and soon the rattling bayonets rang out amid +the thunders of the gunboats and the shouts of enraged men; but they +were finally driven out, and their ranks thinned by the "Choctaw" as +they went over the works. The news reached General Grant and he +immediately dispatched General Mower's brigade with orders to re-enforce +Dennis and drive the confederates beyond the Tensas river. + +A battle can be best described by one who observed it. Captain Miller, +who not only was an eye-witness, but participated in the Milliken's Bend +fight, writes as follows: + + "We were attacked here on June 7, about three o'clock in the + morning, by a brigade of Texas troops, about two thousand + five hundred in number. We had about six hundred men to + withstand them, five hundred of them negroes. I commanded + Company I, Ninth Louisiana. We went into the fight with + thirty-three men. I had sixteen killed, eleven badly + wounded, and four slightly. I was wounded slightly on the + head, near the right eye, with a bayonet, and had a bayonet + run through my right hand, near the forefinger; that will + account for this miserable style of penmanship. + + "Our regiments had about three hundred men in the fight. We + had one colonel wounded, four captains wounded, two first + and two second lieutenants killed, five lieutenants wounded, + and three white orderlies killed, and one wounded in the + hand, and two fingers taken off. The list of killed and + wounded officers comprised nearly all the officers present + with the regiment, a majority of the rest being absent + recruiting." + +[Illustration: BATTLE OF MILLIKEN'S BEND] + + "We had about fifty men killed in the regiment and eighty + wounded; so you can judge of what part of the fight my + company sustained. I never felt more grieved and sick at + heart, than when I saw how my brave soldiers had been + slaughtered,--one with six wounds, all the rest with two or + three, none less than two wounds. Two of my colored + sergeants were killed; both brave, noble men, always prompt, + vigilant, and ready for the fray. I never more wish to hear + the expression, 'The niggers won't fight.' Come with me, a + hundred yards from where I sit, and I can show you the + wounds that cover the bodies of sixteen as brave, loyal, and + patriotic soldiers as ever drew bead on a rebel. + + "The enemy charged us so close that we fought with our + bayonets, hand to hand. I have six broken bayonets to show + how bravely my men fought. The Twenty-third Iowa joined my + company on the right; and I declare truthfully that they had + all fled before our regiment fell back, as we were all + compelled to do. + + "Under command of Col. Page, I led the Ninth and Eleventh + Louisiana when the rifle-pits were retaken and held by our + troops, our two regiments doing the work. + + "I narrowly escaped death once. A rebel took deliberate aim + at me with both barrels of his gun; and the bullets passed + so close to me that the powder that remained on them burnt + my cheek. Three of my men, who saw him aim and fire, thought + that he wounded me each fire; One of them was killed by my + side, and he fell on me, covering my clothes with his blood; + and, before the rebel could fire again, I blew his brains + out with my gun. + + "It was a horrible fight, the worst I was ever engaged + in,--not even excepting Shiloh. The enemy cried, 'No + quarter!' but some of them were very glad to take it when + made prisoners. + + "Col. Allen, of the Sixteenth Texas, was killed in front of + our regiment, and Brig.-Gen. Walker was wounded. We killed + about one hundred and eighty of the enemy. The gunboat + "Choctaw" did good service shelling them. I stood on the + breastworks after we took them, and gave the elevations and + direction for the gunboat by pointing my sword; and they + sent a shell right into their midst, which sent them in all + directions. Three shells fell there, and sixty-two rebels + lay there when the fight was over. + + * * * * + + "This battle satisfied the slave-masters of the South that + their charm was gone; and that the negro as a slave, was + lost forever. Yet there was one fact connected with the + battle of Milliken's Bend which will descend to posterity, + as testimony against the humanity of slave-holders; and that + is, that no negro was ever found alive that was taken a + prisoner by the rebels in this fight." + +The Department of the Gulf contained a far greater proportion of the +Phalanx than did any other Department, and there were very few, if any, +important engagements fought in this Department in which the Phalanx did +not take part. + +It is unpleasant here, in view of the valuable services rendered by the +Phalanx, to be obliged to record that the black soldiers were subjected +to many indignities, and suffered much at the hands of their white +fellow comrades in arms. Repeated assaults and outrages were committed +upon black men wearing the United States' uniform, not only by +volunteers but conscripts from the various States, and frequently by +confederate prisoners who had been paroled by the United States; these +outrages were allowed to take place, without interference by the +commanding officers, who apparently did not observe what was going on. + +At Ship Island, Miss., there were three companies of the 13th Maine, +General Neal Dow's old regiment, and seven companies of the 2nd Regiment +Phalanx, commanded by Colonel Daniels, which constituted the garrison at +that point. Ship Island was the key to New Orleans. On the opposite +shore was a railroad leading to Mobile by which re-enforcements were +going forward to Charleston. Colonel Daniels conceived the idea of +destroying the road to prevent the transportation of the confederate +troops. Accordingly, with about two hundred men he landed at Pascagoula, +on the morning of the 9th of April. Pickets were immediately posted on +the outskirts of the town, while the main body marched up to the hotel. +Before long some confederate cavalry, having been apprised of the +movement, advanced, drove in the pickets, and commenced an attack on the +force occupying the town. The cavalry made a bold dash upon the left of +the negroes, which was the work of but a moment; the brave blacks met +their charge manfully, and emptied the saddles of the front rank, which +caused the rear ones first to halt and then retire. The blacks were +outnumbered, however, five to one, and finally were forced to abandon +the town; they went, taking with them the stars and stripes which they +had hoisted upon the hotel when entering it. They fell back towards the +river to give the gunboat "Jackson" a chance to shell their pursuers, +but the movement resulted in an apparently revengeful act on the part of +the crew of that vessel, they having previously had some of their number +killed in the course of a difficulty with a black sentry at Ship Island. + +The commanding officer of the land force, doubtless from prudential +reasons, omitted to state in his report that the men fought their way +through the town while being fired upon from house-tops and windows by +boys and women. That the gunboat opened fire directly on them when they +were engaged in a hand to hand conflict, which so completely cut off a +number of the men from the main body of the troops that their capture +appeared certain. Major Dumas, however, seeing the condition of things, +put spurs to his horse and went to their succor, reaching them just as a +company of the enemy's cavalry made a charge. The Major, placing himself +at the head of the hard-pressed men, not only repulsed the cavalry and +rescued the squad, but captured the enemy's standard-bearer. The +retreating force reached their transport with the loss of only one man; +they brought with them some prisoners and captured flags. Colonel +Daniels, in his report, speaks as follows of the heroism of the +soldiers: + +[Illustration: UNLOADING GOVT. STORES] + + * * * * + + "The expedition was a perfect success, accomplishing all + that was intended; resulting in the repulse of the enemy in + every engagement with great loss; whilst our casualty was + only two killed and eight wounded. Great credit is due to + the troops engaged, for their unflinching bravery and + steadiness under this their first fire, exchanging volley + after volley with the coolness of veterans; and for their + determined tenacity in maintaining their position, and + taking advantage of every success that their courage and + valor gave them; and also to their officers, who were cool + and determined throughout the action, fighting their + commands against five times their numbers, and confident + throughout of success,--all demonstrating to its fullest + extent that the oppression which they have heretofore + undergone from the hands of their foes, and the obloquy that + had been showered upon them by those who should have been + friends, had not extinguished their manhood, or suppressed + their bravery, and that they had still a hand to wield the + sword, and a heart to vitalize its blow. + + "I would particularly call the attention of the Department + to Major F. E. Dumas, Capt. Villeverd, and Lieuts. Jones and + Martin, who were constantly in the thickest of the fight, + and by their unflinching bravery, and admirable handling of + their commands, contributed to the success of the attack, + and reflected great honor upon the flag under and for which + they so nobly struggled. Repeated instances of individual + bravery among the troops might be mentioned; but it would be + invidious where all fought so manfully and so well. + + "I have the honor to be, most respectfully your obedient servant, + + "N. U. DANIELS, + + "_Col. Second Regiment La. N. G. Vols., Commanding Post._" + +The 2nd Regiment, with the exception of the Colonel, Lieut.-Colonel and +Adjutant, was officered by negroes, many of whom had worn the galling +chains of slavery, while others were men of affluence and culture from +New Orleans and vicinity. + +The 2nd Regiment had its full share of prejudice to contend with, and +perhaps suffered more from that cause than any other regiment of the +Phalanx. Once while loading transports at Algiers, preparatory to +embarking for Ship Island, they came in contact with a section of the +famous Nim's battery, rated as one of the finest in the service. The +arms of the 2nd Regiment were stacked and the men were busy in loading +the vessel, save a few who were doing guard duty over the ammunition +stored in a shed on the wharf. One of the battery-men attempted to enter +the shed with a lighted pipe in his mouth, but was prevented by the +guard. It was more than the Celt could stand to be ordered by a negro; +watching for a chance when the guard about-faced, he with several others +sprang upon him. The guard gave the Phalanx signal, and instantly +hundreds of black men secured their arms and rushed to the relief of +their comrade. The battery-men jumped to their guns, formed into line +and drew their sabres. Lieut.-Colonel Hall, who was in command of the +2nd Regiment, stepped forward and demanded to know of the commander of +the battery if his men wanted to take the men the guard had arrested. +"Yes," was the officer's reply, "I want you to give them up." "Not until +they are dealt with," said Colonel Hall. And then a shout and yell, such +as the Phalanx only were able to give, rent the air, and the abortive +menace was over. The gunners returned their sabres and resumed their +work. Col. Hall, who always had perfect control of his men, ordered the +guns stacked, put on a double guard, and the men of the 2nd Regiment +resumed their labor of loading the transport. Of course this was early +in the struggle, and before a general enlistment of the blacks. + +The first, second and third regiments of the Phalanx were the nucleus of +the one hundred and eighty that eventually did so much for the +suppression of the rebellion and the abolition of slavery. The 1st and +3rd Regiments went up the Mississippi; the 2nd garrisoned Ship Island +and Fort Pike, on Lake Pontchartrain, after protecting for several +months the Opelousa railroad, so much coveted by the confederates. + +A few weeks after the fight of the 2nd Regiment at Pascagoula, General +Banks laid siege to Port Hudson, and gathered there all the available +forces in his department. Among these were the 1st and 3rd Infantry +Regiments of the Phalanx. On the 23rd of May the federal forces, having +completely invested the enemy's works and made due preparation, were +ordered to make a general assault along the whole line. The attack was +intended to be simultaneous, but in this it failed. The Union batteries +opened early in the morning, and after a vigorous bombardment Generals +Weitzel, Grover and Paine, on the right, assaulted with vigor at 10 A. +M., while Gen. Augur in the center, and General W. T. Sherman on the +left, did not attack till 2 P. M. + +Never was fighting more heroic than that of the federal army and +especially that of the Phalanx regiments If valor could have triumphed +over such odds, the assaulting forces would have carried the works, but +only abject cowardice or pitiable imbecility could have lost such a +position under existing circumstances. The negro regiments on the north +side of the works vied with the bravest, making three desperate charges +on the confederate batteries, losing heavily, but maintaining their +position in the advance all the while. + +The column in moving to the attack went through the woods in their +immediate front, and then upon a plane, on the farther side of which, +half a mile distant, were the enemy's batteries. The field was covered +with recently felled trees, through the interlaced branches of which the +column moved, and for two or more hours struggled through the obstacles, +stepping over their comrades who fell among the entangled brushwood +pierced by bullets or torn by flying missiles, and braved the hurricane +of shot and shell. + +What did it avail to hurl a few thousand troops against those +impregnable works? The men were not iron, and were they, it would have +been impossible for them to have kept erect, where trees three feet in +diameter were crashed down upon them by the enemy's shot; they would +have been but as so many ten-pins set up before skillful players to be +knocked down. + +The troops entered an enfilading fire from a masked battery which opened +upon them as they neared the fort, causing the column first to halt, +then to waver and stagger; but it recovered and again pressed forward, +closing up the ranks as fast as the enemy's shells thinned them. On the +left the confederates had planted a six-gun battery upon an eminence, +which enabled them to sweep the field over which the advancing column +moved. In front was the large fort, while the right of the line was +raked by a redoubt of six pieces of artillery. One after another of the +works had been charged, but in vain. The Michigan, New York and +Massachusetts troops--braver than whom none ever fought a battle--had +been hurled back from the place, leaving the field strewn with their +dead and wounded. The works must be taken. General Nelson was ordered +by General Dwight to take the battery on the left. The 1st and 3rd +Regiments went forward at double quick time, and they were soon within +the line of the enemy's fire. Louder than the thunder of Heaven was the +artillery rending the air shaking the earth itself; cannons, mortars and +musketry alike opened a fiery storm upon the advancing regiments; an +iron shower of grape and round shot, shells and rockets, with a perfect +tempest of rifle bullets fell upon them. On they went and down, scores +falling on right and left. "The flag, the flag!" shouted the black +soldiers, as the standard-bearer's body was scattered by a shell. Two +file-closers struggled for its possession; a ball decided the struggle. +They fell faster and faster; shrieks, prayers and curses came up from +the fallen and ascended to Heaven. The ranks closed up while the column +turned obliquely toward the point of fire, seeming to forget they were +but men. Then the cross-fire of grape shot swept through their ranks, +causing the glittering bayonets to go down rapidly. "Steady men, +steady," cried bold Cailloux; his sword uplifted, his face the color of +the sulphureous smoke that enveloped him and his followers, as they felt +the deadly hail which came apparently from all sides. Captain +Cailloux[23] was killed with the colors in his hands; the column seemed +to melt away like snow in sunshine, before the enemy's murderous fire; +the pride, the flower of the Phalanx, had fallen. Then, with a daring +that veterans only can exhibit, the blacks rushed forward and up to the +brink and base of the fortified elevation, with a shout that rose above +it. The defenders emptied their rifles, cannon and mortars upon the very +heads of the brave assaulters, making of them a human hecatomb. Those +who escaped found their way back to shelter as best they could. + +[Illustration: PORT HUDSON. + +Brilliant charge of the Phalanx upon the Confederate works.] + +The battery was not captured; the battle was lost to all except the +black soldiers; they, with their terrible loss, had won and conquered a +much greater and stronger battery than that upon the bluff. Nature seems +to have selected the place and appointed the time for the negro to prove +his manhood and to disarm the prejudice that at one time prompted the +white troops to insult and assault the negro soldiers in New Orleans. It +was all forgotten and they mingled together that day on terms of perfect +equality. The whites were only too glad to take a drink from a negro +soldier's canteen, for in that trying hour they found a brave and +determined ally, ready to sacrifice all for liberty and country. If +greater heroism could be shown than that of the regiments of the Phalanx +already named, surely the 1st Regiment of Engineers displayed it during +the siege at Port Hudson. This regiment, provided with picks and spades +for the purpose of "mining" the enemy's works, often went forward to +their labor without any armed support except the cover of heavy guns, or +as other troops happened to advance, to throw up breastworks for their +own protection. It takes men of more than ordinary courage to engage in +such work, without even a revolver or a bayonet to defend themselves +against the sallies of an enemy's troops. Nevertheless this Engineer +Regiment of the black Phalanx performed the duty under such trying and +perilous circumstances. Many times they went forward at a double-quick +to do duty in the most dangerous place during an engagement, perhaps to +build a redoubt or breastworks behind a brigade, or to blow up a bastion +of the enemy's. "They but reminded the lookers on," said a correspondent +of a Western newspaper, "of just so many cattle going to a +slaughterhouse." + +A writer, speaking of the other regiments of the Phalanx, says: + + "They were also on trial that day, and justified the most + sanguine expectations by their good conduct. Not that they + fought better than our white veterans; they did not and + could not." + +But there had been so much incredulity avowed regarding the courage of +the negroes; so much wit lavished on the idea of negroes fighting to any +purpose, that General Banks was justified in according a special +commendation to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regiments, and to the 1st Engineer +Regiment, of the Phalanx, saying, "No troops could be more determined or +daring." The 1st lost its Cailloux, the 2nd its Paine, but the Phalanx +won honor for the race it represented. No higher encomium could be paid +a regiment than that awarded the gallant 2nd by the poet Boker: + +"THE BLACK REGIMENT, OR THE SECOND LOUISIANA AT THE STORMING OF PORT +HUDSON. + + Dark as the clouds of even, + Banked in the western heaven, + Waiting the breath that lifts + All the dread mass, and drifts + Tempest and falling brand, + Over a ruined land-- + So still and orderly + Arm to arm, and knee to knee + Waiting the great event, + Stands the Black Regiment. + + Down the long dusky line + Teeth gleam and eyeballs shine; + And the bright bayonet, + Bristling and firmly set, + Flashed with a purpose grand, + Long ere the sharp command + Of the fierce rolling drum + Told them their time had come-- + Told them what work was sent + For the Black Regiment. + + 'Now,' the flag sergeant cried, + 'Though death and hell betide, + Let the whole nation see + If we are fit to be, + Free in this land; or bound + Down like the whining hound-- + Bound with red stripes of pain + In our old chains again!' + Oh! what a shout there went + From the Black Regiment. + + 'Charge!' trump and drum awoke; + Onward the bondmen broke + Bayonet and sabre stroke + Vainly opposed their rush + Through the wild battle's crush, + With but one thought aflush, + Driving their lords like chaff, + + In the gun's mouth they laugh; + Or at the slippery brands + Leaping with open hands, + Down they tear, man and horse, + Down in their awful course; + Trampling with bloody heel + Over the crashing steel, + All their eyes forward bent, + Rushed the Black Regiment. + + 'Freedom!' their battle cry, + 'Freedom!' or leave to die!' + Ah! and they meant the word, + Not as with us its heard, + Nor a mere party shout, + They gave their spirits out; + Trusted the end to God, + And on the gory sod + Rolled in triumphant blood, + Glad to strike one free blow, + Whether for weal or woe; + Glad to breathe one free breath, + Though on the lips of death + Praying--alas! in vain! + That they might fall again, + So they could once more see + That burst of liberty! + This was what 'Freedom' lent + To the Black Regiment. + + Hundreds on hundreds fell; + But they are resting well; + Scourges and shackles strong + Never shall do them wrong. + Oh! to the living few, + Soldiers, be just and true! + Hail them as comrades tried; + Fight with them side by side; + Never in field or tent, + Scorn the Black Regiment." + + [See Appendix for further matter relating to the Department + of the Gulf.] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[22] In November, while the 2nd Regiment was guarding the Opelousas +railway, about twenty miles from Algiers, La., their pickets were fired +upon, and quite a skirmish and firing was kept up during the night. Next +morning the cane field along the railroad was searched but no trace of +the firing party was found. A company of the 8th Vermont (white) +Regiment was encamped below that of the 2nd Regiment, but they broke +camp that night and left. The supposition was that it was this company +who fired upon and drove in the pickets of the Phalanx regiment. + +[23] Captain Andre Cailloux fell, gallantly leading his men (Co. E) in +the attack. With many others of the charging column, his body lay +between the lines of the Confederates and Federals, but nearer the works +of the former, whose sharpshooters guarded it night and day, and thus +prevented his late comrades from removing it. Several attempts were made +to obtain the body, but each attempt was met with a terrific storm of +lead. It was not until after the surrender that his remains were +recovered, and then taken to his native city, New Orleans. The writer of +this volume, himself wounded, was in the city at the time, and witnessed +the funeral pageant of the dead hero, the like of which was never before +seen in that, nor, perhaps, in any other American city, in honor of a +dead negro. The negro captains of the 2nd Regiment acted as +pall-bearers, while a long procession of civic societies followed in the +rear of detachments of the Phalanx. A correspondent who witnessed the +scene thus describes it: + + " * * * * The arrival of the body developed to the white + population here that the colored people had powerful + organizations in the form of civic societies; as the Friends + of the Order, of which Capt. Cailloux was a prominent + member, received the body, and had the coffin containing it, + draped with the American flag, exposed in state in the + commodious hall. Around the coffin, flowers were strewn in + the greatest profusion, and candles were kept continually + burning. All the rites of the Catholic Church were strictly + complied with. The guard paced silently to and fro, and + altogether it presented as solemn a scene as was ever + witnessed. + + "In due time, the band of the Forty-second Massachusetts + Regiment made its appearance, and discoursed the customary + solemn airs. The officiating priest, Father Le Maistre, of + the Church of St. Rose of Lima, who has paid not the least + attention to the excommunication and denunciations issued + against him by the archbishop of this this diocese, then + performed the Catholic service for the dead. After the + regular services, he ascended to the president's chair, and + delivered a glowing and eloquent eulogy on the virtues of + the deceased. He called upon all present to offer + themselves, as Cailloux had done, martyrs to the cause of + justice, freedom, and good government. It was a death the + proudest might envy. + + "Immense crowds of colored people had by this time gathered + around the building, and the streets leading thereto were + rendered almost impassable. Two companies of the Sixth + Louisiana (colored) Regiment, from their camp on the Company + Canal, were there to act as an escort; and Esplanade Street, + for more than a mile, was lined with colored societies, both + male and female, in open order, waiting for the hearse to + pass through. + + "After a short pause, a sudden silence fell upon the crowd, + the band commenced playing a dirge; and the body was brought + from the hall on the shoulders of eight soldiers, escorted + by six members of the society, and six colored captains, who + acted as pall-bearers. The corpse was conveyed to the hearse + through a crowd composed of both white and black people, and + in silence profound as death itself. Not a sound was heard + save the mournful music of the band, and not a head in all + that vast multitude but was uncovered. + + "The procession then moved off in the following order: The + hearse containing the body, with Capts. J. W. Ringgold, W. + B. Barrett, S. J. Wilkinson, Eugene Mailleur, J. A. Glea, + and A. St. Leger, (all of whom, we believe, belong to the + Second Louisiana Native Guards), and six members of The + Friends of the Order, as pall-bearers; about a hundred + convalescent sick and wounded colored soldiers; the two + companies of the Sixth Regiment; a large number of colored + officers of all native guard regiments; the carriages + containing Capt. Cailloux's family, and a number of army + officers; followed by a large number of private individuals, + and thirty-seven civic and religious societies. + + "After moving through the principal down-town streets the + body was taken to the Beinville-street cemetery, and there + interred with military honors due his rank." * * + + The following lines were penned at the time: + + ANDRE CAILLOUX. + + He lay just where he fell, + Soddening in a fervid summer's sun. + Guarded by an enemy's hissing shell, + Rotting beneath the sound of rebels' gun + Forty consecutive days, + In sight of his own tent. + And the remnant of his regiment. + + He lay just where he fell. + Nearest the rebel's redoubt and trench, + Under the very fire of hell, + A volunteer in a country's defence, + Forty consecutive days. + And not a murmur of discontent, + Went from the loyal black regiment. + + A flag of truce couldn't save, + No, nor humanity could not give + This sable warrior a hallowed grave. + Nor army of the Gulf retrieve. + Forty consecutive days, + His lifeless body pierced and rent, + Leading in assault the black regiment. + + But there came days at length, + When Hudson felt their blast, + Though less a thousand in strength, + For "our leader" vowed the last; + Forty consecutive days + They stormed, they charged, God sent + Victory to the loyal black regiment. + + He lay just where he fell, + And now the ground was their's, + Around his mellowed corpse, heavens tell, + How his comrades for freedom swears. + Forty consecutive nights + The advance pass-word went. + Captain Cailloux of the black regiment. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE ARMY OF THE FRONTIER. + + +At the Far West the fires of liberty and union burned no less brightly +upon the altar of the negro's devotion than at the North, East and +South. The blacks of Iowa responded with alacrity to the call of the +governor to strengthen the Army of the Ohio. Though the negro population +was sparse--numbering in 1860, only 1069--and thinly scattered over the +territory, and were enjoying all the rights and privileges of American +citizenship, nevertheless they gave up the luxuries of happy homes, +threw down their implements of peaceful industry, broke from the loving +embrace of wives and children, and with the generous patriotism which +has always characterized the conduct of the race, they rushed to the aid +of their yet oppressed countrymen, and the defense of the Union. + +The Gibralters of the Mississippi, Vicksburg and Port Hudson, had fallen +by the might of the Union armies; the Mississippi was open to the Gulf. +The shattered ranks of the victorious troops, and the depleted ranks of +the Phalanx, rent and torn by the enemy during the long siege of Port +Hudson, lent an inspiring zeal to the negroes of the country, which +manifested itself in the rapidity of the enlistment of volunteers to +fill up the gaps. + +[Illustration: A PHALANX REGIMENT RECEIVING A GIFT OF COLORS.] + +In August, 1863, the authorities of the State of Iowa began the +enlistment of negroes as a part of her quota. Keokuk was selected as the +place of rendezvous. On the 11th of the following October nine full +companies under the command of Colonel John G. Hudson, took the oath of +allegiance to the United States, and became a part of the active +military force of the National Government. The regiment was designated +the 1st A. D. (African Descent) Regiment Iowa Volunteers, and was +mustered for three years, or during the war. Leaving Keokuk Barracks, +the regiment proceeded to St. Louis, Mo., and was quartered in Benton +Barracks, as a part of the forces under command of Major-General J. M. +Schofield. Here company G. joined the regiment, making ten full +companies. A memorable and patriotic incident occurred here: Mrs. I. N. +Triplet, in behalf of the ladies of the State of Iowa, and of the city +of Muscatine, presented the regiment with a beautiful silk national +flag, which was carried through the storms of battle, and returned at +the close of the war to the State. + +On the first day of January, 1864, the regiment was ordered to report to +General Beaufort at Helena, Ark., becoming a part of the garrison of +that place until the following March. + +One Sergeant Phillips, with some others, agitated the propriety of +refusing to accept the seven dollars per month offered them by the +Government, and of refusing to do duty on account of it. Sergeant +Barton, however, held it was better to serve without pay than to refuse +duty, as the enforcement of the President's Emancipation Proclamation +was essential to the freedom of the negro race. To this latter the +regiment agreed, and passed concurrent resolutions, which quelled a +discussion which otherwise might have led to mutiny. + +While the regiment was at Helena it took part in several skirmishes and +captured a number of prisoners. In July, Colonel W. S. Brooks, in +command of the 56th, 60th, and a detachment of the 3rd Artillery Phalanx +Regiment, with two field guns, sallied out of Helena and proceeded down +the Mississippi River, to the mouth of White River, on a transport. Here +the troops disembarked. The next morning, after marching all night, +Brooks halted his command for breakfast; arms were stacked and the men +became scattered over the fields. Suddenly, General Dobbins, at the head +of a superior confederate force, made an attack upon them; the +confederates at first formed no regular line of battle, but rushed +pell-mell on the scattered federals, intending, doubtless, to annihilate +them at once. The Union men soon recovered their arms, but before they +got into line, their commander, Colonel Brooks, had been killed, and +Captain Ransey of Co. C, 60th Regiment, assumed command. The men of the +Phalanx, though they had had but a short time to rest from a long march, +rallied with the ardor of veterans, and fought with that desperation +that men display when they realize that the struggle is either victory +or death. It was not a question of numbers with them; it was one of +existence, and the Phalanx resolved itself into a seeming column of iron +to meet the foe as it rushed over the bodies of their dead and wounded +with the rage of madmen. + +The two field guns, skillfully handled by black artillery-men, did good +work, plowing huge furrows through the assailants and throwing them into +confusion at every charge. Still the confederates, having finally +organized into line of battle, continued to charge after each repulse, +pouring a terrific fire upon the United States force at each advance. It +seemed as if the Phalanx must surrender; they were outnumbered two to +one, and every line officer was dead or wounded. Sergeant Triplet was +directing the fire of Company C; the artillery sergeant was in command +of the field guns, and worked them well for two long hours. The enemy's +sharpshooters stationed in the trees no longer selected their victims, +for one man of the Phalanx was as conspicuous as another. + +Yet another assault was made; firm stood the little band of iron men, +not flinching, not moving, though the dead lay thick before them. The +cannon belched out their grape shot, the musketry rattled, and once more +the enemy fled back to the woods with ranks disordered. Thus from six +o'clock till noonday did the weary soldiers hold their foes back. The +situation became critical with the Phalanx. Their ammunition was nearly +exhausted; a few more rounds and their bayonets would be their only +protection against a massacre; this fact however, did not cool their +determination. + +In front and on their flanks the enemy began massing for a final onset. +For five hours the Phalanx had fought like tigers, against a ruthless +foe, and though no black flag warned them, they were not unmindful of +the fate of their comrades at Fort Pillow. General Dobbins was evidently +preparing to sweep the field. Several times already had he sent his men +to annihilate the blacks, and as many times had they been repulsed. +There was no time for the Phalanx soldiers to manoeuvre; they were in +the closing jaws of death, and though they felt the day was lost, their +courage did not forsake them; it was indeed a dreadful moment. The enemy +was about to move upon them, when suddenly a shout,--not the yell of a +foe, was heard in the enemy's rear, and the next moment a detachment of +the 15th Illinois Cavalry, under command of Major Carminchæl, broke +through the confederate ranks and rushed to the support of the Phalanx, +aligning themselves with the black soldiers, amid the cheers of the +latter. Gathering up their dead and wounded, the federal force now began +a retreat, stubbornly yielding, inch by inch, each foot of ground, until +night threw her mantle of darkness over the scene and the confederates +ceased their firing. The Phalanx loss was 50, while that of the enemy +was 150. At the beginning couriers were dispatched to Helena for +re-enforcements, and Colonel Hudson, with the remainder of the Phalanx +troops, reached them at night too late to be of any assistance, as the +confederates did not follow the retreating column. + +Two days later, Colonel Hudson, with all the available men of the two +Phalanx regiments,--60th, 56th and a detachment of the 3rd Phalanx +artillery, with two cannons,--went down the Mississippi and up the White +river, disembarked and made a three days march across the country, where +the enemy was found entrenched. The Phalanx, after a spirited contest, +drove them out of their works, burned their store, captured a few Texas +rangers and returned to Helena. In March, 1865, the 60th Regiment was +ordered to join Brig.-Gen. Reynolds' command at Little Rock, where the +regiment was brigaded with the 57th, 59th and 83rd Phalanx regiments. +The brigade was ordered to Texas overland, but the surrender of General +Lee to Grant obviated this march. The gallant 60th was mustered out at +Davenport, Iowa, on the 2nd of November, 1865, "where," says Sergeant +Burton, the regimental historian, "they were greeted by the authorities +and the loyal thousands of Iowa." + +Kansas has undoubtedly the honor of being the first State in the Union +to _begin_ the organization of negroes as soldiers for the Federal army. +The State was admitted into the Union January 29, 1861, after a long +reign of hostilities within her borders, carried on by the same +character of men and strictly for the same purpose which brought on the +war of the Great Rebellion. In fact, it was but a transfer of +hostilities from Missouri and Kansas to South Carolina and Virginia. +Missouri and the South had been whipped out of Kansas and the territory +admitted into the Union as a free State. This single fact was accepted +by the South as a precursor of the policy of the incoming Republican +administration, and three Southern senators resigned or left the United +States Senate before the vote was taken for the admission of Kansas. The +act of admitting Kansas as a free State, was the torch that inflamed the +South, and led to the firing upon Fort Sumter the following April. The +men of Kansas had long been inured to field service, and used to +practice with Sharps' rifles. The men of Kansas, more than in any other +State of the Union, had a right to rush to the defence of the Federal +government, and they themselves felt so. + +On the 9th of February, eleven days after the admission of the State +into the Union, Governor Robinson took the oath of office, and on the +15th of April President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand +volunteers. The first regiment responded to the call by the close of +May; others speedily followed, until Kansas had in the field 20,000 +soldiers. Of the regiments and companies which represented this State in +the Federal army, several were composed of negroes, with a slight +mixture of Indians. + +It has been no easy task to learn about these regiments, but, after a +long search, the writer has been enabled, through the patriotic efforts +of Governor Crawford, of Kansas, who is also ex-Colonel of the 2nd +Kansas Regiment, to find Mr. J. B. McAfee, late chaplain of the same +regiment and Adjutant-General of Kansas, now engaged in business in +Topeka. With the finding of Mr. McAfee came another difficulty; the +report of the Adjutant-General, containing an account of the regiments +in the war, had been accidentally burned before leaving the printing +office. This difficulty was overcome, however, by the consideration ever +shown the negro by Mr. McAfee, who kindly loaned his only volume of the +"Military History of Kansas." + +The service rendered by the Phalanx soldiery of Kansas stands second to +none upon the records of that State. Their patriotism was nothing less +than a fitting return for the love of liberty shown by the Free State +men in rescuing Kansas from the clutches of the slave power. The +discussions at the national capitol pointed Kansas out to the negro as a +place where he might enjoy freedom in common with all other American +citizens. He regarded it then as he does now,[24] the _acme_ of +Republican States. Those negroes who enjoyed and appreciated the +sentiment that made her so, were determined as far as they were able, to +stand by the men who had thus enlarged the area of freedom. + +Without comment upon the bravery of these troops, the report is +submitted of their conduct in camp, field, on the march and in battle, +as made by those who commanded them on various occasions. + +"On the 4th day of August, 1862, Captain James M. Williams, Co. F, 5th +Kansas Cavalry, was appointed by Hon. James H. Lane, Recruiting +Commissioner for that portion of Kansas lying north of the Kansas River, +for the purpose of recruiting and organizing a regiment of infantry for +the United States service, to be composed of men of African descent. He +immediately commenced the work of recruiting by securing the muster-in +of recruiting officers with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, and by procuring +supplies from the Ordnance Quartermaster and Commissary departments, +and by establishing in the vicinity of Leavenworth a camp of rendezvous +and instruction. + +"Capt. H. C. Seaman was about the same time commissioned with like +authority for that portion of Kansas lying south of the Kansas river. +The work of recruiting went forward with rapidity, the intelligent +portion of the colored people entering into the work heartily, and +evincing by their actions a willing readiness to link their future and +share the perils with their white brethren in the war of the rebellion, +which then waged with such violence as to seriously threaten the +nationality and life of the Republic. + +"Within sixty days five hundred men were recruited and placed in camp, +and a request made that a battallion be mustered into the United States +service. This request was not complied with, and the reasons assigned +were wholly unsatisfactory, yet accompanied with assurances of such a +nature as to warrant the belief that but a short time would elapse ere +the request would be complied with. + +"In the meantime complications with the civil authorities in the +Northern District had arisen, which at one time threatened serious +results. These complications originated from the following causes, each +affecting different classes: + +"1st.--An active sympathy with the rebellion. + +"2nd.--An intolerant prejudice against the colored race, which would +deny them the honorable position in society which every soldier is +entitled to, even though he gained that position at the risk of his life +in the cause of the nation, which could ill afford to refuse genuine +sympathy and support from any quarter. + +"3rd.--On the part of a few genuine loyalists who believed that this +attempt to enlist colored men would not be approved by the War +Department, and that the true interests of the colored man demanded that +their time should not be vainly spent in the effort. + +"4th.--A large class who believed that the negro did not possess the +necessary qualifications to make efficient soldiers, and that +consequently the experiment would result in defeat, disaster and +disgrace. + +"Col. Williams, acting under the orders of his military superiors felt +that it was no part of his duty to take council of any or all of these +classes. He saw no course for him to pursue but to follow his +instructions to the letter. Consequently, when the civil authorities +placed themselves in direct opposition to those of the military, by +arresting and confining the men of the command on the most frivolous +charges, and indicting their commanders for crime, such as unlawfully +restraining persons of their liberty, &c., by enforcing proper military +discipline, he ignored the right of the civil authorities to interfere +with his military actions in a military capacity and under proper +authority. + +"On the 28th of October, 1862, a command consisting of detachments from +Captain Seaman's and Captain William's recruits, were moved and camped +near Butler. This command--about two hundred and twenty-five men, under +Captain Seaman,--was attacked by a confederate force of about five +hundred, commanded by Colonel Cockrell but after a severe engagement the +enemy was defeated with considerable loss. The negro loss was ten killed +and twelve wounded, including Captain A. J. Crew; a gallant young +officer, being among the first mentioned. The next morning the command +was re-enforced by a few recruits under command of Captain J. M. +Williams, when the enemy was pursued a considerable distance but without +further fighting. This is supposed to have been the first engagement in +the war in which colored troops were actually engaged. The work of +recruiting, drilling and disciplining the regiment was continued under +the adverse circumstances until the 13th of January, 1863, when a +battallion of six companies, formed by the consolidation of Colonel +Williams' recruits with those of Captain Seaman, was mustered into the +U. S. service by Lieutenant Sabin, of the regular army. Between January +13th and May 2nd, 1863, the other four companies were organized, when +the regimental organization was completed, appears by the roster of the +regiment. + +[Illustration: PHALANX SOLDIERS REPELLING AN ATTACK.] + +"Immediately after its organization, the regiment was ordered to Baxter +Springs, where it arrived in May, 1863, and the work of drilling the +regiment was vigorously prosecuted. + +"Parts of two companies of the regiment, and a detachment of cavalry, +and one piece of artillery, made a diversion on Shawnee, Mo. attacked +and dispersed a small opposing force and captured five prisoners. + +"While encamped here, on the 18th of May, a foraging party, consisting +of twenty-five men from the Phalanx regiment and twenty men of the 2nd +Kansas Battery, Major R. G. Ward commanding, was sent into Jasper +County, Mo. This party was surprised and attacked by a force of three +hundred confederates commanded by Major Livingston, and defeated, with a +loss of sixteen killed and five prisoners, three of which belonged to +the 2nd Kansas Battery and two of the black regiment. The men of the 2nd +Kansas Battery were afterwards exchanged under a flag of truce for a +like number of prisoners captured by the negro regiment. Livingston +refused to exchange the black prisoners in his possession, and gave as +his excuse that he should hold them subject to the orders of the +confederate War Department. Shortly after this Col. Williams received +information that one of the prisoners held by Livingston had been +murdered by the enemy. He immediately sent a flag of truce to Livingston +demanding the body of the person who committed the barbarous act. +Receiving an evasive and unsatisfactory reply, Col. Williams determined +to convince the Major that was a game at which two could play, and +directed that one of the prisoners in his possession be shot, and within +thirty minutes the order was executed. He immediately informed Major +Livingston of his action, sending the information by the same party that +brought the despatch to him. Suffice it to say that this ended the +barbarous practice of murdering prisoners of war, so far as Livingston's +command was concerned. + +"Colonel Williams says: + + 'I visited the scene of this engagement the morning after + its occurrence, and for the first time beheld the horrible + evidences of the demoniac spirit of these rebel fiends in + their treatment of our dead and wounded. Men were found with + their brains beaten out with clubs, and the bloody weapons + left by their sides and their bodies most horribly + mutilated.' + +"It was afterwards ascertained that the force who attacked this foraging +party consisted partially of citizens of the neighborhood, who, while +enjoying the protection of our armies, had collected together to assist +the rebel forces in this attack. Colonel Williams directed that the +region of country within a radius of five miles from the scene of +conflict should be devastated, and is of opinion that this effectually +prevented a like occurrence in the same neighborhood. + +"Subsequently, while on this expedition, the command captured a prisoner +in arms who had upon his person the evidence of having been paroled by +the commanding officer at Fort Scott, Kansas, he was shot on the spot. + +"The regiment remained in camp at Baxter Springs until the 27th of June, +1863, when it struck tents and marched for Fort Gibson in connection +with a large supply train from Fort Scott _en route_ to the former +place. + +"Colonel Williams had received information that satisfied him that the +train would be attacked in the neighborhood of Cabin Creek, Cherokee +Nation. He communicated this information to Lieutenant-Colonel Dodd, of +the 2nd Colorado Infantry, who was in command of the escort, and +volunteered to move his regiment in such manner as would be serviceable +in case the expected attack should be made. The escort proper to the +train consisted of six companies of the 2nd Colorado Infantry, a +detachment of three companies of cavalry from the 6th and 9th Kansas, +and one section of the 2nd Kansas Battery. This force was joined, on the +28th of June, by three hundred men from the Indian Brigade, commanded by +Major Foreman, making altogether a force of about eight hundred +effective men. + +"On arriving at Cabin Creek, July 1st, 1863, the rebels were met in +force--under command of Gen. Cooper. Some skirmishing occurred on that +day, when it was ascertained that the enemy occupied a strong position +on the south bank of the creek, and upon trial it was found that the +stream was not fordable for infantry, on account of a recent shower, but +it was supposed that the swollen current would have sufficiently +subsided by the next morning to allow the infantry to cross. The +regiment then took a strong position on the north side of the stream and +camped for the night. After a consultation of officers, it was agreed +that the train should be parked in the open prairie and guarded by three +companies of the 2nd Colorado and a detachment of one hundred men of the +1st Colorado, and that the balance of the troops, Col. Williams +commanding, should engage the enemy and drive him from his position. + +"Accordingly, the next morning, July 2nd, 1863, the command moved, which +consisted of the 1st Kansas Volunteer Colored Infantry, three companies +of the 2nd Colorado Infantry, commanded by the gallant Major Smith, of +that regiment, the detachments of cavalry and Indian troops before +mentioned and four pieces of artillery, making altogether a force of +about twelve hundred men. With this force, after an engagement of two +hours duration, the enemy was dislodged and driven from his position in +great disorder, with a loss of one hundred killed and wounded and eight +prisoners. The loss on our side was eight killed and twenty-five +wounded, including Major Foreman, who was shot from his horse while +attempting to lead his men across the creek under the fire of the enemy, +and Captain Ethan Earl, of the 1st Colored, who was wounded at the head +of his company. This was the first battle in which the whole regiment +had been engaged, and here they evinced a coolness and true soldiery +spirit which inspired the officers in command with that confidence which +subsequent battle scenes satisfactorily proved was not unfounded. + +"The road being now open, the entire command proceeded to Fort Gibson, +where it arrived on the evening of the 5th of July, 1863. On the 16th of +July the entire force at Fort Gibson, under command of Gen. Blunt, moved +upon the enemy, about six thousand strong, commanded by Gen. Cooper, and +encamped at Honey Springs, twenty miles south of Fort Gibson. Our forces +came upon the enemy on the morning of the 17th of July, and after a +sharp and bloody engagement of two hours' duration, the enemy was +totally defeated, with a loss of four hundred killed and wounded, and +one hundred prisoners. At the height of the engagement, Gen. Blunt +ordered Colonel Williams to move his regiment against that portion of +the enemy's line held by the 29th and 30th Texas regiments and a rebel +battery, with directions to charge them if he thought he could carry and +hold the position. The regiment was moved at a shoulder arms, pieces +loaded and bayonets fixed, under a sharp fire, to within forty paces of +the rebel lines, without firing a shot. The regiment then halted and +poured into their ranks a well directed volley of 'buck and ball' from +the entire line, such as to throw them into perfect confusion, from +which they could not immediately recover. Col. Williams' intention was, +after the delivery of this volley, to charge their line and capture +their battery, which the effect of this volley had doubtless rendered it +possible for him to accomplish. But he was at that instant rendered +insensible from gunshot wounds, and the next officer in rank, +Lieutenant-Colonel Bowles, not being aware of his intentions, the +project was not fully carried out. Had the movement been made as +contemplated, the entire rebel line must have been captured. As it was, +most of the enemy escaped, receiving a lesson, however, which taught +them not to despise on the battle field the race they had long +tyrannized over as having 'no rights which a white man was bound to +respect.' + +"Colonel Williams says: + + 'I had long been of the opinion that this race had a right + to kill rebels, and this day proved their capacity for the + work. Forty prisoners and one battle flag fell into the + hands of my regiment on this field.' + +"The loss to the regiment in this engagement was five killed and +thirty-two wounded. After this, the regiment returned to Fort Gibson and +went into camp, where it remained until the month of September, when it +again moved with the Division against the confederate force under +General Cooper, who fled at our approach. + +"After a pursuit of one hundred miles, and across the Canadian river to +Perryville, in the Choctaw Nation, all hopes of bringing them to an +engagement was abandoned, and the command returned to camp on the site +of the confederate Fort Davis, situated on the south side of the +Arkansas river, near its junction with Grand river. + +"The regiment remained in this camp, doing but little duty, until +October, when orders were received to proceed to Fort Smith, where it +arrived during the same month. At this point it remained until December +1st, making a march to Waldron and returning via Roseville, Arkansas, +and in the same month went into winter quarters at the latter place, +situated fifty miles east of Fort Smith, on the Arkansas river. The +regiment remained at Roseville until March, 1864, when the command moved +to join the forces of Gen. Steele, then about starting on what was known +as the Camden Expedition. Joining Gen. Steele's command at the Little +Missouri river, distant twenty-two miles northeast of Washington, +Arkansas, the entire command moved upon the enemy, posted on the west +side of Prairie de Anne, and within fifteen miles of Washington. The +enemy fled, and our forces occupied their works without an engagement. + +"The pursuit of the enemy in this direction was abandoned. The command +arrived at Camden on the 16th of April, 1864, and occupied the place +with its strong fortifications without opposition. On the day following, +Colonel Williams started with five hundred men of the 1st Colorado, two +hundred Cavalry, detailed from the 2nd, 6th and 14th, Kansas regiments, +and one section of the 2nd Indian Battery, with a train to load forage +and provisions at a point twenty miles west of Camden, on the Washington +road. On the 17th he reached the place and succeeded in loading about +two-thirds of the train, which consisted of two hundred wagons. At dawn +the command moved towards Camden, and loaded the balance of the wagons +from plantations by the wayside. At a point fourteen miles west of +Camden the advance encountered a small force of the enemy, who, after a +slight skirmishing, retreated down the road in such a manner as to lead +Col. Williams to suspect that this movement was a feint intended to +cover other movements or to draw the command into an ambuscade. + +"Just previous to this he had been re-enforced by a detachment of three +hundred men of the 18th Iowa Infantry, and one hundred additional +cavalry, commanded by Capt. Duncan, of the 18th Iowa. + +"In order to prevent any surprise, all detached foraging parties were +called in, and the original command placed in the advance, leaving the +rear in charge of Captain Duncan's command, with orders to keep flankers +well out and to guard cautiously against a surprise. Colonel Williams at +the front, with skirmishers and flankers well out, advanced cautiously +to a point about one and a half miles distant, sometimes called Cross +Roads, but more generally known as Poison Springs, where he came upon a +skirmish line of the enemy, which tended to confirm his previous +suspicion of the character and purpose of the enemy. He therefore closed +up the train as well as possible in this thickly timbered region, and +made the necessary preparations for fighting. He directed the cavalry, +under Lieutenant Henderson, of the 6th, and Mitchell, of the 2nd, to +charge and penetrate the rebel line of skirmishers, in order to develop +their strength and intentions. The movement succeeded most admirably in +its purposes, and the development was such that it convinced Colonel +Williams that he had before him a struggle of no ordinary magnitude. + +"The cavalry, after penetrating the skirmish line, came upon a strong +force of the enemy, who repulsed and forced them back to their original +line, not, however, without hard fighting and severe loss on our part in +killed and wounded, including in the latter the gallant Lieutenant +Henderson, who afterwards fell into the hands of the enemy. + +"The enemy now opened on our lines with ten pieces of artillery--six in +front and four on the right flank. From a prisoner Colonel Williams +learned that the force of the enemy was from eight to ten thousand, +commanded by Generals Price and Maxey. These developments and this +information convinced him that he could not hope to defeat the enemy; +but as there was no way to escape with the train except through their +lines, and as the train and its contents were indispensable to the very +existence of our forces at Camden, who were then out of provisions, he +deemed it to be his duty to defend the train to the last extremity, +hoping that our forces at Camden, on learning of the engagement, would +attack the enemy in his rear, thus relieving his command and saving the +train. + +"With this determination, he fought the enemy's entire force from 10 A. +M. until 2 P. M., repulsing three successive assaults and inflicting +upon the enemy severe loss. + +"In his report Colonel Williams says: + + 'The conflict during these four hours was the most terrific + and deadly in its character of any that has ever fallen + under my observation.' + +"At 2 P. M. nearly one-half of our force engaged had been placed _hors +de combat_, and the remainder were out of ammunition. No supplies +arriving, the Colonel was reluctantly compelled to abandon the train to +the enemy and save as much of the command as possible by taking to the +swamps and canebrakes and making for Camden by a circuitous route, +thereby preventing pursuit by cavalry. In this manner most of the +command that was not disabled in the field reached Camden during the +night of the 18th. For a more specific and statistical report of this +action, in which the loss to the 1st Colored alone was 187 men and +officers, the official report of Colonel J. M. Williams is herewith +submitted: + + 'CAMDEN, ARKANSAS. April 24, 1867. + + 'CAPTAIN:--I have the honor to submit the following report + of a foraging expedition under my command: + + 'In obedience to verbal orders received from + Brigadier-General Thayer, I left Camden, Arkansas on the + 11th instant with 695 men and two guns, with a forage train + of 198 wagons. + + 'I proceeded westerly on the Washington road a distance of + eighteen miles, where I halted the train and dispatched part + of it in different directions to load; one hundred wagons + with a large part of the command, under Major Ward, being + sent six miles beyond the camp. These wagons returned to + camp at midnight, nearly all loaded with corn. + + 'At sunrise on the 18th, the command started on the return, + loading the balance of the train as it proceeded, there + being but a few wagon loads of corn to be found at any one + place. I was obliged to detail portions of the command in + different directions to load the wagons, until nearly all of + my available force was so employed. + + 'At a point known as Cross Roads, four miles west of my + camping ground, I was met by a re-enforcement of three + hundred and seventy-five men of the 18th Iowa Infantry, + commanded by Capt. Duncan, twenty-five men of the 6th + Kansas, Lieut. Phillips commanding, forty-five men of the + 2nd Kansas Cavalry, Lieut. Ross commanding, twenty men of + the 14th Kansas Cavalry, Lieut. Smith commanding, and two + mountain howitzers from the 6th Kansas Cavalry, Lieut. + Walker commanding,--in all, 465 men and two mountain + howitzers. These, added to my former command, made my entire + force consist of eight hundred and seventy-five, two hundred + and eighty-five cavalry, and four guns. But the excessive + fatigue of the preceeding day, coming as it did at the close + of a toilsome march of twenty-four hours without halting, + had so affected the infantry that fully one hundred of the + 1st Kansas Colored were rendered unfit for duty. Many of the + cavalry had, in violation of orders, straggled from their + command, so that at this time my effective force did not + exceed one thousand men. + + 'At a point one mile east of this, my advance came upon a + picket of the enemy, which was driven back one mile, when a + line of the enemy's skirmishers presented itself. Here I + halted the train, formed a line of the small force I then + had in advance, and ordered that portion of the 1st Kansas + Colored which had previously been guarding the rear of the + train to the front, and gave orders for the train to be + packed as closely as the nature of the ground would permit. + I also opened a fire upon the enemy's line from the section + of the 2nd Indiana Battery, for the double purpose of + ascertaining if possible if the enemy had artillery in + position in front, and also to draw in some foraging parties + which had previously been dispatched upon either flank of + the train. No response was elicited save a brisk fire from + the enemy's skirmishers. + + 'Meanwhile, the remainder of the first Kansas Colored had + come to the front, as also three detachments, which formed + part of the original escort, which I formed in line facing + to the front, with a detachment of the 14th Kansas Cavalry, + on my right, and detachments of the 2nd and 6th Kansas + Cavalry on the left flank. I also sent orders to Capt. + Duncan, commanding the 18th Iowa Infantry, to so dispose of + his regiment and the cavalry and howitzers which came out + with him as to protect the rear of the train, and to keep a + sharp lookout for a movement upon his rear and right flank. + + 'Meanwhile a movement of the enemy's infantry toward my + right flank had been observed through the thick brush which + covered the face of the country in that direction. Seeing + this, I ordered forward the cavalry on my right, under + Lieuts. Mitchell and Henderson, with orders to press the + enemy's line, force it if possible, and at all events to + ascertain his position and strength, fearing as I did that + the silence of the enemy in front was but for the purpose of + drawing me on to the open ground which lay in my front. At + this juncture, a rebel rode into my lines and inquired for + Col. DeMorse. From him I learned that General Price was in + command of the rebel force and that Col. DeMorse was in + command of the force on my right. + + 'The cavalry had advanced but four hundred yards, when a + brisk fire of musketry was opened upon them from the brush, + which they returned with true gallantry, but were forced to + fall back. In this skirmish many of the cavalry were + unhorsed, and Lieut. Henderson, of the 6th Kansas Cavalry, + fell, wounded in the abdomen, while bravely and gallantly + urging his command forward. + + 'In the meantime I formed five companies of the 1st Kansas + Colored, with one piece of artillery, on my right flank, and + ordered up to their assistance four companies of the 18th + Iowa Infantry. Soon my orderly returned from the rear with a + message from Captain Duncan, stating that he was so closely + pressed in the rear by the enemy's infantry and artillery + that the men could not be spared. + + 'At this moment the enemy opened on me with two + batteries,--one of six pieces, in front, and one, of three + pieces, on my right flank,--pouring in an incessant and well + directed cross-fire of shot and shell. At the same time he + advanced his infantry both in front and on my right flank. + + 'From the force of the enemy--now the first time made + visible--I saw that I could not hope to defeat him, but + still resolved to defend the train to the last, hoping that + re-enforcements would come up from Camden. + + 'I suffered them to approach within one hundred yards of my + line, when I opened upon them with musketry charged with + buck and ball, and after a contest of fifteen minutes + duration compelled them to fall back. Two fresh regiments + coming up, they again rallied and advanced upon my line, + this time with colors flying and continuous cheering, so + loud as to drown even the roar of the musketry. Again I + suffered them to approach even nearer than before, and + opened upon them with buck and ball, their artillery still + pouring in a cross-fire of shot and shell over the heads of + their infantry, and mine replying with vigor and effect. And + thus, for another quarter of an hour, the battle was waged + with desperate fury. The noise and din of this almost hand + to hand conflict was the loudest and most terrific it has + ever been my lot to listen to. Again were they forced to + fall back, and twice during this conflict were their colors + brought to the ground, but as often raised. + +[Illustration: PHALANX CAVALRY BRINGING IN CONFEDERATE PRISONERS.] + + 'During these engagements fully one-half of my infantry + engaged were either killed or wounded. Three companies were + left without any officers, and seeing the enemy again + re-enforced with fresh troops, it became evident that I + could hold my line but little longer. I now directed Maj. + Ward to hold the line until I could ride back and form the + 18th Iowa in proper shape to support the retreat of the + advanced line. + + 'Meanwhile, so many of the gunners had been shot from around + their pieces that there were not enough to serve the guns, + so I ordered them to retire to the rear of the train, and + report to the cavalry officer there. Just as I was starting + for the line of the 18th Iowa, my horse was shot, which + delayed me until another could be procured, when I rode to + the rear and formed a line of battle facing in the direction + the enemy was advancing. + + 'Again did the enemy hurl his columns against the remnant of + men that formed my front and right flank, and again were + they met as gallantly as before. But my decimated ranks were + unable to resist the overpowering force hurled against them, + and after their advance had been checked, seeing that our + lines were completely flanked on both sides, Major Ward gave + the order to retire, which was done in good order, forming + and charging the enemy twice before reaching the rear of the + train. + + 'With the assistance of Major Ward and other officers, I + succeeded in forming a portion of the 1st Kansas Colored in + the rear of the 18th Iowa, and when the enemy approached + this line, they gallantly advanced to the line of the 18th, + and with them poured in their fire. The 18th maintained + their line manfully, and stoutly contested the ground until + nearly surrounded, when they retired, and forming again, + checked the advancing foe, and still held their ground until + again nearly surrounded, when they again retired across a + ravine which was impassable for artillery, and I gave orders + for the piece to be spiked and abandoned. + + 'After crossing the ravine I succeeded in forming a portion + of the cavalry, which I kept in order to give the infantry + time to cross the swamp which lay in our front, which they + succeeded in doing. By this means nearly all, except the + badly wounded, were enabled to reach the camp. Many wounded + men belonging to the 1st Kansas Colored fell into the hands + of the enemy, and I have the most positive assurance from + eyewitnesses that they were murdered on the spot. I was + forced to abandon everything to the enemy, and they thereby + became possessed of the large train. + + 'With two six pounder guns and two twelve pounder mountain + howitzers, together with what force could be collected, I + made my way to this post, where I arrived at 11 P. M. of the + same day. + + 'At no time during the engagement, such was the nature of + the ground and size of the train, was I obliged to employ + more than five hundred men and two guns to repel the + assaults of the enemy, whose force, from the statement of + prisoners, I estimate at ten thousand men and twelve guns. + The columns of assault which were again thrown against my + front and right flank consisted of five regiments of + infantry and one of cavalry, supported by a strong force + which operated against my left flank and rear. My loss, in + killed, wounded and missing during this engagement was as + follows: Killed--ninety-two, wounded--ninety-seven, + missing--one hundred and six. + + 'Many of those reported missing are supposed to have been + killed, others are supposed to have been wounded and taken + prisoners. The loss of the enemy is not known, but in my + opinion it will exceed our own. The conduct of all the + troops under my command, officers and men, were + characterized by true soldiery bearing, and in no case was a + line broken, except when assaulted by an overwhelming force, + and then falling back only when so ordered. The officers and + men all evinced the most heroic spirit, and those that fell + died the death of the true soldier. The action commenced at + 10 A. M., and terminated at 2 P. M. I have named this + engagement the action of Poison Springs, from a spring of + that name in the vicinity. + + 'Very respectfully yours, + + 'J. M. WILLIAMS, + + '_Colonel 1st Kansas Colored Vol. Infantry, Commanding Expedition._ + + 'Capt. WM. S. WHITTEN, _Assistant Adjutant General._' + +"On the 26th day of April following, Gen. Steele's command evacuated +Camden and marched for Little Rock. At Saline Crossing, on the 30th of +April, the rear of Gen. Steele's command was attacked by the entire +force of the enemy, commanded by Gen. Kirby Smith. The engagement which +followed resulted in the complete defeat of the enemy, with great loss +on his part. In this engagement the 1st Kansas Colored was not an active +participant, being at the moment of the attack in the advance, distant +five miles from the rear and scene of the engagement. The regiment was +ordered back to participate in the battle, but did not arrive on the +line until after the repulse of the enemy and his retirement from the +field. + +"On the day following, May 1st, 1864, Colonel Williams was ordered to +take command of the 2nd Brigade, composed of the following Phalanx +regiments: 1st Regiment, commanded by Major Ward; 2nd Regiment, +commanded by Colonel S. J. Crawford; 11th Regiment, commanded by +Lieut.-Col. James M. Steele; 54th Regiment, Lieut.-Col. Chas. Fair; of +the Frontier Division 7th Army Corps. + +"Colonel Williams never afterwards resumed direct command of his +regiment. It constituted for most of the time, however, a part of the +Brigade, which he commanded until he was mustered out of service with +the regiment. + +"The regiment remained with the Division at Little Rock until some time +during the month of May, when it Marched for Fort Smith,--then +threatened by the enemy,--at which point it arrived during the same +month. This campaign was one of great fatigue and privation, and +accomplished only with great loss of life and material, with no adequate +recompense or advantage gained. + +"The regiment remained on duty at Fort Smith until January 16th, 1865, +doing heavy escort and fatigue duty. On the 16th of September, 1864, a +detachment of forty-two men of Co. K, commanded by Lieut. D. M. +Sutherland, while guarding a hay-making party near Fort Gibson, were +surprised and attacked by a large force of rebels under Gen. Gano, and +defeated after a gallant resistence, with a loss of twenty-two killed +and ten prisoners--among the latter the Lieutenant commanding. On the +16th of January, 1865, the regiment moved to Little Rock, where it +arrived on the 31st of the same month, here it remained on duty until +July 1865, when it was ordered to Pine Bluffs, Ark. Here it remained, +doing garrison and escort duty, until October 1st, 1865, when it was +mustered out of service and ordered to Fort Leavenworth for final +payment and discharge. The regiment received its final payment and was +discharged at Fort Leavenworth on the 30th day of October, 1865." + +The heroism of the negro people of Kansas was not all centered in this +one regiment. Elated with the success of their brethren already in the +field, there was a general desire to emulate their heroic deeds. In +June, 1863, the second regiment was organized at Fort Scott. The +regimental organization was completed at Fort Smith, Ark., by the +mustering in of the field and staff officers. + +The regiment went into camp on the Poteau River, about two miles south +of Fort Smith. Here the work of drill and discipline was the daily +routine of duty until the regiment maintained a degree of proficiency +second to none in the Army of the Frontier. + +On the 24th of March, 1864, the regiment left Fort Smith and started on +what was known as the Camden Expedition, forming a part of Colonel +Williams' Brigade of General Thayer's Division. Major-General Steele's +forces left Little Rock about the same time that General Thayer's +Division left Fort Smith, the latter uniting with the former on the +Little Missouri river, all destined for active operations in the +direction of Red River. + +Colonel Crawford, in reply to the writer's circular letter asking for +information respecting the 2nd Regiment's service on the frontier, thus +pungently details the operations of the army of which his regiment was a +part: + + "WASHINGTON. D. C., Dec. 31st., 1885. + + "JOSEPH T. WILSON, Esq., Richmond, Va. + + "MY DEAR SIR: + + "The Second Kansas, afterwards designated as the 83rd United + States Colored Troops, was organized at Fort Scott, Kansas, + on the 3rd day of October, 1863. Most of the companies were + organized and mustered into service during the spring and + summer preceding. The regiment, when organized, was full to + the maximum, or nearly so, and composed of active, + able-bodied young men. Immediately upon assuming command of + the regiment, I moved to the front through Missouri, to Fort + Smith, in Arkansas, where the regiment was stationed during + the winter 1863-4, and when not on other duty or in the + field, spent the time in company and regimental drill. + + "On the 24th day of March, 1864, with the Kansas Division of + the Frontier Army under the command of General Thayer, I + moved south and joined the 7th Army Corps under the command + of Major-General Fred. Steele, in an expedition against the + rebel armies under Generals Price, Kirby Smith and Dick + Taylor, then encamped in the vicinity of Shreveport, La. + + "While Steele was advancing from the North, General Banks + was at the same time moving up the Red river from the East. + Price, Smith and Taylor, seeing the two armies of Steele and + Banks, closing in upon them, concentrated their forces, + first upon Banks, and after defeating and routing his + forces, turned upon Steele, who was then near Red river, in + south-western Arkansas. + + "Steele hearing of the Banks disaster, changed his course + and moved eastward, to Camden, a strongly fortified town on + the Washita river. From the point at which he turned + eastward, to Camden, a distance of about sixty miles, the + march was almost continuous, except when it became necessary + to skirmish with the enemy's cavalry, which hovered + unpleasantly close during the greater part of the distance. + + "In each of the light engagements which took place on this + march from Red river to Camden, the 2nd Regiment + participated, and behaved in a manner creditable to itself + and the army. + + "After remaining at Camden about three days (so as to give + the victorious rebel armies full time to concentrate upon + him) General Steele crossed the Washita to the North and + commenced a disgraceful retreat or run back toward Little + Rock. + + "The enemy, under Price and Kirby Smith, followed in close + pursuit, and within a few hours were again upon our flank + and rear. The march or retreat was continuous, night and + day, until the village of Princeton was reached, where + Steele's army encamped one night, and received a full ration + of fresh beef and New Orleans sugar, the latter of which had + been captured, or rather found in Camden. Early on the + following morning the army resumed its onward march, towards + the North Pole as the apparent objective point. + + "Now mind you this was an army (the 7th Army Corps) about + thirty thousand strong; mostly Western troops, and + splendidly armed and equipped. Better soldiers never wore + spurs or carried muskets. Yet under the command of a tenor + singing dog fancier, that magnificent army was thus + retreating before an army in every way its inferior save, + and except, the Commanding General. + + "Thus things went, disgracefully, until the afternoon of the + day on which we left Princeton, April 29, 1864. Then, for + the first time after turning our backs to the enemy, in the + vicinity of Red river, there seemed to be a bare possibility + of escape,--not from the enemy, but from absolute disgrace + and humiliation. + + "At no time during that disgraceful retreat, was there a + moment when the whole army corps, except the Commanding + General, would not have welcomed a battle, with one + universal shout. + + "About 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the day mentioned, the + rebel Cavalry appeared in force and commenced skirmishing + with our forces in the rear, which continued, more or less, + until darkness set in. Meantime our distinguished leader, + the Major-General Commanding, had arrived at the crossing of + the Saline river, thrown a pontoon bridge over that swollen + stream, and made good his escape to the north side, taking + with him the whole army, except one Section of artillery and + two brigades of infantry of which the 2nd Kansas colored + formed a part. + + "These two brigades--six regiments in all--stood in line of + battle all night long, while the rain poured in torrents + most of the time. + + "During the night the enemy's infantry moved up and formed + in our immediate front; in fact made every necessary + preparation for battle, while the dog fancier, who was + unfortunately at the head of our army across the river, was + either sleeping or devising the ways and means by which he + could most easily elude the enemy. + + "But when daylight came the six regiments were there in + line, every man ready, willing and determined to return, + volley for volley, and if necessary force the fighting, so + as to bring on a general engagement. + + "There were but six regiments of us south of the river, with + two pieces of artillery. But we were there to stay until a + battle was fought. + + "General Rice of Iowa, formed his brigade in the center; the + 12th Kansas Infantry, commanded by Col. Hayes was on his + left, and the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry, commanded by + myself, was on the right. + + "As soon as it was fairly light, the battle began; both + lines moving slightly forward until within close range. From + the beginning, the crash of musketry was terrific. Our men + stood firm against the advanced Division of the enemy's + infantry, and used their Springfield and Enfield rifles with + deadly effect. + + "The enemy seeing our weakness in numbers, pressed heavily + in the center and upon both flanks, with the evident design + of breaking our line before re-enforcements could reach us. + + "But in this they were disappointed. We held our position + until re-enforcements arrived. + + "At one time my regiment was under a heavy fire from the + front and also from the flank, but not a man wavered. In + fact it seemed to inspire them with additional courage. The + re-enforcements as they arrived, passed to the rear and + formed on the left, leaving me to hold the right. After + about three hours hard fighting, the enemy having failed to + dislodge my regiment from its position, which was regarded + as the key to the situation, brought into position a battery + of artillery, planted it immediately in front of my regiment + and opened with canister. + + "As soon as this was done I gave the order to cease firing + and fix bayonets, and followed that immediately with the + order to charge the battery. + + "These orders were executed with a courage and daring seldom + equaled by even older troops, and never excelled by a + volunteer regiment. + + "In less than two minutes from the time the charge was + ordered, the rebel battery was in our possession, and out of + thirty-six horses used in the battery, but two were left + standing when we passed the guns. + + "Most of the artillery-men lay dead and wounded around the + battery while the line of infantry support in the rear of + battery, fell back in disorder before our bayonets; not, + however, until many of them had for the first time felt the + effects of cold steel. + + "The charge, though bloody on both sides, was pre-eminently + successful, and my regiment, "the 2nd Iron Clads," as it was + called, brought away the battery so captured. + + "In the charge, the regiment lost in killed and wounded, + some forty odd men and officers. All of our horses, field + and staff, were shot and most of them killed. The color + bearer Harrison Young, a hero among men, was wounded and + fell, raised to his feet and was again twice wounded. A + comrade then took the flag and was wounded, and a third man + brought it off the field. + + "A wounded lieutenant of the battery was brought to me, as a + prisoner;[25] but in view of the massacre of colored troops + by the rebels at Fort Pillow and other places, I sent the + Lieutenant immediately back through the lines, pointing him + to the regiment that had made the charge, and telling him + that since the rebel authorities had concluded to take no + prisoners, belonging to colored regiments, it would hardly + be proper for me to hold him as a prisoner; that they had + established the precedent, and that in so far as I was + concerned, they could 'lay on MacDuff.' The Lieutenant + rejoined his command a sadder if not a wiser man. + + "After the charge I moved with my regiment to the centre, + where the battle was then raging hottest. Here it remained + in the thickest of the fight until an advance was ordered + all along the line, which was made, the enemy falling back + slowly before our troops, and finally retired from the + field, leaving us in full possession, with a complete + victory. + +[Illustration: PHALANX SOLDIERS BRINGING IN A CAPTURED BATTERY] + + "Only infantry was engaged on either side except the rebel + battery, which my regiment captured. + + "Our cavalry, some five thousand strong, and artillery, + about forty pieces, as already stated, were on the North + side of the river, and could not be brought into action, to + advantage, on account of the dense forest and swampy nature + of the ground. We had about fifteen thousand men engaged, + while the enemy had the armies of Price and Kirby Smith, + from which our _gallant_ commander, Steele, had for many + days been fleeing, as from the wrath to come. During the + entire battle Steele remained on the north side of the + river, beyond the reach of the enemy's guns, and at a point + from which he could continue his flight with safety in case + of defeat. But the victory was ours, so the march from + Saline river to Little Rock was made in peace. + + "During this battle my regiment lost in killed and wounded + about eighty men, but we were richly rewarded by the + achievements of the day. We, perhaps, had as much to do with + bringing on the battle as any other one regiment. I went + into action in the morning without orders. In fact I + disobeyed an order to cross the river at daylight, and + instead, I formed my regiment and faced the enemy. The + regiment charged the battery by my orders, and against an + order from a superior officer, to hold back and wait for + orders. + + "My regiment, though among the first in action, and having + suffered a greater loss than that of any other, was the last + to leave the field. + + "From this time forward until the close of the war, in so + far as the Western army was concerned, we heard no more of + the question, 'Will they fight?' + + "The reputation of at least one colored regiment was + established, and it stands to-day, in the estimation of men + who served in the Western army, as the equal of any other + volunteer regiment. + + "After the Saline river battle the regiment moved back to + Little Rock and thence to Fort Smith, in western Arkansas. + + "In July 1864, with the 2nd and other troops, I conducted an + expedition through the Choctaw Nation in the Indian + Territory, against, or rather in pursuit of a brigade of + rebel forces, driving them out of that country. During this + campaign several light engagements were fought, in each of + which the 2nd took a prominent part, and in each of which + the 2nd was invariably successful. + + "In the fall of 1864[26], I resigned my position as Colonel + to assume other duties. + + "What took place from then until the regiment was mustered + out of service, I only know from heresay, but it is safe to + say that the regiment maintained its reputation as one of + the best infantry regiments in the 7th Army Corps. + + "A short time before I left the regiment, General Marcy, + then Inspector General of the U.S. Army, inspected the + Kansas Division, to which my regiment belonged, and his + report, which is now on file in the War Department, if I am + not mistaken, shows that the 2nd Colored in point of drill, + discipline and military appearance, stood first of all the + regiments in that Division. + + "Yours truly, + + "SAMUEL J. CRAWFORD. + +Lieutenant-Colonel Gilpatrick, promoted from Major, took command of the +regiment succeeding Colonel Crawford, and in December made a forced +march to Hudson's crossing on the Neosho river, by way of Fort Gibson, a +distance of one hundred and fifty miles, on quarter rations, and +returned as escort to a large supply train. It was then, with all the +Phalanx regiments at Fort Smith, ordered to Little Rock, where it +arrived with a very large train of refugees under charge, on the 4th of +February, after a march of seventeen days. + +Colonel Gilpatrick says: + + "The men suffered severely on the march by exposure to wet + and cold and for the want of proper and sufficient food, + clothing and shelter. Many of them were barefooted, almost + naked, and without blankets." + +The regiment remained at Little Rock until the spring of 1865, when it +formed part of an expedition which proceeded some distance south of +Little Rock, and operated against a band of guerillas on the Saline +river, which they succeeded in driving out and partly capturing. On the +25th of July the regiment broke camp and proceeded to Camden, Arkansas, +and was mustered out of the United States service, and proceeding by way +of Pine Bluff, Ark., Memphis, Tenn., and St. Louis, Mo., reached +Leavenworth, Kansas, where the men were finally paid and discharged on +the 27th of November, 1865. These brave men immediately returned to +their homes to enjoy the blessings of a free government. + +[Illustration: THE WOODEN HORSE. + +A mode of punishment for slight offences.] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[24] Not less than 70,000 negroes--5,000 at least of which fought for +the Union.--have been driven by persecution into Kansas from the +Southern States, and the exodus still continues. + +[25] "Colonel Crawford ordered the prisoners to be taken to the rear +without insult or injury, which conduct on his part is in striking +contrast to the treatment bestowed upon our colored troops at Poison +Springs. He also told a rebel lieutenant and other prisoners to inform +their commanding General that colored troops had captured them, and that +he must from necessity leave some of his wounded men in hospitals by the +way, and that he should expect the same kind treatment shown to them +that he showed to those falling into his hands; but that just such +treatment as his wounded men received at their hands, whether kindness +or death, should from this time forward, be meted out to all rebel +falling into his hands. That if they wished to treat as prisoners of war +our colored soldiers, to be exchanged for theirs, the decision was their +own; but if they could afford to murder our colored prisoners to gratify +their fiendish dispositions and passions, the responsibility of +commensurate retaliation, to bring them to a sense of justice, was also +their own. But, notwithstanding the kindness shown to their prisoners, +so soon as our command left, a Texas soldier, in the presence of one of +their officers, killed, in the hospital, nine of the wounded men +belonging to the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry."--_McAfee's Military +History of Kansas._ + +[26] About the middle of October, Colonel Crawford received information +of his nomination for the office of Governor, and came from Fort Smith +to Kansas, arriving about the 20th instant, just in time to be an active +participant in the expulsion of General Price and his army from the +border of the State. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH. + + +The appearance of the negro in the Union army altered the state of +affairs very much. The policy of the general Government was changed, and +the one question which Mr. Lincoln had tried to avoid became _the_ +question of the war. General Butler, first at Fortress Monroe and then +at New Orleans, had defined the status of the slave, "contraband" and +then "soldiers," in advance of the Emancipation Proclamation. General +Hunter, in command at the South, as stated in a previous chapter, had +taken an early opportunity to strike the rebellion in its most vital +part, by arming negroes in his Department, after declaring them free. + +Notwithstanding the President revoked Hunter's order, a considerable +force was organized and equipped as early as December, 1862; in fact a +regiment of blacks was under arms when the President issued the +Emancipation Proclamation. This regiment, the 1st South Carolina, was in +command of Colonel T. W. Higginson, who with a portion of his command +ascended the St. Mary's river on transports, visited Florida and +Georgia, and had several engagements with the enemy. After an absence of +ten or more days, the expedition returned to South Carolina without the +loss of a man. + +Had there been but one army in the field, and the fighting confined to +one locality, the Phalanx would have been mobilized, but as there were +several armies it was distributed among the several forces, and its +conduct in battle, camp, march and bivouac, was spoken of by the +commanders of the various armies in terms which any class of soldiers, +of any race, might well be proud of. + +General Grant, on the 24th of July, following the capture of Vicksburg, +wrote to the Adjutant-General: + + "The negro troops are easier to preserve discipline among + than are our white troops, and I doubt not will prove + equally good for garrison duty. All that have been tried + have fought bravely." + +This was six days after the unsurpassed bravery of the 54th Regiment +Massachusetts Volunteers--representing the North in the black +Phalanx--had planted its bloodstained banner on the ramparts of Fort +Wagner. It was the Southern negroes, who, up to this time, had reddened +the waters of the Mississippi. It was the freedman's blood that had +moistened the soil, and if ignorance could be so intrepid still greater +daring might be expected on the part of the more intelligent men of the +race. + +The assault on Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863, was one of the most heroic of +the whole four years' war. A very graphic account of the entire movement +is given in the following article: + + "At daylight, on the morning of the 12th of July a strong + column of our troops advanced swiftly to the attack of Fort + Wagner. The rebels were well prepared, and swept with their + guns every foot of the approach to the fort, but our + soldiers pressed on, and gained a foothold on the parapet; + but, not being supported by other troops, nor aided by the + guns of the fleet, which quietly looked on, they were forced + to retreat, leaving many of their comrades in the hands of + the enemy. + + "It is the opinion of many that if the fleet had moved up at + the same time, and raked the fort with their guns, our + troops would have succeeded in taking it; but the naval + captains said in their defence that they knew nothing of the + movement, and would have gladly assisted in the attack had + they been notified. + + "This, unfortunately, was not the only instance of a want of + harmony or co-operation between the land and naval forces + operating against Charleston. Had they been under the + control of one mind, the sacrifice of life in the siege of + Forts Wagner and Sumter would have been far less. We will + not assume to say which side was at fault, but by far the + greater majority lay the blame upon the naval officers. + Warfare kindles up the latent germs of jealousy in the human + breast, and the late rebellion furnished many cruel examples + of its effects, both among the rebels and among the + patriots. We have had the misfortune to witness them in + more than one campaign, and upon more than one bloody and + disastrous field. + + "By the failure of this attack, it was evident that the guns + of Wagner must be silenced before a successful assault with + infantry could be made; and, in order to accomplish this, a + siege of greater or less duration was required. Therefore + earthworks were immediately thrown up at the distance of + about a thousand yards from the fort, and the guns and + mortars from Folly Island brought over to be placed in + position. + + "This Morris Island is nothing but a narrow bed of sand, + about three miles in length, with a breadth variable from a + few hundred yards to a few feet. Along the central portion + of the lower end a ridge of white sand hills appear, washed + on one side by the tidal waves, and sloping on the other + into broad marshes, more than two miles in width, and + intersected by numerous deep creeks. Upon the extreme + northern end, Battery Gregg, which the rebels used in + reducing Fort Sumter in 1861, had been strengthened, and + mounted with five heavy guns, which threw their shot more + than half way down the island. A few hundred yards farther + down the island, and at its narrowest portion, a strong fort + had been erected, and armed with seventeen guns and mortars. + This was the famous Fort Wagner; and, as its cannon + prevented any farther progress up the island, it was + necessary to reduce it before our forces could approach + nearer to Fort Sumter. + + "It was thought by our engineers that a continuous + bombardment of a few days by our siege batteries and the + fleet might dismount the rebel cannon, and demoralize the + garrison, so that our brave boys, by a sudden rush, might + gain possession of the works. Accordingly our siege train + was brought over from Folly Island, and a parallel commenced + about a thousand yards from Wagner. Our men worked with such + energy that nearly thirty cannon and mortars were in + position on the 17th of July. On the 18th of July the + bombardment commenced. The land batteries poured a tempest + of shot into the south side of Wagner, while the fleet moved + up to within short range, and battered the east side with + their great guns. In the mean time the rebels were not + silent, but gallantly stood to their guns, returning shot + for shot with great precision. But, after a few hours, their + fire slackened; gun after gun became silent, as the men were + disabled, and, when the clock struck four in the afternoon, + Wagner no longer responded to the furious cannonade of the + Federal forces. Even the men had taken shelter beneath the + bomb-proofs, and no sign of life was visible about the grim + and battered fortress. + + "Many of our officers were now so elated with the apparent + result of demolition, that they urged General Gillmore to + allow them to assault the fort as soon as it became dark. + General Gillmore yielded to the solicitations of the + officers, but very reluctantly, for he was not convinced + that the proper time had arrived; but the order was finally + given for the attack to take place just after dark. Fatal + error as to time, for our troops in the daytime would have + been successful, since they would not have collided with + each other; they could have seen their foes, and the arena + of combat, and the fleet could have assisted them with their + guns, and prevented the landing of the re-enforcements from + Charleston. + + "It was a beautiful and calm evening when the troops who + were to form the assaulting column moved out on to the broad + and smooth beach left by the receding tide. + + "The last rays of the setting sun illumined the grim walls + and shattered mounds of Wagner with a flood of crimson + light, too soon, alas! to be deeper dyed with the red blood + of struggling men. + + "Our men halted, and formed their ranks upon the beach, a + mile and more away from the deadly breach. Quietly they + stood leaning upon their guns, and awaiting the signal of + attack. There stood, side by side, the hunter of the far + West, the farmer of the North, the stout lumber-man from the + forests of Maine, and the black Phalanx Massachusetts had + armed and sent to the field. + + "In this hour of peril there was no jealousy, no contention. + The black Phalanx were to lead the forlorn hope. And they + were proud of their position, and conscious of its danger. + Although we had seen many of the famous regiments of the + English, French, and Austrian armies, we were never more + impressed with the fury and majesty of war than when we + looked upon the solid mass of the thousand black men, as + they stood, like giant statues of marble, upon the + snow-white sands of the beach, waiting the order to advance. + And little did we think, as we gazed with admiration upon + that splendid column of four thousand brave men, that ere an + hour had passed, half of them would be swept away, maimed or + crushed in the gathering whirlwind of death! Time passed + quickly, and twilight was fast deepening into the darkness + of night, when the signal was given. Onward moved the chosen + and ill-fated band, making the earth tremble under the heavy + and monotonous tread of the dense mass of thousands of men. + Wagner lay black and grim in the distance, and silent. Not a + glimmer of light was seen. Not a gun replied to the bombs + which our mortars still constantly hurled into the fort. Not + a shot was returned to the terrific volleys of the giant + frigate Ironsides, whose shells, ever and anon, plunged into + the earthworks, illuminating their recesses for an instant + in the glare of their explosion, but revealing no signs of + life. + + "Were the rebels all dead? Had they fled from the pitiless + storm which our batteries had poured down upon them for so + many hours? Where were they? + + "Down deep beneath the sand heaps were excavated great + caverns, whose floors were level with the tide, and whose + roofs were formed of huge trunks of trees laid in double + rows. Still above these massive beams sand was heaped so + deeply that even our enormous shells could not penetrate the + roofs, though they fell from the skies above. In these dark + subterranean retreats two thousand men lay hid, like + panthers in a swamp, waiting to leap forth in fury upon + their prey. + + "The signal given, our forces advanced rapidly towards the + fort, while our mortars in the rear tossed their bombs over + their heads. The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts [Phalanx + Regiment] led the attack, supported by the 6th Conn., 48th + N. Y., 3rd N. H., 76th Penn. and the 9th Maine Regiments. + Onward swept the immense mass of men, swiftly and silently, + in the dark shadows of night. Not a flash of light was seen + in the distance! No sentinel hoarsely challenged the + approaching foe! All was still save the footsteps of the + soldiers, which sounded like the roar of the distant surf, + as it beats upon the rock-bound coast. + +[Illustration: AT FORT WAGNER. + +Desperate charge of the 54th Mass. Vols. in the assault on Fort Wagner, +July 18, 1863.] + + "Ah, what is this! The silent and shattered walls of Wagner + all at once burst forth into a blinding sheet of vivid + light, as though they had suddenly been transformed by some + magic power into the living, seething crater of a volcano! + Down came the whirlwind of destruction along the beach with + the swiftness of lightning! How fearfully the hissing shot, + the shrieking bombs, the whistling bars of iron, and the + whispering bullet struck and crushed through the dense + masses of our brave men! I never shall forget the terrible + sound of that awful blast of death, which swept down, + shattered or dead, a thousand of our men. Not a shot had + missed its aim. Every bolt of steel, every globe of iron and + lead, tasted of human blood. + + "'Forward!' shouted the undaunted Putnam, as the column + wavered and staggered like a giant stricken with death. + + "'Steady, my boys!' murmured the brave leader, General + Strong, as a cannon-shot dashed him, maimed and bleeding, + into the sand. + + "In a moment the column recovered itself, like a gallant + ship at sea when buried for an instant under an immense + wave. + + "The ditch is reached; a thousand men leap into it, clamber + up the shattered ramparts, and grapple with the foe, which + yields and falls back to the rear of the fort. Our men swarm + over the walls, bayoneting the desperate rebel cannoneers. + Hurrah! the fort is ours! + + "But now came another blinding blast from concealed guns in + the rear of the fort, and our men went down by scores. Now + the rebels rally, and, re-enforced by thousands of the + chivalry, who have landed on the beach under cover of + darkness, unmolested by the guns of the fleet. They hurl + themselves with fury upon the remnant of our brave band. The + struggle is terrific. Our supports hurry up to the aid of + their comrades, but as they reach the ramparts they fire a + volley which strikes down many of our men. Fatal mistake! + Our men rally once more; but, in spite of an heroic + resistance, they are forced back again to the edge of the + ditch. Here the brave Shaw, with scores of his black + warriors went down, fighting desperately. Here Putnam met + his death wound, while cheering and urging on the + overpowered Phalanx men. + + "What fighting, and what fearful carnage! Hand to hand, + breast to breast! Here, on this little strip of land, scarce + bigger than the human hand, dense masses of men struggled + with fury in the darkness; and so fierce was the contest + that the sands were reddened and soaked with human gore. + + "But resistance was vain. The assailants were forced back + again to the beach, and the rebels trained their recovered + cannon anew upon the retreating survivors. + + "What a fearful night was that, as we gathered up our + wounded heroes, and bore them to a place of shelter! And + what a mournful morning, as the sun rose with his clear + beams, and revealed our terrible losses! What a rich harvest + Death had gathered to himself during the short struggle! + Nearly two thousand of our men had fallen. More than six + hundred of our brave boys lay dead on the ramparts of the + fatal fort, in its broad ditch, and along the beach at its + base. A flag of truce party went out to bury our dead, but + General Beauregard they found had already buried them, where + they fell, in broad, deep trenches." + +Colonel Shaw, the young and gallant commander of the 54th Regiment, was +formerly a member of the famous 7th N. Y. Regiment. He was of high, +social and influential standing, and in his death won distinction. The +confederates added to his fame and glory, though unintentionally, by +burying him with his soldiers, or as a confederate Major expressed the +information, when a request for the Colonel's body was made, "we have +buried him with his niggers!" + +A poet has immortalized the occurrence and the gallant Shaw thus: + + 'They buried him with his niggers!' + Together they fought and died. + There was room for them all where they laid him, + (The grave was deep and wide). + For his beauty and youth and valor, + Their patience and love and pain; + And at the last together + They shall be found again. + + 'They buried him with his niggers!' + Earth holds no prouder grave; + There is not a mausoleum + In the world beyond the wave, + That a nobler tale has hallowed, + Or a purer glory crowned, + Than the nameless trench where they buried + The brave so faithful found. + + 'They buried him with his niggers!' + A wide grave should it be; + They buried more in that shallow trench + Than human eye could see. + Aye, all the shames and sorrows + Of more than a hundred years + Lie under the weight of that Southern soil + Despite those cruel sneers. + + 'They buried him with his niggers!' + But the glorious souls set free + Are leading the van of the army + That fights for liberty. + Brothers in death, in glory + The same palm branches bear; + And the crown is as bright o'er the sable brows + As over the golden hair. + + * * * * + + Buried with a band of brothers + Who for him would fain have died; + Buried with the gallant fellows + Who fell fighting by his side; + + Buried with the men God gave him, + Those whom he was sent to save; + Buried with the martyr heroes, + He has found an honored grave. + + Buried where his dust so precious + Makes the soil a hallowed spot; + Buried where by Christian patriot, + He shall never be forgot. + + Buried in the ground accursed, + Which man's fettered feet have trod; + Buried where his voice still speaketh, + Appealing for the slave to God; + + Fare thee well, thou noble warrior, + Who in youthful beauty went + On a high and holy mission, + By the God of battles sent. + + Chosen of him, 'elect and precious,' + Well didst thou fulfil thy part; + When thy country 'counts her jewels,' + She shall wear thee on her heart. + +The heroic courage displayed by the gallant Phalanx at the assault upon +Fort Wagner was not surpassed by the Old Guard at Moscow. Major-General +Taliaferro gives this confederate account of the fight, which is +especially interesting as it shows the condition of affairs inside the +fort: + + "On the night of the 14th the monster iron-plated frigate + New Ironsides, crossed the bar and added her formidable and + ponderous battery to those destined for the great effort of + reducing the sullen earthwork which barred the Federal + advance. There were now five monitors, the Ironsides and a + fleet of gunboats and monster hulks grouped together and + only waiting the signal to unite with the land batteries + when the engineers should pronounce them ready to form a + cordon of flame around the devoted work. The Confederates + were prepared for the ordeal. For fear that communications + with the city and the mainland, which was had by steamboat + at night to Cummings' Point should be interrupted, rations + and ordnance stores had been accumulated, but there was + trouble about water. Some was sent from Charleston and wells + had been dug in the sand inside and outside the fort, but it + was not good. Sand bags had been provided and trenching + tools supplied sufficient for any supposed requirement. + + "The excitement of the enemy in front after the 10th was + manifest to the Confederates and announced an 'impending + crisis.' It became evident that some extraordinary movement + was at hand. The Federal forces on James Island had been + attacked on the morning of the 16th by General Hagood and + caused to retire, Hagood occupying the abandoned positions, + and on the 17th the enemy's troops were transferred to + Little Folly and Morris Islands. It has been stated that the + key to the signals employed by the Federals was in + possession of General Taliaferro at this time, and he was + thus made acquainted with the intended movement and put upon + his guard. That is a mistake. He had no such direct + information, although it is true that afterwards the key was + discovered and the signals interpreted with as much ease as + by the Federals themselves. The 18th of July was the day + determined upon by the Federal commanders for the grand + attempt which, if successful, would level the arrogant + fortress and confuse it by the mighty power of their giant + artillery with the general mass of surrounding sand hills, + annihilate its garrison or drive them into the relentless + ocean, or else consign them to the misery of hostile + prisons. + + "The day broke beautifully, a gentle breeze slightly + agitated the balmy atmosphere, and with rippling dimples + beautified the bosom of the placid sea. All nature was + serene and the profoundest peace held dominion over all the + elements. The sun, rising with the early splendors of his + midsummer glory, burnished with golden tints the awakening + ocean, and flashed his reflected light back from the spires + of the beleaguered city into the eyes of those who stood + pausing to gather strength to spring upon her, and of those + who stood at bay to battle for her safety. Yet the profound + repose was undisturbed; the early hours of that fair morning + hoisted a flag of truce between the combatants which was + respected by both. But the tempest of fire which was + destined to break the charm of nature, with human thunders + then unsurpassed in war, was gathering in the south. At + about half-past 7 o'clock the ships of war moved from their + moorings, the iron leviathan the Ironsides, an Agamemnon + among ships, leading and directing their movements, then + monitor after monitor, and then wooden flagships. Steadily + and majestically they marched; marched as columns of men + would march, obedient to commands, independent of waves and + winds, mobilized by steam and science to turn on a pivot and + manoeuvre as the directing mind required them; they halted + in front of the fort; they did not anchor as Sir Peter + Parker's ships had done near a hundred years before in front + of Moultrie, which was hard by and frowning still at her + ancient enemies of the ocean. They halted and waited for + word of command to belch their consuming lightnings out upon + the foe. On the land, engineering skill was satisfied and + the deadly exposure for details for labor was ended; the + time for retaliation had arrived when the defiant shots of + the rebel batteries would be answered; the batteries were + unmasked; the cordon of fire was complete by land and by + sea; the doomed fort was encircled by guns. + + "The Confederates watched from the ramparts the approach of + the fleet and the unmasking of the guns, and they knew that + the moment had arrived in which the problem of the capacity + of the resistant power of earth and sand to the forces to + which science so far developed in war could subject them was + to be solved and that Battery Wagner was to be that day the + subject of the crucial test. The small armament of the fort + was really inappreciable in the contest about to be + inaugurated. There was but one gun which could be expected + to be of much avail against the formidable naval power which + would assail it and on the land side few which could reach + the enemy's batteries. When these guns were knocked to + pieces and silenced there was nothing left but passive + resistance, but the Confederates, from the preliminary tests + which had been applied, had considerable faith in the + capacity of sand and earth for passive resistance. + + "The fort was in good condition, having been materially + strengthened since the former assault by the indefatigable + exertions of Colonel David Harris, chief engineer, and his + valuable assistant, Captain Barnwell. Colonel Harris was a + Virginian, ex-officer of the army of the United States and a + graduate of West Point, who had some years before retired + from the service to prosecute the profession of civil + engineering. Under a tempest of shells he landed during the + fiercest period of the bombardment at Cummings' Point, and + made his way through the field of fire to the beleaguered + fort to inspect its condition and to inspire the garrison by + his heroic courage and his confidence in its strength. + Escaping all the dangers of war, he fell a victim to yellow + fever in Charleston, beloved and honored by all who had + ever known him. The heavy work imposed upon the garrison in + repairs and construction, as well as the strain upon the + system by constant exposure to the enemy's fire, had induced + General Beauregard to adopt the plan of relieving the + garrison every few days by fresh troops. The objection to + this was that the new men had to be instructed and + familiarized with their duties; but still it was wise and + necessary, for the same set of officers and men, if retained + any length of time, would have been broken down by the + arduous service required of them. The relief was sent by + regiments and detachments, so there was never an entirely + new body of men in the works. + + "The garrison was estimated at one thousand seven hundred + aggregate. The staff of General Taliaferro consisted of + Captain Twiggs, Quartermaster General; Captain W. T. + Taliaferro, Adjutant General; Lieutenants H. C. Cunningham + and Magyck, Ordnance Officers; Lieutenants Meade and Stoney, + Aides-de-Camp; Major Holcombe; Captain Burke, Quartermaster, + and Habersham, Surgeon-in-Chief; Private Stockman, of + McEnery's Louisiana Battalion, who had been detailed as + clerk because of his incapacity for other duty, from most + honorable wounds, acted also in capacity of aid. + + "The Charleston Battalion was assigned to that part of the + work which extended from the Sally port or Lighthouse Inlet + creek around to the left until it occupied part of the face + to the south, including the western bastion; the Fifty-first + North Carolina connected with these troops on the left and + extended to the southeast bastion; the rest of the work was + to be occupied by the Thirty-first North Carolina Regiment, + and a small force from that regiment was detailed as a + reserve, and two companies of the Charleston Battalion were + to occupy outside of the fort the covered way spoken of and + some sand-hills by the seashore; the artillery was + distributed among the several gun-chambers and the light + pieces posted on a traverse outside so as to sweep to sea + face and the right approach. The positions to be occupied + were well known to every officer and man and had been + verified repeatedly by day and night, so there was no fear + of confusion, mistake or delay in the event of an assault. + The troops of course were not ordered to these positions + when at 6 o'clock it was evident a furious bombardment was + impending, but, on the contrary, to the shelter of the + bomb-proofs, sand-hills and parapet; a few sentinels or + videttes were detailed and the gun detachments only ordered + to their pieces. + + "The Charleston Battalion preferred the freer air of the + open work to the stifling atmosphere of the bomb-proofs and + were permitted to shelter themselves under the parapet and + traverses. Not one of that heroic band entered the opening + of a bomb-proof during that frightful day. The immense + superiority of the enemy's artillery was well understood and + appreciated by the Confederate commander, and it was clear + to him that his policy was to husband his resources and + preserve them as best he could for the assault, which it was + reasonable to expect would occur during the day. He + recognized the fact that his guns were only defensive and + he had little or no offensive power with which to contend + with his adversaries. Acting on this conviction he had the + light guns dismounted and covered with sand bags, and the + same precaution was adopted to preserve some of the shell + guns or fixed carriages. The propriety of this determination + was abundantly demonstrated in the end. + + "About a quarter past 8 o'clock the storm broke, ship after + ship and battery after battery, and then apparently all + together, vomited forth their horrid flames and the + atmosphere was filled with deadly missiles. It is impossible + for any pen to describe or for anyone who was not an + eye-witness to conceive the frightful grandeur of the + spectacle. The writer has never had the fortune to read any + official Federal report or any other account of the + operations of this day except an extract from the graphic + and eloquent address of the Rev. Mr. Dennison, a chaplain of + one of the Northern regiments, delivered on its nineteenth + anniversary at Providence, R. I. He says: 'Words cannot + depict the thunder, the smoke, the lifted sand and the + general havoc which characterized that hot summer day. What + a storm of iron fell on that island; the roar of the guns + was incessant; how the shots ploughed the sand banks and the + marshes; how the splinters flew from the Beacon House; how + the whole island smoked like a furnace and trembled as from + an earthquake.' + + "If that was true outside of Wagner it is easy to conceive + how intensified the situation was within its narrow limits + towards which every hostile gun was pointed. The sand came + down in avalanches; huge vertical shells and those rolled + over by the ricochet shots from the ships, buried themselves + and then exploded, rending the earth and forming great + craters, out of which the sand and iron fragments flew high + in the air. It was a fierce sirocco freighted with iron as + well as sand. The sand flew over from the seashore, from the + glacis, from the exterior slope, from the parapet, as it was + ploughed up and lifted and driven by resistless force now in + spray and now almost in waves over into the work, the men + sometimes half buried by the moving mass. The chief anxiety + was about the magazines. The profile of the fort might be + destroyed, the ditch filled up, the traverses and bomb-proof + barracks knocked out of shape, but the protecting banks of + sand would still afford their shelter; but if the coverings + of the magazines were blown away and they became exposed, + the explosion that would ensue would lift fort and garrison + into the air and annihilate all in general chaos. They were + carefully watched and reports of their condition required to + be made at short intervals during the day. + + "Wagner replied to the enemy, her 10-inch columbiad alone to + the ships, deliberately at intervals of fifteen minutes, the + other guns to the land batteries whenever in range, as long + as they were serviceable. The 32-pounder rifled gun was soon + rendered useless by bursting and within two hours many other + guns had been dismounted and their carriages destroyed. + Sumter, Colonel Alfred Rhett in command, and Gregg, under + charge of Captain Sesesne, with the Sullivan and James + Island batteries at long range, threw all the power of their + available metal at the assailants and added their thunders + to the universal din; the harbor of Charleston was a + volcano. The want of water was felt, but now again + unconsciously the enemy came to the assistance of the + garrison, for water was actually scooped from the craters + made in the sand by the exploded shells. The city of + Charleston was alive and aflame with excitement; the bay, + the wharves, the steeples and streets filled with anxious + spectators looking across the water at their defenders, whom + they could not succor. + + "At 2 o'clock the flag halliards were cut by a shot and the + Confederate garrison flag was blown over into the fort; + there was an instant race for its recovery through the storm + of missiles, over the broken earth and shells and splinters + which lined the parade. Major Ramsey, Sergeant Shelton and + private Flinn, of the Charleston Battalion, and Lieutenant + Riddick, of the Sixty-third Georgia, first reached it and + bore it back in triumph to the flagstaff, and at the same + moment Captain Barnwell, of the engineers, seized a + battle-flag, and leaping on the ramparts, drove the staff + into the sand. This flag was again shot away, but was again + replaced by Private Gaillard, of the Charleston Battalion. + These intrepid actions, emulating in a higher degree the + conduct of Sergeant Jasper at Moultrie during the + Revolution, were cheered by the command and inspired them + with renewed courage. + + "The day wore on; thousands upon thousands of shells and + round shot, shells loaded with balls, shells of guns and + shells of mortars, percussion shells, exploding upon impact, + shells with graded fuses--every kind apparently known to the + arsenals of war leaped into and around the doomed fort, yet + there was no cessation; the sun seemed to stand still and + the long midsummer day to know no night. Some men were dead + and no scratch appeared on their bodies; the concussion had + forced the breath from their lungs and collapsed them into + corpses. Captain Twiggs, of the staff, in executing some + orders was found apparently dead. He was untouched, but + lifeless, and only strong restoratives brought him back to + animation, and the commanding officer was buried knee-deep + in sand and had to be rescued by spades from his + imprisonment. The day wore on, hours followed hours of + anxiety and grim endurance, but no respite ensued. At last + night came; not however, to herald a cessation of the + strife, but to usher in a conflict still more terrible. More + than eleven hours had passed. The fort was torn and + mutilated; to the outside observer it was apparently + powerless, knocked to pieces and pounded out of shape, the + outline changed, the exterior slope full of gaping wounds, + the ditch half filled up, but the interior still preserved + its form and its integrity; scarred and defaced it was yet a + citadel which, although not offensive, was defiant. + + "It was nearly eight o'clock at night, but still twilight, + when a calm came and the blazing circle ceased to glow with + flame. The ominous pause was understood; it required no + signals to be read by those to whom they were not directed + to inform them that the supreme moment to test the value of + the day's achievements was now at hand. It meant nothing but + assault. Dr. Dennison says the assault was intended to be a + surprise. He over-estimates the equanimity of the + Confederate commander if he supposes that that bombardment, + which would have waked the dead, had lulled him into + security and repose. The buried cannon were at once exhumed, + the guns remounted and the garrison ordered to their + appointed posts. The Charleston Battalion were already + formed and in position; they had nestled under the parapet + and stood ready in their places. The other troops with the + exception of part of one regiment, responded to the summons + with extraordinary celerity, and the echoes of the Federal + guns had hardly died away before more than three-fourths of + the ramparts were lined with troops; one gap remained + unfilled; the demoralized men who should have filled it + clung to the bomb-proofs and stayed there. The gallant + Colonel Simpkins called his men to the gun-chambers wherever + guns existed. De Pass, with his light artillery on the + traverse to the left, his guns remounted and untouched, + stood ready, and Colonel Harris moved a howitzer outside the + fort to the right to deliver an enfilade fire upon the + assailants. + + "The dark masses of the enemies columns, brigade after + brigade, were seen in the fading twilight to approach; line + after line was formed and then came the rush. A small creek + made in on the right of the fort and intercepted the enemy's + left attack; they did not know it, or did not estimate it. + Orders were given to Gaillard to hold his fire and deliver + no direct shot. It was believed the obstacle presented by + the creek would confuse the assailants, cause them to + incline to the right and mingle their masses at the head of + the obstacle and thus their movements would be obstructed. + It seemed to have the anticipated effect and the assaulting + columns apparently jumbled together at this point were met + by the withering volleys of McKethan's direct and Gaillard's + cross-fire and by the direct discharge of the shell guns, + supplemented by the frightful enfilading discharges of the + lighter guns upon the right and left. It was terrible, but + with an unsurpassed gallantry the Federal soldiers breasted + the storm and rushed onward to the glacis. + + "The Confederates, not fourteen hundred strong, with the + tenacity of bull dogs and a fierce courage which was roused + to madness by the frightful inaction to which they had been + subjected, poured from the ramparts and embrasures sheets of + flame and a tempest of lead and iron, yet their intrepid + assailants rushed on like the waves of the sea by whose + shore they fought. They fell by hundreds, but they pushed + on, reeling under the frightful blasts that almost blew them + to pieces, some up to the Confederate bayonets. The + southeast bastion was weakly defended, and into it a + considerable body of the enemy made their way but they were + caught in a trap, for they could not leave it. The fight + continued; but it was impossible to stem the torrent of + deadly missiles which poured out from the fort, the reflux + of that terrible tide which had poured in all day, and the + Federals retreated, leaving near a thousand dead around the + fort. + + "There was no cessation of the Confederate fire. Sumter and + Gregg threw their shells along with those of Wagner upon the + retiring foe; nor was the conflict over in the fort itself. + The party which had gained access by the salient next the + sea could not escape. It was certain death to attempt to + pass the line of concentrated fire which swept the faces of + the work, and they did not attempt it; but they would not + surrender, and in desperation kept up a constant fire upon + the main body of the fort. The Confederates called for + volunteers to dislodge them--a summons which was promptly + responded to by Major McDonald, of the Fifty-first North + Carolina, and by Captain Rion, of the Charleston Battalion, + with the requisite number of men. Rion's company was + selected, and the gallant Irishman, at the head of his + company, dashed at the reckless and insane men, who seemed + to insist upon immolation. The tables were now singularly + turned; the assailants had become the assailed and they held + a fort within the fort, and were protected by the traverses + and gun chambers, behind which they fought. Rion rushed at + them, but he fell, shot outright, with several of his men, + and the rest recoiled. At this time General Hagood reported + to General Taliaferro with Colonel Harrison's splendid + regiment, the Thirty-second Georgia, sent over by Beauregard + to his assistance as soon as a landing could be effected at + Cummings' Point. These troops were ordered to move along on + the traverses and bomb-proofs, and to plunge their + concentrated fire over the stronghold. Still, for a time, + the enemy held out, but at last they cried out and + surrendered. + + "The carnage was frightful. It is believed the Federals lost + more men on that eventful night than twice the entire + strength of the Confederate garrison. The Confederates lost + eight killed and twenty wounded by the bombardment and about + fifty killed and one hundred and fifty wounded altogether + from the bombardment and assault. Among the killed were + those gallant officers, Lieutenant Colonel Simkins and Major + Ramsey and among the wounded Captains DePass and Twiggs, of + the staff, and Lieutenants Storey (Aide-de-Camp), Power and + Watties. According to the statement of Chaplain Dennison the + assaulting columns in two brigades, commanded by General + Strong and Colonel Putnam (the division under General + Seymour), consisted of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, Third + and Seventh New Hampshire, Sixth Connecticut and One + Hundredth New York, with a reserve brigade commanded by + General Stephenson. One of the assaulting regiments was + composed of negroes (the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts) and to + it was assigned the honor of leading the white columns to + the charge. It was a dearly purchased compliment. Their + Colonel (Shaw) was killed upon the parapet and the regiment + almost annihilated, although the Confederates in the + darkness could not tell the color of their assailants. Both + the brigade commanders were killed as well as Colonel + Chatfield. + + "The same account says: 'We lost 55 officers and 585 men, a + total of 640, one of the choicest martyr rolls of the war.' + By 'lost,' 'killed' is supposed to be meant, but still that + number greatly falls short of the number reported by the + Confederates to have been buried on the 19th by them and by + their own friends under a flag of truce. These reports show + that 800 were buried, and as a number were taken prisoners, + and it is fair to estimate that three were wounded to one + killed, the total loss of the Federals exceeded 3,000. The + writer's official report estimates the Federal loss at not + less than 2,000; General Beauregard's at 3,000. The Federal + official reports have not been seen. + + "The limits prescribed for this paper would be exceeded if + any account of the remaining forty-eight days of the heroic + strife on Morris Island were attempted. It closes with the + repulse of the second assault, and it is a fit conclusion to + render the homage due to the gallantry of the contestants by + quoting and adopting the language of Dr. Dennison's address: + 'The truest courage and determination was manifested on both + sides on that crimson day at that great slaughter-house, + Wagner.'" + +It was no longer a question of doubt as to the valor of Northern +negroes. The assault on Fort Wagner completely removed any prejudice +that had been exhibited toward negro troops in the Department of the +South. General Gillmore immediately issued an order forbidding any +distinction to be made among troops in his command. So that while the +black Phalanx had lost hundreds of its members, it nevertheless won +equality in all things save the pay. The Government refused to place +them on a footing even with their Southern brothers, who received $7 per +month and the white troops $13. However, they were not fighting for pay, +as "Stonewall" of Company C argued, but for the "_freedom of our kin_." +Nobly did they do this, not only at Wagner, as we have seen, but in the +battles on James Island, Honey Hill, Olustee and at Bodkin's Mill. + +In the winter of 1864, the troops in the Department of the South lay +encamped on the islands in and about Charleston harbor, resting from +their endeavors to drive the confederates from their strongholds. The +city was five miles away in the distance. Sumter, grim, hoary and in +ruins, yet defying the National authority, was silent. General Gillmore +was in command of the veteran legions of the 10th Army Corps, aided by a +powerful fleet of ironclads and other war vessels. There laid the city +of Charleston, for the time having a respite. General Gillmore was +giving rest to his troops, before he began again to throw Greek fire +into the city and batter the walls of its defences. The shattered ranks +of the Phalanx soldiers rested in the midst of thousands of their white +comrades-in-arms, to whom they nightly repeated the story of the late +terrible struggle. The solemn sentry pacing the ramparts of Fort Wagner +night and day, his bayonet glittering in the rays of the sun or in the +moonlight, seemed to be guarding the sepulchre of Col. Shaw and those +who fell beside him within the walls of that gory fort, and who were +buried where they fell. Only those who have lived in such a camp can +appreciate the stories of hair-breadth escapes from hand-to-hand fights. + +The repose lasted until January, when an important movement took place +for the permanent occupation of Florida. The following account, written +by the author of this book, was published in "The Journal," of Toledo, +O.: + + "The twentieth day of February, 1864, was one of the most + disastrous to the Federal arms, and to the administration of + President Lincoln, in the annals of the war for the union. + Through private advice Mr. Lincoln had received information + which led him to believe that the people in the State of + Florida, a large number of them, at least, were ready and + anxious to identify the State with the cause of the Union, + and he readily approved of the Federal forces occupying the + State, then almost deserted by the rebels. Gen. Gillmore, + commanding the Department of the South had a large force + before Charleston, S. C., which had been engaged in the + capture of Fort Wagner and the bombardment of the city of + Charleston, and the reduction of Sumter. + + "These objects being accomplished, the army having rested + several months, Gen. Gillmore asked for leave to undertake + such expeditions within his Department as he might think + proper. About the middle of December, 1863, the War + Department granted him his request, and immediately he began + making preparations for an expedition, collecting + transports, commissary stores, drilling troops, etc., etc. + + "About the 1st of January, 1864, General Gillmore wrote to + the General-in-Chief, Halleck, that he was about to occupy + the west bank of St. Johns river, with the view (1st) to + open an outlet to cotton, lumber, etc., (2d) to destroy one + of the enemy's sources of supplies, (3d) to give the negroes + opportunity of enlisting in the army, (4th) to inaugurate + measures for the speedy restoration of Florida to the Union. + + "In accordance with instructions from President Lincoln + received through the assistant Adjutant General, Major J. H. + Hay, who would accompany the expedition, on the 5th of + February the troops began to embark under the immediate + command of General Truman Seymour, on board of twenty + steamers and eight schooners, consisting of the following + regiments, numbering in all six thousand troops, and under + convoy of the gunboat Norwich: + + "40th Massachusetts Mounted Infantry, Col. Guy V. Henry. + + "7th Connecticut, Col. J. R. Hawley. + + "7th New Hampshire, Col. Abbott. + + "47th, 48th and 115th New York, Col. Barton's command. + + "The Phalanx regiments were: 8th Pennsylvania, Col. Fribley; + 1st North Carolina, Lt.-Col. Reed; 54th Massachusetts, Col. + Hallowell; 2d South Carolina, Col. Beecher; 55th + Massachusetts, Col. Hartwell, with three batteries of white + troops, Hamilton's, Elder's and Langdon's. Excepting the two + last named regiments, this force landed at Jacksonville on + the 7th of February, and pushed on, following the 40th + Massachusetts Mounted Infantry, which captured by a bold + dash Camp Finnigan, about seven miles from Jacksonville, + with its equipage, eight pieces of artillery, and a number + of prisoners. On the 10th, the whole force had reached + Baldwin, a railroad station twenty miles west of + Jacksonville. There the army encamped, except Col. Henry's + force, which continued its advance towards Tallahassee, + driving a small force of Gen. Finnegan's command before him. + This was at the time all the rebel force in east Florida. On + the 18th Gen. Seymour, induced by the successful advance of + Col. Henry, lead his troops from Baldwin with ten days' + rations in their haversacks, and started for the Suwanee + river, about a hundred and thirty miles from Baldwin + station, leaving the 2d South Carolina and the 55th + Massachusetts Phalanx regiments to follow. After a fatiguing + march the column, numbering about six thousand, reached + Barbour's Station, on the Florida Central Railroad, twenty + miles from Baldwin. Here the command halted and bivouaced, + the night of the 19th, in the woods bordering upon a wooded + ravine running off towards the river from the railroad + track. + + "It is now nineteen years ago, and I write from memory of a + night long to be remembered. Around many a Grand Army + Camp-fire in the last fifteen years this bivouac has been + made the topic of an evening's talk. It was attended with no + particular hardship. The weather was such as is met with in + these latitudes, not cold, not hot, and though a thick + vapory cloud hid the full round moon from early eventide + until the last regiment filed into the woods, yet there was + a halo of light that brightened the white, sandy earth and + gave to the moss-laden limbs of the huge pines which stood + sentry-like on the roadside the appearance of a New England + grove on a frosty night, with a shelled road leading through + it. + + "It was well in the night when the two Phalanx regiments + filed out of the road into the woods, bringing up the rear + of the army, and took shelter under the trees from the + falling dew. Amid the appalling stillness that reigned + throughout the encampment, except the tramp of feet and an + occasional whickering of a battery horse, no sound broke the + deep silence. Commands were given in an undertone and + whispered along the long lines of weary troops that lay + among the trees and the underbrush of the pine forest. Each + soldier lay with his musket beside him, ready to spring to + his feet and in line for battle, for none knew the moment + the enemy, like a tiger, would pounce upon them. It was a + night of intense anxiety, shrouded in mystery as to what + to-morrow would bring. The white and black soldier in one + common bed lay in battle panoply, dreaming their common + dreams of home and loved ones. + + "Here lay the heroic 54th picturing to themselves the + memorable nights of July 17 and 18, their bivouac on the + beach and their capture of Fort Wagner and the terrible fate + of their comrades. They were all veteran troops save the 8th + Pennsylvania, which upon many hard-fought fields had covered + themselves with gallant honor in defense of their country's + cause, from Malvern Hill to Morris Island. + + "It was in the gray of the next morning that Gen. Seymour's + order aroused the command. The men partook of a hastily + prepared cup of coffee and meat and hard-tack from their + haversacks. At sunrise the troops took up the line of march, + following the railroad for Lake City. Col. Henry, with the + 40th Massachusetts Mounted Infantry and Major Stevens' + independent battalion of Massachusetts cavalry, led the + column. About half-past one o'clock they reached a point + where the country road crossed the railroad, about two miles + east of Olustee, and six miles west of Sanderson, a station + through which the troops passed about half-past eleven + o'clock. As the head of the column reached the crossing the + rebel pickets fired and fell back upon a line of + skirmishers, pursued by Col. Henry's command. The enemy's + main force was supposed to be some miles distant from this + place, consequently General Seymour had not taken the + precaution to protect his flanks, though marching through an + enemy's country. Consequently he found his troops flanked on + either side. + + "Col. Henry drove the skirmishers back upon their main + forces, which were strongly posted between two swamps. The + position was admirably chosen; their right rested upon a + low, slight earthwork, protected by rifle-pits, their center + was defended by an impassable swamp, and on their left was a + cavalry force drawn up on a small elevation behind the + shelter of a grove of pines. Their camp was intersected by + the railroad, on which was placed a battery capable of + operating against the center and left of the advancing + column, while a rifle gun, mounted on a railroad flat, + pointed down the road in front. + + "Gen. Seymour, in order to attack this strongly fortified + position, had necessarily to place his troops between the + two swamps, one in his front, the other in the rear. The + Federal cavalry, following up the skirmishers, had attacked + the rebel right and were driven back, but were met by the + 7th New Hampshire, 7th Connecticut, a regiment of the black + Phalanx (8th Pennsylvania), and Elder's battery of four and + Hamilton's of six pieces. This force was hurled against the + rebel right with such impetuosity that the batteries were + within one hundred yards of the rebel line of battle before + they knew it. However, they took position, and supported by + the Phalanx regiment, opened a vigorous fire upon the rebel + earthworks. The Phalanx regiment advanced within twenty or + thirty yards of the enemy's rifle-pits, and poured a volley + of minie balls into the very faces of those who did not fly + on their approach. + + "The 7th Connecticut and the 7th New Hampshire, the latter + with their seven-shooters, Spencer repeaters, Col. Hawley, + commanding, had taken a stand further to the right of the + battery, and were hotly engaging the rebels. The Phalanx + regiment (8th), after dealing out two rounds from its + advanced position, finding the enemy's force in the center + preparing to charge upon them, fell back under cover of + Hamilton's battery, which was firing vigorously and + effectively into the rebel column. The 7th Connecticut and + New Hampshire about this time ran short of ammunition, and + Col. Hawley, finding the rebels outnumbered his force three + to one, was about ordering Col. Abbott to fall back and out + of the concentrated fire of the enemy pouring upon his men, + when he observed the rebels coming in for a down upon his + column. + + "Here they come like tigers; the Federal column wavers a + little; it staggers and breaks, falling back in considerable + disorder! Col. Hawley now ordered Col. Fribley to take his + Phalanx Regiment, the 8th, to the right of the battery and + check the advancing rebel force. No time was to be lost, the + enemy's sharpshooters had already silenced two of Hamilton's + guns, dead and dying men and horses lay in a heap about + them, while at the remaining four guns a few brave + artillerists were loading and fixing their pieces, retarding + the enemy in his onward movement. + + "Deficient in artillery, they had not been able to check the + Federal cavalry in its dash, but the concentrated fire from + right to center demoralized, and sent them galloping over + the field wildly. Col. Fribley gave the order by the right + flank, double quick! and the next moment the 8th Phalanx + swept away to the extreme right in support of the 7th New + Hampshire and the 7th Connecticut. The low, direct aim of + the enemy in the rifle-pits, his Indian sharpshooters up in + the trees, had ere now so thinned the ranks of Col. Hawley's + command that his line was gone, and the 8th Phalanx met the + remnant of his brigade as it was going to the rear in + complete disorder. The rebels ceased firing and halted as + the Phalanx took position between them and their fleeing + comrades. They halted not perforce, but apparently for + deliberation, when with one fell swoop in the next moment + they swept the field in their front. + + "The Phalanx did not, however, quit the field in a + panic-stricken manner but fell hastily back to the battery, + only to find two of the guns silent and their brave workers + and horses nearly all of them dead upon the field. With a + courage undaunted, surpassed by no veteran troops on any + battle-field, the Phalanx attempted to save the silent guns. + In this effort Col. Fribley was killed, in the torrent of + rebel bullets which fell upon the regiment. It held the two + guns, despite two desperate charges made by the enemy to + capture them, but the stubbornness of the Phalanx was no + match for the ponderous weight of their enemy's column, + their sharpshooters and artillery mowing down ranks of their + comrades at every volley. A grander spectacle was never + witnessed than that which this regiment gave of gallant + courage. They left their guns only when their line officers + and three hundred and fifty of their valiant soldiers were + dead upon the field, the work of an hour and a half. The + battery lost forty of its horses and four of its brave men. + The Phalanx saved the colors of the battery with its own. + Col. Barton's brigade, the 47th, 48th and 115th New York, + during the fight on the right had held the enemy in the + front and center at bay, covering Elder's battery, and nobly + did they do their duty, bravely maintaining the reputation + they had won before Charleston, but like the other troops, + the contest was too unequal. The rebels outnumbered them + five to one, and they likewise gave way, leaving about a + fourth of their number upon the field, dead and wounded. + + "Col. Montgomery's brigade, comprising two Phalanx + regiments, 54th Massachusetts and 1st North Carolina, which + had been held in reserve about a mile down the road, now + came up at double-quick. They were under heavy marching + orders, with ten days' rations in their knapsacks, besides + their cartridge boxes they carried ten rounds in their + overcoat pockets. The road was sandy, and the men often + found their feet beneath the sand, but with their wonted + alacrity they speed on up the road, the 54th leading in + almost a locked running step, followed closely by the 1st + North Carolina. As they reached the road intersected by the + railroad they halted in the rear of what remained of + Hamilton's battery, loading a parting shot. The band of the + 54th took position on the side of the road, and while the + regiments were unstringing knapsacks as coolly as if about + to bivouac, the music of the band burst out on the + sulphurous air, amid the roar of artillery, the rattle of + musketry and the shouts of commands, mingling its + soul-stirring strains with the deafening yells of the + charging columns, right, left, and from the rebel center. + Thus on the very edge of the battle, nay, in the battle, the + Phalanx band poured out in heroic measures 'The Star + Spangled Banner.' Its thrilling notes, soaring above the + battles' gales, aroused to new life and renewed energy the + panting, routed troops, flying in broken and disordered + ranks from the field. Many of them halted, the New York + troops particularly, and gathered at the battery again, + pouring a deadly volley into the enemy's works and ranks. + The 54th had but a moment to prepare for the task. General + Seymour rode up and appealed to the Phalanx to check the + enemy and save the army from complete and total + annihilation. Col. Montgomery gave Col. Hallowell the order + 'Forward,' pointing to the left, and away went the 54th + Phalanx regiment through the woods, down into the swamp, + wading up to their knees--in places where the water reached + their hips; yet on they went till they reached terra firma. + Soon the regiment stood in line of battle, ready to meet the + enemy's advancing cavalry, emerging from the extreme left. + + "'Hold your fire!' the order ran down the line. Indeed, it + was trying. The cavalry had halted but the enemy, in their + rifle-pits in the center of their line, poured volley after + volley into the ranks of the Phalanx, which it stood like a + wall of granite, holding at bay the rebel cavalry hanging on + the edge of a pine grove. The 1st Phalanx regiment entered + the field in front, charged the rebels in the centre of the + line, driving them into their rifle-pits, and then for half + an hour the carnage became frightful. They had followed the + rebels into the very jaws of death, and now Col. Reid found + his regiment in the enemy's enfilading fire, and they swept + his line. Men fell like snowflakes. Driven by this terrific + fire, they fell back. The 54th had taken ground to the + right, lending whatever of assistance they could to their + retiring comrades, who were about on a line with them, for + although retreating, it was in the most cool and deliberate + manner, and the two regiments began a firing at will against + which the rebels, though outnumbering them, could not face. + Thus they held them till long after sunset, and firing + ceased. + + "The slaughter was terrible; the Phalanx lost about 800 men, + the white troops about 600. It was Braddock's defeat after + the lapse of a century." + +The rout was complete; the army was not only defeated but beaten and +demoralized. The enemy had succeeded in drawing it into a trap for the +purpose of annihilating it. Seymour had advanced, contrary to the orders +given him by General Gillmore, from Baldwin's Station, where he was +instructed to intrench and await orders. Whether or not he sought to +retrieve the misfortunes that had attended him in South Carolina, in +assaulting the enemy's works, is a question which need not be discussed +here. It is only necessary to show the miserable mismanagement of the +advance into the enemy's country. The troops were marched into an +ambuscade, where they were slaughtered by the enemy at will. Even after +finding his troops ambuscaded, and within two hundred yards of the +confederate fortifications, General Seymour did not attempt to fall back +and form a line of battle, though he had sufficient artillery, but +rushed brigade after brigade up to the enemy's guns, only to be mowed +down by the withering storm of shot. Each brigade in turn went in as +spirited as any troops ever entered a fight, but stampeded out of it +maimed, mangled and routed. At sunset the road, foot-paths and woods +leading back to Saunders' Station, was full of brave soldiers hastening +from the massacre of their comrades, in their endeavor to escape +capture. At about nine o'clock that night, what remained of the left +column, Colonel Montgomery's brigade, consisting of the 54th and 35th +Phalanx Regiments, and a battery, arrived at the Station, and reported +the confederates in hot pursuit. + +[Illustration: CHARGE OF THE PHALANX.] + +Instantly the shattered, scattered troops fled to the roads leading to +Barber's, ten miles away, with no one to command. Each man took his own +route for Barber's, leaving behind whatever would encumber him,--arms, +ammunition, knapsacks and cartridge boxes; many of the latter containing +forty rounds of cartridges. It was long past midnight when Barber's was +reached, and full day before the frightened mob arrived at the Station. +At sunrise on the morning of the 21st, the scene presented at Barber's +was sickening and sad. The wounded lay everywhere, upon the ground, +huddled around the embers of fagot fires, groaning and uttering cries of +distress. The surgeons were busy relieving, as best they could, the more +dangerously wounded. The foot-sore and hungry soldiers sought out their +bleeding and injured comrades and placed them upon railroad flats, +standing upon the tracks, and when these were loaded, ropes and strong +vines were procured and fastened to the flats. Putting themselves in the +place of a locomotive,--several of which stood upon the track at +Jacksonville,--the mangled and mutilated forms of about three hundred +soldiers were dragged forward mile after mile. Just in the rear, the +confederates kept up a fire of musketry, as though to hasten on the +stampede. It was well into the night when the train reached Baldwin's, +where it was thought the routed force would occupy the extensive work +encircling the station, but they did not stop; their race was continued +to Jacksonville. At Baldwin's an agent of the Christian Commission gave +the wounded each two crackers, without water. This over with, the train +started for Jacksonville, ten miles further. The camp of Colonel +Beecher's command, 2nd Phalanx Regiment, was reached, and here coffee +was furnished. At daylight the train reached Jacksonville, where the +wounded were carried to the churches and cared for. The battle and the +retreat had destroyed every vestige of distinction based upon color. The +troops during the battle had fought together, as during the stampede +they had endured its horrors together. + +The news of the battle and defeat reached Beaufort the night of the 23rd +of February. It was so surprising that it was doubted, but when a boat +load of wounded men arrived, all doubts were dispelled. + +Colonel T. W. Higginson, who was at Beaufort at the time with his +regiment, (1st S. C), thus notes the reception of the news in his diary, +which we quote with a few comments from his admirable book, "Army Life +in a Black Regiment": + + "'FEBRUARY, 19TH. + + "'Not a bit of it! This morning the General has ridden up + radiant, has seen General Gillmore, who has decided not to + order us to Florida at all, nor withdraw any of this + garrison. Moreover, he says that all which is intended in + Florida is done--that there will be no advance to + Tallahassee, and General Seymour will establish a camp of + instruction in Jacksonville. Well, if that is all, it is a + lucky escape.' + + "We little dreamed that on that very day the march toward + Olustee was beginning. The battle took place next day, and I + add one more extract to show how the news reached Beaufort. + + "'FEBRUARY 23, 1864. + + "'There was a sound of revelry by night at a ball in + Beaufort last night, in a new large building beautifully + decorated. All the collected flags of the garrison hung + round and over us, as if the stars and stripes were devised + for an ornament alone. The array of uniforms was such, that + a civilian became a distinguished object, much more a lady. + All would have gone according to the proverbial marriage + bell, I suppose, had there not been a slight palpable shadow + over all of us from hearing vague stories of a lost battle + in Florida, and from the thought that perhaps the very + ambulances in which we rode to the ball were ours only until + the wounded or the dead might tenant them. + + "'General Gillmore only came, I supposed, to put a good face + upon the matter. He went away soon, and General Saxton went; + then came a rumor that the Cosmopolitan had actually arrived + with wounded, but still the dance went on. There was nothing + unfeeling about it--one gets used to things,--when suddenly, + in the midst of the 'Lancers,' there came a perfect hush, + the music ceasing, a few surgeons went hastily to and fro, + as if conscience stricken (I should think they might have + been),--and then there 'waved a mighty shadow in,' as in + Uhland's 'Black Knight,' and as we all stood wondering we + were aware of General Saxton who strode hastily down the + hall, his pale face very resolute, and looking almost sick + with anxiety. He had just been on board the steamer; there + were two hundred and fifty wounded men just arrived, and the + ball must end. Not that there was anything for us to do, but + the revel was mis-timed, and must be ended; it was wicked to + be dancing with such a scene of suffering near by. + +[Illustration: PHALANX RIVER PICKETS DEFENDING THEMSELVES. + +Federal picket boat near Fernandina, Fla., attacked by Confederate +sharpshooters stationed in the trees on the banks.] + + "'Of course the ball was instantly broken up, though with + some murmurings and some longings of appetite, on the part + of some, toward the wasted supper. + + "'Later, I went on board the boat. Among the long lines of + wounded, black and white intermingled, there was the + wonderful quiet which usually prevails on such occasions. + Not a sob nor a groan, except from those undergoing removal. + It is not self-control, but chiefly the shock to the system + produced by severe wounds, especially gunshot wounds, and + which usually keeps the patient stiller at first than at any + later time. + + "'A company from my regiment waited on the wharf, in their + accustomed dusky silence, and I longed to ask them what they + thought of our Florida disappointment now? In view of what + they saw, did they still wish we had been there? I confess + that in presence of all that human suffering, I could not + wish it. But I would not have suggested any such thought to + them. + + "'I found our kind-hearted ladies, Mrs. Chamberlin and Mrs. + Dewhurst, on board the steamer, but there was nothing for + them to do, and we walked back to camp in the radiant + moonlight; Mrs. Chamberlin more than ever strengthened in + her blushing woman's philosophy, 'I don't care who wins the + laurels, provided we don't!' + + "'FEBRUARY 29TH. + + "'But for a few trivial cases of varioloid, we should + certainly have been in that disastrous fight. We were + confidently expected for several days at Jacksonville, and + the commanding general told Hallowell that we, being the + oldest colored regiment, would have the right of the line. + This was certainly to miss danger and glory very closely.'" + +At daybreak on the 8th of March, 1864, the 7th Regiment, having left +Camp Stanton, Maryland, on the 4th and proceeded to Portsmouth, Va., +embarked on board the steamer "Webster" for the Department of the South. +Arriving at Hilton Head, the regiment went into camp for a few days, +then it embarked for Jacksonville, Fla., at which place it remained for +some time, taking part in several movements into the surrounding country +and participating in a number of quite lively skirmishes. On the 27th of +June a considerable portion of the Regiment was ordered to Hilton Head, +where it arrived on July 1st; it went from there to James Island, where +with other troops a short engagement with the confederates was had. +Afterwards the regiment returned to Jacksonville, Fla., remaining in +that vicinity engaged in raiding the adjacent territory until the 4th of +August, when the regiment was ordered to Virginia, to report to the +Army of the Potomoc, where it arrived on Aug. 8th. The 55th +Massachusetts Regiment was also ordered to the Department of the South, +It left Boston July 21st, 1863, on the steamer "Cahawba," and arrived at +Newbern on the 25th. After a few days of rest, to recover from the +effects of the voyage, the regiment was put into active service, and +performed a large amount of marching and of the arduous duties required +of a soldier. Many skirmishes and actions of more or less importance +were participated in. February 13th, 1864, the regiment took a steamer +for Jacksonville, Fla., and spent considerable time in that section and +at various points on the St. Johns river. In June the regiment was +ordered to the vicinity of Charleston, and took part in several of the +engagements which occurred in that neighborhood, always sustaining and +adding to the reputation they were acquiring for bravery and good +soldierly conduct. The regiment passed its entire time of active service +in the department to which it was first sent, and returned to Boston, +Mass., where it was mustered out, amid great rejoicing, on the 23rd of +September, 1865. + +The battles in which the 54th Regiment were engaged were some of the +most sanguinary of the war. The last fight of the regiment, which, like +the battle of New Orleans, took place after peace was declared, is thus +described by the Drummer Boy of Company C, Henry A. Monroe, of New +Bedford, Mass.: + + +BOYKIN'S MILL.[27] + + One wailing bugle note,-- + Then at the break of day, + With Martial step and gay. + The army takes its way + From Camden town. + + There lay along the path, + Defending native land; + A daring, desperate band + Entrenched on either hand + In ambuscade. + + A low and dark ravine + Beneath a rugged hill, + Where stood the Boykin Mill + Spanning the creek, whose rill + Flows dark an deep. + + Only a narrow bank + Where one can scarcely tread: + Thick branches meet o'erhead; + Across the mill-pond's bed + A bridge up-torn. + + One single sharp report! + A hundred muskets peal,-- + A wild triumphant yell, + As back the army fell + Stunned, bleeding, faint. + + As when some mighty rock + Obstructs the torrent's course, + After the moment's pause + Twill rush with greater force + Resistless on. + + A moment's pause and then, + Our leader from his post, + Viewing the stricken host. + Cried 'Comrades, all is lost + If we now fail!' + + Forming in single file. + They gaze with bated breath, + Around--before--beneath-- + On every hand, stern Death + His visage showed. + + 'Forward!' They quickly spring + With leveled bayonet; + Each eye is firmly set + Upon that pathway wet + With crimson gore. + + That 'Balaklava' dash! + Right through the leaden hail. + O'er dyke mid timbers frail, + With hearts that never fail + They boldly charge. + + Facing the scathing fire + Without a halt or break; + Save when with moan or shriek, + In the blood-mingled creek + The wounded fall. + + What could resist that charge? + Above the battle's roar, + There swells a deafening cheer + Telling to far and near, + The Mill is won! + +The slaughter was terrible, and among the killed was young Lieutenant +Stevenson, a graduate of Harvard. The affair was an unnecessary +sacrifice of human life, for the war was over, peace had been declared, +and President Lincoln had been assassinated; but in the interior of the +Carolinas, the news did not reach until it was too late to prevent this +final bloodshed of the war. Perhaps it may be regarded as a fitting seal +of the negro to his new covenant with freedom and his country. + +The very large number of negro troops which General Gillmore had under +his command in the Department of the South, afforded him a better +opportunity to test their fitness for and quality as soldiers, than any +other commander had. In fact the artillery operations in Charleston +harbor, conducted throughout with remarkable engineering skill, +perseverence and bravery, won for General Gillmore and his troops the +attention and admiration of the civilized world, and an exceptional +place in the annals of military siege. Such fame is sufficient to prompt +an inquiry into the capacity of the men who performed the labor of +planting the "Swamp Angel," which threw three hundred pound shot into +the heart of Charleston, more than four miles away, and also mounted the +six 200-pound cannons which demolished the forts in the harbor two miles +distant. The work of mounting these immense guns in swamp and mud could +only be done by men who feared neither fatigue, suffering nor death. +After the accomplishment of these worlds, wonders, and the subjugation +of "arrogant" Wagner, the following circular was addressed to the +subordinate engineers for information regarding the negro troops, which +drew forth explicit and interesting answers: + + "COLORED TROOPS FOR WORK.--CIRCULAR. + + "HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, + + "ENGINEER'S OFFICE, MORRIS ISLAND, S. C., Sept. 10th, 1863. + + "As the important experiment which will test the fitness of + the American negro for the duties of a soldier is now being + tried, it is desirable that facts bearing on the question be + carefully observed and recorded. + + "It is probable that in no military operations of the war + have negro troops done so large a proportion, and so + important and hazardous, fatigue duty, as in the siege + operations on this island. + + "As you have directed the operations of working parties of + both white and black troops here, I respectfully ask, for + the object above stated, an impartial and carefully prepared + answer to the following inquiries, together with such + statements as you choose to make bearing on this question: + + "I. Courage as indicated by their behavior under fire. + + "II. Skill and appreciation of their duties, referring to + the quality of the work performed. + + "III. Industry and perseverence, with reference, to the + quantity of the work performed. + + "IV. If a certain work were to be accomplished in the least + possible time, _i. e._, when enthusiasm and direct personal + interest is necessary to attain the end, would whites or + blacks answer best? + + "V. What is the difference, considering the above points + between colored troops recruited from the free States and + those from the slave States? + + "Very respectfully your obedient servant, + + "T. B. BROOKS, + + "_Major, Aide-de-Camp and Ass't Engineer._" + +_Six_ replies to these enquiries were received from engineer officers +who had been engaged in the siege, the substance of which is embraced in +the following summary, following which two replies are given in full, + + "1. To the first question all answer that the black is more + timorous than the white, but is in a corresponding degree + more docile and obedient, hence more completely under the + control of his commander, and much more influenced by his + example. + + "2. All agree that the black is less skillful than the white + soldier, but still enough so for most kinds of siege work. + + "3. The statements unanimously agree that the black will do + a greater amount of work than the white soldier because he + labors more constantly. + + "4. The whites are decidedly superior in enthusiasm. The + blacks cannot be easily hurried in their work, no matter + what the emergency. + + "5. All agree that the colored troops recruited from free + States are superior to those recruited from slave States. + + "It may with propriety be repeated here, that the average + percentage of sick among the negro troops during the siege + was 13.9, while that of the white infantry was 20.1 per + cent. + + "The percentage of tours of duty performed by the blacks as + compared with the white infantry, was as 56 to 41. But the + grand guard duty, which was considered much more wearing + than fatigue, was all done by the whites. + + "The efficiency and health of a battalion depends so much + upon its officers, that, in order to institute a fair + comparison, when so small a number of troops are considered, + this element should be eliminated. This has not, however, + been attempted in this paper." + + [_Reply in Full No. 1._] + + "MORRIS ISLAND, S. C., Sept. 11th, 1863. + + "MAJOR:--In answer to your several queries as per circular + of September 10, 1863, requesting my opinion as to the + relative merits of white and black troops, for work in the + trenches, I have the honor to make the the following + replies: + + "I. 'Their courage as indicated by their behavior under + fire.' I will say, in my opinion, their courage is rather of + the passive than the active kind. They will stay, endure, + resist, and follow, but they have not the restless, + aggressive spirit. I do not believe they will desert their + officers in trying moments, in so great numbers as the + whites; they have not the will, audacity or fertility of + excuse of the straggling white, and at the same time they + have not the heroic, nervous energy, or vivid perception of + the white, who stands firm or presses forward. + + "I do not remember a single instance, in my labors in the + trenches, where the black man has skulked away from his + duty, and I know that instances of that kind have occurred + among the whites; still I think that the superior energy and + intelligence of those remaining, considering that the whites + were the lesser number by the greater desertion, would more + than compensate. + + "II. 'Skill and appreciation of their duties referring to + the quality of the work.' + + "They have a fair share of both; enough to make them very + useful and efficient, but they have not apparently that + superior intelligence and skill that may be found largely + among the non-commissioned officers and privates of the + white regiments. + + "III. 'Industry and perseverence with reference to the + quantity of the work done.' + + "I think they will do more than the whites; they do not have + so many complaints and excuses, but stick to their work + patiently, doggedly, obediently, and accomplish a great + deal, though I have never known them to work with any marked + spirit or energy. I should liken the white man to the horse + (often untractable and balky), the black man to the ox. + + "IV. 'If a certain work were to be accomplished in the least + possible time, _i. e._, when enthusiasm and direct personal + interest is necessary to attain the end, would whites or + blacks answer best?' + + "I cannot make up my mind that it is impossible to arouse + the enthusiasm of the blacks, for I have seen enough of them + to know that they are very emotional creatures; still though + they might have more dash than I have seen and think + possible, it is unquestionable to my mind that were the + enthusiasm and personal interest of both aroused, the white + would far surpass the black. + + "It seems to me that there is a hard nervous organization at + the bottom of the character of the white, and a soft + susceptible one at the bottom of the character of the black. + + "V. 'What is the difference, considering the above points, + between colored troops recruited from the free States and + those from the slave States?' + + "I should say that the free State men were the best; they + have more of the self-reliance, and approximate nearer to + the qualities of the white man in respect to dash and + energy, than those from the slave States. + + "_Summary._--To me they compare favorably with the whites; + they are easily handled, true and obedient; there is less + viciousness among them; they are more patient; they have + great constancy. The character of the white, as you know, + runs to extremes; one has bull-dog courage, another is a + pitiful cur; one is excessively vicious, another pure and + noble. The phases of the character of the white touches the + stars and descends to the lowest depths. The blacks + character occupies the inner circle. Their status is + mediocrity, and this mediocrity and uniformity, for military + fatigue duty, I think, answers best. + + "I am respectfully your obedient servant, + + "JOSEPH WALKER. + + "_Captain New York Volunteer Engineers._ + + "Major T. B. BROOKS, + + "_Aide-de-Camp and Ass't. Eng. Dept. of the South."_ + + [_Reply in Full No. 2._] + + "MORRIS ISLAND, Sept. 16th, 1863. + + "MAJOR T. B. BROOKS, _Ass't. Engineer Dept. of the South._ + + "SIR: I have the honor to state that I received from you a + circular of inquiry respecting the comparative merits of + white and black soldiers for fatigue duty, requesting my + opinion as derived from observation and actual intercourse + with them, on several specified points, which I subjoin with + the respective answers. + + "I. 'Courage as indicated by conduct under fire.' + + "I have found that the black troops manifest more timidity + under fire than the white troops, but they are at the same + time more obedient to orders, and more under control of + their officers, in dangerous situations, than white + soldiers. + + "II. 'Skill and appreciation of their duties with reference + to the quality of the work performed.' + + "White soldiers are more intelligent and experienced and of + course more skillful than the black ones, but they have not + generally a corresponding appreciation of their duties. As a + consequence I have found in most cases the work as well done + by black as by white soldiers. + + "III. 'Industry and perseverence with reference to the + amount of work performed.' + + "White soldiers work with more energy while they do work + than the black ones, but do not work as constantly. Black + soldiers seldom intermit their labors except by orders or + permission. The result, as far as my observations extends, + is that a greater amount of work is usually accomplished + with black than with white soldiers. + + "IV. 'If a certain work were to be accomplished in the least + possible time, when enthusiasm and direct personal interest + is necessary to the attainment of the end, would whites or + blacks answer best?' + + "Whites. Because though requiring more effort to control, + they possess a greater energy of character and + susceptibility of enthusiasm than the black race, which can + be called into action by an emergency or by a sufficient + effort on the part of their officers. + + "V. 'What is the difference, considering the above points, + between colored troops recruited from the free States and + those from the slave States?' + + "I have observed a decided difference in favor of those + recruited from the free States. + + "The problem involved in the foregoing investigation is more + difficult of a solution than appears at first sight, owing + to the fact that the degree of efficiency peculiar to any + company of troops depends so much on the character of their + officers, an element that must eliminate from the question + in order to ascertain the quality of the material of which + the troops are composed. + + "I have the honor to be your obedient servant, + + "H. FARRAND, + + "_1st Lieut. New York Volunteer Engineers._" + +In his report to Major-General Gillmore, dated "Morris Island, Sept. +27th, 1863," Major Brooks, his Assistant Engineer, says: "Of the +numerous infantry regiments which furnished fatigue details, the Fourth +New Hampshire Volunteers did the most and best work. Next follow the +blacks, the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers, and Third United +States Colored Troops." + +Annexed to these reports is also a statement of the labor days of the +troops. + + + "WORKING PARTIES AND HEALTH OF TROOPS. + + "The total number of days' work, of six hours each, expended + in Major Brooks' operations was, by engineers, 4,500, and by + infantry 19,000, total 23,500; of the 19,000 days' work by + infantry, one-half was performed by colored troops. In + addition to the above, 9,500 days' work was expended in + preparing siege materials for Major Brooks' operations. The + infantry soldiers' days' work is about one-fifth what a + citizen laborer would do on civil works. Of my work, over + eight-twentieths was against Wagner, about seven-twentieths + on the defensive lines, and nearly five-twentieths on the + batteries against Sumter. + + "The approximate amount of labor actually expended on the + more important works is as follows: One emplacement for a + siege piece, 40 days; one emplacement for a heavy breaching + gun, 100 days; one bomb-proof magazine, 250 days; + construction and repairs of each yard of approach having + splinter-proof parapet, 2 days; a lineal yard of narrow + splinter-proof shelter, 4 days; a lineal yard of wide + splinter-proof shelter, 8 days; to make and set one yard of + inclined palisading, 2 days. + + "At least three-fourths of the manual labor was simply + shoveling sand; one-half of the remainder was carrying + engineer material. The balance was employed in various kinds + of work. + + "About three-fourths of this work was executed in the + night-time, and at least nine-tenths of it under a fire of + artillery or sharpshooters, or both. The sharpshooters + seldom fired during the night. The artillery fire was most + severe during the day. Thirty-five projectiles fired by the + enemy at our works per hour was called "heavy firing," + although sometimes more than double that number were thrown. + + "In the order of their number the projectiles were from + smooth-bore guns, mortars, and rifled guns. + + "The James Island batteries were from two thousand to four + thousand yards from our works; Fort Sumter and Battery Gregg + were respectively about three thousand five hundred and two + thousand one hundred; Fort Wagner was from thirteen hundred + to one hundred yards. + + "The total number of casualties in the working parties and + the guard of the advanced trenches, (not including the main + guard of the trenches), during the siege, was about one + hundred and fifty. When it is considered that on an average + over two hundred men were constantly engaged in these + duties, being under fire for fifty days, the number of + casualties is astonishingly small. + + "The camp at which the fatigue parties were quartered and + fed were, in order to be beyond the reach of the enemy's + fires, two miles from the centre of the works; hence the + distance of four miles had to be marched each tour of duty, + which required nearly two hours, and added greatly to the + labor of the siege. + + "This siege has been conducted through the hottest part of + the season,--July, August and September,--yet the troops + have suffered but little from excess in heat, on account of + the large proportion of night work, and the almost continual + sea-breeze, which was always cool and refreshing. + + "The amount of sickness was great, the large amount of duty + being the probable cause. On the 7th of August the + percentage was the smallest observed during the siege, being + 18.6. At this date the aggregate garrison of Morris Island + was 9,353, of which 1,741 were sick. On the 17th of August + 22.9 per cent. of the whole garrison were on the sick list. + This was the most unhealthy period of the siege. + + "The average strength of the command on Morris Island during + the siege was, of all arms, 10,678 men, of which the average + percentage sick was 19.88. The number of black troops varied + from 1,127 to 1947. + + "Average percentage of sick in Artillery, 6.2; ditto, in + Engineers, 11.9; ditto, in Black Infantry, 13.9; ditto, in + White Infantry, (excluding one brigade), 20.1. + + "This brigade consisted of the Ninety-seventh Pennsylvania, + Twenty-fourth Massachusetts and Tenth Connecticut + Volunteers. It averaged thirty per cent sick. This was due + to the fact that these three regiments had been stationed, + before moving to Morris Island, on Seabrook Island, which + proved very unhealthy. The engineers and black infantry were + employed exclusively on fatigue duty. The white infantry + served as guard of the trenches, as well as for work in the + same. + + "Details from the troops on Folly Island took part in the + operations on Morris Island. + + "It was found by experience that men under these + circumstances could not work more than one-fourth the time. + A greater amount at once increased the sick list. Eight + hours in thirty-two, or eight hours on and twenty-four off, + was found to be the best arrangement, as it made a daily + change in the hours of duty for those regiments permanently + detailed for work. + + "The organization found most advantageous in working a + command permanently detailed for fatigue duty, was to divide + its effective force into four equal detachments, on duty + eight hours each, relieving each other at 4 A. M., 12 M. and + 8 P. M. The large number of extra troops employed in the + trenches each night were usually changed daily. + + "The engineer officers in charge of the works were divided + into corresponding groups, four in each, relieving each + other at 8 A. M., 4 P. M., and 12 midnight, four hours + different from the time of relieving the troops. This + difference enabled the engineer officers to carry the work + through the period of relieving the fatigue details. + + "One engineer officer, having from two to four different + kinds or jobs of work to superintend, was found to work + advantageously in the night, with the help of + non-commissioned officers of engineers, from one hundred to + two hundred men. + + "The working parties of engineers and black infantry seldom + carried their arms into the trenches, while the white + infantry fatigue parties usually did." + +FOOTNOTES: + +[27] NOTE.--Boykin's Mill, a few miles from Camden, S. C, was the scene +of one of the bloodiest skirmishes that the 54th Regt. ever participated +in. We had literally fought every step of the way from Georgetown to +Camden, and the enemy made a last desperate stand at this place. No +better position could be found for a defense, as the only approach to +it, was by a narrow embankment about 200 yards long, where only one +could walk at a time. The planks of the bridge over the mill-race were +torn up, compelling the troops to cross on the timbers and cross-ties, +under a galling fire which swept the bridge and embankment, rendering it +a fearful 'way of death.' The heroes of Wagner and Olustee did not +shrink from the trial, but actually charged in single file. The first to +step upon the fatal path, went down like grass before the scythe, but +over their prostrate bodies came their comrades, until the enemy, +panic-stricken by such determined daring, abandoned their position and +fled. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. + + +Important services were rendered by the Phalanx in the West. The +operations in Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, afforded an excellent +opportunity to the commanders of the Union forces to raise negro troops +in such portions of the territory as they held; but in consequence of +the bitterness against such action by the semi-Unionists and Copperheads +in the Department of the Ohio and Cumberland, it was not until the fall +of 1863 that the organizing of such troops in these Departments fairly +began. The Mississippi was well-nigh guarded by Phalanx regiments +enlisted along that river, numbering about fifty thousand men. They +garrisoned the fortifications, and occupied the captured towns. Later +on, however, when the confederate General Bragg began preparations for +the recovery of the Tennessee Valley, organization of the Phalanx +commenced in earnest, and proceeded with a rapidity that astounded even +those who were favorable to the policy. St. Louis became a depot and +Benton Barracks a recruiting station, from whence, in the fall of 1863, +went many a regiment of brave black men, whose chivalrous deeds will +ever live in the annals of the nation. It was not long after this time +that the noble Army of the Cumberland began to receive a portion of the +black troops, whose shouts rang through the mountain fastnesses. The +record made by the 60th Regiment is the boast of the State of Iowa, to +which it was accredited: but of those which went to the assistance of +General Thomas' army none won greater distinction and honor than the +gallant brigade commanded by Colonel T. J. Morgan, afterwards raised to +Brigadier-General. The gallant 14th Infantry was one of its regiments, +the field officers of which were Colonel, Thomas J. Morgan, who had been +promoted through various grades, from a 1st Lieutenancy in the 70th +Indiana Volunteer Infantry; Lieutenant-Colonel, H. C. Corbin, who had +risen from a 1st Lieutenancy of the 79th O. V. I., and Major N. J. Vail, +who had served as an enlisted man in the 19th Illinois Volunteers. All +the officers passed a rigid examination before the board of examiners +appointed by the War Department for that purpose. + +[Illustration: CHANGED CONDITIONS. + +The Confederate Generals Edward Johnson and G. H. Stewart, as prisoners, +under guard of Phalanx Soldiers, May 12th, 1864.] + +General Morgan, by request furnishes the following highly interesting +and historical statement of his services with the Phalanx Brigade: + + "The American Civil War of 1861-5 marks an epoch not only in + the history of the United States, but in that of democracy, + and of civilization. Its issue has vitally affected the + course of human progress. To the student of history it ranks + along with the conquests of Alexander; the incursions of the + Barbarians; the Crusades; the discovery of America and the + American Revolution. It settled the question of our National + unity with all the consequences attaching thereto. It + exhibited in a very striking manner the power of a free + people to preserve their form of government against its most + dangerous foe, Civil War. It not only enfranchised four + millions of American slaves of African descent, but made + slavery forever impossible in the great Republic, and gave a + new impulse to the cause of human freedom. Its influence + upon American slaves was immediate and startlingly + revolutionary, lifting them from the condition of despised + chattels, bought and sold like sheep in the market, with no + rights which the white man was bound to respect,--to the + exalted plane of American citizenship; made them free men, + the peers in every civil and political right, of their late + masters. Within about a decade after the close of the war, + negroes, lately slaves, were legislators, state officers, + members of Congress, and for a brief time one presided over + the Senate of the United States, where only a few years + before, Toombs had boasted that he would yet call the roll + of his slaves in the shade of Bunker Hill. + + "To-day slavery finds no advocate, and the colored race in + America is making steady progress in all the elements of + civilization. The conduct of the American slave during, and + since the war, has wrought an extraordinary change in public + sentiment, regarding the capabilities of the race. + + "The manly qualities of the negro soldiers, evinced in camp, + on the march and in battle, won for them golden opinions, + made their freedom a necessity and their citizenship a + certainty. + + "Those of us who assisted in organizing, disciplining and + leading negro troops in battle, may, perhaps, be pardoned + for feeling a good degree of pride in our share of the + thrilling events of the great war. + + "When Sumter was fired upon, April, 1861, I was 21; a member + of the Senior Class in Franklin College, Indiana. I enlisted + in the 7th Indiana Volunteer infantry and served as a + private soldier for three months in West Virginia, under + Gen. McClellan,--'the young Napoleon,' as he was even then + known. I participated in the battle of Carricks Ford, where + Gen. Garnett was killed and his army defeated. In August, + 1862, I re-enlisted as a First Lieutenant in the 70th + Indiana, (Col. Benjamin Harrison) and saw service in + Kentucky and Tennessee. + + "In January 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Proclamation of + Emancipation, and incorporated in it the policy of arming + the negro for special service in the Union army. Thus the + question was fairly up, and I entered into its discussion + with the deepest interest, as I saw that upon its settlement + hung great issues. + + "On the one hand the opponents of the policy maintained that + to make soldiers of the negroes would be to put them on the + same level with white soldiers, and so be an insult to every + man who wore the blue. It was contended, too, that the negro + was not fit for a soldier because he belonged to a degraded, + inferior race, wanting in soldierly qualities; that his long + bondage had crushed out whatever of manliness he might + naturally possess; that he was too grossly ignorant to + perform, intelligently, the duties of the soldier; that his + provocation had been so great as a slave, that when once + armed, and conscious of his power as a soldier, he would + abuse it by acts of revenge and wanton cruelty. + + "It was urged, on the other hand, that in its fearful + struggle for existence, the Republic needed the help of the + able-bodied negroes; that with their natural instincts of + self-preservation, desire for liberty, habit of obedience, + power of imitation, love of pomp and parade, acquaintance + with the southern country and adaptation to its climate, + they had elements which peculiarly fitted them for soldiers. + It was further urged that the negro had more at stake than + the white man, and that he should have a chance to strike a + blow for himself. It was particularly insisted upon that he + needed just the opportunity which army service afforded to + develop and exhibit whatever of manliness he possessed. As + the war progressed, and each great battle-field was piled + with heaps of the killed and wounded of our best citizens, + men looked at each other seriously, and asked if a black man + would not stop a bullet as well as a white man? Miles + O'Reilly at length voiced a popular sentiment when he said, + + "'The right to be killed I'll divide with the nayger, + And give him the largest half.' + + "With the strong conviction that the negro was a man worthy + of freedom, and possessed of all the essential qualities of + a good soldier, I early advocated the organization of + colored regiments,--not for fatigue or garrison duty, but + for field service. + + "In October, 1863, having applied for a position as an + officer in the colored service, I was ordered before the + Board of Examiners at Nashville, Tennessee, where I spent + five rather anxious hours. When I entered the army I knew + absolutely nothing of the details of army life; had never + even drilled with a fire company. During the first three + months I gathered little except a somewhat rough + miscellaneous experience. As a lieutenant and staff officer + I learned something, but as I had never had at any time + systematic instruction from any one, I appeared before the + Board with little else than vigorous health, a college + education, a little experience as a soldier, a good + reputation as an officer, a fair amount of common sense and + a good supply of zeal. The Board averaged me, and + recommended me for a Major. + + "A few days after the examination, I received an order to + report to Major George L. Stearns, who had charge of the + organization of colored troops in that Department. He + assigned me to duty temporarily in a camp in Nashville. + Major Stearns was a merchant in Boston, who had been for + years an ardent abolitionist, and who, among other good + deeds, had befriended John Brown. He was a large-hearted, + broad-minded genial gentleman. When the policy of organizing + colored troops was adopted, he offered his services to the + Government, received an appointment as Assistant Adjutant + General, and was ordered to Nashville to organize colored + regiments. He acted directly under the Secretary of War, and + independently of the Department Commander. To his zeal, good + judgment and efficient labor, was due, very largely, the + success of the work in the West. + + "November 1st, 1863, by order of Major Stearns, I went to + Gallatin, Tennessee, to organize the 14th United States + Colored Infantry. General E. A. Paine was then in command of + the post at Gallatin, having under him a small detachment of + white troops. There were at that time several hundred negro + men in camp, in charge of, I think, a lieutenant. They were + a motley crowd,--old, young, middle aged. Some wore the + United States uniform, but most of them had on the clothes + in which they had left the plantations, or had worn during + periods of hard service as laborers in the army. Gallatin at + that time was threatened with an attack by the guerilla + bands then prowling over that part of the State. General + Paine had issued a hundred old muskets and rifles to the + negroes in camp. They had not passed a medical examination, + had no company organization and had had no drill. Almost + immediately upon my arrival, as an attack was imminent, I + was ordered to distribute another hundred muskets, and to + 'prepare every available man for fight.' I did the best I + could under the circumstances, but am free to say that I + regard it as a fortunate circumstance that we had no + fighting to do at that time. But the men raw, and, untutored + as they were, did guard and picket duty, went foraging, + guarded wagon trains, scouted after guerillas, and so + learned to soldier--by soldiering. + + "As soon and as fast as practicable, I set about organizing + the regiment. I was a complete novice in that kind of work, + and all the young officers who reported to me for duty, had + been promoted from the ranks and were without experience, + except as soldiers. The colored men knew nothing of the + duties of a soldier, except a little they had picked up as + camp-followers. + + "Fortunately there was one man, Mr. A. H. Dunlap, who had + had some clerical experience with Col. Birney, in Baltimore, + in organizing the 3rd U.S. Colored Infantry. He was an + intelligent, methodical gentleman, and rendered me + invaluable service. I had no Quartermaster; no Surgeon; no + Adjutant. We had no tents, and the men were sheltered in an + old filthy tobacco warehouse, where they fiddled, danced, + sang, swore or prayed, according to their mood. + + "How to meet the daily demands made upon us for military + duty, and at the same time to evoke order out of this chaos, + was no easy problem. The first thing to be done was to + examine the men. A room was prepared, and I and my clerk + took our stations at a table. One by one the recruits came + before us _a la Eden, sans_ the fig leaves, and were + subjected to a careful medical examination, those who were + in any way physically disqualified being rejected. Many bore + the wounds and bruises of the slave-driver's lash, and many + were unfit for duty by reason of some form of disease to + which human flesh is heir. In the course of a few weeks, + however, we had a thousand able-bodied, stalwart men. + + "I was quite as solicitous about their mental condition as + about their physical status, so I plied them with questions + as to their history, their experience with the army, their + motives for becoming soldiers, their ideas of army life, + their hopes for the future, &c., &c. I found that a + considerable number of them had been teamsters, cooks, + officers' servants, &c., and had thus seen a good deal of + hard service in both armies, in camp, on the march and in + battle, and so knew pretty well what to expect. In this + respect they had the advantage of most raw recruits from the + North, who were wholly 'unused to wars' alarms.' Some of + them had very noble ideas of manliness. I remember picturing + to one bright-eyed fellow some of the hardships of camp life + and campaigning, and receiving from him the cheerful reply, + 'I know all about that.' I then said, 'you may be killed in + battle.' He instantly answered, 'many a better man than me + has been killed in this war.' When I told another one who + wanted to 'fight for freedom,' that he might lose his life, + he replied, 'but my people will be free.' + + "The result of this careful examination convinced me that + these men, though black in skin, had men's hearts, and only + needed right handling to develope into magnificent soldiers. + Among them were the same varieties of physique, temperament, + mental and moral endowments and experiences, as would be + found among the same number of white men. Some of them were + finely formed and powerful; some were almost white; a large + number had in their veins white blood of the F. F. V. + quality; some were men of intelligence, and many of them + deeply religious. + + "Acting upon my clerk's suggestion, I assigned them to + companies according to their height, putting men of nearly + the same height together. When the regiment was full, the + four center companies were all composed of tall men, the + flanking companies of men of medium height, while the little + men were sandwiched between. The effect was excellent in + every way, and made the regiment quite unique. It was not + uncommon to have strangers who saw it parade for the first + time, declare that the men were all of one size. + + "In six weeks three companies were filled, uniformed, armed, + and had been taught many soldierly ways. They had been + drilled in the facings, in the manual of arms, and in some + company movements. + + "November 20th, Gen. G. H. Thomas commanding the Department + of the Cumberland, ordered six companies to Bridgeport, + Alabama, under command of Major H. C. Corbin. I was left at + Gallatin to complete the organization of the other four + companies. When the six companies were full, I was mustered + in as Lieutenant-Colonel. The complete organization of the + regiment occupied about two months, being finished by Jan. + 1st, 1864. The field, staff and company officers were all + white men. All the non-commissioned officers,--Hospital + Steward, Quartermaster, Sergeant, Sergeant-Major, Orderlies, + Sergeants and Corporals were colored. They proved very + efficient, and had the war continued two years longer, many + of them would have been competent as commissioned officers. + + "When General Paine left Gallatin, I was senior officer and + had command of the post and garrison, which included a few + white soldiers besides my own troops. Colored soldiers acted + as pickets, and no citizen was allowed to pass our lines + either into the village or out, without a proper permit. + Those presenting themselves without a pass were sent to + headquarters under guard. Thus many proud Southern + slave-holders found themselves marched through the street, + guarded by those who three months before had been slaves. + The negroes often laughed over these changed relations as + they sat around their camp fires, or chatted together while + off duty, but it was very rare that any Southerner had + reason to complain of any unkind or uncivil treatment from a + colored soldier. + + "About the first of January occurred a few days of extreme + cold weather, which tried the men sorely. One morning after + one of the most severe nights, the officers coming in from + picket, marched the men to headquarters, and called + attention to their condition: their feet were frosted and + their hands frozen. In some instances the skin on their + fingers had broken from the effects of the cold, and it was + sad to see their sufferings. Some of them never recovered + from the effects of that night, yet they bore it patiently + and uncomplainingly. + + "An incident occurred while I was still an officer in a + white regiment, that illustrates the curious transition + through which the negroes were passing. I had charge of a + company detailed to guard a wagon train out foraging. Early + one morning, just as we were about to resume our march, a + Kentucky lieutenant rode up to me, saluted, and said he had + some runaway negroes whom he had arrested to send back to + their masters, but as he was ordered away, he would turn + them over to me. At that time a reward could be claimed for + returning fugitive slaves. I took charge of them, and + assuming a stern look and manner, enquired, 'Where are you + going?' 'Going to the Yankee army.' 'What for?' 'We wants to + be free, sir.' 'All right, you are free, go where you wish.' + The satisfaction that came to me from their heartfelt + 'thank'ee, thank'ee sir,' gave me some faint insight into + the sublime joy that the great emancipator must have felt + when he penned the immortal proclamation that set free four + millions of human beings. + + "These men afterward enlisted in my regiment, and did good + service. One day, as we were on the march, they--through + their lieutenant--reminded me of the circumstance, which + they seemed to remember with lively gratitude. + + "The six companies at Bridgeport were kept very busily at + work, and had but little opportunity for drill. + Notwithstanding these difficulties, however, considerable + progress was made in both drill and discipline. I made + earnest efforts to get the regiment united and relieved from + so much labor, in order that they might be prepared for + efficient field service as soldiers. + + "In January I had a personal interview with General Thomas, + and secured an order uniting the regiment at Chattanooga. We + entered camp there under the shadow of Lookout Mountain, and + in full view of Mission Ridge, in February, 1864. During the + same month Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas, from Washington, + then on a tour of inspection, visited my regiment, and + authorized me to substitute the eagle for the silver leaf. + + "Chattanooga was at that time the headquarters of the Army + of the Cumberland. Gen Thomas and staff, and a considerable + part of the army were there. Our camp was laid out with + great regularity; our quarters were substantial, comfortable + and well kept. The regiment numbered a thousand men, with a + full compliment of field, staff, line and non-commissioned + officers. We had a good drum corps, and a band provided with + a set of expensive silver instruments. We were also fully + equipped; the men were armed with rifled muskets, and well + clothed. They were well drilled in the manual of arms, and + took great pride in appearing on parade with arms burnished, + belts polished, shoes blacked, clothes brushed, in full + regulation uniform, including white gloves. On every + pleasant day our parades were witnessed by officers, + soldiers and citizens from the North, and it was not + uncommon to have two thousand spectators. Some came to make + sport, some from curiosity, some because it was the fashion, + and others from a genuine desire to see for themselves what + sort of looking soldiers negroes would make. + + "At the time that the work of organizing colored troops + began in the West, there was a great deal of bitter + prejudice against the movement, and white troops threatened + to desert, if the plan should be really carried out. Those + who entered the service were stigmatized as 'nigger + officers,' and negro soldiers were hooted at and mal-treated + by white ones. + + "Apropos of the prejudice against so called nigger officers, + I may mention the following incident: While an officer in + the 70th Indiana, I had met, and formed a passing + acquaintance with Lieut.-Colonel ----, of the ---- Ohio + Regiment. On New Years Day, 1864, I chanced to meet him at a + social gathering at General Ward's headquarters in + Nashville. I spoke to him as usual, at the same time + offering my hand, which apparently he did not see. Receiving + only a cool bow from him, I at once turned away. As I did so + he remarked to those standing near him that he 'did not + recognize these nigger officers.' In some way, I do not know + how, a report of the occurrence came to the ears of Lorenzo + Thomas, the Adjutant-General of the Army, then in Nashville, + who investigated the case, and promptly dismissed Colonel + ---- from the United States service. + + "Very few West Point officers had any faith in the success + of the enterprise, and most Northern people perhaps, + regarded it as at best a dubious experiment. A college + classmate of mine, a young man of intelligence and earnestly + loyal, although a Kentuckian, and a slave-holder, plead with + me to abandon my plan of entering this service, saying, 'I + shudder to think of the remorse you may suffer, from deeds + done by barbarians under your command.' + + "General George H. Thomas, though a Southerner, and a West + Point graduate, was a singularly fair-minded, candid man. He + asked me one day soon after my regiment was organized, if I + thought my men would fight. I replied that they would. He + said he thought 'they might behind breastworks.' I said they + would fight in the open field. He thought not. 'Give me a + chance General,' I replied, 'and I will prove it.' + + "Our evening parades converted thousands to a belief in + colored troops. It was almost a daily experience to hear the + remark from visitors, 'Men who can handle their arms as + these do, will fight.' General Thomas paid the regiment the + compliment of saying that he 'never saw a regiment go + through the manual as well as this one.' We remained in + 'Camp Whipple' from February, 1864, till August, 1865, a + period of eighteen months, and during a large part of that + time the regiment was an object lesson to the army, and + helped to revolutionize public opinion on the subject of + colored soldiers. + + "My Lieutenant-Colonel and I rode over one evening to call + on General Joe Hooker, commanding the 20th Army Corps. He + occupied a small log hut in the Wauhatchie Valley, near + Lookout Mountain and not far from the Tennessee river. He + received us with great courtesy, and when he learned that we + were officers in a colored regiment, congratulated us on our + good fortune, saying that he 'believed they would make the + best troops in the world.' He predicted that after the + rebellion was subdued, it would be necessary for the United + States to send an army into Mexico. This army would be + composed largely of colored men, and those of us now holding + high command, would have a chance to win great renown. He + lamented that he had made a great mistake in not accepting a + military command, and going to Nicaragua with General + Walker. 'Why,' said he, 'young gentlemen, I might have + founded an empire.' + + "While at Chattanooga, I organized two other regiments, the + 42nd and the 44th United States Colored Infantry. In + addition to the ordinary instruction in the duties required + of the soldier, we established in every company a regular + school, teaching men to read and write, and taking great + pains to cultivate in them self-respect and all manly + qualities. Our success in this respect was ample + compensation for our labor. The men who went on picket or + guard duty, took their books as quite as indispensable as + their coffee pots. + + "It must not be supposed that we had only plain sailing. + Soon after reaching Chattanooga, heavy details began to be + made upon us for men to work upon the fortifications then in + process of construction around the town. This almost + incessant labor, interfered sadly with our drill, and at one + time all drill was suspended, by orders from headquarters. + There seemed little prospect of our being ordered to the + field, and as time wore on and arrangements began in earnest + for the new campaign against Atlanta, we grew impatient for + work, and anxious for opportunity for drill and preparations + for field service. + + "I used every means to bring about a change, for I believed + that the ultimate status of the negro was to be determined + by his conduct on the battle-field. No one doubted that he + would work, while many did doubt that he had courage to + stand up and fight like a man. If he could take his place + side by side with the white soldier; endure the same + hardships on the campaign, face the same enemy, storm the + same works, resist the same assaults, evince the same + soldierly qualities, he would compel that respect which the + world has always accorded to heroism, and win for himself + the same laurels which brave soldiers have always won. + + "Personally, I shrink from danger, and most decidedly prefer + a safe corner at my own fireside, to an exposed place in the + face of an enemy on the battle-field, but so strongly was I + impressed with the importance of giving colored troops a + fair field and full opportunity to show of what mettle they + were made, that I lost no chance of insisting upon our right + to be ordered into the field. At one time I was threatened + with dismissal from the service for my persistency, but that + did not deter me, for though I had no yearning for + martyrdom, I was determined if possible to put my regiment + into battle, at whatever cost to myself. As I look back upon + the matter after twenty-one years, I see no reason to regret + my action, unless it be that I was not even more persistent + in claiming for these men the rights of soldiers. + + "I was grievously disappointed when the first of May, 1864, + came, and the army was to start south, leaving us behind to + hold the forts we had helped to build. + + "I asked General Thomas to allow _me_, at least, to go + along. He readily consented, and directed me to report to + General O. O. Howard, commanding the 4th Army Corps, as + Volunteer Aide. I did so, and remained with him thirty days, + participating in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, + Adairsville and Dallas. At the end of that time, having + gained invaluable experience, and feeling that my place was + with my regiment, I returned to Chattanooga, determined to + again make every possible effort to get it into active + service. + + "A few days after I had taken my place on General Howard's + staff, an incident occurred showing how narrowly one may + escape death. General Stanley and a staff officer and + General Howard and myself were making a little + reconnoissance at Buzzards Roost. We stopped to observe the + movements of the enemy, Stanley standing on the right, + Howard next on his left, and I next. The fourth officer, + Captain Flint, stood immediately in the rear of General + Howard. A sharpshooter paid us a compliment in the shape of + a rifle ball, which struck the ground in front of General + Howard, ricocheted, passed through the skirt of his coat, + through Captain Flint's cap, and buried itself in a tree + behind. + + "At Adairsville a group of about a dozen mounted officers + were in an open field, when the enemy exploded a shell just + in front and over us, wounding two officers and five horses. + A piece of the shell passed through the right fore leg of my + horse, a kind, docile, fearless animal, that I was greatly + attached to. I lost a friend and faithful servant. + + "On asking leave to return to my command, I was delighted to + receive from General Howard the following note: + + "'HEADQUARTERS 4TH ARMY CORPS, + + "'ON ACKWORTH AND DALLAS ROAD, 8 MILES FROM DALLAS, GA., May + 31st 1864. + + "'COLONEL:--This is to express my thanks for your services + upon my staff during the past month, since starting upon + this campaign. You have given me always full satisfaction, + and more, by your assiduous devotion to duty. + + "'You have been active and untiring on the march, and + fearless in battle. Believe me, + + "Your friend, O. O. HOWARD. + + "'_Major-General Commanding 4th Army Corps._ + + "'To Col. T.J. Morgan, _Commanding 14th U. S. C. I._" + + "General James B. Steadman, who won such imperishable renown + at Chickamauga, was then in command of the District of + Etowah, with headquarters at Chattanooga. I laid my case + before him; he listened with interest to my plea, and + assured me that if there was any fighting to be done in his + district, we should have a hand in it. + + "DALTON, GA.--August 15th, 1864, we had our first fight, at + Dalton, Georgia. General Wheeler, with a considerable force + of confederate cavalry, attacked Dalton, which was occupied + by a small detachment of Union troops belonging to the 2nd + Missouri, under command of Colonel Laibold. General Steadman + went to Laibold's aid, and forming line of battle, attacked + and routed the Southern force. My regiment formed on the + left of the 51st Indiana Infantry, under command of Col. A. + D. Streight. The fight was short, and not at all severe. The + regiment was all exposed to fire. One private was killed, + one lost a leg, and one was wounded in the right hand. + Company B, on the skirmish line killed five of the enemy, + and wounded others. To us it was a great battle, and a + glorious victory. The regiment had been recognized as + soldiers; it had taken its place side by side with a white + regiment; it had been under fire. The men had behaved + gallantly. A colored soldier had died for liberty. Others + had shed their blood in the great cause. Two or three + incidents will indicate the significance of the day. Just + before going into the fight, Lieutenant Keinborts said to + his men: 'Boys, some of you may be killed, but remember you + are fighting for liberty.' Henry Prince replied, 'I am ready + to die for liberty.' In fifteen minutes he lay dead,--a + rifle ball through his heart,--a willing martyr. + + "During the engagement General Steadman asked his Aide, + Captain Davis, to look especially after the 14th colored. + Captain Davis rode up just as I was quietly rectifying my + line, which in a charge had been disarranged. Putting spurs + to his horse, he dashed back to the General and reassured + him by reporting that 'the regiment was holding dress parade + over there under fire.' After the fight, as we marched into + town through a pouring rain, a white regiment standing at + rest, swung their hats and gave three rousing cheers for the + 14th Colored. Col. Streight's command was so pleased with + the gallantry of our men that many of its members on being + asked, 'What regiment?' frequently replied, '51st Colored.' + + "During the month of August we had some very hard marching, + in a vain effort to have another brush with Wheeler's + cavalry. + + "The corn in East Tennessee was in good plight for roasting, + and our men showed great facility in cooking, and marvelous + capacity in devouring it. Ten large ears were not too much + for many of them. On resuming our march one day, after the + noon halt, one of the soldiers said he was unable to walk, + and asked permission to ride in an ambulance. His comrades + declared that, having already eaten twelve ears of corn, and + finding himself unable to finish the thirteenth, he + concluded that he must be sick, and unfit for duty. + + "PULASKI, TENN.--September 27th, 1864, I reported to + Major-General Rousseau, commanding a force of cavalry at + Pulaski, Tenn. As we approached the town by rail from + Nashville, we heard artillery, then musketry, and as we left + the cars we saw the smoke of guns. Forest, with a large body + of cavalry, had been steadily driving Rousseau before him + all day, and was destroying the railroad. Finding the + General, I said: 'I am ordered to report to you, sir.' 'What + have you?' 'Two regiments of colored troops.' Rousseau was a + Kentuckian, and had not much faith in negro soldiers. By his + direction I threw out a strong line of skirmishers, and + posted the regiments on a ridge, in good supporting + distance. Rousseau's men retired behind my line, and + Forest's men pressed forward until they met our fire, and + recognizing the sound of the minie ball, stopped to reflect. + + "The massacre of colored troops at Fort Pillow was well + known to us, and had been fully discussed by our men. It was + rumored, and thoroughly credited by them, that General + Forest had offered a thousand dollars for the head of any + commander of a 'nigger regiment.' Here, then, was just such + an opportunity as those spoiling for a fight might desire. + Negro troops stood face to face with Forest's veteran + cavalry. The fire was growing hotter, and balls were + uncomfortably thick. At length, the enemy in strong force, + with banners flying, bore down toward us in full sight, + apparently bent on mischief. Pointing to the advancing + column, I said, as I passed along the line, 'Boys, it looks + very much like fight; keep cool, do your duty.' They seemed + full of glee, and replied with great enthusiasm: 'Colonel, + dey can't whip us, dey nebber get de ole 14th out of heah, + nebber.' 'Nebber, drives us away widout a mighty lot of dead + men,' &c., &c. + + "When Forest learned that Rousseau was re-enforced by + infantry, he did not stop to ask the color of the skin, but + after testing our line, and finding it unyielding, turned to + the east, and struck over toward Murfreesboro. + + "An incident occurred here, illustrating the humor of the + colored soldier. A spent ball struck one of the men on the + side of the head, passed under the scalp, and making nearly + a circuit of the skull, came out on the other side. His + comrades merrily declared that when the ball struck him, it + sang out 'too thick' and passed on. + + "As I was walking with my adjutant down toward the picket + line, a ball struck the ground immediately in front of us, + about four feet away, but it was so far spent as to be + harmless. We picked it up and carried it along. + + "Our casualties consisted of a few men slightly wounded. We + had not had a battle, but it was for us a victory, for our + troops had stood face to face with a triumphant force of + Southern cavalry, and stopped their progress. They saw that + they had done what Rousseau's veterans could not do. Having + traveled 462 miles, we returned to Chattanooga, feeling that + we had gained valuable experience, and we eagerly awaited + the next opportunity for battle, which was not long delayed. + + "DECATUR, ALA.--Our next active service was at Decatur, + Alabama. Hood, with his veteran army that had fought Sherman + so gallantly from Chattanooga to Atlanta, finding that his + great antagonest had started southward and seaward, struck + out boldly himself for Nashville. Oct. 27th I reported to + General R. S. Granger, commanding at Decatur. His little + force was closely besieged by Hood's army, whose right + rested on the Tennessee river below the town, and whose left + extended far beyond our lines, on the other side of the + town. Two companies of my regiment were stationed on the + opposite side of the river from Hood's right, and kept up an + annoying musketry fire. Lieutenant Gillett, of Company G, + was mortally wounded by a cannon ball, and some of the + enlisted men were hurt. One private soldier in Company B, + who had taken position in a tree as sharpshooter, had his + right arm broken by a ball. Captain Romeyn said to him, 'You + would better come down from there, go to the rear, and find + the surgeon.' 'Oh no, Captain!' he replied, 'I can fire with + my left arm,' and so he did. + + "Another soldier of Company B, was walking along the road, + when hearing an approaching cannon ball, he dropped flat + upon the ground, and was almost instantly well nigh covered + with the dirt plowed up by it, as it struck the ground near + by. Captain Romeyn, who witnessed the incident, and who was + greatly amused by the fellow's trepidation, asked him if he + was frightened? His reply was, 'Fore God, Captain, I thought + I was a dead man, sure!' + + "Friday, Oct. 28th, 1864, at twelve o'clock, at the head of + 355 men, in obedience to orders from General Granger, I + charged and took a battery, with a loss of sixty officers + and men killed and wounded. After capturing the battery, and + spiking the guns, which we were unable to remove, we retired + to our former place in the line of defense. The conduct of + the men on this occasion was most admirable, and drew forth + high praise from Generals Granger and Thomas. + + "Hood, having decided to push on to Nashville without + assaulting Decatur, withdrew. As soon as I missed his troops + from my front, I notified the General commanding, and was + ordered to pursue, with the view of finding where he was. + About ten o'clock the next morning, my skirmishers came up + with his rear guard, which opened upon us a brisk infantry + fire. Lieutenant Woodworth, standing at my side, fell dead, + pierced through the face. General Granger ordered me to + retire inside of the works, and the regiment, although + exposed to a sharp fire, came off in splendid order. As we + marched inside the works, the white soldiers, who had + watched the manoeuvre, gave us three rousing cheers. I + have heard the Pope's famous choir at St. Peters, and the + great organ at Freibourg, but the music was not so sweet as + the hearty plaudits of our brave comrades. + + "As indicating the change in public sentiment relative to + colored soldiers, it may be mentioned that the + Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 68th Indiana Volunteer + Infantry, requested me as a personal favor to ask for the + assignment of his regiment to my command, giving as a reason + that his men would rather fight along side of the 14th + Colored than with any white regiment. He was ordered to + report to me. + + "After Hood had gone, and after our journey of 244 miles, we + returned to Chattanooga, but not to remain. + + "NASHVILLE, TENN.--November 29, 1864, in command of the + 14th, 16th and 44th Regiments U. S. C. I., I embarked on a + railroad train at Chattanooga for Nashville. On December + 1st, with the 16th and most of the 14th, I reached my + destination, and was assigned to a place on the extreme left + of General Thomas' army then concentrating for the defence + of Nashville against Hood's threatened attack. + + "The train that contained the 44th colored regiment, and two + companies of the 14th, under command of Colonel Johnson, was + delayed near Murfreesboro until Dec. 2nd, when it started + for Nashville. But when crossing a bridge not far from the + city, its progress was suddenly checked by a cross-fire of + cannon belonging to Forest's command. I had become very + anxious over the delay in the arrival of these troops, and + when I heard the roar of cannon thought it must be aimed at + them. I never shall forget the intensity of my suffering, as + hour after hour passed by bringing me no tidings. Were they + all captured? Had they been massacred? Who could answer? No + one. What was to be done? Nothing. I could only wait and + suffer. + + "The next day Colonel Johnson reached Nashville, reporting + that when stopped, he and his men were forced, under heavy + fire, to abandon the train, clamber down from the bridge, + and run to a blockhouse near by, which had been erected for + the defence of the bridge, and was still in possession of + the Union soldiers. After maintaining a stubborn fight until + far into the night, he withdrew his troops, and making a + detour to the east came into our lines, having lost in + killed, wounded and missing, two officers and eighty men of + the 44th, and twenty-five men of the 14th. + + "Just as Captain C. W. Baker, the senior officer of the + 14th, was leaving the car, a piece of shell carried off the + top of his cap, thus adding immensely to its value--as a + souvenir. Some of the soldiers who escaped lost everything + except the clothes they had on, including knapsacks, + blankets and arms. In some cases they lay in the water + hiding for hours, until they could escape their pursuers. + + "Soon after taking our position in line at Nashville, we + were closely besieged by Hood's army; and thus we lay facing + each other for two weeks. Hood had suffered so terribly by + his defeat under Schofield, at Franklin, that he was in no + mood to assault us in our works, and Thomas needed more time + to concentrate and reorganize his army, before he could + safely take the offensive. That fortnight interval was + memorable indeed. Hood's army was desperate. It had been + thwarted by Sherman, and thus far baffled by Thomas, and + Hood felt that he must strike a bold blow to compensate for + the dreadful loss of prestige occasioned by Sherman's march + to the sea. His men were scantily clothed and poorly fed; if + he could gain Nashville, our great depot of supplies, he + could furnish his troops with abundance of food, clothing + and war material; encourage the confederacy, terrify the + people of the North, regain a vast territory taken from the + South at such great cost to us, recruit his army from + Kentucky, and perhaps invade the North. + + "Thomas well knew the gravity of the situation, and was + unwilling to hazard all by a premature battle. I think that + neither he nor any of his army ever doubted the issue of the + battle when it should come, whichever force should take the + initiative. + + "The authorities at Washington grew restive, and the people + at the North nervous. Thomas was ordered to fight, Logan was + dispatched to relieve him if he did not, and Grant himself + started West to take command. Thomas was too good a soldier + to be forced to offer battle, until he was sure of victory. + He knew that time was his best ally, every day adding to his + strength and weakening his enemy. In the meantime the + weather became intensely cold, and a heavy sleet covered the + ground, rendering it almost impossible for either army to + move at all. For a few days our sufferings were quite + severe. We had only shelter tents for the men, with very + little fuel, and many of those who had lost their blankets + keenly felt their need. + + "On December 5th, before the storm, by order of General + Steadman, I made a little reconnoissance, capturing, with + slight loss, Lieutenant Gardner and six men, from the 5th + Mississippi Regiment. December 7th we made another, in + which Colonel Johnson and three or four men were wounded. On + one of these occasions, while my men were advancing in face + of a sharp fire, a rabbit started up in front of them. With + shouts of laughter, several of them gave chase, showing that + even battle could not obliterate the negro's love of sport. + + "But the great day drew near. The weather grew warmer; the + ice gave way. Thomas was ready, and calling together his + chiefs, laid before them his plan of battle. + + "About nine o'clock at night December 14th, 1864, I was + summoned to General Steadman's headquarters. He told me what + the plan of battle was, and said he wished me to open the + fight by making a vigorous assault upon Hood's right flank. + This, he explained, was to be a feint, intended to betray + Hood into the belief that it was the real attack, and to + lead him to support his right by weakening his left, where + Thomas intended assaulting him in very deed. The General + gave me the 14th United States Colored Infantry, under + Colonel H. C. Corbin; the 17th U. S. C. I., under the + gallant Colonel W. R. Shafter; a detachment of the 18th U. + S. C. I., under Major L. D. Joy; the 44th U. S. C. I., under + Colonel L. Johnson; a provisional brigade of white troops + under Colonel C. H. Grosvenor, and a section of Artillery, + under Captain Osburn, of the 20th Indiana Battery. + + "The largest force I had ever handled was two regiments, and + as I rather wanted to open the battle in proper style, I + asked General Steadman what suggestion he had to make. He + replied: 'Colonel, to-morrow morning at daylight I want you + to open the battle.' 'All right, General, do you not think + it would be a good plan for me to--', and I outlined a + little plan of attack. With a twinkle in his kindly eye, he + replied: 'To-morrow morning, Colonel, just as soon as you + can see how to put your troops in motion, I wish you to + begin the fight.' 'All right, General, good night.' With + these explicit instructions, I left his headquarters, + returned to camp, and gave the requisite orders for the + soldiers to have an early breakfast, and be ready for + serious work at daybreak. Then taking Adjutant Clelland I + reconnoitered the enemy's position, tracing the line of his + camp fires, and decided on my plan of assault. + + "The morning dawned with a dense fog, which held us in check + for some time after we were ready to march. During our stay + in Nashville, I was the guest of Major W. B. Lewis, through + whose yard ran our line. He had been a warm personal friend + of Andrew Jackson, occupying a place in the Treasury + Department during his administration. He gave me the room + formerly occupied by the hero of New Orleans, and + entertained me with many anecdotes of him. I remember in + particular one which I especially appreciated, because of + the scarcity of fuel in our own camp. At one time General + Jackson ordered certain troops to rendezvous for a few days + at Nashville. Major Lewis, acting as Quartermaster, laid in + a supply of several hundred cords of wood, which he supposed + would be ample to last during their entire stay in the city. + The troops arrived on a 'raw and gusty day,' and being + accustomed to comfortable fires at home, they burned up + every stick the first night, to the quartermaster's great + consternation. + + "To return: On the morning of December 15th, Major Lewis + said he would have a servant bring me my breakfast, which + was not ready, however, when I started. The boy, with an eye + to safety, followed me afar off, so far that he only reached + me, I think, about two o'clock in the afternoon. But I + really believe the delay, improved the flavor of the + breakfast. + + "As soon as the fog lifted, the battle began in good + earnest. Hood mistook my assault for an attack in force upon + his right flank, and weakening his left in order to meet it, + gave the coveted opportunity to Thomas, who improved it by + assailing Hood's left flank, doubling it up, and capturing a + large number of prisoners. + + "Thus the first day's fight wore away. It had been for us a + severe but glorious day. Over three hundred of my command + had fallen, but everywhere our army was successful. Victory + perched upon our banners. Hood had stubbornly resisted, but + had been gallantly driven back with severe loss. The left + had done its duty. General Steadman congratulated us, saying + his only fear had been that we might fight too hard. We had + done all he desired, and more. Colored soldiers had again + fought side by side with white troops; they had mingled + together in the charge; they had supported each other; they + had assisted each other from the field when wounded, and + they lay side by side in death. The survivors rejoiced + together over a hard fought field, won by a common valor. + All who witnessed their conduct, gave them equal praise. The + day that we had longed to see had come and gone, and the sun + went down upon a record of coolness, bravery, manliness, + never to be unmade. A new chapter in the history of liberty + had been written. It had been shown that, marching under a + flag of freedom, animated by a love of liberty, even the + slave becomes a man and a hero. + + "At one time during the day, while the battle was in + progress, I sat in an exposed place on a piece of ground + sloping down toward the enemy, and being the only horseman + on that part of the field, soon became a target for the + balls that whistled and sang their threatening songs as they + hurried by. At length a shot aimed at me struck my horse in + the face, just above the nostril, and passing up under the + skin emerged near the eye, doing the horse only temporary + harm, and letting me off scot-free, much to my satisfaction, + as may be supposed. Captain Baker, lying on the ground near + by, heard the thud of the ball as it struck the horse, and + seeing me suddenly dismount, cried out, 'the Colonel is + shot,' and sprang to my side, glad enough to find that the + poor horse's face had been a shield to save my life. I was + sorry that the animal could not appreciate the gratitude I + felt to it for my deliverance. + + "During that night Hood withdrew his army some two miles, + and took up a new line along the crest of some low hills, + which he strongly fortified with some improvised breast + works and abatis. Soon after our early breakfast, we moved + forward over the intervening space. My position was still + on the extreme left of our line, and I was especially + charged to look well to our flank, to avoid surprise. + + "The 2nd Colored Brigade, under Colonel Thompson, of the + 12th U. S. C. I., was on my right, and participated in the + first days' charge upon Overton's Hill, which was repulsed. + I stood where the whole movement was in full view. It was a + grand and terrible sight to see those men climb that hill + over rocks and fallen trees, in the face of a murderous fire + of cannon and musketry, only to be driven back. White and + black mingled together in the charge, and on the retreat. + + "When the 2nd Colored Brigade retired behind my lines to + re-form, one of the regimental color-bearers stopped in the + open space between the two armies, where, although exposed + to a dangerous fire, he planted his flag firmly in the + ground, and began deliberately and coolly to return the + enemy's fire, and, greatly to our amusement, kept up for + some little time his independent warfare. + + "When the second and final assault was made, the right of my + line took part. It was with breathless interest I watched + that noble army climb the hill with a steady resolve which + nothing but death itself could check. When at length the + assaulting column sprang upon the earthworks, and the enemy + seeing that further resistance was madness, gave way and + began a precipitous retreat, our hearts swelled as only the + hearts of soldiers can, and scarcely stopping to cheer or to + await orders, we pushed forward and joined in the pursuit, + until the darkness and the rain forced a halt. + + "The battle of Nashville did not compare in numbers engaged, + in severity of fighting, or in the losses sustained, with + some other Western battles. But in the issues at stake, the + magnificent generalship of Thomas, the completeness of our + triumph, and the immediate and far-reaching consequences, it + was unique, and deservedly ranks along with Gettysburg, as + one of the decisive battles of the war. + + "When General Thomas rode over the battle-field and saw the + bodies of colored men side by side with the foremost, on the + very works of the enemy, he turned to his staff, saying: + 'Gentlemen, the question is settled; negroes will fight.' He + did me the honor to recommend me for promotion, and told me + that he intended to give me the best brigade that he could + form. This he afterward did. + + "After the great victory, we joined in the chase after the + fleeing foe. Hood's army was whipped, demoralized, and + pretty badly scattered. A good many stragglers were picked + up. A story circulated to this effect: Some of our boys on + making a sharp turn in the road, came upon a forlorn + Southern soldier, who had lost his arms, thrown away his + accoutrements, and was sitting on a log by the roadside, + waiting to give himself up. He was saluted with, 'Well, + Johnny, how goes it?' 'Well, Yank, I'll tell ye; I confess + I'm horribly whipped, and badly demoralized, but blamed if + I'm _scattered_!' + + "After we had passed along through Franklin, we had orders + to turn about and return to that city. I was riding at the + head of the column, followed by my own regiment. The men + were swinging along 'arms at will,' when they spied General + Thomas and staff approaching. Without orders they brought + their arms to 'right shoulder shift,' took the step, and + striking up their favorite tune of 'John Brown,' whistled it + with admirable effect while passing the General, greatly to + his amusement. + + "We had a very memorable march from Franklin to + Murfreesboro, over miserable dirt roads. About December 19th + or 20th, we were on the march at an early hour, but the rain + was there before us, and stuck by us closer than a brother. + We were drenched through and through, and few had a dry + thread. We waded streams of water nearly waist deep; we + pulled through mud that seemed to have no bottom, and where + many a soldier left his shoes seeking for it. The open woods + pasture where we went into camp that night, was surrounded + with a high fence made of cedar rails. That fence was left + standing, and was not touched--until--well, I do believe + that the owner's bitterness at his loss was fully balanced + by the comfort and good cheer which those magnificent rail + fires afforded us that December night. They did seem + providentially provided for us. + + "During the night the weather turned cold, and when we + resumed our march the ground was frozen and the roads were + simply dreadful, especially for those of our men who had + lost their shoes the day before and were now compelled to + walk barefoot, tracking their way with blood. Such + experiences take away something of the romance sometimes + suggested to the inexperienced by the phase, 'soldiering in + the Sunny South,' but then a touch of it is worth having for + the light it throws over such historical scenes as those at + Valley Forge. + + "We continued in the pursuit of Hood, as far as Huntsville, + Ala., when he disappeared to return no more, and we were + allowed to go back to Chattanooga, glad of an opportunity to + rest. Distance travelled, 420 miles. + + "We had no more fighting. There were many interesting + experiences, which, however, I will not take time to relate. + In August, 1865, being in command of the Post at Knoxville, + Tenn., grateful to have escaped without imprisonment, + wounds, or even a day of severe illness, I resigned my + commission, after forty months of service, to resume my + studies. + + "I cannot close this paper without expressing the conviction + that history has not yet done justice to the share borne by + colored soldiers in the war for the Union. Their conduct + during that eventful period, has been a silent, but most + potent factor in influencing public sentiment, shaping + legislation, and fixing the status of colored people in + America. If the records of their achievements could be put + into such shape that they could be accessible to the + thousands of colored youth in the South, they would kindle + in their young minds an enthusiastic devotion to manhood and + liberty." + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE PHALANX AT MARION, TENN. + + +In the winter of 1864, while Sherman was marching his army toward the +sea, raiding parties and expeditions were sent out from the several +departments to intercept rebel communications, destroy telegraph lines, +railroads and stores; in nearly all of which Phalanx troops actively +participated, and shared the perils and honors of the achievements. + +From Vicksburg, Miss., Brevet Brigadier-General E. D. Osband, with the +Third Phalanx Regiment, on the 27th of November captured and destroyed +the Mississippi Central Railroad bridge over the Big Black River, near +Canton, also thirty miles of the railroad, with two locomotives and a +large amount of stores. + +In the meantime, General Breckenridge, with a large confederate force, +attacked the Federals under General Gillem, near Morristown, Tenn., +captured the artillery, with several hundred men, and drove the +remainder of Gillem's troops into Knoxville. Breckenridge soon retired, +however, pursued by General Ammen's forces. On the 12th of December, +General Stoneman having concentrated the commands of Generals Burbridge +and Gillem, near Bean Station, Tenn., started in pursuit of Breckenridge +intending to drive him into Virginia and to destroy the railroad and +Salt Works at Saltville, West Virginia. General Burbridge's command was +principally composed of Kentucky troops, three brigades, numbering about +five thousand men, all mounted. The 6th Phalanx Cavalry was attached to +the 3rd brigade, which Colonel Jas. F. Wade, of the 6th, commanded. +Gillem's defeat rather inspired the men in the new column, and they +dashed forward with a determination to annihilate the enemy. Four days +after leaving Bean Station, the confederates were overtaken at Marion, +General Vaughn being in command, and were routed, the Federals capturing +all their guns, trains and a number of prisoners. Vaughn fell back to +Wytheville, pursued by the Federals, who captured and destroyed the +town, with its stores and supplies and the extensive lead mines. + +[Illustration: SERVING REFRESHMENTS TO UNION TROOPS.] + +Having accomplished their mission, the Federals about faced for Marion, +where they met with a large force of confederates under Breckenridge, +including the garrison of Saltville. Now came the decisive struggle for +the Salt Works between the two forces. The Federals had been enjoying +their signal victory, which they now attempted to enhance by pressing +the enemy, who had crossed a bridge and there taken up a position. +During the night an advance regiment succeeded in crossing the bridge, +after re-laying the planks which the confederates had torn up, but they +were driven back, and there remained till the next morning. The 6th +Phalanx was assigned its usual position, and was held in reserve. The +battle opened in the morning, and continued with varying success during +the day. Late in the afternoon General Stoneman found his troops badly +beaten, and unable to extricate themselves from the confederate coil; +they were not the "Old Guard," and the question with them was not +"victory or death," but surrender or death. Nor was this long a +question. General Stoneman ordered up the 6th Phalanx, dividing them +into three columns, placing himself at the head of one, and giving one +each to Colonel Wade, (their valiant colonel), and his chief of staff, +General Brisbin. The regiment dashed into the fight for the rescue of +the pro-slavery Kentuckians and haughty Tennesseeians, who were now +nearly annihilated. The historian of this campaign, General Brisbin, who +but a day or two previous to this battle had attempted to shoot one of +the brave black boys of the 6th for retaliating for the murder of one +of his comrades by shooting a confederate prisoner, thus writes, +twenty-two years afterwards, about the battle and the conduct of the +6th: + + "Early in the day General Stoneman had sent General Gillem + off to the right with orders to get in Breckenridge's rear + and if possible cut him off from the salt works. It was + believed the Kentucky troops could handle Breckenridge until + Gillem could strike in the rear, but the action in front + about noon became terrific and Gillem was recalled to aid + Burbridge. Our right flank had been driven back and our + extreme left was almost at right angles with the original + position held early in the morning. To add to our + misfortunes, a party of Confederate cavalry had got in our + rear and captured some of our pack train. The packers had at + one time become demoralized and fell back almost into the + hands of the Confederates operating in our rear. General + Burbridge saw the movement, and drawing his revolver placed + himself in front of the leading packs and ordered them back, + but the crazy men kept on until the General wounded the man + who was leading them off, and with the aid of some officers + who used their sabres freely, the packs were forced back + into the timber close to our lines and compelled to stay + there. Thus over five hundred packs and animals were saved + to the army by the prompt action of the General and his + aids. + + "At 3:30 o'clock the situation was critical in the extreme. + Colonel Boyle had been killed in leading a charge and his + regiment repulsed. The Twelfth Ohio Cavalry had promptly + come to Boyle's support and checked the confederates, who + were coming into our centre. The hospital in our rear, where + our sick were, had been charged, and for a short time was in + the hands of the enemy. Burbridge and Stoneman had their + headquarters on a little knoll near the centre of our line, + where they could see the fighting. The Confederate right, in + swinging around, had covered this hill and it was no longer + tenable. A lieutenant, in reporting to General Burbridge on + this knoll, had been shot by a Confederate rifleman through + the head and fell dead at the General's feet. Orderlies, + horses and men were being shot down, and I begged General + Burbridge to retire. He asked me if there were no more + troops we could bring up and put into action. I told him all + we had left was the Sixth United States Colored Cavalry and + the horse-holders. He said: + + "'Well, go and bring up the negroes and tell everybody to + tie the horses as well as they can. We might as well lose + them as to be whipped, when we will lose them anyway.' + + "I made haste to bring up the Sixth Colored and all the + horse-holders I could get. The Sixth Colored was a fine + regiment, but few had faith in the fighting qualities of the + negroes. General Burbridge divided them into three columns, + and taking one himself gave the other two to General Wade + and myself. Wade had the right, Burbridge the left and I was + in the centre. Wade got off first and sailed in in gallant + style. Burbridge piled his overcoat on the ground, and + drawing his sword led his column forward. The men were all + on foot and most of the officers. But few were mounted. It + was unpleasant riding under fire where so many were on foot. + Wade's horse was soon shot, but he kept on with his men, + leading on foot. Looking to the left I saw Burbridge + surrounded by a black crowd of men, his form towering above + them and his sword pointing to the enemy. Wade was first to + strike the Confederate line. They fired and fired, but the + darkies kept straight on, closing for a hand-to-hand fight. + Then the cry was raised along the Confederate lines that the + negroes were killing the wounded. Wade went through the + Confederate line like an iron wedge, and it broke and fled. + Burbridge hit hard, but the insistence was less stubborn + than in Wade's front. Of my own part in the action I prefer + not to write. Suffice it to say that never did soldiers do + better on any battle-field than the black men I led that + day. + + "When their guns were empty they clubbed them, and I saw one + negro fighting with a gun barrel, swinging it about his head + like a club, and going straight for the enemy. He did not + hit anybody for nobody waited to be hit, but some of the + Confederates jumped fully fifteen feet down the opposite + side of that hill to get out of the way of the negroes, and + I would have jumped too, probably, if I had been on their + side, for I never yet saw anything in battle so terrible as + an infuriated negro. + + "Gillem returned just as night was putting an end to the + fighting and in the approaching darkness we mistook his + column for a new column of the enemy coming in on our right + and rear. Burbridge hurried back with his victorious negroes + and was about to advance with the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry and + Eleventh Michigan, when the glad news came that the supposed + Confederates were Gillem's column returning to our support. + + "During the night Breckenridge retreated in the direction of + the salt works, but Colonel Buckley, returning from the + direction of the lead mines with his brigade, and having got + in Breckenridge's rear at Seven Mile Ford, charged his + advance, capturing ten prisoners. Breckenridge, no doubt + thinking he had been outflanked and was about to be enclosed + between two columns, abandoned all idea of going to the salt + works and put back in confusion to Marion, where he took the + North Carolina road and fled over the mountains. Colonel + Bentley, with his Twelfth Ohio, was sent up with + Breckenridge's rear. The Confederates felled trees across + the road to retard Bentley's advance, but he cleared them + out and he and his gallant regiment hammered Breckenridge's + rear all the way into North Carolina." + +The road to the Salt Works was thus opened and their destruction +accomplished by the bravery and matchless valor of the gallant Sixth. +Many of the regiment forfeited their lives in rescuing the force from +defeat, and securing a victory; those who survived the terrible +struggle no longer had opprobrious epithets hurled at them, but modestly +received the just encomiums that were showered upon them by the white +troops, who, amid the huzzas of victory, greeted them with loud shouts +of "Comrades!" + +General Brisbin, continuing, says: + + "There were many instances of personal bravery, but I shall + only mention one. A negro soldier had got a stump quite + close to the Confederate line, and despite all efforts to + dislodge him, there he stuck, picking off their men. The + Confederates charged the stump, but the Federal line + observing it concentrated their fire on the advancing men + and drove them back. Then there were long and loud cheers + for the brave darkey, who stuck to his stump and fired away + with a regularity that was wonderful. His stump was riddled + with bullets, but he stuck to it, although he was at times + nearer the Confederate lines than our own." + +[Illustration: SCOUTS] + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +THE BLACK FLAG. + +FORT PILLOW--EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS, ETC. + + +It was not long after each army received its quota of Phalanx soldiers, +before the white troops began regarding them much as Napoleon's troops +did the Imperial Guard, their main support. When a regiment of the +Phalanx went into a fight, every white soldier knew what was meant, for +the black troops took no ordinary part in a battle. Where the conflict +was hottest; where danger was most imminent, there the Phalanx went; and +when victory poised, as it often did, between the contending sides, the +weight of the Phalanx was frequently thrown into the balancing scales; +if some strong work or dangerous battery had to be taken, whether with +the bayonet alone or hand grenade or sabre, the Phalanx was likely to be +in the charging column, or formed a part of the storming brigade. + +The confederates were no cowards; braver men never bit cartridge or +fired a gun, and when they were to meet "their slaves," as they +believed, in revolt, why, of course, honor forbade them to ask or give +quarter. This fact was known to all, for, as yet, though hundreds had +been captured, none had been found on parole, or among the exchanged +prisoners. General Grant's attention was called to this immediately +after the fight at Milliken's Bend, where the officers of the Phalanx, +as well as soldiers, had been captured and hung. Grant wrote Gen. +Taylor, commanding the confederate forces in Louisiana, as follows: + + "I feel no inclination to retaliate for offences of + irresponsible persons, but, if it is the policy of any + general intrusted with the command of troops, to show no + quarter, or to punish with death, prisoners taken in battle, + _I will accept the issue_. It may be you propose a different + line of policy to black troops, and officers commanding + them, to that practiced toward white troops. If so, I can + assure you that these colored troops are regularly mustered + into the service of the United States. The government, and + all officers under the government, are bound to give the + same protection to these troops that they do to any other + troops." + +General Taylor replied that he would punish all such acts, "disgraceful +alike to humanity and the reputation of soldiers," but declared that +officers of the "Confederate Army" were required to turn over to the +civil authorities, to be dealt with according to the laws of the State +wherein such were captured, all negroes taken in arms. + +As early as December, 1862, incensed by General Butler's administration +at New Orleans in the arming of negroes, Jefferson Davis, President of +the Confederate Government, issued the following proclamation: + + "FIRST.--That all commissioned officers in the command of + said Benjamin F. Butler be declared not entitled to be + considered as soldiers engaged in honorable warfare, but as + robbers and criminals, deserving death; and that they, and + each of them, be, whenever captured, reserved for execution. + + "SECOND.--That the private soldiers and non-commissioned + officers in the army of said Benj. F. Butler, be considered + as only instruments used for the commission of crimes, + perpetrated by his orders, and not as free agents; that + they, therefore, be treated when captured as prisoners of + war, with kindness and humanity, and be sent home on the + usual parole; that they will in no manner aid or serve the + United States in any capacity during the continuance of war, + unless duly exchanged. + + "THIRD.--That all negro slaves captured in arms be at once + delivered over to the executive authorities, of the + respective States to which they belong, and to be dealt with + according to the laws of said States. + + "FOURTH.--That the like orders be executed in all cases with + respect to all commissioned officers of the United States + when found serving in company with said slaves in + insurrection against the authorities of the different States + of this Confederacy. + + "Signed and sealed at Richmond, Dec. 23, 1862. + + "JEFFERSON DAVIS." + +This Proclamation was the hoisting of the black flag against the +Phalanx, by which Mr. Davis expected to bring about a war of +extermination against the negro soldiers.[28] + +In his third annual message to the Confederate Congress, Mr. Davis said: + + "We may well leave it to the instincts of that common + humanity which a beneficient creator has implanted in the + breasts of our fellow men of all countries to pass judgment + on a measure by which several millions of human beings of an + inferior race--peaceful and contented laborers in their + sphere--are doomed to extermination, while at the same time + they are encouraged to a general assassination of their + masters by the insiduous recommendation to abstain from + violence unless in necessary defence. Our own detestation of + those who have attempted the most execrable measures + recorded in the history of guilty man is tempered by + profound contempt for the impotent rage which it discloses. + So far as regards the action of this government on such + criminals as may attempt its execution, I confine myself to + informing you that I shall--unless in your wisdom you deem + some other course expedient--deliver to the several State + authorities all commissioned officers of the United States + that may hereafter be captured by our forces in any of the + States embraced in the Proclamation, that they may be dealt + with in accordance with the laws of those States providing + for the punishment of criminals engaged in exciting servile + insurrection. The enlisted soldiers I shall continue to + treat as unwilling instruments in the commission of these + crimes, and shall direct their discharge and return to their + homes on the proper and usual parole." + +The confederate Congress soon took up the subject, and after a +protracted consideration passed the following: + + "_Resolved_, By the Congress of the Confederate States of + America, in response to the message of the President, + transmitted to Congress at the commencement of the present + session. That, in the opinion of Congress, the commissioned + officers of the enemy _ought_ not to be delivered to the + authorities of the respective States, as suggested in the + said message, but all captives taken by the confederate + forces, ought to be dealt with and disposed of by the + Confederate Government. + + "SEC. 2.--That in the judgment of Congress, the + Proclamations of the President of the United States, dated + respectively September 22nd, 1862, and January 1st, 1863, + and other measures of the Government of the United States, + and of its authorities, commanders and forces, designed or + intended to emancipate slaves in the Confederate States, or + to abduct such slaves, or to incite them to insurrection, or + to employ negroes in war against the Confederate States, or + to overthrow the institution of African slavery and bring on + a servile war in these States, would, if successful, produce + atrocious consequences, and they are inconsistent with the + spirit of those usages which, in modern warfare, prevail + among the civilized nations; they may therefore be lawfully + suppressed by retaliation. + + "SEC. 3.--That in every case wherein, during the war, any + violation of the laws and usages of war among civilized + nations shall be, or has been done and perpetrated by those + acting under the authority of the United States, on the + persons or property of citizens of the Confederate States, + or of those under the protection or in the land or naval + service of the Confederate States, or of any State of the + Confederacy, the President of the Confederate States is + hereby authorized to cause full and ample retaliation to be + made for every such violation, in such manner and to such + extent as he may think proper. + + "SEC. 4.--That every white person, being a commissioned + officer, or acting as such, who during the present war shall + command negroes or mulattoes in arms against the Confederate + States, or who shall arm, train, organize or prepare negroes + or mulattoes for military service against the Confederate + States, or who shall voluntarily use negroes or mulattoes in + any military enterprise, attack or conflict, in such + service, shall be deemed as inciting servile insurrection, + and shall, if captured, be put to death, or to be otherwise + punished at the discretion of the court. + + "SEC. 5.--Every person, being a commissioned officer, or + acting as such in the service of the enemy, who shall during + the present war, excite, attempt to excite, or cause to be + excited a servile insurrection, or who shall incite, or + cause to be incited a slave to rebel, shall, if captured, be + put to death, or otherwise punished at the discretion of the + court. + + "SEC. 6.--Every person charged with an offence punishable + under the preceeding resolutions shall, during the present + war, be tried before the military court, attached to the + army or corps by the troops of which he shall have been + captured, or by such other military court as the President + may direct, and in such manner and under such regulations as + the President shall prescribe; and after conviction, the + President may commute the punishment in such manner and on + such terms as he may deem proper. + + "SEC. 7.--All negroes and mulattoes who shall be engaged in + war, or be taken in arms against the Confederate States, or + shall give aid or comfort to the enemies of the Confederate + States, shall, where captured in the Confederate States, be + delivered to authorities of the State or States in which + they shall be captured, to be dealt with according to such + present or future laws of such State or States." + +In March, 1863, this same Confederate Congress enacted the following +order to regulate the impressment of negroes for army purposes: + + "SEC. 9.--Where slaves are impressed by the Confederate + Government, to labor on fortifications, or other public + works, the impressment shall be made by said Government + according to the rules and regulations provided in the laws + of the States wherein they are impressed; and, in the + absence of such law, in accordance with such rules and + regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this + act, as the Secretary of War shall from time to time + prescribe; _Provided_, That no impressment of slaves shall + be made, when they can be hired or procured by the owner or + agent. + + "SEC. 10.--That, previous to the 1st day of December next, + no slave laboring on a farm or plantation, exclusively + devoted to the production of grain and provisions, shall be + taken for the public use, without the consent of the owner, + except in case of urgent necessity." + +Thus it is apparent that while the Confederate Government was holding +aloft the black flag, even against the Northern Phalanx regiments +composed of men who were never slaves, it was at the same time engaged +in enrolling and conscripting slaves to work on fortifications and in +trenches, in support of their rebellion against the United States, and +at a period when negro troops were not accepted in the army of the +United States. + +Soon after the admission of negroes into the Union army, it was reported +to Secretary Stanton that three negro soldiers, captured with the +gunboat "Isaac Smith," on Stone river, were placed in close confinement, +whereupon he ordered three confederate prisoners belonging to South +Carolina to be placed in close confinement, and informed the Confederate +Government of the action. The Richmond _Examiner_ becoming cognizant of +this said: + + "It is not merely the pretension of a regular Government + affecting to deal with 'rebels,' but it is a deadly stab + which they are aiming at our institutions themselves; + because they know that, if we were insane enough to yield + this point, to treat black men as the equals of white, and + insurgent slaves as equivalent to our brave white soldiers, + the very foundation of slavery would be fatally wounded." + +Several black soldiers were captured in an engagement before Charleston, +and when it came to an exchange of prisoners, though an immediate +exchange of all captured in the engagement had been agreed upon, the +confederates would not exchange the negro troops. To this the +President's attention was called, whereupon he issued the following +order: + + "EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, July 30th, 1863. + + "It is the duty of every government to give protection to + its citizens, of whatever color, class, or condition, and + especially to those who are duly organized as soldiers in + the public service. The law of nations and the usages and + customs of war, as carried on by civilized powers, permit no + distinction as to color in the treatment of prisoners of + war, as public enemies. To sell or enslave any captured + person, on account of his color, and for no offense against + the laws of war, is a relapse into barbarism, and a crime + against the civilization of the age. The government of the + United States will give the same protection to all its + soldiers; and if the enemy shall enslave or sell any one + because of his color, the offense shall be punished by + retaliation upon the enemy's prisoners in our possession. + It is therefore ordered that for every soldier of the United + States killed in violation of the laws of war, a rebel + soldier shall be executed, and for every one enslaved by the + enemy or sold into slavery, a rebel soldier shall be placed + at hard labor on public works, and continued at such labor + until the other shall be released and receive the treatment + due to a prisoner of war. + + "ABRAHAM LINCOLN, + + "By order of the Secretary of War. + + "E. D. TOWNSEND, Ass't. Adjt.-General." + +However, this order did not prevent the carrying out of the intentions +of the confederate President and Congress. + +The saddest and blackest chapter of the history of the war of the +Rebellion, is that which relates to the treatment of Union prisoners in +the rebel prison pens, at Macon, Ga., Belle Island, Castle Thunder, +Pemberton, Libbey, at and near Richmond and Danville, Va., Cahawba, +Ala., Salisbury, N. C., Tyler, Texas, Florida, Columbia, S. C., Millen +and Andersonville, Ga. It is not the purpose to attempt a general +description of these modern charnel houses, or to enter into a detailed +statement of the treatment of the Union soldiers who were unfortunate +enough to escape death upon the battle-field and then fall captive to +the confederates. When we consider the fact that the white men who were +engaged in the war upon both sides, belonged to one nation, and were +Americans, many of whom had been educated at the same schools, and +many--very many--of them members of the same religious denominations, +and church; not a few springing from the same stock and loins, the +atrocities committed by the confederates against the Union soldiers, +while in their custody as prisoners of war, makes their deeds more +shocking and inhuman than if the contestants had been of a different +nationality. + +[Illustration: TERRIBLE FIGHT WITH BLOODHOUNDS. + +The 1st South Carolina Regiment was attacked by the Confederates with +bloodhounds, at Pocaralago Bridge, Oct. 23rd, 1862. The hounds rushed +fiercely upon the troops, who quickly shot or bayoneted them and +exultingly held aloft the beasts that had been so long a terror to the +negro race.] + +The English soldiers who lashed the Sepoys to the mouths of their +cannon, and then fired the pieces, thus cruelly murdering the captured +rebels, offered the plea, in mitigation of their crime, and as an excuse +for violating the rules of war, that their subjects were not of a +civilized nation, and did not themselves adhere to the laws governing +civilized nations at war with each other. But no such plea can be +entered in the case of the confederates, who starved, shot and murdered +80,000 of their brethren in prison pens, white prisoners of war. If such +treatment was meted to those of their own color and race, as is related +by an investigating committee of Senators, what must have been the +treatment of those of another race,--whom they had held in slavery, and +whom they regarded the same as sheep and horses, to be bought and sold +at will,--when captured in battle, fighting against them for the Union +and their own freedom? + +The report of the Congressional Committee furnishes ample proof of the +barbarities: + + 38TH CONGRESS, } {REP. COM. + _1st Session._ } {_No. 68._ + + "IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. + + "_Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct and + Expenditures of the War._ + + "On the 4th inst., your committee received a communication + of that date from the Secretary of War, enclosing the report + of Colonel Hoffman, commissary general of prisoners, dated + May 3, calling the attention of the committee to the + condition of returned Union prisoners, with the request that + the committee would immediately proceed to Annapolis and + examine with their own eyes the condition of those who have + been returned from rebel captivity. The committee resolved + that they would comply with the request of the Secretary of + War on the first opportunity. The 5th of May was devoted by + the committee to concluding their labors upon the + investigation of the Fort Pillow massacre. On the 6th of + May, however, the committee proceeded to Annapolis and + Baltimore, and examined the condition of our returned + soldiers, and took the testimony of several of them, + together with the testimony of surgeons and other persons in + attendance upon the hospitals. That testimony, with the + communication of the Secretary of War, and the report of + Colonel Hoffman, is herewith transmitted. + + "The evidence proves, beyond all manner of doubt, a + determination on the part of the rebel authorities, + deliberately and persistently practiced for a long time + past, to subject those of our soldiers who have been so + unfortunate as to fall in their hands to a system of + treatment which has resulted in reducing many of those who + have survived and been permitted to return to us in a + condition, both physically and mentally, which no language + we can use can adequately describe. Though nearly all the + patients now in the Naval Academy hospital at Annapolis, and + in the West hospital, in Baltimore, have been under the + kindest and most intelligent treatment for about three weeks + past, and many of them for a greater length of time, still + they present literally the appearance of living skeletons, + many of them being nothing but skin and bone; some of them + are maimed for life, having been frozen while exposed to the + inclemency of the winter season on Belle Isle, being + compelled to lie on the bare ground, without tents or + blankets, some of them without overcoats or even coats, with + but little fire to mitigate the severity of the winds and + storms to which they were exposed. + + "The testimony shows that the general practice of their + captors was to rob them, as soon as they were taken + prisoners, of all their money, valuables, blankets, and good + clothing, for which they received nothing in exchange + except, perhaps, some old worn-out rebel clothing hardly + better than none at all. Upon their arrival at Richmond they + have been confined, without blankets or other covering, in + buildings without fire, or upon Belle Isle with, in many + cases, no shelter, and in others with nothing but old + discarded army tents, so injured by rents and holes as to + present but little barrier to the wind and storms; on + several occasions, the witnesses say, they have arisen in + the morning from their resting-places upon the bare earth, + and found several of their comrades frozen to death during + the night, and that many others would have met the same fate + had they not walked rapidly back and forth, during the hours + which should have been devoted to sleep, for the purpose of + retaining sufficient warmth to preserve life. + + "In respect to the food furnished to our men by the rebel + authorities, the testimony proves that the ration of each + man was totally insufficient in quantity to preserve the + health of a child, even had it been of proper quality, which + it was not. It consisted usually, at the most, of two small + pieces of corn-bread, made in many instances, as the + witnesses state, of corn and cobs ground together, and badly + prepared and cooked, of, at times, about two ounces of meat, + usually of poor quality, and unfit to be eaten, and + occasionally a few black worm-eaten beans, or something of + that kind. Many of your men were compelled to sell to their + guards, and others, for what price they could get, such + clothing and blankets as they were permitted to receive of + that forwarded for their use by our government, in order to + obtain additional food sufficient to sustain life; thus, by + endeavoring to avoid one privation reducing themselves to + the same destitute condition in respect to clothing and + covering that they were in before they received any from our + government. When they became sick and diseased in + consequence of this exposure and privation, and were + admitted into the hospitals, their treatment was little if + any, improved as to food, though they, doubtless, suffered + less from exposure to cold than before. Their food still + remained insufficient in quantity and altogether unfit in + quality. Their diseases and wounds did not receive the + treatment which the commonest dictates of humanity would + have prompted. One witness, whom your committee examined, + who had lost all the toes of one foot from being frozen + while on Belle Isle, states that for days at a time his + wounds were not dressed, and they had not been dressed for + four days when he was taken from the hospital and carried on + the flag-of-truce boat for Fortress Monroe. + + "In reference to the condition to which our men were reduced + by cold and hunger, your committee would call attention to + the following extracts from the testimony. One witness + testifies: + + "'I had no blankets until our Government sent us some. + + "'Question.--How did you sleep before you received those + blankets? + + "'Answer.--We used to get together just as close as we + could, and sleep spoon-fashion, so that when one turned over + we all had to turn over.' + + "Another witness testifies: + + "'Question.--Were you hungry all the time? + + "'Answer.--Hungry! I could eat anything that came before us; + some of the boys would get boxes from the North with meat of + different kinds in them; and, after they had picked the meat + off, they would throw the bones away into the spit-boxes, + and we would pick the bones out of the spit-boxes and gnaw + them over again.' + + "In addition to this insufficient supply of food, clothing + and shelter, our soldiers, while prisoners, have been + subjected to the most cruel treatment from those placed over + them. They have been abused and shamefully treated on almost + every opportunity. Many have been mercilessly shot and + killed when they failed to comply with all the demands of + their jailors, sometimes for violating rules of which they + had not been informed. Crowded in great numbers in + buildings, they have been fired at and killed by the + sentinels outside when they appeared at the windows for the + purpose of obtaining a little fresh air. One man, whose + comrade in the service, in battle and in captivity, had been + so fortunate as to be among those released from further + torments, was shot dead as he was waving with his hand a + last adieu to his friend; and other instances of equally + unprovoked murder are disclosed by the testimony. + + "The condition of our returned soldiers as regards personal + cleanliness, has been filthy almost beyond description. + Their clothes have been so dirty and so covered with vermin, + that those who received them have been compelled to destroy + their clothing and re-clothe them with new and clean + raiment. Their bodies and heads have been so infested with + vermin that, in some instances, repeated washings have + failed to remove them; and those who have received them in + charge have been compelled to cut all the hair from their + heads, and make applications to destroy the vermin. Some + have been received with no clothing but shirts and drawers + and a piece of blanket or other outside covering, entirely + destitute of coats, hats, shoes or stockings; and the bodies + of those better supplied with clothing have been equally + dirty and filthy with the others, many who have been sick + and in the hospital having had no opportunity to wash their + bodies for weeks and months before they were released from + captivity. + + "Your committee are unable to convey any adequate idea of + the sad and deplorable condition of the men they saw in the + hospitals they visited; and the testimony they have taken + cannot convey to the reader the impressions which your + committee there received. The persons we saw, as we were + assured by those in charge of them, have greatly improved + since they have been received in the hospitals. Yet they are + now dying daily, one of them being in the very throes of + death as your committee stood by his bed-side and witnessed + the sad spectacle there presented. All those whom your + committee examined stated that they have been thus reduced + and emaciated entirely in consequence of the merciless + treatment they received while prisoners from their enemies; + and the physicians in charge of them, the men best fitted by + their profession and experience to express an opinion upon + the subject, all say that they have no doubt that the + statements of their patients are entirely correct. + + "It will be observed from the testimony, that all the + witnesses who testify upon that point state that the + treatment they received while confined at Columbia, South + Carolina, Dalton, Georgia, and other places, was far more + humane than that they received at Richmond, where the + authorities of the so-called confederacy were congregated, + and where the power existed, had the inclination not been + wanting, to reform those abuses and secure to the prisoners + they held some treatment that would bear a public comparison + to that accorded by our authorities to the prisoners in our + custody. Your committee, therefore, are constrained to say + that they can hardly avoid the conclusion, expressed by so + many of our released soldiers, that the inhuman practices + herein referred to are the result of a determination on the + part of the rebel authorities to reduce our soldiers in + their power, by privation of food and clothing, and by + exposure, to such a condition that those who may survive + shall never recover so as to be able to render any effective + service in the field. And your committee accordingly ask + that this report, with the accompanying testimony be printed + with the report and testimony [which was accordingly done] + in relation to the massacre of Fort Pillow, the one being, + in their opinion, no less than the other, the result of a + predetermined policy. As regards the assertions of some of + the rebel newspapers, that our prisoners have received at + their hands the same treatment that their own soldiers in + the field have received, they are evidently but the most + glaring and unblushing falsehoods. No one can for a moment + be deceived by such statements, who will reflect that our + soldiers, who, when taken prisoners, have been stout, + healthy men, in the prime and vigor of life, yet have died + by hundreds under the treatment they have received, although + required to perform no duties of the camp or the march; + while the rebel soldiers are able to make long and rapid + marches, and to offer a stubborn resistance in the field. + + "Your committee, finding it impossible to describe in words + the deplorable condition of these returned prisoners, have + caused photographs to be taken of a number of them, and a + fair sample to be lithographed and appended to their report, + that their exact condition may be known by all who examine + it. Some of them have since died. + + "There is one feature connected with this investigation, to + which your committee can refer with pride and satisfaction; + and that is the uncomplaining fortitude, the undiminished + patriotism exhibited by our brave men under all their + privations, even in the hour of death. + + "Your committee will close their report by quoting the + tribute paid these men by the chaplin of the hospital at + Annapolis, who has ministered to so many of them in their + last moments; who has smoothed their passage to the grave by + his kindness and attention, and who has performed the last + sad offices over their lifeless remains. He says: + + "'There is another thing I would wish to state. All the men, + without any exception among the thousands that have come to + this hospital, have never in a single instance expressed a + regret (notwithstanding the privations and sufferings they + have endured) that they entered their country's service. + They have been the most loyal, devoted and earnest men. Even + on the last days of their lives they have said that all they + hoped for was just to live and enter the ranks again and + meet their foes. It is a most glorious record in reference + to the devotion of our men to their country. I do not think + their patriotism has ever been equalled in the history of + the world.' + + "All of which is respectfully submitted. + + "B. F. WADE, _Chairman._" + +Also the following: + + "OFFICE OF COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS, + WASHINGTON, D. C., May 3, 1864. + + "SIR:--I have the honor to report that, pursuant to your + instructions of the 2nd instant, I proceeded, yesterday + morning, to Annapolis, with a view to see that the paroled + prisoners about to arrive there from Richmond were properly + received and cared for. + + "The flag-of-truce boat 'New York,' under the charge of + Major Mulford, with thirty-two officers, three hundred and + sixty-three enlisted men, and one citizen on board, reached + the wharf at the Naval School hospital about ten o'clock. On + going on board, I found the officers generally in good + health, and much cheered by their happy release from the + rebel prisons, and by the prospect of again being with their + friends. + + "The enlisted men who had endured so many privations at + Belle Isle and other places were, with few exceptions, in a + very sad plight, mentally and physically, having for months + been exposed to all the changes of the weather, with no + other protection than a very insufficient supply of + worthless tents, and with an allowance of food scarcely + sufficient to prevent starvation, even if of wholesome + quality; but as it was made of coarsely-ground corn, + including the husks, and probably at times the cobs, if it + did not kill by starvation, it was sure to do it by the + disease it created. Some of these poor fellows were wasted + to mere skeletons, and had scarcely life enough remaining to + appreciate that they were now in the hands of their friends, + and among them all there were few who had not become too + much broken down and dispirited by their many privations to + be able to realize the happy prospect of relief from their + sufferings which was before them. With rare exception, every + face was sad with care and hunger; there was no brightening + of the countenance or lighting up of the eye, to indicate a + thought of anything beyond a painful sense of prostration of + mind and body. Many faces showed that there was scarcely a + ray of intelligence left. + + "Every preparation had been made for their reception in + anticipation of the arrival of the steamer, and immediately + upon her being made fast to the wharf the paroled men were + landed and taken immediately to the hospital, where, after + receiving a warm bath, they were furnished with a suitable + supply of new clothing, and received all those other + attentions which their sad condition demanded. Of the whole + number, there are perhaps fifty to one hundred who, in a + week or ten days, will be in a convalescent state, but the + others will very slowly regain their lost health. + + "That our soldiers, when in the hands of the rebels, are + starved to death, cannot be denied. Every return of the + flag-of-truce boat from City Point brings us too many living + and dying witnesses to admit of a doubt of this terrible + fact. I am informed that the authorities at Richmond admit + the fact, but excuse it on the plea that they give the + prisoners the same rations they give their own men. But can + this be so? Can an army keep the field, and be active and + efficient, on the same fare that kills prisoners of war at a + frightful percentage? I think not; no man can believe it; + and while a practice so shocking to humanity is persisted in + by the rebel authorities, I would very respectfully urge + that retaliatory measures be at once instituted by + subjecting the officers we now hold as prisoners of war to a + similar treatment. + + "I took advantage of the opportunity which this visit to + Annapolis gave me to make a hasty inspection of Camp Parole, + and I am happy to report that I found it in every branch in + a most commendable condition. The men all seemed to be + cheerful and in fine health, and the police inside and out + was excellent. Colonel Root, the commanding officer, + deserves much credit for the very satisfactory condition to + which he has brought his command. + + "I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient + servant, + + "W. HOFFMAN, + + "_Colonel 3rd Infantry, Commissary General of Prisoners._ + + "HON. E. M. STANTON, _Secretary of War, Washington, D. C._" + +This report does not refer to the treatment of the soldiers of the +_Phalanx_ who were taken by the confederates in battle,[29] after the +surrender of Fort Pillow, Lawrence and Plymouth, and at several other +places. It is inserted to enable the reader to form an opinion as to +what the negro soldier's treatment must have been. The same committee +also published as a part of their report, the testimony of a +number,--mostly black, soldiers, who escaped death at Fort Pillow; a few +of their statements are given: + + 38TH CONGRESS,} {REP. COM. + 1st Session. } {No. 63 & 68. + + IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. + + _Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct and + Expenditures of the War to whom was Referred the Resolution + of Congress Instructing them to Investigate the late + Massacre at Fort Pillow._ + + "_Deposition of John Nelson in relation to the capture of + Fort Pillow._ + + "John Nelson, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith: + + "'At the time of the attack on and capture of Fort Pillow, + April 12, 1864, I kept a hotel within the lines at Fort + Pillow, and a short distance from the works. Soon after the + alarm was given that an attack on the fort was imminent, I + entered the works and tendered my services to Major Booth, + commanding. The attack began in the morning at about 5-1/2 + o'clock, and about 1 o'clock P.M. a flag of truce + approached. During the parley which ensued, and while the + firing ceased on both sides, the rebels kept crowding up to + the works on the side near Cold Creek, and also approached + nearer on the south side, thereby gaining advantages pending + the conference under the flag of truce. As soon as the flag + of truce was withdrawn the attack began, and about five + minutes after it began the rebels entered the fort. Our + troops were soon overpowered, and broke and fled. A large + number of the soldiers, black and white, and also a few + citizens, myself among the number, rushed down the bluff + toward the river. I concealed myself as well as I could in a + position where I could distinctly see all that passed below + the bluff, for a considerable distance up and down the + river. + + "'A large number, at least one hundred, were hemmed in near + the river bank by bodies of the rebels coming from both + north and south. Most all of those thus hemmed in were + without arms. I saw many soldiers, both white and black, + throw up their arms in token of surrender, and call out that + they had surrendered. The rebels would reply, 'G--d d--n + you, why didn't you surrender before?' and shot them down + like dogs. + + "'The rebels commenced an indiscriminate slaughter. Many + colored soldiers sprang into the river and tried to escape + by swimming, but these were invariably shot dead. + + "'A short distance from me, and within view, a number of our + wounded had been placed, and near where Major Booth's body + lay; and a small red flag indicated that at that place our + wounded were placed. The rebels however, as they passed + these wounded men, fired right into them and struck them + with the butts of their muskets. The cries for mercy and + groans which arose from the poor fellows were heart-rending. + + "'Thinking that if I should be discovered, I would be + killed, I emerged from my hiding place, and, approaching the + nearest rebel, I told him I was a citizen. He said, 'You are + in bad company, G--d d--n you; out with your greenbacks, or + I'll shoot you.' I gave him all the money I had, and under + his convoy I went up into the fort again. + + "'When I re-entered the fort there was still some shooting + going on. I heard a rebel officer tell a soldier not to kill + any more of those negroes. He said that they would all be + killed, any way, when they were tried. + + "'After I entered the fort, and after the United States flag + had been taken down, the rebels held it up in their hands in + the presence of their officers, and thus gave the rebels + outside a chance to still continue their slaughter, and I + did not notice that any rebel officer forbade the holding of + it up. I also further state, to the best of my knowledge and + information, that there were not less than three hundred and + sixty negroes killed and two hundred whites. This I give to + the best of my knowledge and belief. + + "JOHN NELSON. + + "Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2nd day of May, A. D. 1864. + + "J. D. LLOYD, + + "_Capt. 11th Inf., Mo. Vols., and Ass't. Provost Mar., + Dist. of Memphis._" + + "Henry Christian, (colored), private, company B, 6th United + States heavy artillery, sworn and examined. By Mr. Gooch: + + 'Question. Where were you raised? 'Answer. In East + Tennessee. + + 'Question. Have you been a slave? 'Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Where did you enlist? 'Answer. At Corinth, + Mississippi. + + 'Question. Were you in the fight at Fort Pillow? 'Answer. + Yes, sir. + + 'Question. When were you wounded? 'Answer. A little before + we surrendered. + + 'Question. What happened to you afterwards? 'Answer. + Nothing; I got but one shot, and dug right out over the hill + to the river, and never was bothered any more. + + 'Did you see any men shot after the place was taken? + 'Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Where? 'Answer. Down to the river. + + 'Question. How many? 'Answer. A good many; I don't know how + many. + + 'Question. By whom were they shot? 'Answer. By secesh + soldiers; secesh officers shot some up on the hill. + + 'Question. Did you see those on the hill shot by the + officers? 'Answer. I saw two of them shot. + + 'Question. What officers were they? 'Answer. I don't know + whether he was a lieutenant or captain. + + 'Question. Did the men who were shot after they had + surrendered have arms in their hands? 'Answer. No, sir; they + threw down their arms. + + 'Question. Did you see any shot the next morning? 'Answer. I + saw two shot; one was shot by an officer--he was standing, + holding the officer's horse, and when the officer came and + got his horse he shot him dead. The officer was setting fire + to the houses. + + 'Question. Do you say the man was holding the officer's + horse, and when the officer came and took his horse he shot + the man down? 'Answer. Yes, sir; I saw that with my own + eyes; and then I made away into the river, right off. + + 'Question. Did you see any buried? 'Answer. Yes, sir; a + great many, black and white. + + 'Question. Did you see any buried alive? 'Answer. I did not + see any buried alive. + + "Jacob Thompson, (colored), sworn and examined. By Mr. + Gooch: + + 'Question. Were you a soldier at Fort Pillow? 'Answer. No, + sir, I was not a soldier; but I went up in the fort and + fought with the rest. I was shot in the hand and the head. + + 'Question. When were you shot? 'Answer. After I surrendered. + + 'Question. How many times were you shot? 'Answer. I was shot + but once; but I threw my hand up, and the shot went through + my hand and my head. + + 'Question. Who shot you? 'Answer. A private. + + 'Question. What did he say? 'Answer. He said, 'G--d d--n + you, I will shoot you, old friend.' + + 'Question. Did you see anybody else shot? 'Answer. Yes, sir; + they just called them out like dogs, and shot them down. I + reckon they shot about fifty, white and black, right there. + They nailed some black sergeants to the logs, and set the + logs on fire. + + 'Question. When did you see that? 'Answer. When I went there + in the morning I saw them; they were burning all together. + + 'Question. Did they kill them before they burned them? + 'Answer. No, sir, they nailed them to the logs; drove the + nails right through their hands. + + 'Question. How many did you see in that condition? 'Answer. + Some four or five; I saw two white men burned. + + 'Question. Was there any one else there who saw that? + Answer. I reckon there was; I could not tell who. + + 'Question. When was it that you saw them? 'Answer. I saw + them in the morning after the fight; some of them were + burned almost in two. I could tell they were white men, + because they were whiter than the colored men. + + 'Question. Did you notice how they were nailed? 'Answer. I + saw one nailed to the side of a house; he looked like he was + nailed right through his wrist. I was trying then to get to + the boat when I saw it. + + 'Question. Did you see them kill any white men? 'Answer. + They killed some eight or nine there. I reckon they killed + more than twenty after it was all over; called them out from + under the hill, and shot them down. They would call out a + white man and shoot him down, and call out a colored man and + shoot him down; do it just as fast as they could make their + guns go off. + + 'Question. Did you see any rebel officers about there when + this was going on? 'Answer. Yes, sir; old Forrest was one. + + 'Question. Did you know Forrest? 'Answer. Yes, sir; he was a + little bit of a man. I had seen him before at Jackson. + + 'Question. Are you sure he was there when this was going on? + 'Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Did you see any other officers that you knew? + 'Answer. I did not know any other but him. There were some + two or three more officers came up there. + + 'Question. Did you see any buried there? 'Answer. Yes, sir; + they buried right smart of them. They buried a great many + secesh, and a great many of our folks. I think they buried + more secesh than our folks. + + 'Question. How did they bury them? 'Answer. They buried the + secesh over back of the fort, all except those on Fort hill; + them they buried up on top of the hill where the gunboats + shelled them. + + 'Question. Did they bury any alive? 'Answer. I heard the + gunboat men say they dug two out who were alive. + + 'Question. You did not see them? 'Answer. No, sir. + + 'What company did you fight with? 'Answer. I went right into + the fort and fought there. + + 'Question. Were you a slave or a free man? 'Answer. I was a + slave. + + 'Question. Where were you raised? 'Answer. In old Virginia. + + 'Question. Who was your master? 'Answer. Colonel Hardgrove. + + 'Question. Where did you live? 'Answer. I lived three miles + the other side of Brown's mills. + + 'Question. How long since you lived with him? 'Answer. I + went home once and staid with him a while, but he got to + cutting up and I came away again. + + 'Question. What did you do before you went into the fight? + 'Answer. I was cooking for Co. K, of Illinois cavalry; I + cooked for that company nearly two years. + + 'Question. What white officers did you know in our army? + 'Answer. I knew Captain Meltop and Colonel Ransom; and I + cooked at the hotel at Fort Pillow, and Mr. Nelson kept it. + I and Johnny were cooking together. After they shot me + through the hand and head, they beat up all this part of my + head (the side of his head) with the breach of their guns. + + "Ransome Anderson, (colored), Co. B, 6th United States heavy + artillery, sworn and examined. By Mr. Gooch: + + 'Question. Where were you raised? 'Answer. In Mississippi. + + 'Question. Were you a slave? 'Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Where did you enlist? 'Answer. At Corinth. + + 'Question. Were you in the fight at Fort Pillow? 'Answer. + Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Describe what you saw done there. 'Answer. Most + all the men that were killed on our side were killed after + the fight was over. They called them out and shot them down. + Then they put some in the houses and shut them up, and then + burned the houses. + + 'Question. Did you see them burn? 'Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Were any of them alive? 'Answer. Yes, sir; they + were wounded, and could not walk. They put them in the + houses, and then burned the houses down. + + 'Question. Do you know they were in there? 'Answer. Yes, + sir; I went and looked in there. + + 'Question. Do you know they were in there when the house was + burned? 'Answer. Yes, sir; I heard them hallooing there when + the houses were burning. + + 'Question. Are you sure they were wounded men, and not dead, + when they were put in there? 'Answer. Yes, sir; they told + them they were going to have the doctor see them, and then + put them in there and shut them up, and burned them. + + 'Question. Who set the house on fire? 'Answer. I saw a rebel + soldier take some grass and lay it by the door, and set it + on fire. The door was pine plank, and it caught easy. + + 'Question. Was the door fastened up? 'Answer. Yes, sir; it + was barred with one of those wide bolts. + + "James Walls, sworn and examined. By Mr. Gooch: + + 'Question. To what company did you belong? 'Answer. Company + E, 13th Tennessee cavalry. + + 'Question. Under what officers did you serve? 'Answer. I was + under Major Bradford and Captain Potter. + + 'Question. Were you in the fight at Fort Pillow? 'Answer. + Yes, sir. + + 'Question. State what you saw there of the fight, and what + was done after the place was captured. 'Answer. We fought + them for some six or eight hours in the fort, and when they + charged, our men scattered and ran under the hill; some + turned back and surrendered, and were shot. After the flag + of truce came in I went down to get some water. As I was + coming back I turned sick, and laid down behind a log. The + secesh charged, and after they came over I saw one go a good + ways ahead of the others. One of our men made to him and + threw down his arms. The bullets were flying so thick there + I thought I could not live there, so I threw down my arms + and surrendered. He did not shoot me then, but as I turned + around he or some other one shot me in the back. + + 'Question. Did they say anything while they were shooting? + 'Answer. All I heard was, 'Shoot him, shoot him!' 'Yonder + goes one!' 'Kill him, kill him!' That is about all I heard. + + 'Question. How many do you suppose you saw shot after they + surrendered? 'Answer. I did not see but two or three shot + around me. One of the boys of our company, named Taylor, ran + up there, and I saw him shot and fall. Then another was shot + just before me, like--shot down after he threw down his + arms. + + 'Question. Those were white men? 'Answer. Yes, sir. I saw + them make lots of niggers stand up, and then they shot them + down like hogs. The next morning I was lying around there + waiting for the boat to come up. The secesh would be prying + around there, and would come to a nigger and say, 'You ain't + dead are you?' They would not say anything, and then the + secesh would get down off their horses, prick them in their + sides, and say, 'D--n you, you aint dead; get up.' Then they + would make them get up on their knees, when they would shoot + them down like hogs. + + 'Question. Do you know of their burning any buildings? + 'Answer. I could hear them tell them to stick torches all + around, and they fired all the buildings. + + 'Question. Do you know whether any of our men were in the + buildings when they were burned? 'Answer. Some of our men + said some were burned; I did not see it, or know it to be so + myself. + + 'Question. How did they bury them--white and black together? + 'Answer. I don't know about the burying; I did not see any + buried. + + 'Question. How many negroes do you suppose were killed after + the surrender? 'Answer. There were hardly any killed before + the surrender. I reckon as many as 200 were killed after the + surrender, out of about 300 that were there. + + Question. Did you see any rebel officers about while this + shooting was going on? 'Answer. I do not know as I saw any + officers about when they were shooting the negroes. A + captain came to me a few minutes after I was shot; he was + close by me when I was shot. + + 'Question. Did he try to stop the shooting? 'Answer. I did + not hear a word of their trying to stop it. After they were + shot down, he told them not to shoot them any more. I begged + him not to let them shoot me again, and he said they would + not. One man, after he was shot down, was shot again. After + I was shot down, the man I surrendered to went around the + tree I was against and shot a man, and then came around to + me again and wanted my pocket-book. I handed it up to him, + and he saw my watch-chain and made a grasp at it, and got + the watch and about half the chain. He took an old Barlow + knife I had in my pocket. It was not worth five cents; was + of no account at all, only to cut tobacco with.' + + "Nathan G. Fulks, sworn and examined. By Mr. Gooch: + + 'Question. To what company and regiment do you belong? + 'Answer. To Company D, 13th Tennessee cavalry. + + 'Question. Where are you from? 'Answer. About twenty miles + from Columbus, Tennessee. + + 'Question. How long have you been in the service? 'Answer. + Five months, the 1st of May. + + 'Question. Were you at Fort Pillow at the time of the fight + there? Answer. Yes, sir. + + 'Question. Will you state what happened to you there? + 'Answer. I was at the corner of the fort when they fetched + in a flag for a surrender. Some of them said the major stood + a while, and then said he would not surrender. They + continued to fight a while; and after a time the major + started and told us to take care of ourselves, and I and + twenty more men broke for the hollow. They ordered us to + halt, and some of them said, 'God d--n 'em, kill 'em!' I + said, 'I have surrendered.' I had thrown my gun away then. I + took off my cartridge-box and gave it to one of them, and + said, 'Don't shoot me;' but they did shoot me, and hit just + about where the shoe comes up on my leg. I begged them not + to shoot me, and he said,' God d--n you, you fight with the + niggers, and we will kill the last one of you!' Then they + shot me in the thick of the thigh, and I fell; and one set + out to shoot me again, when another one said, 'Don't shoot + the white fellows any more. + + 'Question. Did you see any person shot besides yourself? + 'Answer. I didn't see them shot. I saw one of our fellows + dead by me. + + 'Question. Did you see any buildings burned? 'Answer. Yes, + sir. While I was in the major's headquarters they commenced + burning the buildings, and I begged one of them to take me + out and not let us burn there; and he said, 'I am hunting up + a piece of yellow flag for you.' I think we would have + whipped them if the flag of truce had not come in. We would + have whipped them if we had not let them get the dead-wood + on us. I was told that they made their movement while the + flag of truce was in. I did not see it myself, because I + had sat down, as I had been working so hard. + + 'Question. How do you know they made their movement while + the flag of truce was in? 'Answer. The men that were above + said so. The rebs are bound to take every advantage of us. I + saw two more white men close to where I was lying. That + makes three dead ones, and myself wounded." + +Later on during the war the policy of massacring was somewhat abated, +that is it was not done on the battle-field. The humanity of the +confederates in Virginia permitted them to take their black prisoners to +the rear. About a hundred soldiers belonging to the 7th Phalanx +Regiment, with several of their white officers, were captured at Fort +Gilmer on the James River, Va., and taken to Richmond in September, +1864. The following account is given of their treatment in the record of +the Regiment: + + "The following interesting sketches of prison-life, as + experienced by two officers of the regiment, captured at + Fort Gilmer, have been kindly furnished. _The details of the + sufferings of the enlisted men captured with them we shall + never know, for few of them ever returned to tell the sad + story._ + + "'An escort was soon formed to conduct the prisoners to + Richmond, some seven or eight miles distant, and the kinder + behavior of that part of the guard which had participated in + the action was suggestive of the freemasonry that exists + between brave fellows to whatever side belonging. On the + road the prisoners were subjected by every passer-by, to + petty insults, the point in every case, more or less + obscene, being the color of their skin. The solitary + exception, curiously enough, being a _nymph du pave_ in the + suburbs of the town.[30] + + "'About dusk the prisoners reached the notorious Libby, + where the officers took leave of their enlisted + comrades--from most of them forever. The officers were then + searched and put collectively in a dark hole, whose purpose + undoubtedly was similar to that of the 'Ear of Dionysius.' + In the morning, after being again searched, they were placed + among the rest of the confined officers, among whom was + Capt. Cook, of the Ninth, taken a few weeks previously at + Strawberry Plains. Some time before, the confederates had + made a great haul on the Weldon Railroad, and the prison was + getting uncomfortably full of prisoners and--vermin. After a + few days sojourn in Libby, the authorities prescribed a + change of air, and the prisoners were packed into box and + stock cars and rolled to Salisbury, N. C. The comforts of + this two day's ride are remembered as strikingly similar to + those of Mr. Hog from the West to the Eastern market before + the invention of the S. F. P. C. T. A. + + "'At Salisbury the prisoners were stored in the third story + of an abandoned tobacco factory, occupied on the lower + floors by political prisoners, deserters, thieves and spies, + who during the night made an attempt on the property of the + new-comers, but were repulsed after a pitched battle. In the + morning the Post-Commandant ordered the prisoners to some + unused negro quarters in another part of the grounds, + separated from the latter by a line of sentries. During the + week train-loads of prisoners--enlisted men--arrived and + were corralled in the open grounds. The subsequent + sufferings of these men are known to the country, a parallel + to those of Andersonville, as the eternal infamy of Wirtz is + shared by his _confrere_ at Salisbury--McGee. + + "'The weakness, and still more, the appalling ferocity of + the guards, stimulated the desire to escape; but when this + had become a plan it was discovered, and the commissioned + prisoners were at once hurried off to Danville, Va., and + there assigned the two upper floors of an abandoned tobacco + warehouse, which formed one side of an open square. Here an + organization into messes was effected, from ten to eighteen + in each--to facilitate the issue of rations. The latter + consisted of corn-bread and boiled beef, but gradually the + issues of meat became like angels' visits, and then for + several months ceased altogether. It was the art of feeding + as practised by the Hibernian on his horse--only their + exchange deprived the prisoners of testing the one straw per + day. + + "Among the democracy of hungry bellies there were a few + aristocrats, with a Division General of the Fifth Corps as + Grand Mogul, whose Masonic or family connections in the + South procured them special privileges. On the upper floor + these envied few erected a cooking stove, around which they + might be found at all hours of the day, preparing savory + dishes, while encircled by a triple and quadruple row of + jealous noses, eagerly inhailing the escaping vapors, so + conducive to day-dreams of future banquets. The social + equilibrium was, however, bi-diurnally restored by a common + pursuit--a general warfare under the black flag against a + common enemy, as insignificant individually as he was + collectively formidable--an insect, in short, whose + domesticity on the human body is, according to some + naturalists, one of the differences between our species and + the rest of creation. This operation, technically, + 'skirmishing,' happened twice a day, according as the sun + illumined the east or west sides of the apartments, along + which the line was deployed in its beams. + + "Eating, sleeping, smelling and skirmishing formed the + routine of prison-life, broken once in a while by a walk, + under escort, to the Dan river, some eighty yards distant, + for a water supply. Generally, some ten or twelve prisoners + with buckets were allowed to go at once, and this + circumstance, together with the fact that the guard for all + the prisons in town were mounted in the open square in + front, excited the first idea of escape. According to high + diplomatic authority, empty stomachs are conducive to + ingenuity, so the idea soon became a plan and a conspiracy. + While the new guard had stacked arms in the open square + preparatory to mounting, some ten or twelve officers, under + the lead of Col. Ralston, the powerful head of some New York + regiment, were to ask for exit under pretense of getting + water, and then to overpower the opposing sentries, while + the balance of the prisoners, previously drawn up in line at + the head of the short staircase leading direct to the exit + door, were to rush down into the square, seize the stacked + arms and march through the Confederacy to the Union + lines--perhaps! + + "'Among the ten or twelve pseudo-water-carriers--the forlorn + hope--were Col. Ralston, Capt. Cook, of the Ninth, and one + or two of the Seventh--Capt. Weiss and Lieut. Spinney. On + the guard opening the door for egress, Col. Ralston and one + of the Seventh threw themselves on the first man, a powerful + six-footer, and floored him. At the same moment, however, + another guard with great presence of mind, slammed the door + and turned the key, and that before five officers could + descend the short staircase. The attempt was now a failure. + One of the guards on the outside of the building took + deliberate aim through the open window at Col. Ralston, who + was still engaged with the struggling fellow, and shot him + through the bowels. Col. Ralston died a lingering and + painful death after two or three days. Less true bravery + than his has been highly sung in verse. + + "'This attempt could not but sharpen the discipline of the + prison, but soon the natural humanity of the commandant, + Col. Smith, now believed to be Chief Engineer of the + Baltimore Bridge Company, asserted itself, and things went + on as before. Two incidents may, however, be mentioned in + this connection, whose asperities time has removed, leaving + nothing but their salient grotesque features. + + "'Immediately after the occurrence, an unlimited supply of + dry-salted codfish was introduced. This being the first + animal food for weeks, was greedily devoured in large + quantities, mostly raw--producing a raging thirst. The water + supply was now curtailed to a few bucketsful, but even these + few drops of the precious fluid were mostly wasted in the + _melee_ for their possession. The majority of the + contestants retired disappointed to muse on the comforts of + the Sahara Desert, and as the stories about tapping camels + recurred to them, suggestive glances were cast at the more + fortunate rivals. After a few days, conspicuous for the + sparing enjoyment of salt cod, the water supply was ordered + unlimited. An immediate 'corner' in the Newfoundland staple + took place, the stock being actively absorbed by _bona fide_ + investors, who found that it bore watering with impunity. + + * * * * + + "'At the beginning of February, 1865, thirty boxes of + provisions, etc., from friends in the North arrived for the + prisoners. The list of owners was anxiously scanned and the + lucky possessor would not have exchanged for the capital + prize in the Havana lottery. The poor fellows of the + Seventh were among the fortunate, and from that day none + knew hunger more. + + "'With the advent of the boxes came the dawn of a brighter + day. Cartels of exchange were talked about, and by the + middle of February the captives found themselves on the rail + for Richmond. The old Libby appeared much less gloomy than + on first acquaintance, the rays of hope throwing a halo + about everywhere. Many asked and obtained the liberty of the + town to lay in a supply of those fine brands of tobacco for + which Richmond is famous. In a few days the preliminaries to + exchange were completed, and on the 22d of + February--Washington's birthday--the captives also stepped + into a new life under the old flag." + + "Captain Sherman, of Co. C., gives the following account: + + "'Further resistence being useless, and having expressed our + willingness to surrender, we were invited into the fort. As + I stepped down from the parapet I was immediately accosted + by one of the so-called F. F. V.'s, whose smiling + countenance and extended hand led me to think I was + recognized as an acquaintance. My mind was soon disabused of + that idea, however, for the next instant he had pulled my + watch from its pocket, with the remark, 'what have you + there?' Quick as thought, and before he could realize the + fact, I had seized and recovered the watch, while he held + only a fragment of the chain, and placing it in an inside + pocket, buttoned my coat and replied, 'that is my watch and + you cannot have it.' + + "'Just then I discovered Lieut. Ferguson was receiving a + good deal of attention--a crowd having gathered about + him--and the next moment saw his fine new hat had been + appropriated by one of the rebel soldiers, and he stood + hatless. Seeing one of the rebel officers with a Masonic + badge on his coat, Lieut. F. made himself known as a brother + Mason, and appealed to him for redress. The officer quickly + responded and caused the hat to be returned to its owner, + only to be again stolen, and the thief made to give it up as + before. + + "'In a little while we (seven officers and eighty-five + enlisted men) were formed in four ranks, and surrounded by a + guard, continued the march 'on to Richmond,' but under very + different circumstances from what we had flattered ourselves + would be the case, when only two or three hours before our + brigade-commander had remarked, as he rode by the regiment, + that we would certainly be in Richmond that night. We met a + great many civilians, old and young, on their way to the + front, as a general alarm had been sounded in the city, and + all who could carry arms had been ordered to report for duty + in the intrenchments. After a few miles march we halted for + a rest, but were not allowed to sit down, as I presume the + guards thought we could as well stand as they. Here a squad + of the Richmond Grays, the _elite_ of the city, came up and + accosted us with all manner of vile epithets. One of the + most drunken and boisterous approached within five or six + feet of me, and with the muzzle of his rifle within two feet + of my face swore he would shoot me. Fearless of + consequences, and feeling that immediate death even could + not be worse than slow torture by starvation, to which I + knew that so many of our soldiers had been subjected, and + remembering that the Confederate Congress had declared + officers of colored troops outlaws, I replied, as my eyes + met his, 'shoot if you dare.' Instead of carrying out his + threat he withdrew his aim and staggered on. Here Lieut. + Ferguson lost his hat, which had been already twice stolen + and recovered. One of the rebs came up behind him and taking + the hat from his head replaced it with his own and ran off. + The lieutenant consoled himself with the reflection that at + last he had a hat no one would steal. + + "'At about 7 P. M. we arrived at Libby Prison _and were + separated from the enlisted men, who, we afterward learned, + suffered untold hardships, to which many of them succumbed. + Some were claimed as slaves by men who had never known them; + others denied fuel and shelter through the winter, and + sometimes water with which to quench their thirst; the sick + and dying neglected or mal-treated and even murdered by + incompetent and fiendish surgeons; without rations for days + together; shot at without the slightest reason or only to + gratify the caprice of the guards,--all of which harrowing + details were fully corroborated by the few emaciated wrecks + that survived_. + + "'We were marched inside the prison, searched, and what + money we had taken from us. I was allowed to retain + pocket-book, knife and watch. Our names were recorded and we + were told to follow the sergeant. Now, I thought, the + question will be decided whether we are to go up stairs + where we knew the officers were quartered, or be confined in + the cells below. As we neared the corner of the large room + and I saw the sergeant directing his steps to the stairs + leading down, I thought it had been better had we fallen on + the battle-field. He led the way down to a cell, and as we + passed in barred and locked the door and left us in + darkness. Here, without rations, the bare stone floor for a + bed, the dampness trickling down the walls on either side, + seven of us were confined in a close room about seven feet + by nine. It was a long night, but finally morning dawned and + as a ray of light shone through the little barred window + above our heads we thanked God we were not in total + darkness. About 9 A. M. rations, consisting of bread and + meat, were handed in, and being divided into seven parts, + were drawn for by lot. About noon we were taken from the + cell and put in with the other officers. Here we met Capt. + Cook, of the Ninth Regiment, who had been captured about a + month previous while reconnoitering the enemy's line. + + "'We were now in a large room, perhaps forty by ninety feet, + with large windows, entirely destitute of glass. No blankets + nor anything to sit or lie upon except the floor, and at + night when we lay down the floor was literally covered. + + "'About the middle of the second night we were all hurriedly + marched out and packed in filthy box-cars--like sardines, + for there was not room for all to sit down--for an unknown + destination. After a slow and tedious ride we arrived at + Salisbury, N. C. When we arrived there were but few + prisoners, and for two or three days we received fair + rations of bread, bean soup and a little meat. This did not + last long, for as the number of prisoners increased our + rations were diminished. There were four old log houses + within the stockade and into these the officers were moved + the next day, while a thousand or more prisoners, brought on + from Petersburg, were turned into the pen without shelter of + any kind. From these we were separated by a line of + sentinels, who had orders to shoot any who approached within + six paces of their beat on either side. This was called the + 'dead-line,' which also extended around the enclosure about + six paces from the stockade. + + "'The second Sunday after our arrival, just as we were + assembling to hear preaching, an officer who had + thoughtlessly stepped to a tree on the dead-line was shot + and killed by the sentry, who was on an elevated platform + outside the fence, and only about two rods distant. For this + fiendish act the murderer was granted a sixty days furlough. + + "'Prisoners were being brought in almost daily, and at this + time there were probably six thousand within the enclosure. + A pretence of shelter was furnished by the issue of a few + Sibley tents, but not more than a third of the prisoners + were sheltered. Many of them built mud hovels or burrowed in + the ground; some crawled under the hospital building. Very + few had blankets and all were thinly clad, and the rations + were barely sufficient to sustain life. What wonder that men + lost their strength, spirits, and sometimes reason. The + story of exposure, sickness and death is the same and rivals + that of Andersonville. + + "'The guard was strengthened, a portion of the fence taken + down and a piece of artillery stationed at the corners to + sweep down the crowd, should an outbreak occur. This we had + thought of for some time, and a plan of action was decided + upon. At a given signal all within the enclosure were to + make a break for that part of the fence nearest them, and + then scatter, each one for himself. Of course, some would + probably be killed, but it was hoped most would escape + before the guards could load and fire a second time. This + plot, which was to have been carried out at midnight, was + discovered the previous afternoon. The inside guard, + separating the enlisted-men from the officers, had become + more vigilant, and the only means of communication was to + attach a note to a stone and throw it across. This an + officer attempted. The note fell short; the sentry picked it + up, called the corporal of the guard, who took it to the + officer of the guard, and in less than five minutes the + whole arrangement was known. Two hours afterward we were + formed in line and learned that we were to change our + quarters. We had then been in Salisbury twenty days. Before + we left one of our mess found and brought away a bound copy + of _Harper's Magazine_. It proved a boon to us, as it served + for a pillow for one of us at night, and was being read by + some one from dawn until night, until we had all read it + through, when we traded it off for a volume of the _Portland + Transcript_. + + "'We were packed in box cars and started North. The next + morning we arrived at Danville and were confined in a + tobacco warehouse, built of brick and about eighty feet + long, forty wide, and three stories high. When we first + entered the prison the ration was fair in quantity. We had + from twelve to sixteen ounces of corn-bread, and from two to + four ounces of beef or a cup of pea-soup, but never beef and + soup the same day. True, the soup would have an abundance of + worms floating about in it, but these we would skim off, and + trying to forget we had seen them, eat with a relish. Hunger + will drive one to eat almost anything, as we learned from + bitter experience. About the 1st of November the soup and + beef ration began to decrease, and from the middle of the + month to the 20th of February, when I was paroled, not a + ration of meat or soup was issued. Nothing but corn-bread, + made from unbolted meal, and water, and that growing less + and less. Sometimes I would divide my ration into three + parts and resolve to make it last all day, but invariably it + would be gone before noon. Generally I would eat the whole + ration at once, but that did not satisfy my hunger, and I + had to go without a crumb for the next twenty-four hours. To + illustrate how inadequate the ration was, I can say that I + have seen officers picking potato-peelings from the large + spittoons, where they were soaking in tobacco spittle, wash + them off and eat them. + + "'We had an abundance of good, pure water, which was a great + blessing. Pails were furnished, and when five or six men + were ready, the sentry would call the corporal of the guard, + who would send a guard of from four to six with us to the + river, about two hundred yards distant. Twice a day an + officer would come in and call the roll; that is form us + into four ranks and count the files. If any had escaped, it + was essential that the number should be kept good for some + days, to enable them to get a good start, and for this + purpose various means were used. Some, times one of the rear + rank, after being counted, would glide along unseen to the + left of the line and be recounted. A hole was cut in the + upper floor, and while the officer was going upstairs, some + would climb through the hole and be counted with those on + the third floor. This created some confusion, as the number + would occasionally overrun. + + "'As the season advanced we suffered more and more from the + cold, for being captured in September our clothing was not + sufficient for December and January. Very few had blankets, + and the rebel authorities never issued either blankets or + clothing of any kind. The windows of the lower rooms were + without glass, and only the lower half of each boarded up; + the wind would whistle through the large openings, and + drawing up through the open floor, upon which we had to lie + at night, would almost freeze us. I finally succeeded in + trading my watch with one of the guard for an old bed-quilt + and twenty dollars Confederate money. The money came in very + good time, for I then had the scurvy so badly that my + tongue, lips and gums were so swollen that by evening I + could scarcely speak. In the morning the swelling would not + be quite so bad, and by soaking the corn-bread in water, + could manage to swallow a little. The surgeon, who visited + the prison every day, cauterized my mouth, but it continued + to grow worse, until at last I could not eat the coarse + bread. Sometimes I would have a chance to sell it for from + one to two dollars, which, with the twenty, saved me from + starvation. I bought rice of the guard for two dollars the + half-pint, and good-sized potatoes for a dollar each. These + were cooked usually over a little fire in the yard with wood + or chips picked up while going for water. Sometimes, by + waiting patiently for an hour or more, I could get near + enough to the stove to put my cup on. The heating apparatus + was a poor apology for a cylinder coal-stove, and the coal + the poorest I ever saw, and gave so little heat that one + could stand all day by it and shiver. + +[Illustration: ESCAPING PRISONERS FED BY NEGROES IN THEIR MASTER'S +BARN.] + + "'The bed-quilt was quite narrow, but very much better than + none. + + "'Capt. Weiss and I would spread our flannel coats on the + floor, use our shoes for pillows, spread the quilt over us, + and with barely space to turn over, would, if the night was + not too cold, go to sleep; usually to dream of home and + loved ones; of Christmas festivities and banquets; of trains + of army wagons so overloaded with pies and cakes that they + were rolling into the road; of a general exchange; a thirty + day's leave of absence, and a thousand things altogether + unlike that which we were experiencing; and would wake only + to find ourselves cold and hungry. + + "'Our mess had the volume of _Harper's Magazine_, found at + Salisbury, and we each could have it an hour or more daily. + A few games of checkers or cribbage, played sitting on the + floor, tailor-fashion, were always in order. All who were + accustomed to smoking would manage to secure a supply of + tobacco at least sufficient for one smoke per day, and, if + they could not obtain it in any other way, would sell half + their scanty ration, and perhaps get enough to last a week. + It was a good place to learn how to economize. I have known + some to refuse a light from the pipe, for fear of losing a + grain of the precious weed. Evenings we would be in + darkness, and as we could not move about without frequent + collisions, would gather in little groups and talk of home, + friends, and the good time coming, when we would have one + good, square meal; arrange the bill of fare, comprising all + the delicacies that heart could wish, or a morbid mind + prompted by a starving stomach could conceive; lay plans for + escape and discuss the route to be followed; sing a few + hymns and the national airs, and wind up with 'We'll Hang + Jeff Davis on a Sour Apple Tree.' + + "'There were with us two officers who, when we arrived at + Salisbury, had been in solitary confinement and whom the + rebels were holding as hostages for two guerillas whom Gen. + Burnside had condemned to be shot. When the removal of the + officers to Danville occurred, these two were released from + close confinement and sent on with us, and it was thought + they were no longer considered as hostages. They had planned + an escape and well nigh succeeded. They had dug a hole + through the brick wall, and passing into an adjoining + unoccupied building, cut through the floor, dug under the + stone foundation and were just coming through on the + outside, when some one in passing stepped on the thin crust + and fell in. Whether he or the men digging were the most + frightened it would be hard to tell. The next morning these + two who had worked so hard to regain their liberty were + taken out and probably placed in close confinement again. + + "'After this attempt to escape, the rebel authorities made + an effort to rob us of everything, particularly + pocket-knives, watches, or any thing that could aid us to + escape. In this they were foiled. They made us all go to one + end of the room and placing a guard through the middle, + searched us one by one and passed us to the other side. If + one had a knife, watch or money, he had only to toss it over + to some one already searched, and when his turn came would + have nothing to show. + + "'The guards would not allow us to stand by the windows, and + on one occasion, without warning, fired through a + second-story window and badly wounded an officer on the + third floor. + + "'My shoes were nearly worn out when I was captured, and + soon became so worn that I could only keep _sole_ and _body_ + together by cutting strings from the edge of the uppers and + lacing them together. These strings would wear but a little + while, and frequent cuttings had made the shoes very low. + + "'Toward the last of January, Capt. Cook received + intelligence that a special exchange had been effected in + his case and he was to start at once for the North. Here was + an opportunity to communicate with our comrades and friends, + for up to this time we did not know whether any of our + letters had been received. Capt. Cook had a pair of good + stout brogans. These shoes he urged me to take in exchange + for my dilapidated ones. At first, I felt reluctant to do + so, but finally made the exchange and he left us with a + light heart, but his anticipations were not realized, for + instead of going directly North he was detained in Libby + Prison until just before the rest of us arrived, and when we + reached Annapolis he was still there awaiting his leave, and + had been obliged to wear my old shoes until two days + previous. + + "'Rumors of a general exchange began to circulate, and a few + boxes of provisions and clothing, sent by Northern friends, + were delivered. Among the rest, was a well-filled box from + the officers of our regiment, and twelve hundred dollars + Confederate money (being the equivalent of sixty dollars + greenbacks) which they had kindly contributed. Could we have + received the box and money in November, instead of just + before our release, we could have subsisted quite + comfortably all winter. As it was, we lived sumptuously as + long as the contents of the box lasted, and when about a + week later we started for Richmond to be paroled, we had + drawn considerably upon the twelve hundred dollars. + + "'February 17th, we left Danville for Richmond and were + again quartered in Libby. On the 19th, we signed the parole + papers. + + "'The second morning after signing the rolls, one of the + clerks came in and said that for want of transportation, + only a hundred would be sent down the river that day, and + the rest would follow soon; that those whose names were + called would fall in on the lower floor, ready to start. As + he proceeded to call the roll there was a death-like + stillness, and each listened anxiously to hear his own name. + Of our mess only one name was called. As he stopped reading + and folded his rolls and turned to leave, I thought, what if + our army should commence active operations and put an end + to the exchange, and resolved to go with the party that day, + if possible. I had noticed that the clerk had not called the + names in their order nor checked them, and knew he could not + tell who had been called. I therefore hurried down to the + lower floor and fell in with the rest, thinking all the time + of the possibility of detection and the consequent solitary + confinement, and although my conscience was easy so far as + the papers I had signed were concerned--for I had only + agreed not to take up arms until duly exchanged--I did not + breath freely until I had disembarked from the boat and was + under the Stars and Stripes. Fortunately, the rest of the + party came down on the boat the next day. + + "'One other incident and I am done: Sergt. Henry Jordan, of + Company C, was wounded and captured with the rest of us, but + on account of his wounds was unable to be sent South with + the other enlisted-men. After his recovery he was kept as a + servant about the office of Major Turner, the commandant of + the prison, and when, on the 2d of April, 1865, the rebels + evacuated Richmond and paroled the prisoners, he remained + until our forces came in and took possession of the city. + When, a few days later, Maj. Turner was captured by our + troops and confined in the same cell we had occupied, Sergt. + Jordan was detailed to carry him his rations, and although + he was not of a vindictive or revengeful disposition, I will + venture to say that the rations allowed Turner were not much + better than had been given the sergeant through the winter. + Had Turner been guarded by such men as Henry Jordan, or even + by the poorest soldiers of the regiment, he would not have + escaped within three days of his capture, as was the case.'" + +Very few of the black soldiers were exchanged, though the confederate +government pretended to recognize them and treat them as they did the +whites. General Taylor's reply to General Grant, was the general policy +applied to them when convenient. In the latter days of the war, when--in +June, 1864, at Guntown, Miss.,--the confederate Gen. Forrest attacked +and routed the Union forces, under Sturgis, through the stupidity of the +latter, (alluded to more at length a few pages further on,) a number of +black soldiers were captured, Sturgis having had several Phalanx +regiments in his command. The confederates fought with desperation, and +with their usual "no quarter," because, as Forrest alleges, the Phalanx +regiments meant to retaliate for his previous massacre of the blacks at +Fort Pillow. Seeking to justify the inhuman treatment of his black +prisoners, he wrote as follows to General Washburn, commanding the +District of West Tennessee: + + "It has been reported to me that all of your colored troops + stationed in Memphis took, on their knees, in the presence + of Major General Hurlburt and other officers of your army, + an oath to avenge Fort Pillow, and that they would show my + troops no quarter. Again I have it from indisputable + authority that the troops under Brigadier General Sturgis on + their recent march from Memphis, publicly, and in many + places, proclaimed that no quarter would be shown my men. As + they were moved into action on the 10th they were exhorted + by their officers to remember Fort Pillow. The prisoners we + have captured from that command, or a large majority of + them, have voluntarily stated that they expected us to + murder them, otherwise they would have surrendered in a body + rather than have taken to the bushes after being run down + and exhausted." + +The massacre at Fort Pillow had a very different effect upon the black +soldiers than it was doubtless expected to have. Instead of weakening +their courage it stimulated them to a desire of retaliation; not in the +strict sense of that term, but to fight with a determination to subdue +and bring to possible punishment, the men guilty of such atrocious +conduct. Had General Sturgis been competent of commanding, Forrest would +have found himself and his command no match for the Phalanx at Guntown +and Brice's Cross Roads. Doubtless Forrest was startled by the reply of +General Washburn, who justly recognized the true impulse of the Phalanx. +He replied to Forrest, June 19, 1864, as follows: + + "You say in your letter that it has been reported to you + that all the negro troops stationed in Memphis took an oath, + on their knees, in the presence of Major General Hurlburt + and other officers of our army, to avenge Fort Pillow and + that they would show your troops no quarter. I believe it is + true that the colored troops did take such an oath, but not + in the presence of General Hurlburt. From what I can learn + this act of theirs was not influenced by any white officer, + but was the result of their own sense of what was due to + themselves and their fellows who had been mercilessly + slaughtered." + +The chief of Forrest's artillery writes in the Philadelphia _Times_, in +September, 1883: + + "Col. Arthur T. Reeve, who commanded the Fifty-fifth Colored + Infantry in this fight, tells me that no oath was taken by + his troops that ever he heard of, but the impression + prevailed that the black flag was raised, and on his side + was raised to all intents and purposes. He himself fully + expected to be killed if captured. Impressed with this + notion a double effect was produced. It made the Federals + afraid to surrender and greatly exasperated our men, and in + the break-up the affair became more like a hunt for wild + game than a battle between civilized men." + +In his description of the battle at Brice's Cross Roads, he says: + + "The entire Confederate force was brought into action at + once. We kept no reserves; every movement was quickly + planned and executed with the greatest celerity. A potent + factor which made the battle far bloodier than it would have + been, was it being reported, and with some degree of truth, + that the negroes had been sworn on their knees in line + before leaving Memphis to show 'no quarter to Forrest's + men,' and badges were worn upon which were inscribed, + 'Remember Fort Pillow.' General Washburn, commanding the + district of West Tennessee, distinctly admits that the negro + troops with Sturgis had gone into this fight with the + declared intention to give no quarter to Forrest's men." + +The fate of the black soldiers taken in these fights is unknown, which +is even worse than of those who are known to have been massacred. + +The details of the massacre at Fort Pillow have been reserved for this +portion of the present chapter in order to state them more at length, +and in connection with important movements which soon after took place +against the same confederate force. + +The most atrocious of all inhuman acts perpetrated upon a brave +soldiery, took place at Fort Pillow, Kentucky, on the 13th of April, +1864. No cause can be assigned for the shocking crime of wanton, +indiscriminate murder of some three hundred soldiers, other than that +they were "niggers," and "fighting with niggers." + +On the 12th, General Forrest suddenly appeared before Fort Pillow with a +large force, and demanded its surrender. The fort was garrisoned by 557 +men in command of Major L. F. Booth, consisting of the 13th Tennessee +Cavalry, Major Bradford, and the 6th Phalanx Battery of heavy artillery, +numbering 262 men, and six guns. At sunrise on the 13th, General +Forrest's forces advanced and attacked the fort. The garrison maintained +a steady brisk fire, and kept the enemy at bay from an outer line of +intrenchments. About 9 A. M. Major Booth was killed, and Major Bradford +taking command, drew the troops back into the Fort, situated on a high, +steep and partially timbered bluff on the Mississippi river, with a +ravine on either hand. A federal gunboat, the "New Era," assisted in the +defence, but the height of the bluff prevented her giving material +support to the garrison. In the afternoon both sides ceased firing, to +cool and clean their guns. During this time, Forrest, under a flag of +truce, summoned the federals to surrender within a half hour. Major +Bradford refused to comply with the demand. Meantime the confederates +taking advantage of the truce to secret themselves down in a ravine, +from whence they could rush upon the Fort at a given signal. No sooner +was Bradford's refusal to surrender received, than the confederates +rushed simultaneously into the Fort. In a moment almost the place was in +their possession. The garrison, throwing away their arms fled down the +steep banks, endeavoring to hide from the promised "no quarter," which +Forrest had embodied in his demand for surrender: "_If I have to storm +your works, you may expect no quarter._" The confederates followed, +"butchering black and white soldiers and non-combatants, men, women and +children. Disabled men were made to stand up and be shot; others were +burned within the tents wherein they had been nailed to the floor." This +carnival of murder continued until dark, and was even renewed the next +morning. Major Bradford was not murdered until he had been carried as a +prisoner several miles on the retreat. + +It is best that the evidence in this matter, as given in previous pages +of this chapter, should be read. It is unimpeachable, though Forrest, S. +D. Lee and Chalmers have attempted to deny the infernal work. The last +named, under whose command these barbarous acts were committed, offered +on the floor of the United States Congress, fifteen years afterward, an +apologetic denial of what appears from the evidence of those who +escaped,--taken by the Congressional Committee,--and also contradictory +to the confederate General S. D. Lee's report, in which he fails to +convince himself even of the inaccuracy of the reports of brutality, as +made by the few who escaped being murdered. Lee says: + +[Illustration: THE MASSACRE AT FORT PILLOW.--APRIL 12TH, 1864.] + + "The garrison was summoned in the usual manner, and its + commanding officer assumed the responsibility of refusing to + surrender after having been informed by General Forrest of + his ability to take the Fort, and of his fears of what the + result would be in case the demand was not complied with. + The assault was made under a heavy fire, and with + considerable loss to the attacking party. Your colors were + never lowered, and your garrison never surrendered, but + retreated under cover of a gunboat, with arms in their hands + and constantly using them. This was true particularly of + your colored troops, who had been firmly convinced by your + teaching of the certainty of slaughter, in case of capture. + Even under these circumstances, many of your men, white and + black, were taken prisoners." + +Continuing, he says: + + "The case under consideration is almost an extreme one. You + had a servile race armed against us. I assert that our + officers with all the circumstances against them endeavored + to prevent the effusion of blood." + +This is an admission that the massacre of the garrison actually +occurred, and because Phalanx troops were a part of the garrison. That +the black soldiers had been taught that no quarter would be shown them +if captured, or if they surrendered, is doubtless true. It is also too +true that the teaching was the _truth_. One has but to read the summons +for the surrender to be satisfied of the fact, and then recollect that +the President of the Confederate States, in declaring General Butler an +outlaw, also decreed that negroes captured with arms in their hands, +their officers as well, should be turned over to the State authorities +wherein they were captured, to be dealt with according to the laws of +that State and the Confederacy. + +The sentiment of the chief confederate commander regarding the +employment of negroes in the Union army, notwithstanding the Confederate +Government was the first to arm and muster them into service, as shown +in previous and later chapters, is manifested by the following dispatch, +though at the time of writing it, that General had hundreds of blacks +under his command at Charleston building fortifications. + + "CHARLESTON, S. C., Oct. 13th, 1862. + + "HON. WM. P. MILES, RICHMOND, VA. + + "Has the bill for the execution of abolition prisoners, + after January next, been passed? Do it, and England will be + stirred into action. It is high time to proclaim the black + flag after that period: let the execution be with the + garrote. G. T. BEAUREGARD." + +The confederate thirst for "nigger" blood seemed to have been no +stronger in Kentucky than in other Departments, but it does appear, for +some reason, that Kentucky and northern Mississippi were selected by the +confederate generals, Pillow and Forrest, as appropriate sections in +which to particularly vent their spite. The success of Forrest at Fort +Pillow rather strengthened General Beauford's inhumanity. He commanded a +portion of Pillow's forces which appeared before Columbus the day after +the Fort Pillow massacre, and in the following summons demanded its +surrender: + + "_To the Commander of the United States Forces, Columbus, + Ky._: + + "Fully capable of taking Columbus and its garrison, I desire + to avoid shedding blood. I therefore demand the + unconditional surrender of the forces under your command. + Should you surrender, the negroes in arms will be returned + to their masters. Should I be compelled to take the place by + force, _no quarter will be shown negro troops whatever_; + white troops will be treated as prisoners of war. + + "I am, sir, yours, + A. BEAUFORD, Brig. Gen." + +Colonel Lawrence, of the 34th New Jersey, declined to surrender, and +drove the enemy off, who next appeared in Paducah, but retired without +making an assault upon the garrison. + +These occurrences, with the mysterious surrender of Union City to +Forrest, on the 16th of March, so incensed the commander of the +Department that a strong force was organized, and in command of General +S. D. Sturgis, started, on the 30th of April, in pursuit of Forrest and +his men, but did not succeed in overtaking him. A few weeks later, +General Sturgis, with a portion of his former force, combined with that +of General Smith's,--just returning from the Red River (Banks) +_fiasco_,--again went in pursuit of General Forrest. At Guntown, on the +10th of June, Sturgis' cavalry, under General Grierson, came up with the +enemy, charged upon them, and drove them back upon their infantry posted +near Brice's Cross Roads. General Grierson, needing support, sent back +for the infantry, which was several miles in his rear. The day was +intensely hot, and the roads, from constant rains, in very bad +condition. However, Sturgis marched the troops up at double-quick to the +position where General Grierson was holding the confederates in check. +The infantry had become so exhausted when they reached the scene of +action, that they were unable to fight as they otherwise would have +done. Sturgis, either ignorant of what was going on or incapacitated for +the work, heightened the disorder at the front by permitting his train +of over two hundred wagons to be pushed up close to the troops, thus +blocking their rear, and obstructing their manoeuvring; finally the +wagons were parked a short distance from the lines and in sight of the +foe. The troops exhausted by the rapid march, without proper formation +or commanders, had been brought up to the support of the cavalry, who +were hotly engaged with the enemy, whose desperation was increased at +the sight of the Phalanx regiments. General Beauford had joined Forrest, +augmenting his force 4,000. Sturgis' force numbered about 12,000, in +cavalry, artillery and infantry. Forrest was well provided with +artillery, which was up early and took a position in an open field +enfilading the Federal line, which fought with a determination worthy of +a better fate than that which befel it. + +A confederate writer says: + + "At early dawn on the 10th Lyon took the advance, with + Morton's artillery close behind, Rucker and Johnson + following. Meanwhile, Bell, as we have stated, at Rienzi, + eight miles further north, was ordered to move up at a trot. + The roads, soaked with water from recent continuous heavy + rains and so much cut up by the previous passage of cavalry + and trains, greatly retarded the progress of the artillery, + so that Rucker and Johnson soon passed us. On reaching old + Carrollville, five miles northeast of Brice's Cross Roads, + heavy firing could be heard just on ahead. Forrest, as was + his custom, had passed to the front of the entire column + with his escort. + + "He had, however, ordered Lieutenant R. J. Black, a dashing + young officer, temporarily attached to his staff, to take a + detachment of men from the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry and + move forward and develop the enemy. Black soon reported that + he had met the advance of the Federal cavalry one and a half + miles from Brice's Cross Roads and there was skirmishing + with them. General Forrest ordered Lyon to press forward + with his brigade. A courier hastening back to the artillery + said: 'General Forrest says, 'Tell Captain Morton to fetch + up the artillery at a gallop.' Lyon in the meantime had + reached the enemy's outposts, dismounted his brigade and + thrown it into line and had warmly opposed a strong line of + infantry or dismounted cavalry, which, after stubborn + resistance, had been driven back to within half a mile of + Brice's Cross Roads." + +The columns of the Federals could not do more than retreat, and if they +had been able to do this in any order, and recover from their +exhaustion, they would have been ready to drive the foe, but they were +hotly pursued by the confederates, who were continually receiving +re-enforcements. It was soon evident that the confederates intended to +gain the rear and capture the whole of the Union troops. The Federals, +therefore, began to retire leisurely. + +Says the confederate account: + + "General Forrest directed General Buford to open vigorously + when he heard Bell on the left, and, taking with him his + escort and Bell's Brigade, moved rapidly around + southeastward to the Guntown-Ripley road. He formed Wilson's + and Russel's Regiments on the right of the road, extending + to Rucker's left, and placed Newsom's Regiment on the left + of the road; Duffs Regiment, of Rucker's Brigade, was placed + on the left of Newsom; Captain H. A. Tyler, commanding + Company A, Twelfth Kentucky, was ordered by Lyon and + subsequently by Forrest to take his company, with Company C, + Seventh Kentucky, and keep mounted on the extreme left of + the line. The escort, under Captain Jackson, moved around + the extreme left of the line, and on striking the Baldwyn + and Pontotoc road about two miles south of the cross roads + had a sharp skirmish and pressed the enemy's cavalry back to + where Tishamingo creek crosses that road; here it was joined + by Captain Gartrell's Georgia company and a Kentucky + company. By mutual agreement Captain Jackson, of the escort, + was placed in command of the three companies and Lieutenant + George L. Cowan in command of the escort. Meanwhile General + Buford had ordered Barteau's Second Tennessee Cavalry to + move across the country and gain the Federal rear, and if + possible destroy their trains and then strike them in + flank." + +The gallant conduct of the Federal cavalry inspired the other troops. +They made a stand, and for awhile advanced, driving the confederate line +before them on the right, doubling it up and gaining the rear. + +The same writer says: + + "It was at this critical moment an officer of Bell's staff + dashed up to General Forrest, very much excited, and said: + 'General Forrest, the enemy flanked us and are now in our + rear. What shall be done?' Forrest, turning in his saddle, + very coolly replied: 'We'll whip these in our front and + then turn around, and wont we be in their rear? And then + we'll whip them fellows!' pointing in the direction of the + force said to be in his rear. Jackson and Tyler, charging on + the extreme left, drove back two colored regiments of + infantry upon their main line at the cross roads. In this + charge the gallant Captain Tyler was severely wounded. + + "Meanwhile the Federals, with desperation, hurled a double + line of battle, with the four guns at Brice's house + concentrated upon Rucker and Bell, which for a moment seemed + to stagger and make them waver. In this terrible onslaught + the accomplished Adjutant, Lieutenant W. S. Pope, of the + Seventh Tennessee, was killed, and a third of his regiment + was killed and wounded. Soon another charge was sounded. + Lieutenant Tully Brown was ordered, with his section of + three-inch rifles, close on the front at the Porter house, + from which position he hurled a thousand pounds of cold iron + into their stubborn lines. A section of twelve-pounder + howitzers, under Lieutenant B. F. Haller, pressed still + further to the front and within a stone's throw almost of + the enemy's line. Mayson's section of three-inch rifles were + quickly placed in line with Haller's. Just then, General + Buford, riding up and seeing no support to the artillery, + called General Forrest's attention to the fact, when Forrest + remarked: 'Support, h--l; let it support itself; all the + d--n Yankees in the country can't take it."' + +The lines were now closing upon each other, and the confederates began +to feel the effect of the Union fire. The dash of the Phalanx, charging +the enemy's flank, gave renewed courage to the troops, now pouring +deadly volleys into the confederate's faces, and their guns had gained a +position, from which they began to sweep the enemy's lines. + +Says the same account: + + "Now rose the regular incessant volleys of musketry and + artillery. The lines in many places were not over thirty + paces apart and pistols were freely used. The smoke of + battle almost hid the combatants. The underbrush and dense + black-jack thickets impeded the advance of the dismounted + cavalry as the awful musketry fire blazed and gushed in the + face of these gallant men. Every tree and brush was barked + or cut to the ground by this hail of deadly missiles. It was + here the accomplished and gallant William H. Porter, brother + of Major Thomas K. and Governor James D. Porter, fell + mortally wounded. This promising young officer had not + attained his manhood. He was a cadet in the regular + Confederate States army and had been ordered to report to + General Bell, who assigned him to duty as A. D. C. Captain + J. L. Bell, General Bell's Assistant Inspector-General, had + just been killed from his horse, and almost at the same + moment young Porter lost his own horse and just mounted + Captain Bell's when he received the fatal shot. Lieutenant + Isaac Bell, aide-de-camp of Bell's staff, was severely + wounded. The loss in officers right here was very heavy; + sixteen were killed and sixty-one wounded. Captain Ab Hust, + a mere boy, who commanded Bell's escort, rendered most + efficient service at this critical juncture, and Major Tom + Allison, the fighting Quartermaster of Bell's Brigade, was + constantly by the side of his fearless commander, and in + this terrible loss in staff officers his presence was most + opportune. + + "Like a prairie on fire the battle raged and the volleying + thunder can be likened in my mind to nothing else than the + fire of Cleburne's Division at Chickamauga, on that terrible + Saturday at dusk. At length the enemy's lines wavered, + Haller and Mayson pressed their guns by hand to within a + short distance of Brice's house, firing as they advanced. + Bell, Lyon and Rucker now closed in on the cross roads and + the Federals gave way in disorder, abandoning three guns + near Brice's house. General Sturgis, in his official report + of the fight, says: 'We had four pieces of artillery at the + cross roads. * * * Finding our troops were being hotly + pressed, I ordered one section to open on the enemy's + reserves. The enemy's artillery soon replied, and with great + accuracy, every shell bursting over and in the immediate + vicinity of our guns.' A shell from one of the Confederate + guns struck the table in Brice's porch, was used by General + Sturgis, stunning that officer." + +The terrible struggle which now ensued was not surpassed, according to +an eye-witness, by the fighting of any troops. The Phalanx were +determined, if courage could do it, to whip the men who had so dastardly +massacred the garrison of Fort Pillow. This fact was known to Forrest, +Buford and their troops, who fought like men realizing that anything +short of victory was death, and well may they have thus thought, for +every charge the Phalanx made meant annihilation. They, too, accepted +the portentous fiat, victory or death. + +Though more than twenty years have passed since this bloody fight, yet +the chief of the confederate artillery portrays the situation in these +words: + + "Is was soon evident that another strong line had formed + behind the fence by the skirt of woods just westward of + Phillips' branch. General Forrest riding up, dismounted and + approached our guns, which were now plying shell and solid + shot. With his field glasses he took in the situation. The + enemy's shot were coming thick and fast; leaden balls were + seen to flatten as they would strike the axles and tires of + our gun carriages; trees were barked and the air was ladened + with the familiar but unpleasant sound of these death + messengers. + + "Realizing General Forrest's exposure, we involuntarily + ventured the suggestion that, 'You had better get lower down + the hill, General.' Instantly we apologized, as we expected + the General to intimate that it was none of our business + where he went. He, however, stepped down the hill out of + danger and seating himself behind a tree, seemed for a few + moments in deep study, but soon the head of our cavalry + column arriving, he turned to me and said: 'Captain, as soon + as you hear me open on the right and flank of the enemy over + yonder,' pointing to the enemy's position, 'charge with your + artillery down that lane and cross the branch.' The genial + and gallant Captain Rice coming up at this time and hearing + the order, turned to me and said: 'By G--d! whoever heard of + artillery charging?' Captain Brice's Battery had been + stationed at Columbus, Miss., and other points on local + duty, and only a few months previous had been ordered and + assigned to our command. He accepted his initiation into the + ways and methods of horse artillery with much spirit and + good grace. + + "Meanwhile, watching Forrest at the head of the cavalry + moving through the woods and across the field in the + direction of the enemy's right, I directed Lieutenants + Tully, Brown and H. H. Briggs, whose sections had been held + in the road below the Hadden house for an emergency, to be + ready to move into action at a moments notice. The enemy, + observing our cavalry passing to their right, began to break + and retire through the woods. Forrest, seeing this, dashed + upon them in column of fours. At the same moment Lieutenant + Brown pressed his section down the road, even in advance of + the skirmish line, and opened a terrific fire upon the + enemy, now breaking up and in full retreat. Lieutenant + Briggs also took an advanced position and got in a few + well-directed shots. Brown's section and a section of Rice's + Battery were pushed forward across Phillips' branch and up + the hill under a sharp fire, the former taking position on + the right of the road and the latter in the road just where + the road turns before reaching Dr. Agnew's house. + + "Our skirmishers had driven the enemy's skirmishers upon + their main line, when we were about to make another + artillery charge, but distinctly hearing the Federal + officers giving orders to their men to stand steady and + yell, 'Remember Fort Pillow.' 'Charge! charge! charge!' ran + along their lines, and on they came. Our right was pressed + back on the 'negro avengers of Fort Pillow.' They moved + steadily upon our guns and for a moment their loss seemed + imminent. Our cannoneers, standing firm and taking in the + situation, drove double-shotted cannister into this + advancing line. The cavalry rallying on our guns sent death + volleys into their ranks, which staggered the enemy and + drove them back, but only to give place to a new line that + now moved down upon us with wild shouts and got almost + within hand-shaking distance of our guns. + + "Lyon coming up opportunely at this moment formed his + brigade on our right, and springing forward with loud + cheers, hurled them back with so stormful an onset that + their entire line gave way in utter rout and confusion. + Lieutenant Brown's horse was shot under him. The gallant + young soldier, Henry King, of Rice's Battery, fell with his + rammer staff in hand, mortally wounded. His grave now marks + the spot where he fell. Several members of the artillery + were wounded and a great many battery horses were killed. + The reason for this desperate stand was soon discovered. The + road was filled with their wagons, ambulances and many + caissons, the dying and wounded. Cast-away arms, + accoutrements, baggage, dead animals and other evidences of + a routed army were conspicuous on every side. The sun had + set, but the weary and over-spent Confederates maintained + the pursuit for some five or six miles beyond and until it + became quite too dark to go further. A temporary halt was + ordered, when a section from each battery was directed to be + equipped with ammunition and the best horses from their + respective batteries and be ready to continue the pursuit at + daylight." + +The rout was all the enemy could desire, the Federals fought with a +valor creditable to any troops, but were badly worsted, through the +incompetency of Sturgis. They were driven back to Ripley, in a most +disastrously confused state, leaving behind their trains, artillery, +dead and wounded. But for the gallantry of the Phalanx, the enemy would +have captured the entire force. + +The same writer describes the rout: + + "Johnson, pressing his brigade forward upon the enemy's + position at Brice's Quarter, with Lyon supporting the + artillery in the road below Brice's house, the position was + soon captured with many prisoners and three pieces of + artillery. Hallers and Mayson's sections were moved up at a + gallop and established on the hill at Brice's Quarter and + opened a destructive fire with double-shotted cannister upon + the enemy's fleeing columns and wagon trains. The bridge + over Tishamingo creek, still standing, was blocked up with + wagons, some of whose teams had been killed. Finding the + bridge thus obstructed the enemy rushed wildly into the + creek, and as they emerged from the water on the opposite + bank in an open field, our artillery played upon them for + half a mile, killing and disabling large numbers. Forrests + escort, under the dashing Lieutenant Cowan, having become + detached in the meantime, had pressed around to the west + side of the creek and south of the Ripley road, and here + made one of its characteristic charges across an open field + near the gin house, upon the enemy's wagon train, capturing + several wagons. + + "Meanwhile Barteau was not idle. He had moved his regiment, + as we have stated, across to get in the enemy's rear, and in + his own language says: 'I took my regiment across the + country westward, to reach the Ripley road, on which the + enemy was moving, and being delayed somewhat in passing + through a swampy bottom, I did not reach that road, at + Lyon's gin, three miles from Brice's Cross Roads, until + probably 1 o'clock. I then learned that the last of the + Federal regiments, with all their train, had passed by rapid + march, and as there was now a lull in the engagement (for I + had been hearing sharp firing in front), I greatly feared + that Forrest was defeated and that the Federals were pushing + him back, so I moved rapidly down the road till I reached + the open field near the bridge.' + + "This could not have been the Ripley Guntown road, as that + road was filled with Federal troops, wagons and artillery + from Dr. Agnew's house to the cross roads, a distance of two + miles. 'Having placed some sharpshooters, whose sole + attention was to be directed to the bridge,' he continues, + 'I extended my line nearly half a mile, and began an attack + by scattering shots at the same time. Sounding my bugle from + various points along the line, almost immediately a + reconnoitering force of the enemy appeared at the bridge, + and being fired upon returned. This was followed, perhaps, + by a regiment, and then a whole brigade came down to the + creek. My men, taking good aim, fired upon them coolly and + steady. Soon I saw wagons, artillery, etc., pushing for the + bridge. These were shot at by my sharpshooters. I now began + to contract my line and collect my regiment, for the + Federals came pouring in immense numbers across the creek. + Your artillery was doing good work. Even the bullets from + the small arms of the Confederates reached my men. I + operated upon the flank of the enemy until after dark.' + + "The wagons blockading the bridge were soon removed by being + thrown into the stream and a section from each battery was + worked across by hand, supported by the escort, and brought + to bear upon a negro brigade with fearful loss; the other + two sections were quickly to the front, ahead of any support + for the moment, and drove the enemy from the ridge back of + Holland's house across Dry creek. The cavalry in the + meantime had halted, reorganized and soon joined in the + pursuit. The road was narrow, with dense woods on each side, + so that it was impossible to use more than four pieces at a + time, but that number were kept close upon the heels of the + retreating enemy and a murderous fire prevented them from + forming to make a stand. + + "The ridge extending southward from the Hadden house offered + a strong natural position for defensive operations. Upon + this ridge the Federals had established a line of battle, + but a few well directed shots from the artillery stationed + near the Holland house and a charge by our cavalry across + Dry creek readily put them to flight. A section of each + battery was ordered at a gallop to this ridge, which was + reached in time to open with a few rounds of double-shotted + cannister upon their demoralized ranks as they hastily + retreated through the open fields on either side of Phillips + branch. Our cannoneers were greatly blown and well nigh + exhausted from excessive heat and continuous labor at their + guns for full five hours. We noticed a number drink with + apparant relish the black powder water from the sponge + buckets." + +The enemy followed the fleeing column, capturing and wounding many at +the town of Ripley. Next morning the Federals made a stand. Again the +Phalanx bore the brunt of the battle, and when finally the troops +stampeded, held the confederates in check until the white troops were +beyond capture. But this was all they could do, and this was indeed an +heroic act. + +The confederate says: + + "Long before daylight found us moving rapidly to overtake + the flying foe. We had changed positions. The cavalry now + being in advance, overtook the enemy at Stubb's farm; a + sharp skirmish ensued, when they broke, leaving the + remainder of their wagon train. Fourteen pieces of artillery + and some twenty-five ambulances, with a number of wounded, + were left in Little Hatchie bottom, further on. The + discomfited Federals were badly scattered throughout the + country. Forrest, therefore, threw out his regiment on + either side of the roads to sweep the vicinity. A number + were killed and many prisoners captured before reaching + Ripley, twenty-five miles from Brice's Cross Roads. At this + point two strong lines were formed across the road. After a + spirited onset the Federals broke, leaving one piece of + artillery, two caissons, two ambulances. Twenty-one killed + and seventy wounded were also left on the field. Colonel G. + M. McCraig, of the One Hundred and Twentieth Illinois + Infantry, was among the killed; also Captain W. J. Tate, + Seventh Tennessee Cavalry. This was accomplished just as the + artillery reached the front. + + "Lieutenant Frank Rodgers, of Rucker's staff, the night + previous, with a small, select detachment of men, assisted + by Captain Gooch, with the remnant of his company, hung + constantly upon the Federal rear, with a daring never + surpassed. Their series of attacks greatly harrassed and + annoyed the enemy, numbers of whom were killed and wounded. + The artillery followed to Salem, twenty-five miles distant + from Ripley." + +The Phalanx regiments would not consent to be whipped, even with the +black flag flying in their front, and deserted by their white comrades. +A correspondent of the Cleveland _Leader_, in giving an account of this +"miserable affair," writes: + + "About sunrise, June 11, the enemy advanced on the town of + Ripley, and threatened our right, intending to cut us off + from the Salem Road. Again the colored troops were the only + ones that could be brought into line; the Fifty-ninth being + on the right, and the Fifty-fifth on the left, holding the + streets. At this time, the men had not more than ten rounds + of ammunition, and the enemy were crowding closer and still + closer, when the Fifty-ninth were ordered to charge on them, + which they did in good style, while singing, + + "'We'll rally round the flag, boys.' + + "This charge drove the enemy back, so that both regiments + retreated to a pine grove about two hundred yards distant. + + "By this time, all the white troops, except one squadron of + cavalry, that formed in the rear, were on the road to Salem + and, when this brigade came up, they, too, wheeled and left, + and in less than ten minutes this now little band of colored + troops found themselves flanked. They then divided + themselves into three squads, and charged the enemy's lines; + one squad taking the old Corinth Road, then a by-road, to + the left. After a few miles, they came to a road leading to + Grand Junction. After some skirmishing, they arrived, with + the loss of one killed and one wounded. + + "Another and the largest squad covered the retreat of the + white troops, completely defending them by picking up the + ammunition thrown away by them, and with it repelling the + numerous assaults made by the rebel cavalry, until they + reached Collierville, a distance of sixty miles. When the + command reached Dan's Mills, the enemy attempted to cut it + off by a charge; but the colored boys in the rear formed, + and repelled the attack, allowing the whole command to pass + safely on, when they tore up the bridge. Passing on to an + open country, the officers halted, and re-organized the + brigade into an effective force. They then moved forward + until about four, P. M.; when some Indian flank skirmishers + discovered the enemy, who came up to the left, and in the + rear, and halted. Soon a portion advanced, when a company + faced about and fired, emptying three saddles. From this + time until dark, the skirmishing was constant. + + "A corporal in Company C, Fifty-ninth, was ordered to + surrender. He let his would-be captor come close to him; + when he struck him with the butt of his gun. + + "While the regiment was fighting in a ditch, and the order + came to retreat, the color-bearer threw out the flag, + designing to jump out and get it; but the rebels rushed for + it, and in the struggle one of the boys knocked down with + his gun the reb who had the flag, caught it, and ran. + + "A rebel, with an oath, ordered one of our men to surrender. + He, thinking the reb's gun was loaded, dropped his gun; but, + on seeing the reb commence loading, our colored soldier + jumped for his gun, and with it struck his captor dead. + + "Capt. H., being surrounded by about a dozen rebels, was + seen by one of his men, who called several of his + companions; they rushed forward and fired, killing several + of the enemy, and rescued their captain. + + "A rebel came up to one, and said, 'Come my good fellow, go + with me and wait on me.' In an instant, the boy shot his + would-be master dead. + + "Once when the men charged on the enemy, they rushed forth + with the cry, 'Remember Fort Pillow.' The rebs called back, + and said, 'Lee's men killed no prisoners.' + + "One man in a charge threw his antagonist to the ground, and + pinned him fast; and, as he attempted to withdraw his + bayonet, it came off his gun, and, as he was very busy just + then, he left him transfixed to mother earth. + + "One man killed a rebel by striking him with the butt of his + gun, which he broke; but, being unwilling to stop his work, + he loaded and fired three times before he could get a better + gun; the first time not being cautious, the rebound of his + gun badly cut his lip. + + "When the troops were in the ditch, three rebels came to one + man, and ordered him to surrender. His gun being loaded, he + shot one and bayoneted another; and, forgetting he could + bayonet the third, he turned the butt of his gun, and + knocked him down." + +General Sturgis was severely criticised by the press immediately after +the affair. Historians since the war have followed up these criticisms. +He has been accused of incompetency, rashness and drunkenness, none of +which it is the purpose of this volume to endorse. Possibly his reports +furnish a sufficient explanation for the disaster, which it is hoped +they do, inasmuch as he is not charged with either treason or cowardice. + + [_General Sturgis' Report, No. 1._] + + "HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES, + COLLIERSVILLE, TENN., June 12, 1864. + + "GENERAL:--I have the honor to report that we met the enemy + in position and in heavy force about 10 A. M. on the 10th + instant at Brice's Cross-Roads on the Ripley and Fulton road + and about six miles northwest of Guntown, Miss. A severe + battle ensued which lasted until about 4 P. M., when I + regret to say my lines were compelled to give way before the + overwhelming numbers by which they were assailed at every + point. To fall back at this point was more than ordinarily + difficult as there was a narrow valley in our rear through + which ran a small creek crossed by a single narrow bridge. + The road was almost impassable by reason of the heavy rains + which had fallen for the previous ten days and the + consequence was that the road soon became jammed by the + artillery and ordnance wagons. This gradually led to + confusion and disorder. + + "In a few minutes, however, I succeeded in establishing two + colored regiments in line of battle in a wood on this side + of the little valley. These troops stood their ground well + and checked the enemy for a time. The check, however, was + only temporary and this line in turn gave way. My troops + were seized with a panic and became absolutely + uncontrollable. One and a half miles in rear by dint of + great exertion and with pistol in hand, I again succeeded in + checking up the flying column and placing it in line of + battle. + + "This line checked the enemy for ten or fifteen minutes + only, when it again gave way and my whole army became + literally an uncontrollable mob. Nothing now remained to do + but allow the retreat to continue and endeavor to force it + gradually into some kind of shape. The night was exceedingly + dark, the roads almost impassable and the hope of saving my + artillery and wagons altogether futile, so I ordered the + artillery and wagons to be destroyed. The latter were burned + and the former dismantled and spiked, that is all but six + pieces which we succeeded in bringing off in safety. By 7 A. + M. next morning we reached Ripley (nineteen miles). Here we + re-organized and got into very respectable shape. The + retreat was continued, pressed rapidly by the enemy. Our + ammunition soon gave out, this the enemy soon discovered and + pressed the harder. Our only hope now lay in continuing the + retreat which we did to this place, where we arrived about 7 + o'clock this morning. + + "My losses in material of war was severe, being 16 guns and + some 130 wagons. The horses of the artillery and mules of + the train we brought away. As my troops became very greatly + scattered and are constantly coming in in small parties, I + am unable to estimate my loss in killed and wounded. I fear, + however, it will prove severe, probably ten or twelve + hundred. While the battle lasted it was well contested and I + think the enemy's loss in killed and wounded will not fall + short of our own. + + "This, general, is a painful record, and yet it was the + result of a series of unfortunate circumstances over which + human ingenuity could have no control. + + "The unprecedented rains so delayed our march across a + desert country that the enemy had ample time to accumulate + an overwhelming force in our front, and kept us so long in + an exhausted region as to so starve and weaken our animals + that they were unable to extricate the wagons and artillery + from the mud. + + "So far as I know every one did his duty well, and while + they fought no troops ever fought better. The colored troops + deserve great credit for the manner in which they stood to + their work. + + "This is a hasty and rather incoherent outline of our + operations, but I will forward a more minute account as soon + as the official reports can be received from division + commanders. + + "I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your + obedient servant, + + "S. D. STURGIS, + + "_Brig.-Gen. Commanding._ + + "To Maj.-Gen. C. C. WASHBURN, Commanding District W. Tenn." + +An extract from a letter from Colonel Arthur T. Reeve, who commanded the +55th Colored Infantry in this fight, reads: + + "Our (the Federal) command having been moved up on + double-quick--a distance of about five miles--immediately + before their arrival on the field and the consequent fact + that this arm of our force went into the engagement very + seriously blown, in fact, very nearly exhausted by heat and + fatigue, with their ranks very much drawn out, were whipped + in detail and overwhelmed by the very brilliant and vigorous + assaults of your forces. When the engagement first began I + was at the rear of the Federal column, in command of the + train guard, and hence passed over the ground on the way to + the battle-field after the balance of the army had passed, + and am able to speak advisedly of the extreme exhaustion of + the infantry, as I passed large numbers entirely prostrated + by heat and fatigue, who did not reach the field of battle + and must have fallen into your hands after the engagement." + + [_General Sturgis' Report, No. 2._] + + "MEMPHIS, TENN., June 24, 1864. + + "Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the + operations of the expedition which marched from near La + Fayette, Tenn., under my command on the 2nd instant. This + expedition was organized and fitted out under the + supervision of the major general commanding the District of + West Tennessee and I assumed command of it on the morning of + the 2nd of June, near the town of La Fayette, Tenn., in + pursuance of Special Orders, No. 38, dated Headquarters, + District of West Tennessee, Memphis, May 31, 1864, and which + were received by me on the 1st inst. The strength of the + command in round numbers was about 8,000 men,' (which + included the following Phalanx regiments: 59th Regt., 61st + Regt., 68th Regt., Battery I, 2nd Artillery, (Light,) 2 + pieces.) + + "My supply train, carrying rations for 18 days, consisted of + 181 wagons, which with the regimental wagons made up a train + of some 250 wagons. My instructions were substantially as + follows, viz: To proceed to Corinth, Mississippi by way of + Salem and Ruckersville, capture any force that might be + there, then proceed south, destroying the Mobile and Ohio + Railroad to Tupelo and Okolona and as far as possible + towards Macon and Columbus with a portion of my force, + thence to Grenada and back to Memphis. A discretion was + allowed me as to the details of the movement where + circumstances might arise which could not have been + anticipated in my instructions. Owing to some + misunderstanding on the part of the quartermaster, as to the + point on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad at which some + forage was to have been deposited from the cars, there was + some little delay occasioned in getting the column in + motion. + + "The following incidents of the march are taken from the + journal kept from day to day by one of my staff, Capt. W. C. + Rawolle, A. D. C. and A. A. A. G.: + + "'Wednesday, June 1st.--Expedition started from Memphis and + White's Station toward La Fayette. + + "'Thursday, June 2nd.--The general and staff left Memphis on + the 5 o'clock A. M. train and established headquarters at + Leaks' House, near La Fayette, and assumed command. Cavalry + moved to the intersection of State line and Early Grove + roads, six miles from La Fayette. It rained at intervals all + day and part of the night. + + "'Friday, June 3rd.--Ordered the cavalry to move to within + three four miles of Salem. Infantry marched to Lamar, 18 + miles from La Fayette. Owing to the heavy rains during the + day and the bad condition of the roads and bridges, the + train could only move to within four miles of Lamar, and did + not get into park until 11 o'clock P. M., the colored + brigade remaining with the train as a guard. + + "'Saturday, June 4th.--Informed General Grierson that the + infantry and train under the most favorable circumstances + could only make a few miles beyond Salem and to regulate his + march accordingly. Train arrived at Lamar about noon, issued + rations to the infantry and rested the animals. It rained + heavily until 1 o'clock P. M., making the roads almost + impassable. Moved headquarters to the Widow Spright's house, + two miles west of Salem, and Colonel Hoge's brigade of + infantry to Robinson's house, four miles from Salem. + + "'Sunday, June 5th.--Infantry and train started at half past + four o'clock A. M., and joined the cavalry, two miles east + of Salem. At 10 o'clock A. M., issued rations to the cavalry + and fed the forage collected by them. Infantry remained in + camp during the day; cavalry moved to the intersection of + the LaGrange and Ripley and the Salem and Ruckersville + roads. Col. Joseph Karge, 2nd New Jersey, with 400 men, + started at 6 P. M., with instructions to move via Ripley to + Rienzi, to destroy the railroad; to proceed north, destroy + bridge over Tuscumbia and to join General Grierson at + Ruckersville. Heavy showers during the afternoon. + + "'Monday, June 6th.--Infantry and train moved at 4 o'clock + A. M., on the Ruckersville road. Commenced raining at 5 A. + M., and continued at intervals all day. Progress very slow, + marched 13 miles and made headquarters at Widow Childers, at + intersection of the Saulsbury and Ripley and the + Ruckersville and Salem roads. Cavalry moved to Ruckersville. + The advance guard of the infantry encountered a small party + of rebels about noon and chased them towards Ripley on La + Grange and Ripley roads. + + "'Tuesday, June 7th.--Upon information received from General + Grierson that there was no enemy near Corinth, directed him + to move toward Ellistown, on direct road from Ripley, and + instruct Colonel Karge to join him by way of Blackland or + Carrollsville. Infantry moved to Ripley and cavalry encamped + on New Albany road two miles south. Encountered a small + party of rebels near Widow Childers and drove them toward + Ripley. In Ripley, met an advance of the enemy and drove + them on New Albany road. Cavalry encountered about a + regiment of rebel cavalry on that road and drove them south. + Several showers during the afternoon, and the roads very + bad. + + "Wednesday, June 8th.--Received information at 4 o'clock A. + M. that Colonel Karge was on an island in the Hatchie River + and sent him 500 men and two howitzers as re-inforcements. + Winslow's brigade of cavalry moved 6 miles on the Fulton + Road. Infantry and train moved five miles on same road. + Colonel Waring's brigade remained in Ripley awaiting return + of Colonel Karge, who joined him at 5 o'clock P. M., having + swam the Hatchie River. Rained hard during the night. + + "'Thursday, June 9th.--Sent back to Memphis 400 sick and + wounded men and 41 wagons. Cavalry and infantry moved to + Stubbs', fourteen miles from Ripley; issued five days' + rations (at previous camp.) Rained two hours in the evening. + + "'Friday, June 10th.--Encountered the enemy at Brice's + Cross-Roads, 23 miles from Ripley and six miles from + Guntown.' + + "At Ripley it became a serious question in my mind as to + whether or not I should proceed any farther. The rain still + fell in torrents; the artillery and wagons were literally + mired down, and the starved and exhausted animals could with + difficulty drag them along. Under these circumstances, I + called together my division commanders and placed before + them my views of our condition. At this interview, one + brigade commander and two members of my staff were, + incidentally, present also. I called their attention to the + great delay we had undergone on account of the continuous + rain and consequent bad condition of the roads; the + exhausted condition of our animals; the great probability + that the enemy would avail himself of the time thus afforded + him to concentrate an overwhelming force against us in the + vicinity of Tupelo and the utter hopelessness of saving our + train or artillery in case of defeat, on account of the + narrowness and general bad condition of the roads and the + impossibility of procuring supplies of forage for the + animals; all agreed with me in the probable consequences of + defeat. Some thought our only safety lay in retracing our + steps and abandoning the expedition. It was urged, however, + (and with some propriety, too,) that inasmuch as I had + abandoned a similar expedition only a few weeks before and + given as my reasons for so doing, the "utter and entire + destitution of the country," and that in the face of this we + were again sent through the same country, it would be + ruinous on all sides to return again without first meeting + the enemy. Moreover, from all the information General + Washburn had acquired, there _could be no considerable_ + force in our front and all my own information led to the + same conclusion. To be sure my information was exceedingly + meagre and unsatisfactory and had I returned I would have + been totally unable to present any facts to justify my + cause, or to show why the expedition might not have been + successfully carried forward. All I could have presented + would have been my conjectures as to what the enemy would + naturally do under the circumstances and these would have + availed but little against the idea that the enemy was + scattered and had no considerable force in our front. + + "Under these circumstances, and with a sad forboding of the + consequences, I determined to move forward; keeping my force + as compact as possible and ready for action at all times; + hoping that we might succeed, and feeling that if we did + not, yet our losses might at most be insignificant in + comparison with the great benefits which might accrue to + General Sherman by the depletion of Johnson's army to so + large an extent. + + "On the evening of the 8th, one day beyond Ripley, I + assembled the commanders of infantry brigades at the + headquarters of Colonel McMillen, and cautioned them as to + the necessity of enforcing rigid discipline in their camps; + keeping their troops always in hand and ready to act on a + moment's notice. That it was impossible to gain any accurate + or reliable information of the enemy, and that it behooved + us to move and act constantly as though in his presence. + That we were now where we might encounter him at any moment, + and that we must under no circumstances allow ourselves to + be surprised. On the morning of the 10th, the cavalry + marched at half-past 5 o'clock and the infantry at seven, + thus allowing the infantry to follow immediately in rear of + the cavalry as it would take the cavalry a full hour and a + half to clear their camp. The habitual order of march was as + follows, viz: Cavalry with its artillery in advance; + infantry with its artillery; next, and lastly, the supply + train, guarded by the rear brigade with one of its regiments + at the head, one near the middle and one with a section of + artillery in the rear. A company of pioneers preceded the + infantry for the purpose of repairing the roads, building + bridges, &c., &c. + + "On this morning, I had preceded the head of the infantry + column and arrived at a point some five miles from camp, + when I found an unusually bad place in the road and one that + would require considerable time and labor to render + practicable. While halted here to await the head of the + column, I received a message from General Grierson that he + had encountered a portion of the enemy's cavalry. In a few + minutes more I received another message from him, saying the + enemy numbered some 600 and were on the Baldwyn road. That + he was himself at Brice's Cross-Roads and that his position + was a good one and he would hold it. He was then directed to + leave 600 or 700 men at the cross-roads, to precede the + infantry on its arrival, on its march towards Guntown, and + with the remainder of his forces to drive the enemy toward + Baldwyn and there rejoin the main body by way of the line of + the railroad, as I did not intend being drawn from my main + purpose. Colonel McMillen arrived at this time and I rode + forward toward the cross-roads. Before proceeding far, + however, I sent a staff officer back directing Colonel + McMillen to move up his advance brigade as rapidly as + possible without distressing his troops. When I reached the + cross-roads, found nearly all the cavalry engaged and the + battle growing warm, but no artillery had yet opened on + either side. We had four pieces of artillery at the + cross-roads, but they had not been placed in position, owing + to the dense woods on all sides and the apparent + impossibility of using them to advantage. Finding, however, + that our troops were being hotly pressed, I ordered one + section to open on the enemy's reserves. The enemy's + artillery soon replied, and with great accuracy, every shell + bursting over and in the immediate vicinity of our guns. + + "Frequent calls were now made for re-enforcements, but until + the infantry should arrive, I had none to give. Colonel + Winslow, 4th Iowa Cavalry, commanding a brigade and + occupying a position on the Guntown road a little in advance + of the cross-roads, was especially clamorous to be relieved + and permitted to carry his brigade to the rear. Fearing that + Colonel Winslow might abandon his position without + authority, and knowing the importance of the cross-roads to + us, I directed him in case he should be overpowered, to fall + back slowly toward the cross-roads, thus contracting his + line and strengthening his position. I was especially + anxious on this point because through some misunderstanding, + that I am yet unable to explain, the cavalry had been + withdrawn without my knowledge from the left, and I was + compelled to occupy the line, temporarily, with my escort, + consisting of about 100 of the 19th Penn. Cavalry. This + handful of troops under the gallant Lieut.-Colonel Hess, + behaved very handsomely and held the line until the arrival + of the infantry. About half-past 1 p. m. the infantry began + to arrive. Col. Hodge's brigade was the first to reach the + field and was placed in position by Colonel McMillen, when + the enemy was driven a little. General Grierson now + requested authority to withdraw the entire cavalry as it was + exhausted and well nigh out of ammunition. This I authorized + as soon as sufficient infantry was in position to permit it + and he was directed to reorganize his command in the rear + and hold it ready to operate on the flanks. In the mean time + I had ordered a section of artillery to be placed in + position on a knoll near the little bridge, some three or + four hundred yards in the rear, for the purpose of opposing + any attempt of the enemy to turn our left. I now went to + this point to see that my orders had been executed and also + to give directions for the management and protection of the + wagon-train. I found the section properly posted and + supported by the 72nd Ohio Infantry, with two companies + thrown forward as skirmishers, and the whole under the + superintendence of that excellent officer, Colonel Wilkins, + of the 9th Minn. While here, the head of the wagon train, + which had been reported still a mile and a half in rear, + arrived. It was immediately ordered into an open field near + where the cavalry were reorganizing, there to be turned + round and carried farther toward the rear. The pressure on + the right of the line was now becoming very great and + General Grierson was directed to send a portion of his + cavalry to that point. At this time I received a message + from Colonel Hodge that he was satisfied that the movement + on the right was a feint and that the real attack was being + made on the left. Another section of artillery was now + placed in position a little to the rear of Colonel Wilkins, + but bearing on the left of our main line, and a portion of + the cavalry was thrown out as skirmishers. The cavalry which + had been sent to the extreme right began now to give way, + and at the same time the enemy began to appear in force in + rear of the extreme left, while Colonel McMillen required + re-enforcements in the centre. _I now endeavored to get hold + of the colored brigade which formed the guard to the train. + While traversing the short distance to where the head of + that brigade should be found, the main line began to give + way at various points; order soon gave way to confusion and + confusion to panic. I sent an aid to Col. McMillen informing + him that I was unable to render him any additional + assistance, and that he must do all in his power with what + he had to hold his position until I could form a line to + protect his retreat. On reaching the head of the supply + train, Lieut.-Colonel Hess was directed to place in position + in a wood the first regiment of colored troops I could find. + This was done, and it is due to those troops to say here + that they stood their ground well and rendered valuable aid + to Colonel McMillen_, who was soon after compelled to + withdraw from his original line and take up new positions in + rear. It was now 5 o'clock P. M. For seven hours, these + gallant officers and men had held their ground against + overwhelming numbers, but at last overpowered and exhausted + they were compelled to abandon not only the field, but many + of their gallant comrades who had fallen to the mercy of the + enemy. Everywhere the army now drifted toward the rear and + was soon altogether beyond control. I requested General + Grierson to accompany me and to aid in checking the fleeing + column and establishing a new line. By dint of entreaty and + force and the aid of several officers, whom I called to my + assistance, with pistols in their hands we at length + succeeded in checking some 1200 or 1500 and establishing + them in a line of which Colonel Wilkins, 9th Minnesota, was + placed in command. About this time it was reported to me + that Col. McMillen was driving the enemy. I placed but + little faith in this report, yet disseminated it freely for + the good effect it might produce upon the troops. In a few + minutes, however, the gallant Colonel McMillen, sad and + disheartened, arrived himself, and reported his lines broken + and in confusion. The new line under Colonel Wilkins also + gave way soon after and it was now impossible to exercise + any further control. The road became crowded and jammed with + troops; the wagons and artillery sinking into the deep mud + became inextricable and added to the general confusion which + now prevailed. No power could now check or control the + panic-stricken mass as it swept toward the rear, led off by + Colonel Winslow at the head of his brigade of cavalry, and + who never halted until he had reached Stubbs', ten miles in + rear. This was the greater pity as his brigade was nearly, + if not entirely, intact, and might have offered considerable + resistance to the advancing foe. About 10 o'clock P. M., I + reached Stubbs' in person, where I found Colonel Winslow and + his brigade. I then informed him that his was the only + organized body of men I had been able to find, and directed + him to add to his own every possible force he could rally, + as they passed, and take charge of the rear, remaining in + position until all should have passed. I also informed him + that on account of the extreme darkness of the night and the + wretched condition of the road, I had little hope of saving + anything more than the troops, and directed him therefore to + destroy all wagons and artillery which he might find + blocking up the road and preventing the passage of the men. + In this way about 200 wagons and 14 pieces of artillery were + lost, many of the wagons being burned and the artillery + spiked and otherwise mutilated; the mules and horses were + brought away. By 7 o'clock A. M., of the 11th, we had + reorganized at Ripley, and the army presented quite a + respectable appearance, and would have been able to + accomplish an orderly retreat from that point but for the + unfortunate circumstances that the cartridge boxes were + well nigh exhausted. At 7 o'clock the column was again put + in motion on the Salem road, the cavalry in advance, + followed by the infantry. The enemy pressed heavily on the + rear, and there was now nothing left but to keep in motion + so as to prevent the banking up of the rear, and to pass all + cross-roads before the enemy could reach them, as the + command was in no condition to offer determined resistance, + whether attacked in the front or the rear. At 8 o'clock a. + m. on the 12th, the column reached Colliersville, worn out + and exhausted by the fatigues of fighting and marching for + two days and two nights without rest and without eating. + About noon of the same day a train arrived from Memphis, + bringing some 2,000 infantry, commanded by Colonel Wolf, and + supplies for my suffering men, and I determined to remain + here until next day for the purpose of resting and affording + protection to many who had dropped by the wayside, through + fatigue and other causes. Learning, however, toward evening, + that the commander at White's Station had information of a + large force of the enemy approaching that place from the + southeast, and knowing that my men were in no condition to + offer serious resistance to an enemy presenting himself + across my line of march, I informed the general commanding + the district, by telegraph, that I deemed it prudent to + continue my march to White's Station. Accordingly, at 9 p. + m., the column marched again, and arrived at White's Station + at daylight next morning. This report having already become + more circumstantial than was anticipated, I have purposely + omitted the details of our march from Ripley to White's + Station, as they would extend it to a tiresome length, but + would respectfully refer you for these to the sub-reports + herewith enclosed. Casualties are as follows: + + "Killed, 223, wounded, 394; missing, 1623; total, 2240. That + our loss was great, is true; yet that it was not much + greater is due in an eminent degree to the personal + exertions of that model soldier, Col. W. L. McMillen, of the + 95th Ohio Infantry, who commanded the infantry, and to the + able commanders under him. + + "The strength of the enemy is variously estimated by my most + intelligent officers at from 15,000 to 20,000 men. A very + intelligent sergeant who was captured and remained five days + in the hands of the enemy, reports the number of the enemy + actually engaged, to have been 12,000, and that two + divisions of infantry were held in reserve. It may appear + strange that so large a force of the enemy could be in our + vicinity and we be ignorant of the fact, but the surprise + will exist only in the minds of those who are not familiar + with the difficulty, (I may even say impossibility) of + acquiring reliable information in the heart of the enemy's + country. Our movements and numbers are always known to the + enemy, because every woman and child is one of them, but we, + as everybody knows who has had any experience in this war, + can only learn the movements of the enemy and his numbers by + actually fighting for the information; and in that case the + knowledge often comes too late. + + "While I will not prolong this already extended report by + recording individual acts of good conduct, and the names of + many brave officers and men who deserve mention, but will + respectfully refer you for these to the reports of division + and brigade commanders, yet I cannot refrain from expressing + my high appreciation of the valuable services rendered by + that excellent and dashing officer, Col. Joseph Karge, of + the 2nd New Jersey Vols., in his reconnoissance to Corinth + and his subsequent management of the rear-guard, during a + part of the retreat, fighting and defending the rear during + one whole afternoon and throughout the entire night + following. + + "To the officers of my staff,--Lieut.-Col. J. C. Hess, 19th + Pa. Cavalry, commanding escort, Capt. W. C. Rawolle, A. D. + C. and A. A. A. G.; Capt. W. C. Belden, 2nd Iowa Cavalry, A. + D. C.; Lieut. E. Caulkins 7th Indiana Cavalry, A. D. C.; + Lieut. Samuel (name illegible) 19th Penn. Cavalry, A. D. C.; + Lieut. Dement, A. A. Q. M.; Lieut. W. H. Stratton, 7th Ills. + Cavalry, A. A. C. S.,--whose names appear in no other + report, I am especially grateful, for the promptness and + zeal with which my orders were executed at all times and + often under trying and hazardous circumstances. + + "I am, major, very respectfully your obedient servant, + + S. D. STURGIS, + MAJ. W. H. MORGAN, A. A. G., _Brig.-Gen. Commanding._ + Hdqrs. Dist. West Tenn., Memphis, Tenn. + + "Amid these scenes we noted the arrival of 95 more men; + those who had belonged to a _raid_ sent from Memphis, Tenn., + under command of General Sturgis, and were attacked and + badly defeated by the rebel General Forrest, at a place in + Mississippi. General Sturgis is said to have been + _intoxicated_ during the engagement, and that just as soon + as he saw things were likely to go against him, he turned + away with a portion of his cavalry, and _sought to save + himself from capture_.--'_Life and Death in Rebel + Prisons._'" + +Notwithstanding the arrangements usually and speedily entered into by +two belligerent powers for the exchange of prisoners of war, it proved a +most difficult task for the Federal Government to consummate an +arrangement with the confederates, and much suffering was caused among +the prisoners in the hands of the latter while negotiations were in +progress. The agreement entered into by the commissioners, after a long +delay, did not anticipate there being any black soldiers to exchange; +nor would the confederate authorities thereafter allow the terms of the +cartel to apply to the blacks, because Jefferson Davis and the +confederate Congress regarded it as an outrage against humanity, and the +rules of civilized warfare to arm the negroes against their masters. + +It was a year after the black soldiers had become a part of the Union +forces before even a _quasi_ acknowledgment of their rights as prisoners +was noted in Richmond. The grounds upon which the greatest difficulty +lingered was the refusal of the Federal government at first to accord +belligerent rights to the confederates but this difficulty was finally +overcome in July, 1862, and the exchange of prisoners proceeded with +until the confederate authorities refused to count the black soldiers +captured in the interpretation of the cartel. But the time arrived when +Grant assumed command of the armies, when it was no longer an open +question, for the confederate Congress began devising plans for arming +the slaves. + +However, the inhuman treatment did not cease with "irresponsible +parties," whose conduct was doubtless approved by the rebel authorities, +Jefferson Davis having declared General Butler an outlaw, and committed +him and his officers and black soldiers to the mercy of a chivalry which +affected to regard them as mercenaries. With this spirit infused in the +confederate army, what else than barbarity could be expected? + +[Illustration: PHALANX REGIMENT RECEIVING ITS FLAGS. + +Presentation of colors to the 20th United States Colored Infantry, Col. +Bertram, in N. Y., March 5th, 1864.] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[28] Among the captured rebel flags now in the War Department, +Washington, D. C., are several Black Flags. No. 205 was captured near +North Mountain, Md., Aug. 1st, 1864. Another Captured from General +Pillow's men at Fort Donelson, is also among the rebel archives in that +Department. Several of them were destroyed by the troops capturing them, +as at Pascagoula, Miss., and near Grand Gulf on the Mississippi. + +[29] General Brisbin, in his account of the expedition which, in the +Winter of 1864, left Bean Station, Tenn., under command of General +Stoneman, for the purpose of destroying the confederate Salt Works in +West Virginia, says the confederates after capturing some of the +soldiers of the Sixth Phalanx Cavalry Regiment, butchered them. His +statement is as follows: + +"For the last two days a force of Confederate cavalry, under Witcher, +had been following our command picking up stragglers and worn-out horses +in our rear. Part of our troops were composed of negroes and these the +Confederates killed as fast as they caught them, laying the dead bodies +by the roadside with pieces of paper pinned to their clothing, on which +were written such warnings as the following: 'This is the way we treat +all nigger soldiers,' and, 'This is the fate of nigger soldiers who +fight against the South.' We did not know what had been going on in our +rear until we turned about to go back from Wytheville, when we found the +dead colored soldiers along the road as above described. General +Burbridge was very angry and wanted to shoot a Confederate prisoner for +every one of his colored soldiers he found murdered, and would +undoubtedly have done so had he not been restrained. As it was, the +whole corps was terribly excited by the atrocious murders committed by +Witcher's men, and if Witcher had been caught he would have been shot." + +This gallant soldier,(?) twenty years after the close of the war, writes +about the incidents and happenings during the march of the army to +Saltville, and says: + +"Before we reached Marion we encountered Breckenridge's advance and +charged it vigorously driving it back in confusion along the Marion and +Saltville road for several miles. In one of these charges (for there +were several of them and a sort of running fight for several miles) one +of Witcher's men was captured and brought in. He was reported to me and +I asked him what his name was and to what command he belonged. He gave +me his name and said 'Witcher's command.' Hardly were the words out of +his mouth before a negro soldier standing near raised his carbine and +aimed at the Confederate soldier's breast. I called out and sprang +forward, but was too late to catch the gun. The negro fired and the poor +soldier fell badly wounded. Instantly the negro was knocked down by our +white soldiers, disarmed and tied. I drew my revolver to blow his brains +out for his terrible crime, but the black man never flinched. All he +said was, pointing to the Confederate soldier, 'He killed my comrades; I +have killed him.' The negro was taken away and put among the prisoners. +The Provost Marshal had foolishly changed the white guard over the +prisoners and placed them under some colored troops. An officer came +galloping furiously to the front and said the negroes were shooting the +prisoners. General Burbridge told me to go back quickly and do whatever +I pleased in his name to restore order. It was a lively ride, as the +prisoners were more than four miles back, being forced along the road as +rapidly as possible toward Marion. All the prisoners, except a few +wounded men, were on foot, and of course they could not keep up with the +cavalry. I soon reached them and never shall I forget that sight while I +live. Men with sabres were driving the poor creatures along the road +like beasts. I halted the motley crew and scolded the officer for his +inhumanity. He said he had orders to keep the prisoners up with the +column and he was simply trying to obey his orders. As I was General +Burbridge's chief of staff and all orders were supposed to emanate from +my office, I thought I had better not continue the conversation. As it +was, I said such orders were at an end and I would myself take charge of +the prisoners." + +[30] "When the successful attempt was made, by tunneling, to escape from +Libby Prison in 1862, many of the fugitives were honorably harbored by +this unfortunate class till a more quiet opportunity occurred for +leaving the city. This I have from one of the escaped officers." + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE PHALANX IN VIRGINIA. + + +The laurels won by the Phalanx in the Southern States, notwithstanding +the "no quarter" policy, was proof of its devotion to the cause of +liberty and the old flag, which latter, until within a short period had +been but a symbol of oppression to the black man; Cailloux had reddened +it with his life's blood, and Carney, in a seething fire had planted it +on the ramparts of Wagner. The audacious bravery of the Phalanx had +wrung from Generals Banks and Gillmore congratulatory orders, while the +loyal people of the nation poured out unstinted praises. Not a breach of +discipline marred the negro soldier's record; not one cowardly act +tarnished their fame. Grant pronounced them gallant and reliable, and +Weitzel was willing to command them. + +In New York City, where negroes had been hung to lamp posts, and where a +colored orphan asylum had been sacked and burned, crowds gathered in +Broadway and cheered Phalanx regiments on their way to the front. +General Logan, author of the Illinois Black Code, greeted them as +comrades, and Jefferson Davis finally accorded to them the rights due +captured soldiers as prisoners of war. Congress at last took up the +question of pay, and placed the black on an equal footing with the white +soldiers. Their valor, excelled by no troops in the field, had finally +won full recognition from every quarter, and henceforth they were to +share the full glory as well as the toils of their white +comrades-in-arms. Not until those just rights and attentions were +attained, was the Phalanx allowed, to any great extent, to show its +efficiency and prowess in the manoeuvres in Virginia and vicinity, +where that magnificent "Army of Northern Virginia," the hope and the +pride of the Confederacy, was operating against the Federal government. +But when General Grant came to direct the movements of the Eastern +armies of the United States, there was a change. He had learned from his +experience at Vicksburg and other places in his western campaigns, that +the negro soldiers were valuable; that they could be fully relied upon +in critical times, and their patriotic zeal had made a deep impression +upon him. Therefore, as before stated, there were changes, and quite a +good many Phalanx regiments--numbering about 20,000 men--were taken from +Southern and Western armies and transferred to the different armies in +Virginia. + +The 19th Army Corps sent one brigade. General Gillmore brought a brigade +from the Tenth Army Corps. At least ten thousand of them were veterans, +and had driven many confederates out of their breastworks. + +The world never saw such a spectacle as America presented in the winter +and early spring of 1864. The attempt to capture Richmond and Petersburg +had failed. The Army of the Potomac lay like a weary lion under cover, +watching its opponent. Bruised, but spirited and defiant, it had driven, +and in turn had been driven time and again, by its equally valient foe. +It had advanced and retreated until the soldiers were foot-sore from +marching and counter-marching, crossing and re-crossing the now historic +streams of the Old Dominion. Of all this, the loyal people were tired +and demanded of the Administration a change. The causes of the failures +to take the confederate capitol were not so much the fault of the +commanders of the brave army as that of the authorities at Washington, +whose indecision and interference had entailed almost a disgrace upon +McClellan, Hooker, Burnside and Meade. But finally the people saw the +greatest of the difficulties, and demanded its removal, which the +Administration signified its willingness to do. Then began an activity +at the North, East and West, such as was never before witnessed. The +loyal heart was again aroused by the President's call for troops, and +all realized the necessity of a more sagacious policy, and the +importance of bringing the war to a close. The lion of the South must be +bearded in his lair, and forced to surrender Richmond, the Confederate +Capitol, that had already cost the Government millions of dollars, and +the North thousands of lives. The cockade city,--Petersburg,--like the +Gibralter of the Mississippi, should haul down the confederate banner +from her breastworks; in fact, Lee must be vanquished. That was the +demand of the loyal nation, and right well did they enter into +preparations to consummate it; placing brave and skillful officers in +command. + +[Illustration: PARADE OF THE 20TH REGT. U. S. C. T. IN NEW YORK.] + +The whole North became a recruiting station. Sumner, Wilson, Stevens and +Sherman, in Congress, and Greeley, Beecher, Philips and Curtis, with the +press, had succeeded in placing the fight upon the highest plane of +civilization, and linked _freedom_ to the cause of the Union thus making +the success of one the success of the other,--"Liberty and Union, one +and inseparable." What patriotism should fail in accomplishing, +bounties--National, State, county, city and township--were to induce and +effect. The depleted ranks of the army were filled to its maximum, and +with a hitherto victorious and gallant leader would be hurled against +the fortifications of the Confederacy with new energy and determination. + +Early in January, General Burnside was ordered again to take command of +the Ninth Army Corps, and to recruit its strength to fifty thousand +effective men, which he immediately began to do. General Butler, then in +command of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina, began the +organization of the Army of the James, collecting at Norfolk, Portsmouth +and on the Peninsula, the forces scattered throughout his Department, +and to recruit Phalanx regiments. In March, General Grant was called to +Washington, and received the appointment of Lieutenant General, and +placed in command of the armies of the Republic. He immediately began +their reorganization, as a preliminary to attacking Lee's veteran army +of northern Virginia. + +As has before been stated, the negro had, up to this time, taken no very +active part in the battles fought in Virginia. The seed of prejudice +sown by Generals McDowell and McClellan at the beginning of hostilities, +had ripened into productive fruit. The Army of the Potomac being early +engaged in apprehending and returning runaway slaves to their presumed +owners, had imbibed a bitter, unrelenting hatred for the poor, but ever +loyal, negro. To this bitterness the Emancipation Proclamation gave a +zest, through the pro-slavery press at the North, which taunted the +soldiers with "_fighting to free the negroes_." This feeling had served +to practically keep the negro, as a soldier, out of the Army of the +Potomac. + +General Burnside, upon assuming his command, asked for and obtained +permission from the War Department to raise and unite a division of +Negro troops to the 9th Army Corps. Annapolis, Md., was selected as the +"depot and rendezvous," and very soon Camp Stanton had received its +allowance of Phalanx regiments for the Corps. Early in April, the camp +was broken, and the line of march taken for Washington. It was rumored +throughout the city that the 9th Corps would pass through there, and +that about 6,000 Phalanx men would be among the troops. The citizens +were on the _qui vive_; members of Congress and the President were eager +to witness the passage of the Corps. + +At nine o'clock on the morning of the 25th of April, the head of the +column entered the city, and at eleven the troops were marching down New +York Avenue. Halting a short distance from the corner of 14th street, +the column closed up, and prepared to pay the President a marching +salute, who, with General Burnside and a few friends, was awaiting their +coming. Mr. Lincoln and his party occupied a balcony over the entrance +of Willard's Hotel. The scene was one of great beauty and animation. +The day was superbly clear; the soft atmosphere of the early spring was +made additionally pleasant by a cool breeze; rain had fallen the +previous night, and there was no dust to cause discomfort to the +soldiers or spectators. The troops marched and appeared well; their +soiled and battered flags bearing inscriptions of battles of six States. +The corps had achieved almost the first success of the war in North +Carolina; it had hastened to the Potomac in time to aid in rescuing the +Capitol, when Lee made his first Northern invasion; it won glory at +South Mountain, and made the narrow bridge at Antietam, forever +historic; it had likewise reached Kentucky in time to aid in driving the +confederates from that State. Now it appeared with recruited ranks, and +new regiments of as good blood as ever was poured out in the cause of +right; and with a new element--those whom they had helped set free from +the thraldom of slavery--whom they were proud to claim as comrades. + +Their banners were silent, effective witnesses of their valor and their +sacrifices; Bull's Run, Ball's Bluff, Roanoke, Newburn, Gaines' Mills, +Mechanicsville, Seven Pines, Savage Station, Glendale, Malvern, +Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Antietam, South Mountain, Knoxville, +Vicksburg, Port Hudson and Gettysburg, were emblazoned in letters of +gold. The firm and soldierly bearing of the veterans, the eager and +expectant countenances of the men and officers of the new regiments, the +gay trappings of the cavalry, the thorough equipment and fine condition +of the artillery, the clattering of hoofs, the clanking of sabres, the +drum-beat, the bugle call, and the music of the bands were all subjects +of interest. The President beheld the scene. Pavement, sidewalks, +windows and roofs were crowded with people. A division of veterans +passed, saluting the President and their commander with cheers. And +then, with full ranks--platoons extending from sidewalk to +sidewalk--brigades which had never been in battle, for the first time +shouldered arms for their country; they who even then were disfranchised +and were not American citizens, yet they were going out to fight for +the flag. Their country was given them by the tall, pale, benevolent +hearted man standing upon the balcony. For the first time, they beheld +their benefactor. They were darker hued than their veteran comrades, but +they cheered as lustily, "hurrah, hurrah, hurrah for Massa Linkun! Three +cheers for the President!" They swung their caps, clapped their hands +and shouted their joy. Long, loud and jubilant were the rejoicings of +these redeemed sons of Africa. Regiment after regiment of stalwart +men,--slaves once, but freemen now,--with steady step and even ranks, +passed down the street, moving on to the Old Dominion. It was the first +review of the negro troops by the President. Mr. Lincoln himself seemed +greatly pleased, and acknowledged the plaudits and cheers of the Phalanx +soldiers with a dignified kindness and courtesy. It was a spectacle +which made many eyes grow moist, and left a life-long impression. Thus +the corps that had never lost a flag or a gun, marched through the +National Capitol, crossed long bridge and went into camp near +Alexandria, where it remained until the 4th of May. + +The Phalanx regiments composing the 4th division were the 19th, 23rd, +27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 39th and 43rd, commanded by General E. +Ferrero. + +The Army of the James, under General Butler, which was to act in +conjunction with the Army of the Potomac, under Meade, was composed of +the 10th and 18th Corps. The 10th Corps had two brigades of the Phalanx, +consisting of the 7th, 9th, 29th, 16th, 8th, 41st, 45th and 127th +Regiments, commanded by Colonels James Shaw, Jr., and Ulysses Doubleday, +and constituted the 3rd division of that Corps commanded by +Brigadier-General Wm. Birney. + +The 3rd division of the 18th Corps, commanded by Brigadier-General +Charles G. Paine, was composed of the 1st, 22nd, 37th, 5th, 36th, 38th, +4th, 6th, 10th, 107th, 117th, 118th and 2nd Cavalry, with Colonels Elias +Wright, Alonzo G. Draper, John W. Ames and E. Martindale as brigade +commanders of the four brigades. A cavalry force numbering about two +thousand, comprising the 1st and 2nd, was under command of Colonel +West,[31] making not less than 20,000 of the Phalanx troops, including +the 4th Division with the Ninth Corps, and augmenting Butler's force to +47,000, concentrated at Yorktown and Gloucester Point. + +On the 28th of April, Butler received his final orders, and on the night +of the 4th of May embarked his troops on transports, descended the York +river, passed Fortress Monroe and ascended the James River. Convoyed by +a fleet of armored war vessels and gunboats, his transports reached +Bermuda Hundreds on the afternoon of the 5th. General Wilde, with a +brigade of the Phalanx, occupied Fort Powhatan, on the south bank of the +river, and Wilson's Wharf, about five miles below on the north side of +the James, with the remainder of his division of 5,000 of the Phalanx. +General Hinks landed at City Point, at the mouth of the Appomattox. The +next morning the troops advanced to Trent's, with their left resting on +the Appomattox, near Walthall, and the right on the James, and +intrenched. In the meantime, Butler telegraphed Grant: + + "OFF CITY POINT, VA., May 5th. + + "LIEUT. GEN. GRANT, Commanding Armies of the United States, + Washington, D. C.: + + "We have seized Wilson's Wharf Landing; a brigade of Wilde's + colored troops are there; at Fort Powhatan landing two + regiments of the same brigade have landed. At City Point, + Hinks' division, with the remaining troops and battery, have + landed. The remainder of both the 18th and 10th Army Corps + are being landed at Bermuda Hundreds, above Appomattox. No + opposition experienced thus far, the movement was + comparatively a complete surprise. Both army corps left + Yorktown during last night. The monitors are all over the + bar at Harrison's landing and above City Point. The + operations of the fleet have been conducted to-day with + energy and success. Gens. Smith and Gillmore are pushing the + landing of the men. Gen. Graham with the army gunboats, lead + the advance during the night, capturing the signal station + of the rebels. Colonel West, with 1800 cavalry, made several + demonstrations from Williamsburg yesterday morning. Gen. + Rantz left Suffolk this morning with his cavalry, for the + service indicated during the conference with the + Lieut.-General. The New York flag-of-truce boat was found + lying at the wharf with four hundred prisoners, whom she had + not time to deliver. She went up yesterday morning. We are + landing troops during the night, a hazardous service in the + face of the enemy. + + "BENJ. F. BUTLER, + + "A. F. PUFFER, Capt. and A. D. C. _Maj.-Gen. Commanding._" + +About two miles in front of their line ran the Richmond & Petersburg +Railroad, near which the enemy was encountered. Butler's movements being +in concert with that of the Army of the Potomac and the 9th Corps,--the +latter as yet an independent organization. + +General Meade, with the Army of the Potomac, numbering 120,000 effective +men, crossed the Rapidan _en route_ for the Wilderness, each soldier +carrying fifty rounds of ammunition and three days rations. The supply +trains were loaded with ten days forage and subsistence. The advance was +in two columns, General Warren being on the right and General Hancock on +the left. Sedgwick followed closely upon Warren and crossed the Rapidan +at Germania Ford. The Ninth Corps received its orders on the 4th, +whereupon General Burnside immediately put the Corps in motion toward +the front. Bivouacking at midnight, the line of march was again taken up +at daylight, and at night the Rapidan was crossed at Germania Ford. The +corps marched on a road parallel to that of its old antagonist, General +Longstreet's army, which was hastening to assist Lee, who had met the +Army of the Potomac in the entanglements of the wilderness, where a +stubborn and sanguinary fight raged for two days. General Ferrero's +division, composed of the Phalanx regiments, reached Germania Ford on +the morning of the 6th, with the cavalry, and reported to General +Sedgwick, of the 6th Corps, who had the care of the trains. The enemy +was projecting an attack upon the rear of the advancing columns. Gen. +Ferrero was ordered to guard with his Phalanx division, the bridges, +roads and trains near and at the Rapidan river. That night the +confederates attacked Sedgwick in force; wisely the immense supply +trains had been committed to the care of the Phalanx, and the enemy was +driven back before daylight, while the trains were securely moved up +closer to the advance. General Grant, finding that the confederates were +not disposed to continue the battle, began the movement toward +Spottsylvania Court House on the night of the 7th. The 9th Corps brought +up the rear, with the Phalanx division and cavalry covering the trains. + +Butler and his Phalanx troops, as we have seen, was within six miles of +Petersburg, and on the 7th, Generals Smith and Gillmore reached the +railroad near Port Walthall Junction, and commenced destroying it; the +confederates attacked them, but were repulsed. Col. West, on the north +side of the James River, forded the Chickahominy with the Phalanx +cavalry, and arrived opposite City Point, having destroyed the railroad +for some distance on that side. + +Leaving General Hinks with his Phalanx division to hold City Point, on +the 9th Butler again moved forward to break up the railroad which the +forces under Smith and Gillmore succeeded in doing, thus separating +Beaureguard's force from Lee's. He announced the result of his +operation's in the following message to Washington: + + "May 9th, 1864. + + "Our operations may be summed up in a few words. With one + thousand and seven hundred cavalry we have advanced up the + Peninsula, forced the Chickahominy and have safely brought + them to our present position. These were _colored cavalry_, + and are now holding our advanced pickets toward Richmond. + General Kautz, with three thousand cavalry from Suffolk, on + the same day with our movement up James river, forced the + Blackwater, burned the railroad bridge at Stony Creek, below + Petersburg, cutting in two Beauregard's force at that point. + We have landed here, intrenched ourselves, destroyed many + miles of railroad, and got possession, which, with proper + supplies, we can hold out against the whole of Lee's army. I + have ordered up the supplies. Beauregard, with a large + portion of his force, was left south, by the cutting of the + railroad by Kautz. That portion which reached Petersburg + under Hill, I have whipped to-day, killing and wounding + many, and taking many prisoners, after a well contested + fight. General Grant will not be troubled with any further + re-inforcements to Lee from Beaureguard's force. + + "BENJ. F. BUTLER, _Major-General._" + +But for having been misinformed as to Lee's retreating on +Richmond,--which led him to draw his forces back into his +intrenchments,--Butler would have undoubtedly marched triumphantly into +Petersburg. The mistake gave the enemy holding the approaches to that +city time to be re-enforced, and Petersburg soon became well fortified +and garrisoned. Beaureguard succeeded in a few days time in +concentrating in front of Butler 25,000 troops, thus checking the +latter's advance toward Richmond and Petersburg, on the south side of +the James, though skirmishing went on at various points. + +General Grant intended to have Butler advance and capture Petersburg, +while General Meade, with the Army of the Potomac, advanced upon +Richmond from the north bank of the James river. Gen. Butler failed to +accomplish more than his dispatches related, though his forces entered +the city of Petersburg, captured Chester Station, and destroyed the +railroad connection between Petersburg and Richmond. Failure to support +his troops and to intrench lost him all he had gained, and he returned +to his intrenchments at Bermuda Hundreds. + +The Phalanx (Hinks division) held City Point and other stations on the +river, occasionally skirmishing with the enemy, who, ever mindful of the +fact that City Point was the base of supplies for the Army of the James, +sought every opportunity to raid it, but they always found the Phalanx +ready and on the alert. + +After the battle of Drewry's Bluff, May 16th, Butler thought to remain +quiet in his intrenchments, but Grant, on the 22nd, ordered him to send +all his troops, save enough to hold City Point, to join the Army of the +Potomac; whereupon General W. F. Smith, with 16,000 men, embarked for +the White House, on the Pamunky river, Butler retaining the Phalanx +division and the Cavalry. Thus ended the operations of the Army of the +James, until Grant crossed the river with the army of the Potomac. + +[Illustration: SCENE IN THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. + +Negro baggage train drivers watering their mules.] + +On the 13th of May, Grant determined upon a flank movement toward +Bowling Green, with a view of making Port Royal, instead of +Fredericksburg, his depot for supplies. Sending his reserve artillery to +Belle Plain, he prepared to advance. It was in this manoeuvre that +Lee, for the last time, attacked the Federal forces, outside of cover, +in any important movement. The attempt to change the base of supply was +indeed a hazardous move for Grant; it necessitated the moving of his +immense train, numbering four thousand wagons, used in carrying rations, +ammunition and supplies for his army, and transportation of the badly +wounded to the rear, where they could be cared for. + +Up to this time the Wilderness campaign had been a continuous fight and +march. The anxiety which Grant felt for his train, is perhaps best told +by himself: + + "My movements are terribly embarrassed by our immense wagon + train. It could not be avoided, however." + +It was the only means by which the army could obtain needful supplies, +and was consequently indispensable. It was the near approach to the +train that made the confederates often fight so desperately, for they +knew if they could succeed in capturing a wagon they would probably get +something to eat. Soon after the advance began, it was reported to +Grant, that the confederate cavalry was in the rear, in search of the +trains. On the 14th he ordered General Ferrero to "keep a sharp lookout +for this cavalry, and if you can attack it with your (Phalanx) infantry +and (white) cavalry, do so." On the 19th Ferrero, with his Phalanx +division, (4th division, 9th Corps) was on the road to Fredericksburg, +in rear of and to the right of General Tyler's forces, in the +confederates' front. The road formed Grant's direct communication with +his base, and here the confederates, under Ewell attacked the Federal +troops. Grant sent this dispatch to Ferrero: + + "The enemy have crossed the Ny on the right of our lines, in + considerable force, and may possibly detach a force to move + on Fredericksburg. Keep your cavalry pickets well out on the + plank road, and all other roads leading west and south of + you. If you find the enemy moving infantry and artillery to + you, report it promptly. In that case take up strong + positions and detain him all you can, turning all your + trains back to Fredericksburg, and whatever falling back + you may be forced to do, do it in that direction." + +The confederates made a dash for the train and captured twenty-seven +wagons, but before they had time to feast off of their booty the Phalanx +was upon them. The enemy fought with uncommon spirit; it was the first +time "F. F. V's," the chivalry of the South,--composing the Army of +Northern Virginia,--had met the negro soldiers, and true to their +instinctive hatred of their black brothers, they gave them the best they +had; lead poured like rain for a while, and then came a lull. Ferrero +knew what it meant, and prepared for their coming. A moment more and the +accustomed yell rang out above the roar of the artillery. The +confederates charged down upon the Phalanx, but to no purpose, save to +make the black line more stable. They retaliated, and the confederates +were driven as the gale drives chaff, the Phalanx recapturing the wagons +and saving Grant's line of communication. General Badeau, speaking of +their action, in his military history of Grant, says: + + "It was the first time at the East when colored troops had + been engaged in any important battle, and the display of + soldierly qualities won a frank acknowledgment from both + troops and commanders, not all of whom had before been + willing to look upon negroes as comrades. But after that + time, white soldiers in the army of the Potomac were not + displeased to receive the support of black ones; they had + found the support worth having." + +Ferrero had the confidence of his men, who were ever ready to follow +where Grant ordered them to be led. + +But this was not the last important battle the Phalanx took part in. +Butler, after sending the larger portion of his forces to join the Army +of the Potomac, was not permitted to remain quiet in his intrenchments. +The confederates felt divined to destroy, if not capture, his base, and +therefore were continually striving to break through the lines. On the +24th of May, General Fitzhugh Lee made a dash with his cavalry upon +Wilson's Wharf, Butler's most northern outpost, held by two Phalanx +Regiments of General Wilde's brigade. Lee's men had been led to believe +that it was only necessary to yell at the "niggers" in order to make +them leave the Post, but in this affair they found a foe worthy of their +steel. They fought for several hours, when finally the confederate +troops beat a retreat. An eye witness of the fight says: + + "The chivalry of Fitzhugh Lee and his cavalry division was + badly worsted in the contest last Tuesday with negro troops, + composing the garrison at Wilson's Landing; the chivalry + made a gallant fight, however. The battle began at half-past + twelve P. M., and ended at six o'clock, when the chivalry + retired, disgusted and defeated. Lee's men dismounted far in + the rear, and fought as infantry; they drove in the pickets + and skirmishers to the intrenchments, and made several + valiant charges upon our works. To make an assault, it was + necessary to come across an opening in front of our + position, up to the very edge of a deep and impassable + ravine. The rebels, with deafening yells, made furious + onsets, but the negroes did not flinch, and the mad + assailants, discomforted, returned to cover with shrunken + ranks. The rebels' fighting was very wicked; it showed that + Lee's heart was bent on taking the negroes at any cost. + Assaults on the center having failed, the rebels tried first + the left, and then the right flank, with no greater success. + When the battle was over, our loss footed up, one man killed + outright, twenty wounded, and two missing. Nineteen rebels + were prisoners in our hands. Lee's losses must have been + very heavy; the proof thereof was left on the ground. + Twenty-five rebel bodies lay in the woods unburied, and + pools of blood unmistakably told of other victims taken + away. The estimate, from all the evidence carefully + considered, puts the enemy's casualties at two hundred. + Among the corpses Lee left on the field, was that of Major + Breckenridge, of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry. There is no + hesitation here in acknowledging the soldierly qualities + which the colored men engaged in the fight have exhibited. + Even the officers who have hitherto felt no confidence in + them are compelled to express themselves mistaken. General + Wilde, commanding the Post, says that the troops stood up to + their work like veterans." + +Newspaper correspondents were not apt to overstate the facts, nor to +give too much favorable coloring to the Phalanx in those days. Very much +of the sentiment in the army--East and West--was manufactured by them. +The Democratic partizan press at the North, especially in New York and +Ohio, still engaged in throwing paper bullets at the negro soldiers, who +were shooting lead bullets at the country's foes. + +The gallantry and heroic courage of the Phalanx in the Departments of +the Gulf and South, and their bloody sacrifices, had not been sufficient +to stop the violent clamor and assertions of those journals, that the +"niggers won't fight!" + +Many papers favorable to the Emancipation; opposed putting negro troops +in battle in Virginia. But to all these bomb-proof opinions Grant turned +a deaf ear, and when and where necessity required it, he hurled his +Phalanx brigades against the enemy as readily as he did the white +troops. The conduct of the former was, nevertheless, watched eagerly by +the correspondents of the press who were with the army, and when they +began to chronicle the achievements of the Phalanx, the prejudice began +to give way, and praises were substituted in the place of their +well-worn denunciations. A correspondent of the New York _Herald_ thus +wrote in May: + + "The conduct of the colored troops, by the way, in the + actions of the last few days, is described as superb. An + Ohio soldier said to me to-day, 'I never saw men fight with + such desperate gallantry as those negroes did. They advanced + as grim and stern as death, and when within reach of the + enemy struck about them with a pitiless vigor, that was + almost fearful.' Another soldier said to me, 'These negroes + never shrink, nor hold back, no matter what the order. + Through scorching heat and pelting storms, if the order + comes, they march with prompt, ready feet.' Such praise is + great praise, and it is deserved. The negroes here who have + been slaves, are loyal, to a man, and on our occupation of + Fredericksburg, pointed out the prominent secessionists, who + were at once seized by our cavalry and put in safe quarters. + In a talk with a group of faithful fellows, I discovered in + them all a perfect understanding of the issues of the + conflict, and a grand determination to prove themselves + worthy of the place and privileges to which they are to be + exalted." + +The ice was thus broken, and then each war correspondent found it his +duty to write in deservedly glowing terms of the Phalanx. + +The newspaper reports of the engagements stirred the blood of the +Englishman, and he eschewed his professed love for the freedom of +mankind, and particularly that of the American negro. The London +_Times_, in the following article, lashed the North for arming the +negroes to shoot the confederates, forgetting, perhaps, that England +employed negroes against the colonist in 1775, and at New Orleans, in +1814, had her black regiments to shoot down the fathers of the men whom +it now sought to uphold, in rebellion against the government of the +United States: + + "THE NEGRO UNION SOLDIERS. + + "Six months have now passed from the time Mr. Lincoln issued + his proclamation abolishing slavery in the States of the + Southern Confederacy. To many it may seem that this measure + has failed of the intended effect and this is doubtless in + some respects the case. It was intended to frighten the + Southern whites into submission, and it has only made them + more fierce and resolute than ever. It was intended to raise + a servile war, or produce such signs of it as should compel + the Confederates to lay down their arms through fear for + their wives and families; and it has only caused desertion + from some of the border plantations and some disorders along + the coast. But in other respects the consequences of this + measure are becoming important enough. The negro race has + been too much attached to the whites, or too ignorant or too + sluggish to show any signs of revolt in places remote from + the presence of the federal armies: but on some points where + the federals have been able to maintain themselves in force + in the midst of a large negro population, the process of + enrolling and arming black regiments has been carried on in + a manner which must give a new character to the war. It is + in the State of Louisiana, and under the command of General + Banks, that this use of negro soldiers has been most + extensive. The great city of New Orleans having fallen into + the possession of the federals more than a year ago, and the + neighboring country being to a certain degree abandoned by + the white population, a vast number of negroes have been + thrown on the hands of the General in command to support + and, if he can, make use of. The arming of these was begun + by General Butler, and it has been continued by his + successor. Though the number actually under arms is no doubt + exaggerated by Northern writers, yet enough have been + brought into service to produce a powerful effect on the + imaginations of the combatants, and, as we can now clearly + see, to add almost grievously to the fury of the struggle. + + "Of all wars, those between races which had been accustomed + to stand to each other in the relation of master and slave + have been so much the most horrible that by general consent + the exciting of a servile insurrection has been considered + as beyond the pale of legitimate warfare. This had been held + even in the case of European serfdom, although there the + rulers and the ruled are of the same blood, religion and + language. But the conflict between the white men and the + negro, _and particularly the American white man and the + American negro, is likely to be more ruthless than any which + the ancient world, fruitful in such histories, or the modern + records of Algeria can furnish_. There was reason to hope + that the deeds of 1857 in India would not be paralleled in + our time or in any after age. The Asiatic savagery rose upon + a dominant race scattered throughout the land, and wreaked + its vengeance upon it by atrocities which it would be a + relief to forget. But it has been reserved for the New + World to present the spectacle of civil war, calling servile + war to its aid, and of men of English race and language so + envenomed against each other that one party places arms in + the hands of the half savage negro, and the other acts as if + resolved to give no quarter to the insurgent race or the + white man who commands them or fights by their side. In the + valley of the Mississippi, where these negro soldiers are in + actual service, it seems likely that a story as revolting as + that of St. Domingo is being prepared for the world. No one + who reads the description of the fighting at Port Hudson, + and the accounts given by the papers of scenes at other + places, can help fearing that the worst part of this war has + yet to come, and that a people who lately boasted that they + took the lead in education and material civilization are now + carrying on a contest without regard to any law of + conventional warfare,--one side training negroes to fight + against its own white flesh and blood, the other + slaughtering them without mercy whenever they find them in + the field. + + " * * * It is pitiable to find these unhappy Africans, whose + clumsy frames are no match for the sinewy and agile white + American, thus led on to be destroyed by a merciless enemy. + Should the war proceed in this manner, it is possible that + the massacre of Africans may not be confined to actual + conflict in the field. Hitherto the whites have been + sufficiently confident in the negroes to leave them + unmolested, even when the enemy was near; but with two or + three black regiments in each federal corps, and such events + as the Port Hudson massacre occuring to infuriate the minds + on either side, who can foresee what three months more of + war may bring forth? + + "All that we can say with certainty is that the unhappy + negro will be the chief sufferer in this unequal conflict. + An even greater calamity, however, is the brutalization of + two antagonistic peoples by the introduction into the war of + these servile allies of the federals. Already there are + military murders and executions on both sides. The horrors + which Europe has foreseen for a year past are now upon us. + Reprisal will provoke reprisal, until all men's natures are + hardened, and the land flows with blood." + +The article is truly instructive to the present generation; its +malignity and misrepresentation of the Administration's intentions in +regard to the arming of negroes, serves to illustrate the deep-seated +animosity which then existed in England toward the union of the States. +Nor will the American negro ever forget England's advice to the +confederates, whose massacre of negro soldiers fighting for freedom she +endorsed and applauded. The descendants of those black soldiers, who +were engaged in the prolonged struggle for freedom, can rejoice in the +fact that no single act of those patriots is in keeping with the +Englishman's prediction; no taint of brutality is even charged against +them by those whom they took prisoners in battle. The confederates +themselves testify to the humane treatment they unexpectedly received at +the hands of their negro captors. Mr. Pollard, the historian, says: + + "No servile insurrections had taken place in the South." + +But it is gratifying to know that all Englishmen did not agree with the +writer of the _Times_. A London letter in the New York Evening _Post_, +said: + + "Mr. Spurgeon makes most effective and touching prayers, + remembering, at least once on a Sunday, the United States. + 'Grant, O God,' he said recently, 'that the right may + conquer, and that if the fearful canker of slavery must be + cut out by the sword, it be wholly eradicated from the body + politic of which it is the curse.' He is seldom, however, as + pointed as this; and, like other clergymen of England, prays + for the return of peace. Indeed, it must be acknowledged + that if the English press and government have done what they + could to continue this war, the dissenting clergy of England + have nobly shown their good will and hearty sympathy with + the Americans, and their sincere desire for the settlement + of our difficulties. 'If praying would do you Americans any + good,' said an irreverent acquaintance last Sunday, 'you + will be gratified to learn that a force of a + thousand-clergymen-power is constantly at work for you over + here.'" + +After the heroic and bloody effort at Cold Harbor to reach Richmond, or +to cross the James above the confederate capitol, and thus cut off the +enemy's supplies,--after Grant had flanked, until to flank again would +be to leave Richmond in his rear,--when Lee had withdrawn to his +fortifications, refusing to accept Grant's challenge to come out and +fight a decisive battle,--when all hope of accomplishing either of these +objects had vanished, Grant determined to return to his original plan of +attack from the coast, and turned his face toward the James river. On +the 12th of June the Army of the Potomac began to move, and by the 16th +it was, with all its trains across, and on the south side of the James. + +Petersburg Grant regarded as the citadel of Richmond, and to capture it +was the first thing on his list to be accomplished. General Butler was +made acquainted with this, and as soon as General Smith, who, with a +portion of Butler's forces had been temporarily dispatched to join the +army of the Potomac at Cold Harbor, returned to Bermuda Hundreds with +his force, he was ordered forward to capture the Cockade City. It was +midnight on the 14th, when Smith's troops arrived. Butler ordered him +immediately forward against Petersburg, and he moved accordingly. His +force was in three divisions of Infantry, and one of Cavalry, under +General Kautz, who was to threaten the line of works on the Norfolk +road. General Hinks, with his division of the Phalanx, was to take +position across the Jordon's Point road on the right of Kautz; Brooks' +division of white troops was to follow, Hinks coming in at the center of +the line, while General Martindale with the other division was to move +along the Appomattox and strike the City Point road. Smith's movement +was directed against the northeast side of Petersburg, extending from +the City Point to the Norfolk railroad. About daylight on the 15th, as +the columns advanced on the City Point road at Bailey's farm, six miles +from Petersburg, a confederate battery opened fire. Kautz reconnoitered +and found a line of rifle trench, extending along the front, on rapidly +rising ground, with a thicket covering. The work was held by a regiment +of cavalry and a light battery. At once there was use for the Phalanx; +the works must be captured with the battery before the troops could +proceed. The cavalry was re-called, and Hinks began the formation of an +attacking party from his division. The confederates were in an open +field, their battery upon a knoll in the same field, commanding a +sweeping position to its approaches. The advancing troops must come out +from the woods, rush up the slope and carry it at the point of the +bayonet, exposed to the tempest of musketry and cannister of the +battery. Hinks formed his line for the assault, and the word of command +was given,--"forward." The line emerged from the woods, the enemy opened +with cannister upon the steadily advancing column, which, without +stopping, replied with a volley of Minie bullets. + + "The long, dusky line, arm to arm, knee to knee." + +[Illustration: PHALANX SOLDIERS AT WORK ON RIVER OBSTRUCTIONS.] + +Then shells came crashing through the line, dealing death and shattering +the ranks; but on they went, with a wild cheer, running up the slope; +again a storm of cannister met them; a shower of musketry came down upon +the advancing column, whose bristling bayonets were to make the way +clear for their white comrades awaiting on the roadside. A hundred black +men went down under the fire; the ranks were quickly closed however, and +with another wild cheer the living hundreds went over the works with the +impetuosity of a cyclone; they seized the cannon and turned them upon +the fleeing foe, who, in consternation, stampeded toward Petersburg, to +their main line of intrenchments on the east. Thus the work of the 5th +and 22nd Phalanx regiments was completed and the road made clear for the +18th Corps. + +Brooks now moved up simultaneously with Martindale, on the river road. +By noon the whole corps was in front of the enemy's main line of works, +Martindale on the right, Brooks in the center, the Phalanx and cavalry +on the left, sweeping down to the Jerusalem Plank Road on the southeast. +Hinks, with the Phalanx, in order to gain the position assigned him, had +necessarily to pass over an open space exposed to a direct and +cross-fire. Nevertheless, he prepared to occupy his post, and forming a +line of battle, he began the march. The division numbered about 3,000, a +portion of it being still at Wilson's Landing, Fort Powhatan, City Point +and Bermuda Hundreds. This was a march that veterans might falter in, +without criticism or censure. The steady black line advanced a few rods +at a time, when coming within range of the confederate guns they were +obliged to lie down and wait for another opportunity. Now a lull,--they +would rise, go forward, and again lie down. Thus they continued their +march, under a most galling, concentrated artillery fire until they +reached their position, from which they were to join in a general +assault; and here they lay, from one till five o'clock,--four long +hours,--exposed to ceaseless shelling by the enemy. Badeau says, in +speaking of the Phalanx in this ordeal: + + "No worse strain on the nerves of troops is possible, for it + is harder to remain quiet under cannon fire, even though + comparatively harmless, than to advance against a storm of + musketry." + +General W. F. Smith, though brave, was too cautious and particular in +detail, and he spent those four hours in careful reconnoissance, while +the troops lay exposed to the enemy's concentric fire. + +The main road leading east from Petersburg ascends a hill two or more +miles out, upon the top of which stood what was then known as Mr. Dunn's +house. In front of it was a fort, and another south, and a third north, +with other works; heavy embankments and deep ravines and ditches, trunks +of hewn trees blackened by camp fires, formed an abatis on the even +ground. Here the sharpshooters and riflemen had a fair view of the +entire field. The distance from these works to the woods was about three +hundred and sixty paces, in the edge of which lay the black Phalanx +division, ready, like so many tigers, waiting for the command, +"forward." The forts near Dunn's house had direct front fire, and those +on the north an enfilading fire on the line of advance. Smith got his +troops in line for battle by one o'clock, but there they lay. Hinks +impatiently awaited orders; oh! what a suspense--each hour seemed a +day,--what endurance--what valor. Shells from the batteries ploughed +into the earth where they stood, and began making trouble for the +troops. Hinks gave the order, "lie down;" they obeyed, and were somewhat +sheltered. Five o'clock--yet no orders. At length the command was given, +"forward." The skirmishers started at quick time; the enemy opened upon +them vigorously from their batteries and breastworks, upon which they +rested their muskets, in order to fire with accuracy. A torrent of +bullets was poured upon the advancing line, and the men fell fast as +autumn leaves in a gale of wind. Then the whole line advanced, the +Phalanx going at double-quick; their well aligned ranks, with bayonets +glittering obliquely in the receding sunlight, presented a spectacle +both magnificent and grand. + +[Illustration: A GALLANT CHARGE. The 22nd Negro Regiment, Duncan's +Brigade, carrying the first line of Confederate works before Petersburg, +Va.] + +Duncan rushed his skirmishers and reached the ditches in front of the +breastworks, which, without waiting for the main body, they entered and +clambered up the steep embankments. A sheet of flame from above was +rained down, causing many a brave man to stagger and fall back into the +ditch, never to rise again. The troops following, inspired by the daring +of the skirmishers, pressed forward on the run up to the forts, swept +round the curtains, scaled the breastworks and dashed with patriotic +rage at the confederate gunners, who deserted their pieces and ran for +their lives. Brooks and Martindale advanced simultaneously upon the +works at Osborn's house and up the railroad, sweeping everything before +them. The Phalanx seized upon the guns and turned them instantly upon +the fleeing foe, and then with spades and shovels reversed the +fortifications and prepared to hold them. Fifteen pieces of artillery +and three hundred confederates were captured. "The Phalanx," says the +official report, took two-thirds of the prisoners and nine pieces of +artillery. General Smith, finding that General Birney, with the 2nd +Corps, had not arrived, instead of marching the troops into Petersburg, +waited for re-inforcements unnecessarily, and thereby lost his chance of +taking the city, which was soon garrisoned with troops enough to defy +the whole army. Thus Grant was necessitated afterward to lay siege to +the place. + +The confederates never forgot nor forgave this daring of the "niggers," +who drove them, at the point of the bayonet, out of their breastworks, +killing and capturing their comrades and their guns. They were chided by +their brother confederates for allowing negroes to take their works from +them. The maidens of the Cockade City were told that they could not +trust themselves to men who surrendered their guns to "niggers." The +soldiers of the Phalanx were delirious with joy. They had caught "ole +massa," and he was theirs. General Hinks had their confidence, and they +were ready to follow wherever he led. + +The chaplin of the 9th Corps, in his history, says: + + "In this movement a division of colored troops, under + Brigadier-General Hinks, seems to have won the brightest + laurels. They first attacked and carried the enemy's outpost + at Bailey's farm, capturing one piece of artillery in the + most gallant manner. On their arrival before Petersburg, + they lay in front of the works for nearly five hours, + waiting for the word of command. They then, in company with + the white troops, and showing equal bravery, rushed and + carried the enemy's line of works, with what glorious + success has already been related." + +This, indeed, was a victory, yet shorn of its full fruits; but that +Petersburg was not captured was no fault of the Phalanx. They had +carried and occupied the most formidable obstacles. + +Badeau, in chronicling these achievements, says: + + "General Smith assaulted the works on the City Point and + Prince George Court House roads. The rebels resisted with a + sharp infantry fire, but the center and left dashed into the + works, consisting of five redan's on the crest of a deep and + difficult ravine. Kiddoo's (22d) black regiment was one of + the first to gain the hill. In support of this movement, the + second line was swung around and moved against the front of + the remaining works. The rebels, assaulted thus in front and + flank, gave way, four of the guns already captured were + turned upon them by the negro conquerors, enfilading the + line, and before dark, Smith was in possession of the whole + of the outer works, two and a half miles long, with fifteen + pieces of artillery and three hundred prisoners. Petersburg + was at his mercy." + +This failure made a siege necessary, and General Grant began by regular +approaches to invest the place, after making the three desperate +assaults on the 16th, 17th and 18th. It had been indeed a bloody June; +the soil of the Old Dominion, which for two centuries the negro had +tilled and made to yield the choicest products, under a system of cruel +and inhuman bondage he now reddened with his blood in defense of his +liberty, proving by his patriotism, not only his love of liberty, but +his courage and capacity to defend it. The negro troops had marched and +fought with the white regiments with equal intrepidity and courage; they +were no longer despised by their comrades; they now had recognition as +soldiers, and went into the trenches before Petersburg as a part of as +grand an army as ever laid siege to a stronghold or stormed a +fortification. + +On the 18th of June, General Ferrero reported to General Meade, with his +division of the Phalanx, (4th Division, 9th Corps), and was immediately +ordered to join its own proper corps,--from which it had been separated +since the 6th of May,--at the crossing of the Rapidan. It had served +under Sedgwick and Sheridan until the 17th, when it came under the +direct command of General Grant, and thus remained until the 25th of +May, when General Burnside, waiving rank to Meade, the 9th Corps was +incorporated into the Army of the Potomac. During its absence the +division sustained the reputable renown of its corps, not only in +protecting the trains, but in fighting the enemy, and capturing +prisoners. Before rejoining the corps, the division was strengthened by +three regiments of cavalry,--the 5th New York, 3rd New Jersey and 2nd +Ohio. From the 9th of May till the 17th, the division occupied the plank +road, looking to the old Wilderness tavern, covering the extreme right +of the army, extending from Todd's to Banks' Ford. On the 17th, the +division moved to Salem Church, near the main road to Fredericksburg, +where, as we have seen, it defended the rear line against the attack +made by the confederates, under General Ewell. + +The historian of the corps says: + + "The division on the 21st of May was covering + Fredericksburg, and the roads leading hence to Bowling + Green. On the 22nd it marched toward Bowling Green, and on + the 23rd it moved to Milford Station. From that date to the + 27th it protected the trains of the army in the rear of the + positions on the North Anna. On the 27th, the division moved + to Newtown; on the 28th, to Dunkirk, crossing the Maltapony; + on the 29th, to the Pamunkey, near Hanovertown. On the 1st + of June the troops crossed the Pamunkey, and from the 2nd to + the 6th, covered the right of the army; from the 6th to the + 12th they covered the approaches from New Castle Ferry, + Hanovertown, Hawe's shop, and Bethusda Church. From the 12th + to the 18th they moved by easy stages, by way of Tunstall's + New Kent Court House, Cole's Ferry, and the pontoon bridge + across the James, to the line of the army near Petersburg. + The dismounted cavalry were left to guard the trains, and + the 4th Division prepared to participate in the more active + work of soldiers. Through the remainder of the month of + June, and the most of July, the troops were occupied in the + second line of trenches, and in active movements towards the + left, under Generals Hancock and Warren. While they were + engaged in the trenches they were also drilled in the + movements necessary for an attack and occupation of the + enemy's works. A strong feeling of pride and esprit de + corps sprung up within the hearts of the blacks, and they + began to think that they too might soon have the opportunity + of some glory for their race and country." + +How natural was this feeling. As we have seen, their life for more than +a month had been one of marching and counter-marching, though hazardous +and patriotic. When on the 18th, they entered upon the more active duty +of soldiers, they found the 3rd Division of the 18th Corps, composed of +the Phalanx of the Army of the James, covered with glory, and the welkin +ringing with praises of their recent achievements. The men of the 4th +Division chafed with eager ambition to rival their brothers of the 18th +Corps, in driving the enemy from the Cockade City. General Burnside was +equally as anxious to give his black boys a chance to try the steel of +the chivalry in deadly conflict, and this gave them consolation, with +the assurance that their day would ere long dawn, so they toiled and +drilled carefully for their prospective glory. + +But the situation of the Phalanx before Petersburg was far from being +enviable. Smarting under the thrashing they had received from Hinks' +division, the confederates were ever ready now to slaughter the +"niggers" when advantage offered them the opportunity. A steady, +incessant fire was kept up against the positions the Phalanx occupied, +and their movements were watched with great vigilance. Although they did +not raise the black flag, yet manifestly no quarter to negro troops, or +to white troops that fought with them, was the confederates' +determination. + + "Judging from their actions, the presence of the negro + soldiers, both in the Eighteenth and Ninth Corps," says + Woodbury, "seemed to have the effect of rendering the enemy + more spiteful than ever before the Fourth Division came. The + closeness of the lines on the front of the corps rendered + constant watchfulness imperative, and no day passed without + some skirmishing between the opposing pickets. When the + colored soldiers appeared, this practice seemed to increase, + while in front of the Fifth Corps, upon the left of our + line, there was little or no picket firing, and the outposts + of both armies were even disposed to be friendly. On the + front of the Ninth, the firing was incessant, and in many + cases fatal." + +[Illustration: IN THE TRENCHES] + + "General Potter, in his report, mentions that, when his + division occupied the front, his loss averaged some fourteen + or fifteen officers killed and wounded per diem. The + sharpshooters on either side were vigilant, and an exposure + of any part of the person was the signal for the exchange of + shots. The men, worn by hard marching, hard fighting and + hard digging, took every precaution to shield themselves, + and sought cover at every opportunity. They made fire proofs + of logs and earth, and with tortuous covered ways and + traverse, endeavoring to secure themselves from the enemy's + fire. The artillery and mortars on both sides were kept + almost constantly at work. These were all precursors of the + coming, sanguinary struggle for the possession of Cemetery + Hill. Immediately in front of the salient occupied by the + Ninth Corps, the rebels had constructed a very strong + redoubt, a short distance below Cemetery Hill. In the rear + of the redoubt ran a ridge nearly at right angles with the + rebels' lines, to the hill. It appeared that if this redoubt + was captured, the enemy's line would be seriously + threatened, if not entirely broken up. A feasible plan for + the destruction of the redoubt, was seriously discussed + among the soldiers of the corps; finally Colonel Pleasants, + of the 48th Pennsylvania Regiment, devised a plan to run a + mine under the intervening space between the line of the + corps and the redoubt, with the design of exploding it, + directly under the redoubt. To this plan General Burnside + lent his aid, and preparations were made for an assault upon + Cemetery Hill, at the time of its explosion. The work of + digging and preparing the mine was prosecuted under the most + disadvantageous circumstances. General Meade reluctantly + gave official sanction, and the work of excavation proceeded + with, despite the fact that General Burnside's requisitions + for supplies were not responded to. Nevertheless, in less + than a month the mine was ready, and after considerable + discussion, and not without some bickering, the plan of + attack was arranged, which, in brief, was to form two + columns, and to charge with them through the breach caused + by the explosion of the mine. Then to sweep along the + enemy's line, right and left, clearing away the artillery + and infantry, by attacking in the flank and rear. Other + columns were to make for the crest, the whole to co-operate. + General Ferrero, in command of the Phalanx division was + informed, that in accordance with the plan of attack, he was + to lead in the assault, when the attack was made, after the + mine had been fired. He was ordered to drill his troops + accordingly. After a careful examination of the ground, + Ferrero decided upon his methods of advance,--not to go + directly in the crater formed by the explosion, but rather + upon one side of it, and then to take the enemy in flank and + reverse. When he informed his officers and men that they + would be called upon to lead in the assault, they received + the information with delight. His men, desirous of emulating + their comrades of the Third Division of the Eighteenth + Corps, felt that their cherished hope,--the opportunity for + which they had prayed,--was near at hand; the hour in which + they would show themselves worthy of the honor of being + associated with the Army of the Potomac. They rejoiced at + the prospect of wiping off whatever reproach an ill-judged + prejudice might have cast upon them, by proving themselves + brave, thereby demanding the respect which brave men + deserve. For three weeks they drilled with alacrity in the + various movements; charging upon earthworks, wheeling by the + right and left, deployment, and other details of the + expected operations. General Burnside had early expressed + his confidence in the soldierly capabilities of the men of + the Phalanx, and now wished to give them an opportunity to + justify his good opinion." + +His white troops, moreover, had been greatly exposed throughout the +whole campaign, had suffered severely, and had been so much under the +fire of the sharpshooters that it had become a second nature with them +to dodge bullets. The negro troops had not been so much exposed, and had +already shown their steadiness under fire in one or two pretty severe +skirmishes in which they had previously been engaged. The white officers +and men of the corps were elated with the selection made by General +Burnside, and they, too, manifested an uncommon interest in their +dark-hued comrades. The demeanor of the former toward the latter was +very different from that of the other corps, of which that particular +army was composed. The 9th Corps had seen more service than any other +corps in the Army of the Potomac. Its operations in six States had given +to the men an experience calculated to destroy, very greatly, their race +prejudice; besides a very large portion of the regiments in the corps +came from the New England States, especially Massachusetts, Vermont and +Rhode Island, where race prejudice was not so strong; consequently the +treatment of the men in the 4th Division was tempered by humanity, and +pregnant with a fraternal feeling of comradeship. And then there was a +corps pride very naturally existing among the white troops, which +prompted a desire for the achievement of some great and brilliant feat +by their black comrades. This feeling was expressed in more than one way +by the entire corps, and greatly enhanced the ambition of the Phalanx to +rout the enemy and drive him out of his fortifications before +Petersburg, if not to capture the city. + +These high hopes were soon dissipated, however. General Meade had an +interview with General Burnside on the 28th; the subject was fully +discussed as to the plan of the assault, as proposed by General +Burnside, and made known to Meade by Burnside, in writing, on the 26th. +It was at this meeting that General Meade made his objections to the +Phalanx leading the assault. General Burnside argued with all the reason +he could command, in favor of his plans, and especially for the Phalanx, +going over the grounds already cited; why his white troops were unfit +and disqualified for performing the task of leading the assault, but in +vain. Meade was firm in his purpose, and, true to his training, he had +no use for the negro but as a servant; he never had trusted him as a +soldier. The plan, with General Meade's objection was referred to +General Grant for settlement. Grant, doubting the propriety of agreeing +with a subordinate, as against the commander of the army, dismissed the +dispute by agreeing with Meade; therefore the Phalanx was ruled out of +the lead and placed in the supporting column. It was not till the night +of the 29th, a few hours before the assault was made, that the change +was made known to General Ferrero and his men, who were greatly +chagrined and filled with disappointment. + +General Ledlie's division of white troops was to lead the assault, after +the explosion of the mine on the morning of the 30th. It was on the +night of the 29th, when General Burnside issued his battle order, in +accordance with General Meade's plan and instructions, and at the +appointed hour all the troops were in readiness for the conflict. The +mine, with its several tons of powder, was ready at a quarter past three +o'clock on the eventful morning of the 30th of July. The fuses were +fired, and "all eyes were turned to the confederate fort opposite," +which was discernible but three hundred feet distant. The garrison was +sleeping in fancied security; the sentinels slowly paced their rounds, +without a suspicion of the crust which lay between them and the awful +chasm below. Our own troops, lying upon their arms in unbroken silence, +or with an occasional murmur, stilled at once by the whispered word of +command, looked for the eventful moment of attack to arrive. A quarter +of an hour passed,--a half hour, yet there was no report. Four o'clock, +and the sky began to brighten in the east; the confederate garrison was +bestirring itself. The enemy's lines once more assumed the appearance of +life; the sharpshooters, prepared for their victims, began to pick off +those of our men, who came within range of their deadly aim. Another day +of siege was drawing on, and still there was no explosion. What could it +mean? The fuses had failed;--the dampness having penetrated to the place +where the parts had been spliced together, prevented the powder from +burning. Two men (Lieut. Jacob Douty and Sergeant--afterwards +Lieutenant--Henry Rees,) of the 48th Pennsylvania volunteered to go and +ascertain where the trouble was. At quarter past four o'clock they +bravely entered the mine, re-arranged the fuses and relighted them. In +the meantime, General Meade had arrived at the permanent headquarters of +the 9th Corps. Not being able to see anything that was going forward, +and not hearing any report, he became somewhat impatient. At fifteen +minutes past four o'clock he telegraphed to General Burnside to know +what was the cause of the delay. Gen. Burnside was too busy in remedying +the failure already incurred to reply immediately, and expected, indeed, +that before a dispatch could be sent that the explosion would take +place. General Meade ill-naturedly telegraphed the operator to know +where General Burnside was. At half-past four, the commanding general +became still more impatient, and was on the point of ordering an +immediate assault upon the enemy's works, without reference to the mine. +Five minutes later he _did_ order an assault. General Grant was there +when, at sixteen minutes before five o'clock, the mine exploded. Then +ensued a scene which beggars description. + +General Badeau, in describing the spectacle, says: + + "The mine exploded with a shock like that of an earthquake, + tearing up the rebels' work above them, and vomiting men, + guns and caissons two hundred feet into the air. The + tremendous mass appeared for a moment to hang suspended in + the heavens like a huge, inverted cone, the exploding powder + still flashing out here and there, while limbs and bodies of + mutilated men, and fragments of cannon and wood-work could + be seen, then all fell heavily to the ground again, with a + second report like thunder. When the smoke and dust had + cleared away, only an enormous crater, thirty feet deep, + sixty wide, and a hundred and fifty long stretched out in + front of the Ninth Corps, where the rebel fort had been." + +The explosion was the signal for the federal batteries to open fire, and +immediately one hundred and ten guns and fifty mortars opened along the +Union front, lending to the sublime horror of the upheaved and quaking +earth, the terror of destruction. + +A confederate soldier thus describes the explosion, in the Philadelphia +_Times_, January, 1883: + + "About fifteen feet of dirt intervened between the sleeping + soldiers and all this powder. In a moment the superincumbent + earth, for a space forty by eighty feet, was hurled upward, + carrying with it the artillery-men, with their four guns, + and three companies of soldiers. As the huge mass fell + backwards it buried the startled men under immense + clods--tons of dirt. Some of the artillery was thrown forty + yards towards the enemy's line. The clay subsoil was broken + and piled in large pieces, often several yards in diameter, + which afterwards protected scores of Federals when + surrounded in the crater. The early hour, the unexpected + explosion, the concentrated fire of the enemy's batteries, + startled and wrought confusion among brave men accustomed to + battle." + +Says a Union account: + + "Now was the time for action, forward went General Ledlie's + column, with Colonel Marshall's brigade in advance. The + parapets were surmounted, the abatis was quickly removed, + and the division prepared to pass over the intervening + ground, and charge through the still smoking ruins to gain + the crest beyond. But here the leading brigade made a + temporary halt; it was said at the time our men suspected a + counter mine, and were themselves shocked by the terrible + scene they had witnessed. It was, however, but momentary; in + less than a quarter of an hour, the entire division was out + of its entrenchments, and was advancing gallantly towards + the enemy's line. The ground was somewhat difficult to cross + over, but the troops pushed steadily on with soldiery + bearing, overcoming all the obstacles before them. They + reached the edge of the crater, passed down into the chasm + and attempted to make their way through the yielding sand, + the broken clay, and the masses of rubbish that were + everywhere about. Many of the enemy's men were lying among + the ruins, half buried, and vainly trying to free + themselves. They called for mercy and for help. The soldiers + stopped to take prisoners, to dig out guns and other + material. Their division commander was not with them, there + was no responsible head, the ranks were broken, the + regimental organizations could not be preserved, and the + troops were becoming confused. The enemy was recovering from + his surprise, our artillery began to receive a spirited + response, the enemy's men went back to their guns; they + gathered on the crest and soon brought to bear upon our + troops a fire in front from the Cemetery Hill, and an + enfilading and cross-fire from their guns in battery. Our + own guns could not altogether silence or overcome this fire + in flank, our men in the crater were checked, felt the + enemy's fire, sought cover, began to entrench. The day was + lost, still heroic men continued to push forward for the + crest, but in passing through the crater few got beyond it. + Regiment after regiment, brigade followed brigade, until the + three white divisions filled the opening and choked the + passage to all. What was a few moments ago organization and + order, was now a disordered mass of armed men. At six + o'clock, General Meade ordered General Burnside to push 'his + men forward, at all hazards, white and black.' His white + troops were all in the crater, and could not get out. As + instructed, he ordered General Ferrero to rush in the + Phalanx; Colonel Loving was near when the order came to + Ferrero; as the senior staff officer present, seeing the + impossibility of the troops to get through the crater, at + that time countermanded the order, and reported in person to + General Burnside, but he had no discretion to exercise, his + duty was simply to repeat Meade's order. The order must be + obeyed; it was repeated; away went the Phalanx division, + loudly cheering, but to what purpose did they advance? The + historian of that valiant corps, presumably more reliable + than any other writer, says: + + "'The colored troops charged forward, cheering with + enthusiasm and gallantry. Colonel J. K. Sigfried, commanding + the first brigade, led the attacking column. The command + moved out in rear of Colonel Humphrey's brigade of the Third + Division. Colonel Sigfried, passing Colonel Humphrey by the + flank, crossed the field immediately in front, went down the + crater, and attempted to go through. The passage was + exceedingly difficult, but after great exertions the brigade + made its way through the crowded masses in a somewhat broken + and disorganized condition, and advanced towards the crest. + The 43rd U. S. Colored troops moved over the lip of the + crater toward the right, made an attack upon the enemy's + line of intrenchments, and won the chief success of the day, + capturing a number of prisoners and rebel colors, and + _re-capturing_ a stand of national colors. The other + regiments of the brigade were unable to get up, on account + of white troops in advance of them crowding the line. The + second brigade, under command of Colonel H. G. Thomas, + followed the first with equal enthusiasm. The men rushed + forward, descended into the crater, and attempted to pass + through. Colonel Thomas' intention was to go to the right + and attack the enemy's rifle-pits. He partially succeeded in + doing so, but his brigade was much broken up when it came + under the enemy's fire. The gallant brigade commander + endeavored, in person, to rally his command, and at last + formed a storming column, of portions of the 29th, 28th, + 23rd, and 19th Regiments of the Phalanx division.' + + "'These troops' made a spirited attack, but lost heavily in + officers and became somewhat disheartened. + Lieutenant-Colonel Bross, of the 29th, with the colors in + his hands, led the charge; was the first man to leap upon + the enemy's works, and was instantly killed. Lieutenant + Pennell seized the colors, but was shot down, riddled + through and through. Major Theodore H. Rockwood, of the + 19th, sprang upon the parapet, and fell while cheering on + his regiment to the attack. The conduct of these officers + and their associates was indeed magnificent. No troops were + ever better lead to an assault; had they been allowed the + advance at the outset, before the enemy had recovered from + his first surprise, their charge would have been successful. + But it was made too late. The fire to which they were + exposed was very hot and destructive; it came from front and + flank, it poured into the faces of the men. It enfiladed + their lines. The enemy's rage against the colored troops had + its bloody opportunity." + +And they made use of it. + +Captain W. L. Fagan, of the 8th Alabama Regiment, thus gives an account +of the fight, from the confederate side: + + "The crater combat, unlike other battles in Virginia, was a + series of deeds of daring, of bloody hand-to-hand fighting, + where the survivor could count with a certainty the men he + had slain. A few days ago a soldier said to me: 'I killed + two at the crater; they were not three feet from me when + they fell. I had followed the fortunes of the Confederacy + from Williamsburg to Appomattox Court House, and had, to the + morning of July 30, only seen two bayonet wounds;--one + received at Frazier's Farm, the other at Turkey Ridge, June + 3, 1864.' Men stood face to face at the crater. Often a + bayonet thrust was given before the Minie ball went crashing + through the body. Every man took care of himself, intent on + selling his life as dearly as possible. The negroes did not + all stampede. They mingled with the white troops. The troops + of Mahone, Wilcox and Wright were greeted with defiant + yells, while their ranks were mowed down by withering fires. + Many officers commanding negro troops held their commissions + for bravery. Encouraged, threatened, emulating the white + troops, the black men fought with desperation. Some + Confederate soldiers recognized their slaves at the crater. + Captain J----, of the Forty-first Virginia, gave the + military salute to 'Ben' and 'Bob,' whom he had left hoeing + corn down in Dinwiddie. If White's Division had occupied + Reservoir Hill, Richmond would have been evacuated." + +But let the writer of the following tell what the brave black men met +after having advanced beyond the crater, where they grappled with the +sullen foe filled with the recollection of the capture, in June, of +their works, guns and comrades by the "niggers" of the 18th Corps. It +was not _lex talionis_ that they observed, but a repetition of the Fort +Pillow Massacre. Under the head of "The Confederate Charge," the +particulars are given: + + "The Federals now held the crater and the inner line. + Generals Lee and Mahone arrived on the field about 7:30 A. + M. A ravine, which deepened on our right, ran parallel with + this inner line and was used by Mahone in which to form his + brigade when preparing to attack. At 8 A. M. Mahone's + Brigade, commanded by Colonel D. A. Weisiger, brought from + the right of Hoke's Division, was formed in this ravine and + advanced to the assault. The Federals, concentrating a + terrific fire of musketry and artillery, ploughed out great + gaps in these fearless Virginians. Nothing daunted, they + pressed forward and recaptured the inner line. The loss of + this brigade was heavy, both in men and officers, more than + two hundred Virginians falling between the ravine and the + captured works. The Federal troops, white and colored, + fought with a desperation never witnessed on former + battle-fields. The negroes, it is said, cried 'No quarter.' + Mahone and Wright's Brigades took only twenty-nine of them + prisoners. The Federals still held the crater and part of + the line. Another charge was necessary and Wright's Georgia + Brigade was ordered up from Anderson's Division. Wright's + Brigade, forming in the ravine, moved forward to drive the + Federals from the line they still held. The enemy, expecting + their attack, poured a volley into the Georgians that + decimated their ranks, killing and wounding nearly every + field officer in the brigade. The men rushing forward, + breasting a storm of lead and iron, failed to oblique far + enough to the right to recapture the whole line, but gained + the line occupied by and contiguous to the line already + captured by Weisiger, commanding Mahone's Brigade. Mahone's + Brigade and Wright's Brigade had captured forty-two + officers, three hundred and ninety men and twenty-nine + negroes. + + "It was now about 10 A. M. General Grant made no effort to + reinforce his line or to dislodge Wright and Mahone from the + positions they held. A courier dashed up to General J. C. C. + Sanders, commanding Wilcox's Brigade, informing him that his + brigade was wanted. The men were expecting this courier, as + they were next in line, and they distinctly heard the shouts + of Mahone's and Wright's men, followed by the heavy + artillery firing, while the word had passed down the line + that the salient had not been recaptured. General Sanders + moved his brigade, consisting of the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, + Eleventh and Fourteenth Alabama Regiments, to the left and + occupied the ravine. There was no shade or water in this + ravine, while the men were exposed nearly four hours to a + scorching sun. The heat was almost beyond human endurance. + Strong men fainted and were carried to the rear. The waves + of hot air at times were almost suffocating. For the first + and only time the men were told what was expected of them. + General Saunders explained the situation to the officers of + the regiments. Each captain spoke to his men, urging them to + retake the salient, or Petersburg and Richmond must be + evacuated. The men were ordered to fix their bayonets + securely, to trail arms--not to fire, not to yell, but to + move quietly up the side of the ravine, and then, every man + run for his life to the breastworks. They were told that + Generals Lee, Beauregard, Hill, Mahone, Hoke and every + general officer of the army would watch them as they moved + forward. + + "At 1:30 P. M. the firing had almost ceased and the + Federals, overcome with heat, did not expect an attack. + Saunders formed his brigade and moved quietly up the side of + the ravine. Hardly a word was spoken, for the Alabamians + expected to die or retake that salient. The eye of General + Lee was fixed on them. When they caught sight of the works + their old feelings came back to them and yell they must. + With the fury of a whirlwind they rushed upon the line they + had been ordered to take. The movement was so unexpected and + so quickly executed that only one shell was thrown into the + brigade. The works gained, they found the enemy on the other + side. It was stated that Lee, speaking to Beauregard, said: + 'Splendid!' Beauregard spoke with enthusiasm of the + brilliant charge. + + "In an instant the Federal army was aroused, and batteries + opened along the whole line, while the infantry fire was a + continuous roar. Only a breastwork divided Wilcox's Brigade + from the Federals. A moment was required for Saunders to + reform, and his brigade mounted the inner line and forced + the enemy backwards to the outer line and the crater. The + crater was full of white and negro soldiers. The + Confederates, surrounding it on every side, poured volley + after volley into this heaped-up mass of terrified negroes + and their brave officers. The negroes ran in every direction + and were shot down without a thought. Bayonets, swords and + the butts of muskets were used. The deafening roar of + artillery and musketry, the yells and imprecations of the + combatants, drowned the commands of officers. A negro in the + crater attempted to raise a white flag, and it was instantly + pulled down by a Federal officer. The Federal colors were + planted on a huge lump of dirt, and waved until Sergeant + Wallace, of the Eleventh Alabama, followed by others, seized + them and tore them from the staff. Instantly a white flag + was raised, and the living, who were not many, surrendered. + The crater was won." + +With the exception of General Burnside, no commander of the Army of the +Potomac was in favor of the Phalanx participating in a battle. What, +then, had the Phalanx to expect of those to whom they had borne the +relation of _slave_? The confederates had a right to expect hard +fighting when they met the Phalanx, and the Phalanx knew they had to +fight hard when they met the confederates. It was the previous +associations and habits of the negro that kept him from retaliating for +the several massacres that had been perpetrated upon his +brother-soldiers. It was not for a want of courage to do it: it was only +necessary for those who commanded them to have ordered it, and they +would never have taken a confederate prisoner. + +Many of those who commanded them needed but public opinion to sustain +them, to give such an order as would have made every battle between the +Phalanx and the confederates bloody and inhuman. It was but the +enlightened sentiment of the North, the religious teaching of the +brotherhood of man, the high character and moral training of the +statesmen on the side of the Union, that restrained the Phalanx from +retaliation, else they possessed none of the characteristics of a +courageous, sensitive and high tempered people. The negro is not +naturally docile; his surroundings, rather than his nature, have given +him the trait; it is not naturally his, but something which his trainers +have given him; and it is not a difficult task to untrain him and +advance him beyond his apparent unconsciousness of self-duty and +self-preservation. Let him feel that he is to be supported in any +transaction uncommon to him, and he can act as aggressively as any race +of men who are naturally quicker in temperament. It is this +characteristic that made the negro what General Grant said he was: in +discipline a better soldier than the white man. It was said that he +would not fight: there is no man in the South who met him on the +battle-field that will say so now. + +These are a few of the thoughts that came to me as I listened for an +hour, one evening in June, 1883, to the confederate Gen. Mahone, whose +acquaintance the writer enjoys, reciting the story of the fight at the +crater, where the negro met the confederate, and in a hand-to-hand +struggle one showed as much brute courage as the other. It would not be +doing the negro justice to accord him less, and yet that courage never +led him to acts of inhumanity. It is preferable that the confederates +themselves should tell the stories of their butcheries than for me to +attempt them. Not the stories told at the time, but fifteen years +afterward, when men could reflect and write more correctly. There is +one, an orator, who has described the fight, whose reference to the +crater so gladdened the hearts of his audience that they reproduced the +"yell," and yelled themselves hoarse. No battle fought during the war, +not even that of Bull Run, elicited so much comment and glorification +among the confederates as that of the crater. It was the bloodiest fight +on the soil of the Old Dominion, and has been the subject of praise by +poets and orators upon the confederate side. Capt. J. B. Hope eulogized +"Mahone's brigade" in true Southern verse. Capt. McCabe, on the 1st of +November, 1876, in his oration before the "Association of the Army of +Northern Virginia," in narrating the recapture of the works, said: + + "It was now 8 o'clock in the morning. The rest of Potter's + (Federal) division moved out slowly, when Ferrero's negro + division, the men, beyond question, inflamed with drink, + (there are many officers and men, myself among the number, + who will testify to this), burst from the advanced lines, + cheering vehemently, passed at a double quick over a crest + under a heavy fire, and rushed with scarcely a check over + the heads of the white troops in the crater, spread to their + right, and captured more than two hundred prisoners and one + stand of colors. At the same time Turner, of the Tenth + corps, pushed forward a brigade over the Ninth Corps' + parapet, seized the Confederate line still further to the + north, and quickly dispersed the remaining brigades of his + division to confirm his successes." + +The truth is over-reached in the statement of this orator if he intended +to convey the idea that the men of the Phalanx division were drunk from +strong drink; but it may be looked upon as an excuse offered for the +treatment the courageous negro soldiers received at the hands of their +captors, who, worse than enraged by strong drink, gave the battle-cry on +their way to the front, "_No quarter to niggers!_" This has been +admitted by those in a position, at the time, to know what went on. In +his "Recollections of the Recapture of the Lines," Colonel Stewart of +the 61st Virginia Regiment, says: + + "When nearly opposite the portions of our works held by the + Federal troops, we met several soldiers who were in the + works at the time of the explosion. Our men began ridiculing + them for going to the rear, when one of them remarked, 'Ah, + boys, you have got hot work ahead,--they are negroes, and + show no quarter.' This was the first intimation we had that + we were to fight negro troops, and it seemed to _infuse_ the + little band with impetuous daring, as they pressed toward + the fray. I never felt more like fighting in my life. Our + comrades had been slaughtered in a most inhuman and brutal + manner, and slaves were trampling over their mangled and + bleeding corpses. Revenge must have fired every heart, and + strung every arm with nerves of steel, for the herculean + task of blood." + +On the Monday morning after the assault of Saturday, the Richmond +_Enquirer_ said: + + "Grant's war cry of 'no quarter' shouted by his negro + soldiers, was returned with interest, we regret to hear, not + so heavily as ought to have been, since some negroes were + captured instead of being shot. Let every salient we are + called upon to defend, be a Fort Pillow, and butcher every + negro that Grant hurls against our brave troops, and permit + them not to soil their hands, with the capture of one + negro." + +There is no truth in the statement. No such cry was ever made by negro +soldiers; and when it is remembered that the confederate congress, in +four short months after this declaration, began arming slaves for the +defense of Richmond, it is readily seen how deep and with what sincerity +such declarations were made. The Southern historian Pollard thus +describes the situation after the assault and the ground had again come +into the possession of the confederates: + +[ILLUSTRATION: BEFORE PETERSBURG. + +Phalanx soldiers, under a flag of truce, burying their dead after one of +the terrible battles before Petersburg.] + + "The ground all around was dotted with the fallen, while the + sides and bottom of the crater were literally lined with + dead, the bodies lying in every conceivable position. Some + had evidently been killed with the butts of muskets, as + their crushed skulls and badly smashed faces too plainly + indicated.' Within this crater--this hole of forty by eighty + feet--were lying one hundred and thirty-six dead soldiers, + besides the wounded. The soil was literally saturated with + blood. General Bartlett was here, with his steel leg broken. + He did not look as though he had been at a 'diamond + wedding,' but was present at a 'dance of death.' A covered + way for artillery was so full of dead that details were made + to throw them out, that artillery might be brought in. The + dead bodies formed a heap on each side. The Alabamians + captured thirty-four officers, five hundred and thirty-six + white and one hundred and thirty-nine colored soldiers. The + three brigades had seventeen stands of colors, held by + seventeen as brave, sweaty, dirty, powder-stained fellows as + ever wore the gray, who knew that, when presenting their + colors to division headquarters, to each a furlough of + thirty days would be granted. + + "The crater was filled with wounded, to whom our men gave + water. Adjutant Morgan Cleveland, of the 8th Alabama + Regiment, assisted a federal captain who was mortally + wounded and suffering intensely. Near him lay a burly, + wounded negro. The officer said he would die. The negro, + raising himself on his elbow, cried out: 'Thank God. You + killed my brother when we charged, because he was afraid and + ran. Now the rebels have killed you.' Death soon ended the + suffering of one and the hatred of the other. A darkness + came down on the battle-field and the victors began to + repair the salient. The crater was cleared of the dead and + wounded. Men were found buried ten feet under the dirt. + Twenty-two of the artillery company were missing. Four + hundred and ninety-eight dead and wounded confederates were + buried or sent to the hospitals. Between the lines lay + hundreds of wounded federals, who vainly called for water. + These men had been without water since early morning. Some + calling louder than others, their voices were recognized, + and as their cries grew fainter, we knew their lives were + ebbing away. Our men, risking their lives, carried water to + some. + + "I find in my diary these lines: 'Sunday, July 31, 1864. + Everything comparatively quiet along the lines. Hundreds of + federal soldiers are lying in front of the crater exposed to + a scorching sun; some are crying for water. The enemy's fire + is too heavy for a soldier to expose himself.' Late on + Sunday evening a flag of truce was sent in and forwarded to + General Lee. General Grant had asked permission to bury his + dead and remove his wounded. The truce was granted, to begin + on Monday at 5 A. M. and conclude at 9 A. M. Punctual to the + hour the federal details came on the field and by 9 A. M. + had buried about three hundred. The work was hardly begun + and the truce was extended. Hour after hour was granted + until it was evening before the field was cleared." + +With these selections from the mass of confederate testimony before us, +of their "daring, bloody work," given by participants, it is well to +read some of the statements of those who battled for the Union on that +occasion. + +Many of the correspondents at the seat of war, ignorant of the real +facts regarding the assault, attributed the failure, not to General +Meade's interference with General Burnside's plan, but to the Phalanx +division, the men who bore the brunt of the battle and gained for +themselves a fame for desperate fighting. But some of those who _were_ +acquainted with the facts have left records that tell the true story and +give honor to whom honor is due. Gen. Grant is among the number; he +perfectly understood the whole matter, knew that General Burnside, not +being allowed to carry out his own plans, but at the last moment +compelled to act contrary to his judgment, could not fight with that +enthusiasm and confidence that he would have done had he been allowed to +carry out his own ideas. In his "Memoirs," General Grant gives an +account of the explosion of the mine and the assault after placing the +blame for the "stupendous failure" where it belongs. I quote a few +preliminary words which not only intimate where the trouble lies, but +gives the key to the whole matter. Speaking of General Burnside's +command, he says: + + "The four divisions of his corps were commanded by Generals + Potter, Wilcox, Ledlie and Ferrero. The last was a colored + division; and Burnside selected it to make the assault. + Meade interfered with this. Burnside then took Ledlie's + division--a worse selection than the first could have been. + * * * * Ledlie, besides being otherwise inefficient, proved + also to possess disqualifications less common among + soldiers." + +A correspondent of the New York _Evening Post_ says: + + "We have been continually notified for the last fortnight, + that our sappers were mining the enemy's position. As soon + as ready, our division was to storm the works on its + explosion. This rumor had spread so wide we had no faith in + it. On the night of the 29th, we were in a position on the + extreme left. We were drawn in about nine P. M., and marched + to General Burnside's headquarters, and closed in mass by + division, left in front. We there received official notice + that the long-looked-for mine was ready charged, and would + be fired at daylight next morning. The plan of storming was + as follows: One division of white troops was to charge the + works immediately after the explosion, and carry the first + and second lines of rebel intrenchments. Our division was to + follow immediately, and push right into Petersburg, take the + city, and be supported by the remainder of the Ninth and + Twenty-eighth corps. We were up bright and early, ready and + eager for the struggle to commence. I had been wishing for + something of this sort to do for some time, to gain the + respect of the Army of the Potomac. You know their former + prejudices. At thirty minutes after five, the ball opened. + The mine, with some fifty pieces of artillery, went off + almost instantaneously; at the same time, the white troops, + according to the plan, charged the fort, which they carried, + for there was nothing to oppose them; but they did not + succeed in carrying either of the lines of intrenchments. + + "We were held in rear until the development of the movement + of the white troops; but, on seeing the disaster which was + about to occur, we pushed in by the flank (for we could go + in in no other way to allow us to get in position); so you + see on this failure we had nothing to do but gain by the + flank. A charge in that manner has never proved successful, + to my knowledge; when it does, it is a surprise. + + "Our men went forward with enthusiasm equal to anything + under different circumstances; but, in going through the + fort that had been blown up, the passage was almost impeded + by obstacles thrown up by the explosion. At the same time, + we were receiving a most deadly cross-fire from both flanks. + At this time, our lieutenant-colonel (E. W. Ross) fell, shot + through the left leg, bravely leading the men. I immediately + assumed command, but only to hold it a few minutes, when I + fell, struck by a piece of shell in the side. Capt. + Robinson, from Connecticut, then took command; and, from all + we can learn, he was killed. At this time, our first charge + was somewhat checked, and the men sought cover in the works. + Again our charge was made, but, like the former, + unsuccessful. This was followed by the enemy making a + charge. Seeing the unorganized condition and the great loss + of officers, the men fell back to our own works. Yet a large + number still held the fort until two P. M., when the enemy + charged again, and carried it. That ended the great attempt + to take Petersburg. + + "It will be thus seen that the colored troops did not + compose the first assaulting, but the supporting column; and + they were not ordered forward until white troops in greater + numbers had made a desperate effort to carry the rebel + works, and had failed. Then the colored troops were sent in; + moved over the broken ground, and up the slope, and within a + short distance of the parapet, in order, and with steady + courage; but finally broke and retreated under the same fire + which just before had sent a whole division of white + regiments to the right-about. If there be any disgrace in + that, it does not belong exclusively nor mainly to the + negroes. A second attack is far more perilous and unlikely + to succeed than a first; the enemy having been encouraged by + the failure of the first, and had time to concentrate his + forces. And, in this case, there seems to have been a fatal + delay in ordering both the first and second assault." + +An officer in the same engagement says: + + "In regard to the bravery of the colored troops, although I + have been in upwards of twenty battles, I never saw so many + cases of gallantry. The 'crater,' where we were halted, was + a perfect slaughter-pen. Had not 'some one blundered,' but + moved us up at daylight, instead of eight o'clock, we should + have been crowned with success, instead of being cut to + pieces by a terrific enfilading fire, and finally forced + from the field in a panic. We had no trouble in rallying the + troops and moving them into the rifle-pits; and, in one hour + after the rout I had nearly as many men together as were + left unhurt. + + "I was never under such a terrific fire, and can hardly + realize how any escaped alive. Our loss was heavy. In the + Twenty-eighth (colored) for instance, commanded by + Lieut.-Col. Russell (a Bostonian), he lost seven officers + out of eleven, and ninety-one men out of two hundred and + twenty-four; and the colonel himself was knocked over + senseless, for a few minutes, by a slight wound in the head; + both his color-sergeants and all his color-guard were + killed. Col. Bross, of the Twenty-ninth, was killed + outright, and nearly every one of his officers hit. This was + nearly equal to Bunker Hill. Col. Ross, of the Thirty-first, + lost his leg. The Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth + (colored), all charged over the works; climbing up an + earthwork six feet high, then down into a ditch, and up on + the other side, all the time under the severest fire in + front and flank. Not being supported, of course the storming + party fell back. I have seen white troops run faster than + these blacks did, when in not half so tight a place. Our + brigade lost thirty-six prisoners, all cut off after leaving + the 'crater.' My faith in colored troops is not abated one + jot.'" + +The Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War investigated the +affair, before which General Grant testified. He was severe upon General +Ledlie, whom he regarded as an inefficient officer; he blamed himself +for allowing that officer to lead the assault. General Grant also +testified: + + "General Burnside wanted to put his colored division in + front; I believe if he had done so it would have been a + success." + +On the morning of the 13th of August, 1864, a brigade of the Phalanx, +consisting of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 29th Regiments, crossed from Bermuda +Hundreds to the north side of the James river, on pontoons, near Jones' +landing, and bivouacked for the night. General Grant was led to believe +that General Lee had sent a portion of his troops, at least three +divisions of infantry, and one of cavalry, from the front of Petersburg, +to re-enforce Gen. Early, then operating in the valley. Consequently he +thought it a favorable opportunity to threaten Richmond, and ordered +Hancock with the 2nd, and Birney with a part of the 10th Corps, with +Gregg's Cavalry, to attack the confederate works on the north side of +the James. The object was two-fold: to prevent Lee from re-enforcing +Early, confronted by Sheridan's troops; and likewise to drive the +confederates from out their works. The troops crossed the James on the +13th, the 2d Corps going to Deep Bottom by transports, the other troops +crossing the river by pontoons, and advancing, found the enemy in force. +Several spirited engagements took place, after which the main forces +withdrew again across the river, to the front of Petersburg. The +following account applies to the brigade as well as the 7th Phalanx +Regiment, from whose record it is extracted: + + "During the forenoon of the 14th the (7th) Regiment acted as + reserve, moving forward occasionally as the line advanced. + Most of the work of the day was done to the right, little + being done in the immediate front except skirmishing. About + 5 P. M. a portion of the Seventh and Ninth, forming line in + the edge of some timber, moved across an open field and + charged upon reaching the farther side and captured the + enemy's line of rifle-pits. The companies of the Seventh + pushed on some distance further toward their second line, + but were met with so severe a fire that they fell back to + the captured line; which was held. This charge, known as the + action of Kingsland Road, was made in fine style. The + battalion of the Seventh was commanded by Capt. Weiss--Col. + Shaw having been detailed as Corps Officer of the day, and + Lieut.-Col. Haskell being temporarily in command of the + brigade. Our losses were two men killed, and one officer + (Lieut. Eler) and thirty-two men wounded. + + "About 10 o'clock P. M., the troops moved down the road to + the right, and at 1 o'clock Col. Shaw withdrew the pickets + of the corps, re-crossed the pontoons, where we had crossed + in the morning, and moved down the neck. Then followed four + hours of the most wearisome night-marching--moving a few + rods at a time and then halting for troops ahead to get out + of the way; losing sight of them and hurrying forward to + catch up; straggling out into the darkness, stumbling and + groping along the rough road, and all the time the rain + coming down in a most provoking, exasperating drizzle. About + daylight crossed back to the north side and halted for + coffee, and then moved forward some four miles and rejoined + the corps, taking position behind the crest of a hill. The + Eighth and Twenty-ninth were left in a work on the hill. + + "About 3:30 P. M. orders came to pile knapsacks and be ready + to march immediately. A little after 4 o'clock the brigade + moved to the right, some three-quarters of a mile, into an + open cornfield, and, after halting a few moments, turned + down a road through the woods to the left with Gen. Wm. + Birney, who ordered Col. Shaw to throw out skirmishers and + advance with his brigade down a road which he pointed out, + find the enemy and attack vigorously, and then rode away. + Finding the road turning to the left, Col. Shaw sent word to + Gen. Birney that the designated road would probably bring + him back on our own line. The order came back from Gen. + Birney to go ahead. The road still bearing to the left, word + was again sent that we should strike our own line if we + continued to advance in the direction we were going. A + second time the answer came to move on. A third messenger + having brought from Gen. Birney the same reply, Col. Shaw + decided to disobey the order and call in the skirmishers. + Before it could be done firing commenced and continued + briskly for several minutes, before the men recognized each + other, and it was discovered that we had been firing into + our own Second Brigade--Col. Osborn's. This sad affair, + which would not have occurred had Col Shaw's caution been + heeded, resulted in the killing of the lieutenant commanding + the picket-line and the wounding of many men on both sides. + After this _fiasco_ the brigade moved out into the + cornfield, where it had halted earlier in the day, and + bivouacked for the night. The regiment had been more or less + exposed all day to shell-fire, but lost from it only four or + five men wounded, in addition to the ten or twelve men + wounded in the skirmish with Osborn's brigade. + + "Early on the morning of the 16th, the regiment marched back + to its knapsacks and halted for breakfast. About 10 o'clock + it was ordered out to support two batteries, and remained on + this duty until 3 P. M., changing position frequently, in + the meantime Gen. Terry, with the First Division of the + Tenth Corps, had charged the rebel line, near Fuzzel's + mills, and captured it, together with three colors and some + three hundred prisoners. But the enemy rallied, and with + reinforcements, soon compelled Gen. Terry to relinquish the + captured line. About dark Gen. Wm. Birney came up, and + taking the left wing of the Seventh--the right wing, under + Col. Shaw, was in support of a battery--and two companies of + the Ninth, placed them under command of Lieut.-Col. Haskell, + and ordered him with this handful of men to take an + earthwork in his front which a division a short time before + had failed to carry. The timely arrival of Gen. Terry put an + end to this mad scheme. The regiment lost during the day + eight or ten men wounded. + + "The general results of the day's fighting had been + unsatisfactory, for not only had Terry's attack failed in + its object, but the advance on the right, along the Charles + City road, by the troops of the Second Corps and Gregg's + cavalry division, had been equally unsuccessful. The rebel + General Chambliss was among the killed. + + "About 2:30 A. M. of the 17th, the left wing of the regiment + was sent back to a line of rifle-pits that had been thrown + up some two hundred yards to the rear, where it was joined + by the right wing in the morning after breakfast. + Picket-firing continued during the day and heavy artillery + firing was heard in the direction of Petersburg. At 4 P. M. + a flag of truce was sent out and two hours given to bring in + the dead from between the lines. Gen. Chambliss' body was + delivered, and we received that of Capt. Williams, of the + Thirty-ninth Illinois. Early in the evening the regiment was + ordered on picket. Considerable picket-firing occurred + during the night and day, the men being with difficulty + restrained from it. We were relieved about noon of the 18th + by the One Hundred and Fifteenth New York and Seventy-sixth + Pennsylvania. * * * + + "Early in the morning the Eighth and the Twenty-ninth + Connecticut rejoined the regiment, and after the regiment + was relieved from picket, it, with the Twenty-ninth, fell + back a quarter of a mile, leaving the Eighth and Ninth on + the line. Rations having been drawn, the men got supper and + prepared for a good night's sleep. Suddenly a heavy musketry + fire broke out toward the left which rapidly extended to the + right and the entire line was soon under fire. The regiment + moved forward at double-quick, but by the time it reached + the front and formed line, darkness set in and the enemy + fell back. About 11 P. M. our forces were withdrawn, and, + after several hours spent in marching and halting, the + regiment went into camp two miles from the pontoons. Here it + lay all day of the 19th. The following congratulatory order + was received from corps headquarters, in which the brigade + was spoken of in very flattering terms by Maj.-Gen. D. B. + Birney, commanding: + + "'HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, + FUZZEL'S MILLS, VA., August 19, 1864. + + "'_General Orders._--The Major-General commanding + congratulates the Tenth Army Corps upon its success. It has, + on each occasion, when ordered, broken the enemy's strong + lines. It has captured during this short campaign four siege + guns protected by formidable works, six colors and many + prisoners. It has proved itself worthy of its old Wagner and + Fort Sumter renown. + + "'Much fatigue, patience and heroism, may still be demanded + of it, but the Major-General commanding is confident of the + response. To the colored troops, recently added to us, and + fighting with us, the Major-General tenders his thanks for + their uniform good conduct and soldierly bearing. They have + set a good example to our veterans, by the entire absence of + straggling from their ranks on the march. + + "'By order of Maj.-Gen. D. B. BIRNEY. + + "'E.W. SMITH, + _Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General._' + + "The special correspondent of the New York _Tribune_ said: + + "'Gen. Butler, in a dispatch to the Tenth Corps, on + receiving official report of its work, said: 'All honor to + the brave Tenth Corps; you have done more than was expected + of you by the Lieutenant-General.' + + "'The loss in the four colored regiments is about three + hundred. The Seventh U. S. C. T. on the first day, carried, + with fixed bayonets, a line of rifle-pits, and carried it + without a shot, but with a loss of 35. It was one of the + most stirring and gallant affairs I have ever known'. + + "It began to rain in the afternoon and continued during the + night and until nearly noon of the following day, 20th. + During the afternoon of the 20th, orders were received to + send all sick to the rear and be ready to withdraw quietly + at dark. The movement began at 7 P. M., both the Second and + Tenth Corps participating--the Second Corps and the cavalry + returning to the Petersburg line, and the Tenth to the + Bermuda Hundred front. The night was dark and the roads + muddy, and after various delays the pontoons were crossed; + and at 2 A. M., the regiment went into camp near the spot it + occupied the first night after its arrival in Virginia. + + "An amusing incident occurred when we halted, after crossing + the river. When the fires were lighted our line presented + the appearance of a checker-board--alternate black and white + men. The latter belonged to the Second Corps, and having + straggled from their commands, and belonging to regiments + with the same numbers, had fallen into our solid ranks by + mistake. Their astonishment and our amusement were about + equal. Capt. Walker, having been asked if his men were all + present, replied: 'Yes, and about twenty recruits.' + + "Thus ended a very hard week's work, during which the + regiment was almost constantly under fire; marching, + counter-marching, supporting a battery here or strengthening + the line there--duties which required almost constant + wakefulness and watchfulness. The losses of the brigade + footed up some two hundred and fifty. + + "This movement, which had begun on the 12th by the + withdrawal of the Second Corps, Gen. Hancock, and Gregg's + cavalry division, from the Petersburg front to the north + bank of the James, to act in conjunction with the Tenth + Corps in an attempt to turn the left of the rebel line, + proved as abortive as the similar attempt made by the same + corps in the latter part of June; Gen. Lee, in both + instances, seeming to have received timely information of + our plans to enable him to transfer re-enforcements from the + Petersburg to the Richmond front. The Union losses during + the movement have been estimated at five thousand. + + "Sunday, the 21st, was a day of rest. The men put up shelter + tents and made themselves as comfortable as circumstances + would allow. Gen. Birney resumed command of the brigade and + Col. Shaw returned to the regiment. About 6 P. M. orders + came to be ready to move during the night with one day's + rations. Moved out of camp at 2 A. M., 22nd, and reported at + Maj.-Gen. Birney's headquarters, where, after remaining a + short time, the regiment returned to camp. About 8 P. M. + orders were received to pack everything, and at 5 the + regiment marched to the front and went into the trenches + near Battery Walker, (No. 7), relieving a regiment of + hundred-days' men, whose time had expired. + + "The 23d passed quietly. Tents were pitched, and in the + evening a dress-parade was held. Lieut. Mack returned to + duty from absent sick. + + "Line was formed at dawn on the 24th, and again about + noon--rapid picket-firing in each instance rendering an + attack probable. + + "About daybreak on the 25th, the enemy attacked toward the + left, drove in our pickets--Capts. Weld and Thayer in + command--but were checked before reaching the main line. The + regiment was placed in support of Battery England (No. 5). + Two men were wounded. + + "Some changes in the division here took place--the + Twenty-ninth Connecticut was transferred to another brigade, + and the Tenth U. S. C. T. to ours, and Col. Duncan was + placed in command. + + "About noon (25th) packed up everything, crossed the + Appomattox, and after a fatiguing march through the heat and + dust, reached the Petersburg front a little before sunset + and halted for orders. Soon after dark moved to the left in + a heavy rain squall, and lay down on a hillside as reserve + to the troops in the trenches. At 11 P. M. ordered to report + to Gen. Terry. Marched back a mile and reported. Another + mile's march in another direction brought the regiment, + about 1 A. M., to its position, where it lay down in the + woods, again as a reserve. A rattling fire of musketry was + kept up all night. + + "On the 26th, a camp was selected and had been partially + cleared up, when orders were received for the regiment to go + into the trenches. Reported at brigade headquarters at + sunset, and soon afterward, through the mud and darkness, + the men silently felt their way into the trenches, which the + rain had reduced to the condition of a quagmire. It was a + slow process, and 10 o'clock came before all were in their + places. + + "During the following day (27th,) the parapet was raised and + paths made through the muddier portions of the trenches. + Soon after dark a furious cannonade began which lasted for + several hours, and afforded to the spectators on both sides + a brilliant pyrotechnic display. + + "Just after daybreak on the 28th, the enemy opened a heavy + musketry fire which lasted until after sunrise. He did not + leave his works, however, and our men remained stationary. A + man of Company B, while watching for a shot through a + section of stove-pipe, which he had improvised into a + port-hole, was struck and killed by a sharpshooter's bullet. + + "Soon after midnight on the 28th-29th, the regiment moved + out of the trenches, and after daylight marched a quarter of + a mile to the right and rear and went into camp in a + cornfield. The men were at once put to work constructing + bomb-proofs, as the position was within sight and range of + the enemy's line. This occupied the entire day. + + "Brig.-Gen. Birney's arrangement of the brigade did not seem + to have given satisfaction to higher authority, and it was + broken up, and the old brigade--Seventh, Eighth, Ninth U. S. + C. T., and Twenty-ninth Connecticut--were again united, with + Col. Shaw in command. + + "From this time until the 24th of September, the Seventh and + Eighth alternated with the Ninth and Twenty-ninth for duty + in the trenches--two days in and two out; and on the 'off' + days furnishing details of officers and men for fatigue + purposes, in constructing new works and strengthening old + ones. The main lines at this point were scarcely over a + hundred yards apart, while from the advanced posts a stone + could almost be thrown into the enemy's works, and it was + considered the most disagreeable portion of the line. + + "During the evening of the 4th of September, there was a + grand salute along the whole line, in honor of the fall of + Atlanta. At every battery the men stood at the guns, and + when the monster mortar--"The Petersburg Express"--gave the + expected signal, every lanyard was pulled. The effect was + exceedingly grand. + + "At 9 o'clock on the morning of the 5th, the regiment met + with an irreparable loss in the death of Capt. A. R. Walker. + Capt. Walker, who was at the time in the trenches, had + raised his head above the parapet to observe the enemy's + movements, when he was struck in the head by a bullet, and + fell without speaking against the parapet. He was carried + back and laid upon the ground in rear of the trench, but all + efforts failed to elicit any token of recognition. He + breathed for a few moments and life was extinct. His body + was sent to the rear the same afternoon under charge of + Lieut. Teeple, upon whom the command of his company + devolved, who made the necessary arrangements for having it + embalmed and forwarded to his friends at Caledonia, New + York. + + * * * * + + "On the 14th Col. Howell, who was commanding the division in + the absence of Gen. Birney, who was absent sick, died of + injuries received from a fall from his horse, and the + command of the division devolved upon Col. Pond. Col. Howell + was highly esteemed, and was a thorough gentleman and a good + officer. + + "On the 17th, Sergt. Wilson, Company F, color-sergeant, was + reduced to the ranks for cowardice, and Sergt. Griffin, + Company B, appointed in his place. + + "On the 21st, Capt. Thayer resigned. + + "On the 22d, Gen. Birney returned and resumed command of the + brigade; the division having been temporarily broken up by + the withdrawal of troops, and Col. Shaw returned to the + regiment. + + "On the 23d, companies B and C were detailed to garrison + Fort Steadman. + + "On the evening of the 24th, the regiment was relieved from + duty in the trenches by the Sixty-ninth New York, and moving + about two miles to the rear, went into camp with the + remainder of the brigade--some four miles from City Point. + Here regular drills and parades were resumed. + + "At 3 P. M. on the 28th, camp was broken, and an hour later + the brigade followed the two divisions of the corps on the + road toward Bermuda Hundred. A tedious night-march followed, + during which the north side of the James was reached by way + of Broadway and Jones' landings. After an hour or two of + rest on the morning of the 29th, the brigade moved forward + as a support to the First Division (Paine's), the First + Brigade of which, under Col. Duncan, charged and carried the + enemy's works on Signal-Hill, on the New Market road, beyond + the line of works taken by the Seventh and Ninth on the 14th + of August.[32] [See foot-note next page.] * * * The + Eighteenth Corps at the same time charged and carried Fort + Harrison and a long line of rebel works. Soon after noon, + while the brigade, which had been moving by the flank down + the New Market road, had halted in the road, orders came to + form column of regiments, faced to the left, in the woods. + Scarcely had this been done when Gen. Wm. Birney, commanding + brigade, rode up to the right of the column and ordered the + Seventh to move off by the right flank. As it was crossing + the Mill road, Col. Shaw reached the head of the line and + received from him the order to "form on the right by file + into line, and charge and take the work that is firing," and + adding, "if that work is taken when you reach it, push right + on and take the next _before Gen. Foster can get there_." In + the meantime the Ninth had charged a work on the right and + had been repulsed, and the commanding officer of the Eighth + had been ordered to send four companies deployed as + skirmishers to take the work to the left, but when Major + Wagner found how strong it was he halted his line and + remained in advance as skirmishers. As the regiment was + forming for the charge, behind the crest of a knoll, Capt. + Bailey, Gen. Birney's Adjutant-General, rode up to Col. Shaw + with the order to send four companies deployed as + skirmishers to 'attack and take the work that is firing.' + Col. Shaw replied that he had orders to charge it with his + regiment, to which Capt. Bailey answered, 'well, _now_ the + General directs you to send four companies, deployed as + skirmishers, to take the work.' Lieut.-Col. Haskell, being + absent on leave, and Maj. Mayer sick, companies C, D, G and + K were placed under command of Capt. Weiss, who, when he + received the order to charge, replied, 'what! take a fort + with a skirmish line?' and then added, 'I will try, but it + can't be done.' What followed can best be described by + quoting his own words: + + "Captain Weiss says: 'I at once, about 1 P. M., ordered the + four companies on the right of the regiment, C, D, G and K, + twenty-five or thirty paces to the front, where a slight + depression in the ground secured them from the eyes, if not + the projectiles, of the enemy. After being deployed by the + flank on the right of the second company from the right, the + command advanced in ordinary quick step against the + objective point. Emerging from the swale into view, it + became at once the target for a seemingly redoubled fire, + not only from the fort in front, but also from the one on + _its_ right. The fire of the latter had been reported + silenced, but instead, from its position to the left + oblique, it proved even more destructive than that of the + one in front. + + "'Both forts were most advantageously situated for defense, + at the extremity of a plain, variously estimated at from 500 + to 700 yards wide, whose dead level surface afforded at no + point shelter from view or shot to an assailing party. The + forts were connected by a curtain of rifle-pits containing a + re-entrant angle, thus providing for a reciprocal enfilading + fire in case either was attacked. + + "'The nature of the ground and the small altitude of the + ordnance above the level of the plain also made the fire in + the nature of a ricochet. + + "'As the party advanced the enemy's shell and schrapnel were + exchanged for grape and cannister, followed soon by a lively + rattle of musketry. When within range of the latter, and + after having traversed about three-fourths of the distance, + the order to charge was given and obeyed with an alacrity + that seemed to make the execution almost precede the order. + For a moment, judging from the slacking of their fire, the + enemy seemed to be affected by a panicky astonishment, but + soon recovering, they opened again with cannister and + musketry, which, at the shorter range, tore through the + ranks with deadlier effect. Capt. Smith and Lieut. Prime, + both of Company G, here fell grievously wounded, while forty + or fifty enlisted-men dotted the plain with their prostrate + forms. + + "'In a few minutes the ditch of the fort was reached. It was + some six or seven feet deep and ten or twelve wide, the + excavated material sufficing for the embankments of the + fort. Some 120 men and officers precipitated themselves into + it, many losing their lives at its very edge. After a short + breathing spell men were helped up the exterior of the + parapet on the shoulders of others; fifty or sixty being + thus disposed an attempt was made to storm the fort. At the + signal nearly all rose, but the enemy, lying securely + sheltered behind the interior slope, the muzzles of their + guns almost touching the storming party, received the latter + with a crushing fire, sending many into the ditch below shot + through the brain or breast. Several other attempts were + made with like result, till at last forty or fifty of the + assailants were writhing in the ditch or resting forever. + + "'The defense having been obviously re-enforced meanwhile + from other points not so directly attacked, and having armed + the gunners with muskets, it was considered impolitic to + attempt another storm with the now greatly reduced force on + hand, especially as the cessation of the artillery fire of + the fort was considered a sufficient hint to the commander + of the Union forces that the attacking party had come to + close quarters and were proper subjects for re-enforcements. + No signs, however, of the latter appearing, it was decided + to surrender, especially as the rebels had now commenced to + roll lighted shells among the stormers, against which there + was no defense, thus inviting demoralization. Seven + officers, Capts. Weiss and McCarty, Lieuts. Sherman, Mack, + Spinney, Ferguson and Eler, and from seventy to eighty + enlisted-men, delivered up their arms to an enemy gallant + enough to have fought for a better cause. + + "'Many, in mounting the parapet, could not help taking a + last mournful look on their dead comrades in the ditch, + whose soldierly qualities had endeared them to their best + affections; and many, without for a moment selfishly looking + at their own dark future, were oppressed with inexpressible + sadness when reflecting on the immensity of the sacrifice + and the deplorableness of the result. It was a time for + manly tears.' + + "Lieut. Spinney gives the following account of the charge + against Fort Gilmer: + + "'The charge was made in quick time, in open order of about + three paces, until we could plainly see the enemy; then the + order was given by Capt. Weiss to 'double-quick,' which was + promptly obeyed, the line preserving its order as upon + drill. Upon arriving at the ditch there was no wavering, but + every man jumped into the trap from which but one man + returned that day (George W. Washington, Company D.) + + "'Upon looking about us after getting into the ditch we + found there was but one face where the enemy could not touch + us, so all the survivors rallied at that face. Then + commenced a scene which will always be very fresh in my + memory. + + "'Capt. Weiss gave orders to raise men upon the parapet, + which was done by two men assisting one to climb. Capt. + Weiss, having from thirty to forty men up, attempted to gain + the inside of the fort, but he with all of his storming + party were knocked back, either killed or wounded, into the + ditch. A second attempt was made with the same result, + Lieut. Ferguson being wounded by a bullet across the top of + his head. A third attempt was made with no better success. + + "'The enemy during this time had been rolling shell upon us, + and calling upon us to surrender, which was answered by some + of the men in the words, 'we will show you how to + surrender,' at the same time rising and firing into the + fort. One of these men I remember to have been Perry + Wallace, Company D. + + "'Upon a consultation of the officers who were in the ditch, + it was decided to surrender what was left of the command. I + was still upon the face of the parapet, when Lieut. Sherman + passed me a handkerchief which I raised upon the point of my + sword. But the rebels, fearing it was only done to gain a + foothold, would not take notice of it, but called upon me to + come in, which I did, and met with a warm reception at their + hands, being plucked of all they could lay hands upon. An + adjutant of an Alabama regiment coming up, ordered his men + to return to me what they had taken, but this was not done, + however. I stated that our men had disarmed themselves and + were ready to give up the hopeless struggle. Still they + would not believe me, but made me mount the parapet first, + when they had the courage to do so themselves, when the + remnant of the four companies marched into the fort. + + "'The march to Richmond was one continued insult from the + troops that were hurrying to the front; one man being + determined to kill Capt. Weiss, whom he thought was not + humble enough. The female portion of the inhabitants were + also very insolent. + + "'Upon arriving at Libby Prison the officer in charge asked + the commander of our guard if the 'niggers' would fight. His + answer was, 'by G--d! if you had been there you would have + thought so. They marched up just as if they were on drill, + not firing a shot.' + + "'After being lodged in Libby, Salisbury and Danville + prisons, we were returned to Richmond about February 17th, + paroled on the 21st, and reached our lines on the 22d.' + + "An article in the New York _Herald_ of November 4th, 1864, + copied from a rebel newspaper, arguing for the arming of + slaves, has in it the following passage: + + "'But A. B. says that negroes will not fight. We have before + us a letter from a distinguished general (we wish we were at + liberty to use his name and influence) who says 'Fort Gilmer + proved the other day that they would fight. They raised each + other on the parapet to be shot as they appeared above.' + + "The officer referred to was understood to be Gen. Lee. + + "After the four companies had disappeared in the ditch of + the fort, Capt. Pratt, with Company F, was ordered to move + forward as near the work as he could get and keep down its + fire and cover their retreat. Capt. Smith and Lieut. Prime + came back, both severely wounded. Later in the day companies + A, B, E and I, under Capt. Spaulding, moved to the left and + relieved the four companies of the Eighth, who were out of + ammunition. Co. F lost two men killed and twenty-three + wounded, and the four companies under Capt. Spaulding had + eleven men killed and wounded. Lieut. Teeple, commanding + Company I, was wounded in the arm, but remained in command + of his company during the day. + + "Four companies annihilated, 70 killed, 110 wounded and 129 + missing tells the story of Fort Gilmer. + + "The regiment, or what was left of it, remained at the front + until 9 o'clock P. M., when the wounded were gathered + together and it moved half a mile to the rear and slept on + its arms. + + "This day proved the most unfortunate one in the history of + the regiment. The storming of a strong field-work, whose + garrison was on the alert, with a thin skirmish line without + supports, resulted as could easily have been foreseen. + First, the Ninth was sent unsupported to charge a work to + the left of Fort Gilmer, across an open field where its line + was enfiladed by the enemy's fire, and was repulsed; then + four companies of the Eighth, as skirmishers, were sent + against the same work, with no better success, and after + this bitter experience, four companies of the Seventh were + sent to their destruction on an errand equally hopeless. Had + the brigade been sent together, instead of its three + regiments in detail, the rebel line would have been carried + and the road to Richmond opened to us. This is no + conjecture. The testimony of a rebel staff-officer on duty + at Fort Gilmer, and that of our own officers who were + captured, fully substantiate the statement. + + "About noon on the following day, the 30th, the regiment + moved a mile to the left and went into the rifle-pits to the + left of Fort Harrison. Soon after, the rebel Maj.-Gen. + Field, who had commanded the Ft. Gilmer line the day + previous, made a determined assault on Fort Harrison from + one side, while Hoke's division attacked on the other; but + the attack was not made simultaneously and was repulsed with + heavy loss. While this charge was being made, Col. Shaw was + struck on the head by a rifle bullet, but was uninjured. The + next morning the rebels opened their batteries on our line. + During the cannonade, Lieut. Bjornmark was wounded in the + foot by the fragment of a shell. + + "The following is the report of Capt. Weiss to the + commanding officer of the regiment, announcing his arrival + in Richmond: + + "'LIBBY PRISON, RICHMOND, VA., September 30, 1864. + + "'_Sir_:--I respectfully inform you that the following + officers of the Seventh U. S. C. T. are here, prisoners: + Capts. Weiss and McCarty, Lieuts. Mack, Sherman, Eler, + Ferguson and Spinney. Lieut. Ferguson and myself are wounded + in the head, but doing well. + + "'Please inform our friends of the above, and oblige, + + "'Yours, on the part of my associates, + + "'JULIUS A. WEISS, + + "'_Capt. Seventh U. S. C. T._" + + "On the 5th of October, the regiment was relieved from duty + in the trenches by the Eight, and moving a short distance to + the rear, went into camp near division headquarters. + + "On the 6th, Gen. Birney divided the regiments of his + command into two brigades. The First Brigade, composed of + the Seventh, Ninth and One Hundred and Twenty-seventh, was + placed under command of Col. Voris, of the Sixty-seventh + Ohio, although each regiment had a colonel serving with it; + and the Second, composed of the Eighth, Twenty-ninth and + Forty-fifth, under Lieut.-Col. Armstrong, of the Ninth. + Capt. Rice returned from sick-leave the same day and was + assigned to the command of Company A, his own company (K) + having disappeared in the _melee_ of the 29th of September. + + "During the forenoon of the 7th, the enemy attacked in force + on the right, driving in Kautz's cavalry and capturing + Elder's battery of the First United States Artillery, but + was checked and driven back by the First Division of the + Tenth Corps. The regiment was moved to the right, and after + changing positions several times, went into the trenches + near the New Market road. + + "On the afternoon of the 12th, orders came for the regiment + to be ready to move in light marching order, and later it + moved out about half of a mile to the front and right, and + deployed two companies as skirmishers. Shortly after dark it + was withdrawn to the position it held earlier in the day. A + cold rain was falling, and as the men were without + overcoats, they suffered considerably. + + "About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 13th, our own + division (Third), together with the First, moved out of camp + and marched to the right until it reached the Darbytown + road. Here it formed line, and advancing through the thick + undergrowth finally lay down in front of the enemy's works + to await developments. At 10 o'clock the First Division, + which, with the cavalry, had gone to the right, charged the + enemy's line, but failed to break it and had to withdraw + with considerable loss. About noon the regiment relieved the + Eighth on the skirmish line. Capt. Dickey, of the Eighth, + was killed during the movement. Here it remained until about + 4 o'clock, when, the remainder of the division having been + withdrawn, it fell back covering the movement of the corps + and returned to its old camp on the New Market road. * * * + + "The regiment remained in camp until the 26th, furnishing in + the meantime a large picket detail, together with details + for fatigue, employed in the construction of earthworks, + abattis, etc. On this date Col. Voris was relieved from + command of the brigade by Col. Shaw, Lieut.-Col. Haskell + taking command of the regiment. + + "On the evening of this day orders were received for the + regiment to be ready to move on the following morning, with + three days' cooked rations, and in light marching order. At + 5 A. M. we moved out of camp and took the road toward the + right. The Eighteenth, as well as our own corps, was in + motion. The orders were for the Tenth Corps to threaten the + enemy's line near the Darbytown road, while the Eighteenth + moving by the rear to the right, was to strike their left + flank. If they weakened their line in its front, the Tenth + Corps was to advance. The whole movement being made to cover + the advance of the Army of the Potomoc against the rebel + lines covering Hatcher's run and the Boydtown plank-road. + + "Marching about two miles to the right we struck the + Darbytown road, when line of battle was formed to the left, + and moved forward through the woods, and, in places, almost + impassable undergrowth--the Seventh having the left of the + division as well of the line. Our ears were soon greeted + with the scattering fire of our skirmish line, interspersed + by the crashing of an occasional shell through the + tree-tops. After an advance of half a mile the division + halted to await the result of the attack on the right. The + irregular skirmish fire soon swelled out into long, heavy + volleys, deepened by the hoarser notes of the artillery. + From 8 A. M. until 8 P. M. we lay and listened to this + concert of diabolical sounds, momentarily expecting the + order would be passed along the line to advance. About 11 A. + M. it began to rain, which continued until far into the + night. At 8 P. M. we fell back out of the woods, behind an + old line of rebel rifle-pits, and bivouacked for the night + near Kell's House. + + "At 3 o'clock the following morning we were ordered in to + relieve the Twenty-ninth on the picket-line. The clouds had + cleared away and the air was keen and cold. We felt our way + through the dense, dripping undergrowth to the musical + accompaniment of rebel bullets singing above our heads. By + daybreak we were in position along the edge of a belt of + woods, something less than a quarter of a mile from the + rebel works. Their skirmishers kept up a lively fire all + through the forenoon, and as a consequence we lost some + thirty odd men, killed and wounded, from their fire. About 3 + P. M. orders were given to fall back, but through some + misunderstanding, the two companies holding the extreme left + of the line failed to receive the order, and held their + ground until their retreat was nearly cut off by the rebel + advance, when they fell back without orders, meeting on + their way the remainder of the brigade coming to their + rescue. The same evening the troops returned to their camps. + + "Here ended our fighting for the fall. * * * + + "On the 28th, Gen. Birney returned and relieved Gen. Hawley + in command of the division, which he had held during the + absence of the former in Philadelphia, where he had gone + about the 21st to attend the funeral of his brother, + Maj.-Gen. D. B. Birney. Col. Shaw was placed permanently in + command of the First Brigade, and Col. Wright, Tenth U. S. + C. T., of the Second. + + "About the 30th, a general order was received from Gen. + Butler thanking Capt. Weiss and the officers under him for + their gallant conduct on the 29th, and saying that their + absence in prison alone prevented their promotion. + + "On the 1st of November, the division was reviewed by Gen. + Birney, and the proclamation of the Governor of Maryland, + announcing the adoption of the constitutional amendment + abolishing slavery in that State, was read to the command. + This paper, which conveyed to the men the knowledge that + their wives and children were no longer slaves, produced an + effect more easily imagined than described. + + * * * * + + "On the 5th, Capt. Cheney and Lieut. Teeple, with companies + H and I, were detached from the regiment to garrison Fort + 'No. 3,' at Spring Hill--a work on the right flank of the + Army of the James--where they remained until the 6th of + December. + + "On the 1st of December, the reorganization of the Tenth and + Eighteenth Corps was determined upon. The white troops of + the two corps were consolidated and formed the + Twenty-fourth Corps, under Gen. Foster; and the colored + troops of the Ninth, Tenth and Eighteenth Corps, with other + colored troops not assigned, formed the Twenty-fifth Corps, + under Gen. Weitzel. Its three divisions were commanded by + Gens. Wild, Birney and Paine, respectively. The First + Brigade of Birney's division was made up of the Seventh, One + Hundred and Ninth, One Hundred and Sixteenth and One hundred + and Seventeenth, under Col. Shaw. The Forty-first + Forty-fifth and One Hundred and Twenty-seventh had at + different times been attached to the brigade--_to learn our + ways_, as they said at headquarters. Eventually, however, + the One Hundred and Fifteenth was substituted for the One + Hundred and Seventeenth in the brigade. + + "On the 4th, a general re-assignment of positions was made. + The Seventh moved from the New Market road to Fort Burnham + (Harrison), which was garrisoned by the First Brigade. The + Second Brigade, under Doubleday, was on our right, and the + Third on our left. The Second Brigade joined the + Twenty-fourth Corps, near the New Market road, and Paine's + division was on our left and extended to the river. The + other division was in reserve to the rear. The Seventh was + under command of Lieut.-Col. Pratt, and so remained during + the remainder of our stay in Virginia." + +The prolonged but decisive struggle began to draw near. General Grant +had pushed the troops nearer and closer, at every opportunity, to the +beleaguered cities, until they were well-nigh completely invested. +General Sherman's splendid victories influenced the veteran corps lying +before these places, and filled them with the spirit of sure success. +The intrepid commander, having reached North Carolina, visited Grant at +the latter's headquarters at City Point, where he also found President +Lincoln, and received their congratulations for his successful march to +the sea, which achievement had not been surpassed by any of the +undertakings of either Hannibal or Bonaparte in point of daring and +strategy. An important conference then took place, and on the 28th of +March Sherman returned to his command. + +[Illustration: GOVRNT. BLACKSMITHS' SHOP] + +Grant throughout the winter had been preparing for the spring campaign. +The Phalanx regiments heretofore in the 9th, 10th and 18th Corps had +been consolidated, and formed the 25th Corps, under the command of +Major-General Godfrey Weitzel, who at New Orleans refused to command +negro troops. The Corps was divided into three divisions, with +Brigadier-Generals Wilde, Birney and Paine as commanders. Major-General +Ord had succeeded to the command of the Army of the James, then +numbering about 28,000 effective men, and was to take part with three +divisions of his command in the onward movement to commence on the 29th +of March, while Weitzel was to command the remainder of the troops north +of the James and at Bermuda Hundreds. + +Lee, as though he had knowledge of Grant's intention and meant to +frustrate his plans by taking the initiative, attacked the 9th Corps at +Fort Steadman on the 25th, with signal success. He was finally repulsed, +however, and Grant began moving the Union troops. On the morning of the +29th, General Birney with the 2nd Division of the 25th Corps was near +Hatcher's Run, with General Ord's command. The division consisted of +three brigades of Phalanx Infantry, commanded by Colonels James Shaw, +Jr., Ulysses Doubleday and William W. Woodward. A brigade of artillery +commanded by Captain Louis L. Langdon was attached to the Corps; but, +owing to the country being wooded, it was of little use, and most of it +was left on the north side with General Weitzel. + +On the same day Sheridan reached Dinwiddie, and the next morning he +encountered the confederates near the Court House. Here were W. H. F. +Lee's Cavalry, Picket's and Bushrod Johnson's divisions of Infantry, and +Wise's brigade. Sheridan made the attack. His men, on account of the +marshy ground, had to dismount. The confederates fought desperately, but +Sheridan's men contested every inch of ground, and at night fell back to +Dinwiddie Court House and bivouacked. The 5th Corps came up during the +night to attack the confederates in the rear; but at daylight it was +found that they had fallen back to Five Forks. Here was found the +cavalry of W. H. F. Lee and Fitzhugh Lee, with Ross', Picket's, Wise's +and Johnson's divisions of infantry. On the morning of the 1st of April, +Sheridan advanced the 5th Corps toward Five Forks. That afternoon it +fell upon Picket's rear, and now began the decisive battle. The roar was +deafening. Night was coming on, and Sheridan was anxious to carry out +Grant's order and "end the matter if possible to do so." He gave the +order, "Charge bayonets!" In five minutes Picket's outer line was in +possession of the federals. Crawford's division struck them in the +flank, and, with McKenzie's brigade, routed and sent the confederates +flying. The 5th Corps rallied and captured the enemy's entire force in +their front. General Sheridan says in report: + +[Illustration: "YOU MUST THROW AWAY THAT CIGAR, SIR!" + +A Phalanx guard refusing to allow General U. S. Grant to pass by the +commissary store-house till he had thrown away his cigar.] + + "The enemy were driven from their strong line of works, + completely routed, the Fifth Corps doubling up their left + flank in confusion, and the cavalry of General Merritt + dashing on to the White Oak Road, capturing their artillery, + turning it upon them, and riding into their broken ranks, so + demoralized them that they made no serious stand after their + line was carried, but took flight in disorder." + +The writer well remembers the eagerness of the Phalanx brigade of +Colonel Shaw, composed of the 109th, 116th and 7th Regiments, as they +waited orders near Hatcher's Run. The sound of distant guns fell upon +their ears; Colonel Shaw was impatient; all seemed to feel the end was +near, and wanted to lend a hand in the consummation. Oh, what suspense! +The brigade lay upon their arms in a state of great agitation, all that +night, waiting for orders to advance upon the foe. Who can tell the +thoughts of those brave black soldiers as thus they lay upon the +rumbling earth. Fathers, mothers, sisters, wives and children, yet +slaves, behind the enemy's guns: precious property they are, and guarded +like dearest treasure and even life itself, by an army of +slave-holders--Lee's men, who, with the desperation of demons, vainly +attempted to check the advance of the men of the North, who, with their +lives, defended the Union. The black brigade wanted to strike one more +blow for freedom--for the freedom of their wives and children--to make +one more charge, and the confederate banner should go down; one more +charge, and the light of Liberty's stars should blazon over the ramparts +of the confederate forts. At length, with the dawning of day, came the +order; then the black brigade went forward, but to find the enemy gone +and their works deserted. + +The confederate lines were broken, and Sheridan's troopers, McKenzie and +Merritt, with their cavalry, although it was night, had followed up the +fleeing foe, capturing them by thousands. The brigade pushed on along +the captured works. The federal batteries, from every mound and hill, +were showering shot and shell into the enemy's inner works; while the +gleaming bayonets of the thousands of infantry could be seen as far as +the eye could reach, their proud banners kissing the stifling air, and +the bugles sounding the "forward march," leaving in their rear smoking +camps and blazing dwellings. What a Sunday morning was that, with its +thunders of terrific war, instead of the mellow chimes of church bells +and the repose of peace. + +It was late in the afternoon, and huge, black clouds of smoke rolled up +out of the city of Petersburg, and then a loud report, told that the +confederates had evacuated it. Away to the left, the huzzas of Colonel +Doubleday's Phalanx brigade (2nd) were heard. Now came a race to reach +the city, between the 7th and 8th Phalanx regiments. No matter which was +first, they were among the troops which took possession of the city, and +gladdened the hearts of the negro population, as they marched through +the streets singing their battle song: + + "We will hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple-tree as we go marching on." + +It was a glorious victory, bringing freedom to thousands of slaves, +though it cost as many lives and millions of treasure. It was the +beginning of the end. The confederates deserted their army by thousands. +The South Side Railroad was in the hands of the federals, and starvation +threatened the enemy. Lee, says a historian, was no longer himself: he +rode wildly through his camps hither, and thither, trying to save his +shattered and routed soldiers from annihilation. + +The defeat at Five Forks settled the fate of the Army of North Virginia. +Grant had almost the entire federal army actively engaged; he stopped +the exchange of prisoners, invited President Lincoln, then at City +Point, to come out and see the army advance, which he did. He met Grant +in the city of Petersburg, amid the exultations of the troops and the +joyous demonstrations of the negro population. General Lee made no stop +at Richmond; he had informed Jefferson Davis that he must give up the +city. The latter, with his aids and all the money he could collect,--not +the confederate paper, but the gold of the United States,--stampeded. + +General Weitzel, with Kautz's division of the 24th Corps and Thomas' and +Ashborne's division of the 25th Corps, on the north side of the James +river, lay quietly upon their arms during the fight on the south side. +Grant kept Weitzel informed as to the results of the attack, and warned +him to be on the alert and take every advantage offered, to press the +confederates. General Longstreet's forces had been in Weitzel's front, +but were partly withdrawn to defend Petersburg; therefore the latter +kept unceasing vigil upon the fortifications before him. + +Sunday evening the bands were ordered out to play, and it was late into +the night when their melodious strains ceased to float through the air. +It was a night long to be remembered, the hearts of the black soldiers +of the 25th Corps, gladdened by the reports of the victories of the +troops before Petersburg, were jubilant, and with vigilant watch each +looked for morning. They were impatient for the light, and ere it dawned +they were ready for the onset which they believed must come with it. The +enemy whom they supposed were preparing to give them battle, was +silently stealing away to the enchanting strains of the Federal +musicians. It was near the morning hours when a sudden report startled +the sleeping soldiers; an explosion, another, and yet another followed +in rapid succession. + +General Weitzel soon became satisfied that the enemy was moving, the +continuous sound of distant cannonading away to the south, told that the +combat still raged. From the signal tower bright lights were +discernable at Richmond. The city appeared to be on fire; a confederate +picket was captured, but he knew nothing; he had got astray from his +comrades and command. A deserter came in with intelligence that the city +was being evacuated, and half an hour later a negro drove into camp and +gave information that the enemy was flying. + +The ground in front was thickly set with torpedoes, and the troops dared +not move. Day came and Colonel Draper's black brigade of the 25th Corps +went forward. The road was lumbered with all manner and sort of military +gear and munitions of war. Keeping clear of the red flags which marked +the torpedoes, the troops pushed on; they soon reached the defences of +the city to find them untenanted; the negro had told the truth and the +Phalanx brigade entered the city welcomed by thousands of happy +kinsfolks. Badeau says: + + "The sun was an hour up, when suddenly there rose in the + streets the cry of 'Yankees! Yankees!' and the mass of + plunderers and rioters, cursing, screaming, trampling on + each other, alarmed by an enemy not yet in sight, madly + strove to extricate themselves and make an opening for the + troops. Soon about forty men of the Fourth Massachusetts + Cavalry rode into the crowd, and, trotting straight to the + public square, planted their guidons on the Capitol. + Lieutenant De Peyster, of Weitzel's staff, a New Yorker + eighteen years of age, was the first to raise the national + colors, and then, in the morning light of the 3d of April, + the flag of the United States once more floated over + Richmond. + + "The command of Weitzel followed--a long blue line--with + gun-barrels gleaming, and bands playing 'Hail Columbia' and + 'John Brown's Soul Goes Marching On.' One regiment was + black.[33] The magistrates formally surrendered the city to + Weitzel at the Capitol, which stands on a hill in the centre + of the town, and overlooks the whole country for miles. The + national commander at once set about restoring order and + extinguishing the flames. Guards were established, + plundering was stopped, the negroes were organized into a + fire corps, and by night the force of the conflagration was + subdued, the rioting was at an end, and the conquered city + was rescued by the efforts of its captors from the evils + which its own authorities had allowed, and its own + population had perpetrated." + +[Illustration: RECEIVING THE PRESIDENT. + +Abraham Lincoln riding through Richmond, April 4th, 1865, after the +evacuation of the city by the Confederates.] + +Lee and his famishing host were fleeing towards Danville, hotly pursued +by the Federal Army. Resting there until the 5th they resumed the march, +fighting and running, until, at Appomattox they gave up and surrendered. +Major Alexandria S. Johnson of the 116th Phalanx Regiment thus relates +the story in part which the Phalanx brigade took in the memorable +movement of the two armies to Appomattox. He says: + + "As a participant in these events I will speak merely of + what came under my own observation. The One Hundred and + Sixteenth (colored) Infantry, in which I commanded a + company, belonged to the Third Brigade, Second Division of + the Twenty-fifth Army Corps, and during the winter of + 1864-65 held the lines on Chapin's farm, the left resting on + Fort Burnham. The division was commanded by Major-General + Birney. The winter was passed in endeavoring to get the + troops in as high a state of discipline as possible by + constant drill and watchful training. When the spring opened + we had the satisfaction of feeling that they were the equal, + as soldiers, of most of the white troops. They were a + contented body, being well fed and clothed, and they took + delight in their various duties. The news of the capture of + Savannah by Sherman and the defeat of Hood at Nashville had + a cheering effect upon the whole command, and we looked + forward with confidence that the end was drawing near. + + "On the night of the 26th of March our division silently + left the lines on Chapin's farm, and marching to the rear + some three miles went into bivouac. On the night of the 27th + we crossed the James on muffled pontoons, and after a weary + march arrived at Hatcher's Run at daybreak of the 28th. + Crossing the original lines of breastworks we built new + breastworks some two hundred yards in advance and bivouacked + in the pine woods awaiting events. Sheridan at this time was + operating on the Confederate right flank. The news of his + decisive victory at Five Forks and of the complete turning + of the enemy's flank was the immediate cause of a verbal + order, given to company commanders by our colonel on the + afternoon of April 1st, to advance on the lines in our front + at dawn on the following day. That night the Union artillery + opened along the whole line. Hissing and bursting shells + from Appomattox river to Hatcher's Run filled in a scene + never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. It was as + if demons incarnate were holding a jubilee. As far as the + eye could reach there was one blaze of fiery shot. The world + has seldom seen its like. Where our brigade was to operate + was a dense wilderness of pines with matted underbrush, but + in the morning it looked as though a sirocco had kissed it. + + "With the dawn of day the brigade was in line of battle. Not + a breath of air was stirring. A misty vapor shed its gloom + and hung like a pall among the tree-tops. The silk covers + were taken from our flags, but their folds hung lazily along + the staff when the command, 'Forward! guide centre! march!' + was given. At first slashed timber and brush obstructed our + way, but as the obstruction began to cease an obstacle in + the shape of a long line of abattis met our gaze. The dusky + line broke through the abattis, however, as if the stakes + had been so many reeds, and charged over the breastworks and + into the Confederate camp. The rush must have been a + surprise, as the enemy offered little resistance. In front + of one of the tents a Federal sergeant (white) lay dead, his + right arm extended to the full length, and firmly clenched + in his hand was a piece of fancy soap. A bullet had entered + his forehead, the blood from the wound was trickling down + his face, but the hue of health was still on his cheek. How + he came to be there is to me a mystery, as that part of the + line was forced by colored troops. Swinging by the right + flank we kept our way along the Boydton road. A Confederate + light battery in position alongside of a cottage, which + stood in a hollow, shelled the column as it advanced, and so + accurate had the gunners got the range that almost every + shell did damage. A couple of shells burst together above my + company. The flash blinded me for a few seconds. I heard a + scream of pain and just then was ordered to lie down. Not + twenty yards from me was a wounded soldier. His leg was + shattered badly. He prayed and sang hymns alternately, but + his voice gradually grew weaker until it ended in death. One + of our batteries was brought into position, and engaging the + Confederate battery, the latter was silenced, when the + column again resumed the march, arriving in front of + Petersburg about noon. + + "It was the intention of General Birney to carry by assault + the main fort which commanded the city, and he deployed the + division in line of battle for that purpose, but General + Ord, coming up in time, ordered him to retire his division + out of range and await further orders. We went into bivouac + for the night, and at early dawn of the 3d we entered the + city, the Confederates having evacuated the forts during the + night. The field music played "John Brown's Body," and a + tiny Union flag in the hands of a girl of ten years waved us + a welcome. Resting an hour in the city the division started + in pursuit of the Confederates. For a mile or two outside of + the city the road was strewn with plug tobacco. Blood could + be seen also at intervals in patches along the road. We + bivouacked some fifteen miles from the city. A few of our + officers took supper in a house close to our camping ground. + Our fare was "corn pone," scraps of bacon, sorghum molasses, + and a solution of something called coffee, for which we each + gave our host, a middle-aged Virginian, one dollar. The + colored troops being encamped on his farm his indignation + was stirred and he exclaimed, while the tears trickled down + his cheeks, 'Poor old Virginia! poor old Virginia! that I + should have lived to see this day!' + + "At dawn of the 4th the column resumed the pursuit. It is + needless for me to tell in detail how our cavalry destroyed + and burned over five hundred Confederate wagons on the 5th + and 6th, and how Ewell's command was defeated and captured + at Sailor's creek on the 6th. Our brigade having arrived at + Farmville on the afternoon of the 6th and encamped for the + night, some of the citizens poured forth pitiful tales to + our officers. They told how our cavalry had entered their + houses and ripped open their feather beds, how the rude + troopers had broken open bureaus and chests in search of + valuables, and how they had carried away with them what they + could find. Nothing of interest took place until the 8th, + which was noted for the forced march made by the brigade, + starting at daybreak and going into bivouac at twelve + midnight. The morning of the 9th broke calm and serene. It + was a lovely morning, the sun had not yet gotten above the + horizon when the brigade was on the march again, but it went + only a short distance when it was halted. To the right of + the road, in a clearing, was a portion of the Twenty-fourth + Corps, with arms stacked and the men cooking breakfast. + Sides of bacon at intervals hung from their bayonets. + Although the woods were full of our cavalry and three + divisions of our infantry were in close proximity, all was + as quiet as a Sabbath morning. One of our batteries, some + six hundred yards to the right, broke the stillness by + fitfully throwing a shell once in a while, but to a + looker-on all seemed inaction. Such was the situation at + Appomattox at sunrise on the morning of the 9th. + + "Our brigade, after resting some thirty minutes, resumed the + march. It soon filed to the right. In a few minutes the + command was given--'Right shoulder, shift arms! double + quick, march!' Onward we went, the objective point being the + Lynchburg pike. Dismounted cavalry retreating from the front + broke through the column, saying as they passed us, 'Give it + to them, boys! they are too many for us!' In a few minutes + the head of the column reached the pike, when it halted and + faced to the front. The command--'Unsling knapsacks!'--was + given, and then we knew we were stripping for a fight. + Skirmishers were deployed on our front, and as we advanced + the Confederate skirmishers retired before us. After + advancing some eight hundred yards the brigade was ordered + to halt and form in line of battle. It formed into column of + companies. Some eight hundred yards away was the Army of + Northern Virginia, with its three lines of battle awaiting + us. + + "We had not been at a halt more than twenty minutes when the + news of Lee's surrender reached us. Our brigade celebrated + the event by firing volleys of musketry in the air. Officers + hugged each other with joy. About four hundred yards to the + rear was a portion of the Twenty-fourth Corps, which had + been marching to our support. The men in that long line + threw their caps upwards until they looked like a flock of + crows. From wood and dale came the sound of cheers from + thousands of throats. Appomattox will never hear the like + again. The brigade moved forward a short distance and went + into camp some three hundred yards from the Confederate + camp. In the afternoon I strolled over the ground we had + traversed in the morning. I came across the body of a dead + Confederate soldier, covered with a blanket. Some one had + taken the shoes from his feet. Uncovering him I found that a + shot had pierced his right breast. His white cotton shirt + was matted with blood. A small bag was attached to the + button-hole of his jacket. Undoing the bag I found it + contained sixty ounces of corn meal. He was not over + twenty-six years of age, and was of fair complexion. Who + knows but he was the last soldier who fell belonging to the + Army of Northern Virginia?" + +It was Palm Sunday, celebrated by many of the followers of Christ as the +day of his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, a day of great rejoicing +among Christians, known in our annual calendar as the 9th day of April, +1865. The morning broke clear and bright in the neighborhood of +Appomattox Court House, and there was every evidence of spring. The +birds chirped in the trees half clad with the early foliage, which +trembled in the soft breeze. Along the roadside yet untrod by the +hostile feet of man or steed, the tiny floweret buds had begun to open +to the warmth of genial nature, and the larger roses, red and white, +cast their fragrance to the lingering winds. Here the half clad, sore +footed soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia, were trembling with +dread impatience for the onset,--the inevitable--which would decide +their fate and their prospect of reaching the mountains just beyond. In +front of them the federal cavalry awaited their coming. + +It was yet grey in the morning when General Lee sent word to his +Lieutenant Gordon to cut his "_way through at all hazards_." With the +impetuosity of a cyclone, his shattered corps rushed upon the dismounted +cavalry in their front, the Federal line quivered, and bent to the gale. +On and on they came, pressing closer and closer upon the cavalry. The +struggle was becoming desperate, it was the last hope of the +confederates they must go through the lines, or perish in the attempt. +Again the confederate yell rose above the din of the battle's roar, and +soon the cavalry fell back. Where was their leader Sheridan? He came, +galloping at break-neck speed, his men cheering him as he rode to the +front. He had been to the rear some five miles away. He saw at a glance +the daring object of the foe, and ordered his men to fall back slowly. +The confederates followed up the wavering line with brightened hopes, +but hopes that were to be dissipated; soon the bristling bayonets, and +glistening musket barrels of the Army of the James gleamed in their +front; then the pressure ceased, and Sheridan's bugle sounded the order +to mount, and his troopers dashed themselves against the enemy's left +flank. Then, one bearing a white flag--a flag of truce, rode to the +front of the confederate lines. Capt. J. D. Cook of General Mile's staff +went forward to meet him. It was Colonel Taylor of General Lee's staff; +he bore a note from Lee, asking a suspension of hostilities, and an +interview with General Grant. Now let us go back to the night of the +6th, and trace the flying columns to this point. Badeau says: + + "That night once more the rebels evacuated their works, this + time in front of Meade, and when morning dawned were far on + their way, as they fondly thought, to Lynchburg, and Lee + defiantly informed his pursuer that the emergency for the + surrender had not yet arrived. But he reckoned without his + host. He was stretching, with the terrific haste that + precedes despair, to Appomattox for supplies. He need hardly + have hastened to that spot, destined to be so fatal to + himself and his cause. Grant's legions were making more + haste than he. The marvelous marching, not only of Sheridan, + but of the men of the Fifth and Twenty-Fourth Corps, was + doing as much as a battle to bring the rebellion to a close. + Twenty-eight, thirty-two, thirty-five miles a day in + succession these infantry soldiers marched, all day and all + night. From daylight until daylight again, after more than a + week of labor and fatigue almost unexampled, they pushed on + to intercept their ancient adversary, while the remainder of + the Army of the Potomac was at his heels. + + "Finally Lee, still defiant, and refusing to treat with any + view of surrender, came up to his goal, but found the + national cavalry had reached the point before him, and that + the supplies were gone. Still he determined to push his way + through, and with no suspicion that men on foot could have + marched from Rice's Station to his front in thirty hours, he + made his last charge, and discovered a force of infantry + greater than his own before him, besides cavalry, while two + corps of the Army of the Potomac were close in his rear. He + had run straight into the national lines. He was enclosed, + walled in, on every side, with imminent instant destruction + impending over him. He instantly offered to submit to Grant, + and in the agony of alarm, lest the blow should fall, he + applied to Meade and Sheridan also for a cessation of + hostilities. Thus in three directions at once he was + appealing to be allowed to yield. At the same moment he had + messengers out to Sheridan, Meade, and Grant. The emergency, + whose existence he had denied, had arrived. He was + out-marched, out-fought, out-witted, out-generaled--defeated + in every possible way. He and his army, every man, numbering + 27,516, surrendered. He and his army, every man, was fed by + the conqueror." + +From the date of Lee's surrender, the confederates, from Virginia to the +Mississippi, began to lay down their arms. Howell Cobb surrendered at +Macon, Ga., on the 21st; Johnston surrendered to General Sherman on the +26th, in North Carolina; Dick Taylor, east of the Mississippi, on the +4th of May, and on the 26th Kirby Smith surrendered his forces west of +the Mississippi. Jeff. Davis had been captured, disguised as a woman, +and thus the cause, which originated in treason, based on the +enslavement of a race, and which derived its only chance of success from +men who were false to their oaths, collapsed. The mightiest blow given +the confederacy was struck by the immortal Proclamation of Emancipation, +giving freedom to four millions of slaves; more than two hundred +thousand of whom, with dash and gallantry excelled by no other race, +tore down the traitor's banner from their deemed impregnable breastworks +and planted in its stead the national flag. That emblem, whose crimson +folds, re-baptised in the blood of liberty's martyrs, invited all men, +of all races, who would be free, to gather beneath the effulgent glare +of its heaven-lighted stars, regardless of color, creed or condition. +The Phalanx nobly bore their part all through the long night of +war, and at last they occupied Charleston,--the traitors' +nest,--Petersburg,--their eastern Gibraltar,--and Richmond--their +Capitol. They marched proudly through the streets of these once +impregnable fortresses, in all of which many of the soldiers of the +Phalanx had been slaves. Oh! what a realization of the power of right +over might. What a picture for the historian's immortal pen to paint of +the freemen of America, whose sufferings were long, whose struggle was +gigantic, and whose achievement was a glorious personal and political +freedom! + +At the close of the war, the government, anticipating trouble in Texas, +ordered General Steele to the command of the Rio Grande, under these +instructions: + + "WASHINGTON, May 21st, 1865. + + "MAJ. GEN. F. STEELE, Commanding Rio Grande Expedition. + + "By assignment of the President, Gen. Sheridan takes general + command west of the Arkansas. It is the intention to + prosecute a vigorous campaign in that country, until the + whole of Texas is re-occupied by people acknowledging + allegiance to the Government of the United States. Sheridan + will probably act offensively from the Red river. But it is + highly important that we should have a strong foothold upon + the Rio Grande. You have been selected to take that part of + the command. In addition to the force you take from Mobile + Bay, you will have the 25th Corps and the few troops already + in Southern Texas. + + "Any directions you may receive from Gen. Sheridan, you will + obey. But in the absence of instructions from him you will + proceed without delay to the mouth of the Rio Grande and + occupy as high up that river as your force and means of + supplying will admit of. + + "Your landing will probably have to be made at Brazos, but + you will learn more fully upon that matter on your arrival. + We will have to observe a strict neutrality towards Mexico, + in the French and English sense of the word. Your own good + sense and knowledge of international law, and experience of + policy pursued towards us in this war teaches you what will + be proper. + + "Signed, U. S. GRANT, _Lieutenant-General._ + + "Official: Signed, GEO. K. LEET, A. A. G." + +In the meantime General Grant sent the following dispatches to Generals +Halleck and Weitzel: + + "WASHINGTON, May 18th, 1865, 12.40 P. M., + + "MAJOR-GENERAL H. W. HALLECK, Richmond Va. + + "Please direct Major-General Weitzel commanding 25th Army + Corps to get his corps in readiness for embarkation at City + Point immediately upon the arrival of ocean transportation. + He will take with him forty (40) days rations for twenty + thousand men, one-half of his land transportation and + one-fourth of his mules with the requisite amount of forage + for his animals. All surplus transportation and other public + property he may have he will turn over to the depots at City + Point. + + "By command of Lieutenant-General Grant. + + "Signed, JOHN A. RAWLINS, + + "_Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff._ + + "Official. Signed, GEORGE K. LEET, A. A. G." + + * * * * * + + "WASHINGTON, May 21st, 1865. + + "MAJOR-GENERAL G. WEITZEL, Commanding 25th A. C. + + "As soon as your corps is embarked you will proceed with it + to Mobile Bay, Ala., and report to Major-General Steele for + further orders. + + "In addition to rations, ammunition, and other articles + which you have received directions to take with you, you + should take a fair quantity of intrenching tools. + + "Signed, U. S. GRANT, _Lieutenant-General._ + + "Official, Signed, GEORGE K. LEET, A. A. G." + +On the 24th of May the 25th Corps began embarking for Texas by way of +Mobile Bay. The troops, however, occupied Texas but a short time, the +confederate forces there surrendering upon the same terms as those of +General Lee. All fears having been dissipated, the troops were slowly +mustered out of the United States service. The men returned to their +wonted fields of labor to provide for their long-neglected families, +upon a new career of peace and happiness, rising, Phoenix like, from +the ashes of slavery to join the Phalanx of industry in upbuilding the +greatness of their country, which they had aided in saving from +desolation and ruin. + +Such is the history of the negro in the wars of the United States. +Coming to its shores in the condition of slavery, it required more than +two centuries for the entire race to reach the estate of freedom. But +the imperishable records of their deeds show that however humble and +despised they have been in all political and social relations they have +never been wanting in patriotism at periods of public peril. Their +devotion has been not only unappreciated, but it has failed to receive a +fitting commemoration in pages of national history. It has been the +purpose of the writer of this volume to relate herein the patriotic +career of the negro race in this country in an authentic and connected +form. In the time to come the race will take care of itself. Slavery is +ended, and now they are striking off link by link the chains of +ignorance which the servitude of some and the humility of all imposed +upon them. If the past is the story of an oppressed race, the future +will reveal that of one uprisen to great opportunities, which they will +improve from generation to generation, and guard with the same vigilance +that they will the liberties and boundaries of the land. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[31] The reader will bear in mind that there were several changes in the +command of these troops during the campaign, on account of promotions, +but the troops remained in the Department and Army of the James. See +Roster, for changes. + +[32] THE PHALANX AT NEW MARKET HEIGHTS.[A] + +"On the 29th of September, 1864, Gen. Grant ordered Gen. Butler to cross +the James River, at Two Points, and attack the enemy's line of work, in +the centre of which was Fort Harrison; on the left, at New Market +Heights, was a very strong work, the key of the enemy's flank on the +north side of the river. It was a redoubt built on the top of a hill of +some considerable elevation, then running down into a marsh. In that +marsh was a brook--then rising again to a plain, which gently rolled +toward the river. On that plain, when the flash of dawn was breaking, +Butler placed a column of the black Phalanx," [which consisted of the +5th, 36th, 38th and 2nd Cavalry Regts.], "numbering three thousand, in +close column, by division, right in front with guns at 'right shoulder +shift.' The center of the line was given to the eighteenth corps +composed of white troops, under Gen. Ord, and they drove the enemy from +a very strong work, capturing several pieces of cannon. + +"Gen. Butler had been severely criticised by officers of the regular +army for organizing twenty-five regiments of negroes. 'Why.' said they, +'they will not fight' In contradiction of this assertion Butler made up +his mind to prove the worth and value of the black Phalanx. +Notwithstanding their gallantry at Petersburg and on the Fredericksburg +road, the metal of the 25th corps of the Army of the James was to be +tried; so Butler took command of the Phalanx himself with a +determination to set at rest forever the question of the fighting +capacity of a portion of his command. Addressing the Phalanx, he said, +pointing to the works on the enemy's flank, 'those works must be taken +by the weight of your column; not a shot must be fired. In order to +prevent them from firing he had the caps taken from the nipples of their +guns. 'When you charge.' he said, 'your cry will be 'Remember Fort +Pillow.' + +"'Twas in the early grey of the morning, ere the sun had risen. The +order 'forward' set the column in motion, and it went forward as if on +parade--down the hill, across the marsh, and as the column got into the +brook they came within range of the enemy's fire, which was vigorously +opened upon them. The column broke a little, as it forded the brook, it +wavered! What a moment of intense anxiety? But they formed again, as +they reached the firm ground, marching on steadily with close ranks +under the enemy's fire until the head of the column reached the first +line of abatis, some one hundred and fifty yards from the enemy's work. +Then the axemen ran to the front to cut away the heavy obstacles of +defense while one thousand men of the enemy with their artillery +concentrated poured from the redoubt a heavy fire upon the head of the +column of fours. The axemen went down under that murderous fire; other +strong black hands grasped the axes in their stead and the abatis was +cut away. Again, at double-quick, the column went forward to within +fifty yards of the fort, to meet there another line of abatis. The +column halted and there a very fire of hell was poured upon them. The +abatis resisted and held the head of the column which literally melted +away under the rain of shot and shell; the flags of the leading +regiments went down, but a brave black hand seized the colors. They were +soon up again and waved their starry light over the storm of battle. +Again the axemen fell, but strong hands and willing hearts seized the +heavy sharpened trees and dragged them away, and the column rushed +forward and with a shout that rang out above the roar of artillery went +over the redoubt like a flash, and the enemy did not stop running within +four miles, leaving the Phalanx in possession of their deemed +impregnable work, cannons and small arms. The autocrats of the regular +army could croak no longer about the negro soldiers not fighting. + +"This gallantry of the Phalanx won for them and the negro race the +admiration of the man who supported Jeff Davis and the slave power in +the Charleston convention in 1860. Ten years after this splendid victory +of the Phalanx, in support of their civil rights, General Butler then a +member of congress, made an eloquent appeal in behalf of the equal civil +rights of the negro race. In it he referred to the gallant charge of the +Phalanx. He said: "It became my painful duty to follow in the track of +that charging column, and there, in a space not wider than the clerk's +desk and three hundred yards long, lay the dead bodies of five hundred +and forty-three of my colored comrades, fallen in defense of their +country, who had offered up their lives to uphold its flag and its +honor, as a willing sacrifice: and as I rode along among them, guiding +my horse this way and that way, lest he should profane with his hoofs +what seemed to me the sacred dead, and as I looked on their bronzed +faces upturned in the shining sun, as if in mute appeal against the +wrongs of the country for which they had given their lives, whose flag +had only been to them a flag of stripes, on which no star of glory had +ever shone for them--feeling I had wronged them in the past and +believing what was the future of my country to them--among my dead +comrades there, I swore to myself a solemn oath--'May my right hand +forget its cunning and my tongue cleave to the roof my mouth, if I ever +fail to defend the rights of those men who have given their blood for me +and my country that day and for their race forever, and God helping me, +I will keep that oath." + + * * * * * + +"NEW MARKET HEIGHTS.[B] + + "'Freedom their battle cry, freedom or leave to die.'--_Boker._ + + At New Market Heights, there Afric's lineage stood, + And poured out copiously its best blood; + Of them I would sing, my lyre's restrung, + And allures not diffidently to the song, + Paternal muse with thy patriot valor reign + Supreme, and the brightness of ages regain, + In the deep recess of the past + Lower me, to where the battle's blast + Has been given to oblivion, the sigh + Of dying patriots let greet me nigh. + And my thoughts waft on memory's wing, + To where their charging shouts yet ring. + + If mine the task indulgent muse vouchsafed, + Whilst I commune 'mongst bones that paved, + And flesh that bridged the chasm o'er, + Where Butler numbered five hundred and more + of Afric's sons, who for liberty fell. + In the corridors of a stockaded hell. + I'll essay their deeds of valor done, + By which the nation its victory won. + + 'Twas early in the grey September morn, + Ere the suns fulgent light had shown, + Whilst departed patriots looked out from above, + Emitting their twinkling silvery light of love, + Upon the silent bivouac of freedom's sons, + Weary and resting upon their bayonetless guns; + Quite near the bank of the James, + Just above where their own fathers' names, + Were first enrolled as ignoble slaves. + _The Second Brigade_, valiant men and braves, + Saw a meteor like rocket burst high, + High up in the dewey morning sky. + Then came the summons prepare to away, + Butler leads to New Market heights at day. + Beat the long roll, sound the alarm, + Break the monotone and the dead calm, + And the bugle's clarion notes aroused, awoke, + The host that waited ere day broke; + Infantry, cavalry prepared to make away, + Butler leads to New Market heights at day. + + From rank to rank the summons ran, + Bayonets rattle and clank of sabres began. + With whetted steel the sturdy axe-men, + Capless riflemen, horseless cavalry men. + Formed on that plain in battle array, + Butler leads to New Market heights at day. + + When the flash of dawn was breaking, + Their leader rode in front, and speaking, + Gave the charging shout '_Remember Fort Pillow_,' + And their banners brightened in the mellow + Light of heaven; '_Forward_,' they marched away, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + Went down the hill across the marsh,-- + Into the brook--there halted--ah! how harsh + The rebels' fire opened upon them, artillery + Hail swept the run, and the infantry + Broke, the column wavered tho' not in dismay, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Again the shattered columns form and again advance + To firmer ground, tho' the redoubt hurl'd like an avalanche + In quick succession, bursting bombs and canister shot, + But with closed ranks the column, fearing not + Unheedful of the iron hail bent its way, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Now the head of the column of fours go down + Under the murderous fire and the hissing song + Of the enemy's shells, now the axe men spring + To the _abatis_ high and long, now their axes ring + Out on the morning air, they were swept away. + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + The flags are where, do they kiss the morning light, + Do they wave in the battle's gale, are their stars bright, + Illumining the path of the brave? riddled and torn, + With the dead they lay. Soon again they shone, + In the first gleam of the rising-sun's ray, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Upon the brigade each felt that all was placed, + Their race and country's future honored or disgraced, + Hence with Spartan courage they the charge renewed, + And in hot haste the Nation's enemy pursued, + And sweat and blood from pore and wound inveigh, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + '_Forward, forward!_' rung the command, the flags are up again, + The axe-men grin, and with a shout go over the slain, + To a second line of _abatis_. The welkin's aglow. + The advancing brigade shouts, '_Remember Fort Pillow_!' + And with a will and spirit they clear the way, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Down the dismounted cavalrymen fall by ranks, + The Infantry an adamantine wall on the flanks, + Close up briskly on right and left receive + The enflading fire from the brazen crest, breathe + They not a word in complaint, freedom's impulse obey, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Mow the black axe-men tear from the sod the huge logs + Which science and treason placed deep in the bogs, + Skill gave way to freedom's might in the dastardly fight, + And the black brigade, with capless rifles and starry light, + Go through the gap to the Rebel's hell in gallant array, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Volley after volley poured, cannon after cannon roared, + Like reapers in a field a thousand artillerists mowed + In the gap, the brigade's advancing files of four, + Yet on through the flood of death still the brigade pour. + Their battle cry, _Remember Fort Pillow_, the enemy dismay, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + Hark! above the raging carnage swells the shout, + '_No quarter to Niggers_,' with hope of a rout, + But the brigade was not deterred, they retaliate + The defiant yells, _Remember Fort Pillow_, the fate + Of its garrison how it fell, on through the fray, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + On for the _redoubt_ over the rampart they go, + Not a rifle was fired, not a shot at the foe, + By the weight of the column the _redoubt_ is theirs, + And the enemy routed, the chivalry scattered everywhere + Victorious shouts the empyrean ring in repay, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + In the track of the brigade lay the loyal dead, + Afric's hecatomb, her lineage's pyre to liberty wed, + Their upturned countenances to the burning sun, + Were appeals to Mars for their race's freedom won, + Five hundred lives on the patriotic alter lay, + Following Butler to New Market heights that day. + + No marble shaft or granate pile mark the spot + Where they fell--their bones lay harvested from sun-rot, + In the Nation's cities of the dead. Hannibal led + No braver than they through Alpine snow, nor wed + To freedom were Greece's phalanx more, who o'er gory clay + Followed Butler to New Market heights that day. + +[A] (Author in the N. Y. _Globe_.) + +[B] (Author in "_Voice of a New Race_.") + +[33] See report of 29th Regiment Connecticut Colored Volunteers in +appendix. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +ROLL OF HONOR. + + +The following enlisted men of the Black Phalanx received medals of honor +from the United States Government for heroic conduct on the field of +battle: + + Sergeant-Major C. A. FLEETWOOD, 4th Regiment. + + Color-Sergeant ALFRED B. HILTON, 4th Regiment. + + Private CHARLES VEAL, 4th Regiment. + + 1st Sergeant JAMES BROWNSON, 5th Regiment. + + Sergeant-Major MILTON M. HOLLAND, 5th Regiment. + + 1st Sergeant, ROBERT PINN, 5th Regiment. + + 1st Sergeant POWHATAN BEATY, 5th Regiment. + + 1st Sergeant ALEX. KELLEY, 6th Regiment. + + Sergeant SAMUEL GILCHRIST, 36th Regiment. + + Sergeant WILLIAM DAVIS, 36th Regiment. + + Corporal MILES JAMES, 36th Regiment. + + Private JAMES GARDNER, 36th Regiment. + + 1st Sergeant EDWARD RATCLIFF, 38th Regiment. + + Private WILLIAM BARNES, 38th Regiment. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +ROSTER OF THE BLACK PHALANX + + +CAVALRY. + +1st Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Seip.--Organized at Camp Hamilton, Va., +December, 1863. Battles: Bermuda Hundreds, Smithfield, Wilson's Landing, +Fort Pocahontas, Cabin Point, Powhatan. Mustered out February, 1866. + +2nd Regiment, Colonel G. W. Cole.--Organized at Ft. Monroe, December, +1863. Battles: Suffolk, Drewry's Bluff, May 10, 16th and 20th, 1864. +Point of Rocks, Deep Bottom, Chapin Farm, Richmond. Mustered out +February, 1866. + +3d Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Cook.--Organized at Vicksburg, +October 9th, 1863. Battles: Haines Bluff, Shipwith's Landing, Miss., +Memphis, Tenn., Bayou Boeuf, Yazoo Expedition, Rolling Fork, +Vicksburg, Jackson, Fort Adams, Franklin, Roache's Plantation, Yazoo +City. Mustered out January, 1866. + +4th Regiment, (1st _Corps d'Afrique_), Lieutenant-Colonel N. C. +Mitchell.--Organized September, 1863, at New Orleans, La. Battle: +Clinton. Mustered out March, 1866. + +5th Regiment, Colonel L. Henry Carpenter.--Organized at Camp Nelson, +Ky., October, 1864. Battles: Saltville, Hopkinsville, Harrodsburg, +Simpsonville. Mustered out March, 1866. + +5th Regiment, Massachusetts, Colonel S. E. Chamberlin.--Organized at +Readville, Mass., May, 1864. Battle: Petersburg. Mustered out October, +1865. + +6th Regiment, Colonel James F. Wade.--Organized at Camp Nelson, Ky., +Nov., 1864. Battles: Saltville, Marion, Smithfield. Mustered out April, +1866. + + +HEAVY ARTILLERY. + +1st Regiment, Colonel John E. McGowan.--Organized at Knoxville, Tenn., +February, 1864. Battle: Decatur. + +3rd Regiment, Colonel Ignatz G. Kappner.--Organized at Memphis, Tenn., +and Fort Pickering, Tenn., June, 1863, as 1st Regiment Tennessee Heavy +Artillery. Its designation was changed to 2nd Regiment and to 3rd, +April, 1864. Mustered out April, 1864. + +4th Regiment, Major Wm. N. Lansing.--Organized at Columbus, Ky., June, +1863, as 2nd Regiment Tennessee. Its designation was changed March, +1864, to the 3rd Regiment, and to the 4th, April, 1864. Battles: Fort +Donelson. Mustered out February, 1866. + +5th Regiment, Colonel Herman Leib.--Organized at Vicksburg, Miss., +August, 1863, as the 9th Regiment Louisiana Volunteers. Its designation +was changed to 1st Regiment, Mississippi, September, 1863, and to the +4th, March, 1864. Battles: Milliken's Bend, June 6th, 7th and 25th, +1863, Vicksburg. Mustered out May, 1866. + +6th Regiment, Colonel Hubert A. McCaleb.--Organized at Natchez, Miss., +September, 1863, as 2nd Regiment, Miss. Its designation was changed to +the 5th Regiment, March, 1864, and to the 6th, April, 1864. Battles: +Vidalia, Concordia Bayou, Black River. Mustered out May, 1866. + +For 7th Regiment see 11th Infantry. + +8th Regiment, Colonel Henry W. Barry.--Organized at Paducah, Ky., April, +1864. Battle: Fort Anderson. Mustered out February, 1866. + +9th Regiment, Major Edward Grosskoff.--Organized at Clarksville, +Nashville, Tenn., October, 1864; broken up May, 1865; officers and +enlisted men transferred to other organizations. + +10th Regiment, Colonel C. A. Hartwell, (regular army).--Organized at New +Orleans, La., November, 1862, as 1st Regiment Louisiana. Its designation +was changed to 1st Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_, November, 1863, and to +the 7th Regiment United States, April, 1864; to the 10th, May, 1864. The +77th Regiment Infantry was consolidated with it October, 1865. Mustered +out February, 1867. Battle: Pass-Manchæ. + +11th Regiment, Colonel J. Hale Sypher.--Organized at Providence, R. I., +August, 1863, as the 14th Regiment, R. I. Its designation was changed to +the 8th Regiment United States, April, 1864, and to the 11th, May, 1864. +Battle: Indian Village. Mustered out October, 1865. + +12th Regiment, Colonel Norman S. Andrews.--Organized at Camp Nelson, +Ky., July, 1864. Battles: Big Springs, Fort Jones. Mustered out, April, +1866. + +13th Regiment, Colonel Jacob T. Foster.--Organized at Camp Nelson, Ky., +June, 1865. Mustered out November, 1865. + +14th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Walter S. Poor.--Organized at New +Berne and Marblehead, N. C., March, 1864, as the 1st North Carolina. Its +designation was changed to the 14th, March, 1865. Mustered out December, +1865. + + +LIGHT ARTILLERY. + +2nd Regiment.--Organized at Nashville, Tenn., April, 1864. Mustered out +January, 1866. + +Battery A, Captain F. P. Meigs. + +Battery B, Captain Francis C. Choate.--Organized at Fort Monroe. Va. +January, 1864. Battles: Wilson's Wharf, City Point. Mustered out March, +1866. + +Battery C, Captain Robert Ranney.--Organized at Hebron's Plantation, +Miss., November, 1863, as the 1st Louisiana Battery. Its designation was +changed to Battery A, 2d Regiment, March, 1864, and to Battery C April, +1864. Mustered out December, 1865. + +Battery D, Captain W. H. Pratt.--Organized at Black River Bridge, Miss., +December, 1863, as the 2d Louisiana Battery. Its designation was changed +to Battery B, 2d Regiment United States, March, 1864, and to Battery D +April, 1864. + +Battery E, Captain Edwin Bancroft.--Organized at Helena, Ark., December, +1863, as the 3d Louisiana Battery. Its designation was changed to +Battery C, 2d Regiment United States, March, 1864, and to Battery E +April. 1864. Battles: Island No. 76, Big Creek. + +Battery F, Captain Carl A. Lamberg.--Organized at Memphis, Tenn., as the +Memphis Light Battery, November, 1863. Its designation was changed to +Battery D, 2d United States Regiment, March, 1864, and to Battery F, +April, 1864. Consolidated with the 3d United States Heavy Artillery, +December, 1865. Battles: Fort Pillow, Brice's Cross Roads. Mustered out +April, 1866. + +Battery G, Captain Jeremiah S. Clark.--Organized at Hilton Head, S. C., +May, 1864. Mustered out August, 1865. + +Battery H, Captain John Driscoll.--Organized at Pine Bluff, Ark., June, +1864, as the 1st Arkansas Colored Battery. Changed to Battery H, 2d +United States, December, 1864. Mustered out September, 1865. + +Battery I, Captain Louis B. Smith.--Organized at Memphis, Tenn., April, +1864. Mustered out January, 1866. + +Independent Battery, Captain H. Ford Douglass. Organized at Leavenworth, +Kan., December, 1864. Mustered out July, 1865. + + +INFANTRY. + +1st Regiment,[34] Colonel John H. Holman.--Organized at District of +Columbia, May, 1863. Battles: Wilson's Wharf, Petersburg, Chapin's Farm, +Fair Oaks, Fillmore, Town Creek, Wilmington, Warsaw. Mustered out, +September 1865. + +2d Regiment, Colonel B. F. Townsend.---Organized at Arlington, Va., +June, 1863. Battles: Fort Taylor, Cedar Keys, Natural Bridge. Mustered +out January, 1866. + +3d Regiment, Colonel F. W. Bardwell.--Organized at Philadelphia, Penn., +August, 1863. Battles: Fort Wagner, Bryant's Plantation, Marion County, +Jacksonville. Mustered out October, 1865. + +4th Regiment, Colonel S. A. Duncan.--Organized at Baltimore, Md., July, +1863. Battles: Bermuda Hundreds, Petersburg, Dutch Gap, Chapin's Farm, +Sugar-Loaf Hill. Mustered out May, 1866. + +5th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel John B. Cook. Organized at Camp +Delaware, Ohio, August, 1863. Battles: Sandy Swamp, New Kent Court +House, City Point, Petersburg, Chapin's Farm, Fair Oaks, Raleigh. +Mustered out, September 1865. + +6th Regiment, Colonel John W. Ames, (regular army).--Organized at Camp +William Penn, Pa., 1863. Battles: Williamsburg, Chapin's. Farm, +Sugar-Loaf Hill, January 19th, February 11th, 1865. Mustered out +September, 1865. + +6th Regiment, Louisiana, Colonel Robert Des Anges.--Organized at New +Orleans, La., July, 1863--sixty days. Mustered out August, 1863. + +7th Regiment, Colonel James Shaw, Jr.--Organized at Baltimore, Md., +September, 1863. Battles: Deep Bottom, Johns Island, James Island, +Darbytown Road, Jacksonville, May 1st, 28th, 1864, Bermuda Hundreds, +Chapin's Farm, Fort Burnham, Petersburg, Richmond. Mustered out October, +1866. + +7th Regiment, Louisiana, Colonel M. Wilson Phanley.--Organized at New +Orleans, La.--sixty days. Mustered out August, 1863. + +8th Regiment, Colonel Charles W. Fribley.--Organized at Camp William +Penn., Pa., September, 1863. Battles: Olustee, Chapin's Farm, Darbytown +Road. Mustered out November, 1865. + +9th Regiment, Colonel Thomas Bayley.--Organized at Camp Staunton, Md., +November, 1863. Battles: Deep Bottom, Chapin's Farm, Darbytown Road, +Fair Oaks. Mustered out November, 1866. + +10th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel E. H. Powell.--Organized in Virginia, +November, 1863. Battles: Wilson's Wharf, Plymouth, November 26th, 1863, +April 18th, 1864, Petersburg. Mustered out May, 1866. + +11th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel James M. Steele.--Organized (five +companies) at Fort Smith, Ark., December, 1863. Battles: Fort Smith, +Boggs Mills. Mustered out May, 1866. + +11th Regiment consolidated with the 112th and 113th, old regiments, +April, 1865, and designated the 113th. Mustered out May, 1866. + +11th Regiment, Colonel William D. Turner.--Organized at La Grange, +Lafayette, Memphis, Tenn., Corinth, Miss, June, 1863, as the 1st +Regiment Alabama Siege Artillery, changed to 6th Regiment United States +Heavy Artillery March, 1864, to 7th Regiment April, 1864, and to 11th +Regiment January, 1865. Battles: Fort Pillow, Holly Springs. Mustered +out January, 1866. + +12th Regiment, Colonel Charles R. Thompson.--Organized in the State of +Tennessee July, 1863. Battles: Nashville, Section 37, N. & N. W. R. R., +Murfreesboro. Mustered out January, 1866. + +13th Regiment, Colonel John A. Hollenstein.--Organized at Nashville, +Tenn., November, 1863. Battles: Johnsonville, Nashville. Mustered out +January, 1866. + +14th Regiment, Colonel Henry C. Corbin.--Organized at Gallatin, Tenn., +November, 1863. Battles: Dalton, Decatur, Nashville. Mustered out March, +1866. + +15th Regiment, Colonel William Inness.--Organized at Nashville, Tenn., +December, 1863. Battles: Nashville, Magnolia. Mustered out April, 1866. + +16th Regiment, Colonel William B. Gaw. Organized at Nashville, Tenn., +December, 1863. Battles: Chattanooga. Mustered out April, 1866. + +17th Regiment, Colonel William R. Shafter.--Organized at Nashville, +Tenn., December, 1863. Battles: Nashville, Decatur, Brawley Fork. +Mustered out April, 1866. + +18th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel J. J. Sears.--Organized in the State +of Missouri February, 1864. Battles: Nashville, December 7th, 15th, and +16th, 1864, Sand Mountain. Mustered out February, 1866. + +19th Regiment, Colonel Joseph G. Perkins.--Organized at Camp Staunton, +Md., December, 1863. Battles: Petersburg, Bermuda Hundreds, November +30th, December 4th, 1864. Mustered out January, 1867. + +20th Regiment, Colonel Nelson B. Bertram.--Organized at Piker's Island, +N. Y., February, 1864. Mustered out October, 1865. + +21st Regiment, Colonel Augustus G. Bennett. Organized at Hilton Head, S. +C., Fernandina, Fla., June, 1863, as the 3d and 4th South Carolina. +Consolidated March, 1864, and designated as the 21st U. S. Regiment. +Mustered out April, 1866. + +22d Regiment, Colonel Joseph B. Kiddoo. Organized at Philadelphia, Pa., +January, 1864. Battles: Petersburg, New Market Heights, Dutch Gap, +Chapin's Farm, September 29th, November 4th, 1864, Fair Oaks. Mustered +out 1865. + +23d Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Marshall L. Dempey. Organized at Camp +Casey, Va., November, 1863. Battles: Petersburg, Bermuda Hundreds. +Mustered out November, 1865. + +24th Regiment, Colonel Orlando Brown.--Organized at Camp William Penn, +Pa., January, 1865--one year. Company F mustered out September, 1865; +remaining companies October, 1865. + +25th Regiment, Colonel F. L. Hitchcock.--Organized at Philadelphia, Pa., +January, 1864. Mustered out December, 1865. + +26th Regiment, Colonel William B. Guernsey.--Organized at Piker's +Island, N. Y., February, 1864. Battles: John's Island, July 5th and 7th, +McKay's Point, Gregory's Farm. + +27th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel John W. Dounellon.--Organized at Camp +Delaware, Ohio, January, 1864. Battles: Petersburg, Hatcher's Run. +Mustered out November, 1865. + +28th Regiment, Colonel Charles S Russell, (regular army).--Organized at +Indianapolis, Ind., December, 1863. Battles: Jones Bridge, Petersburg. +Mustered out November, 1865. + +29th Regiment, Colonel Clark E. Royce. Organized at Quincy, Ill., in the +field, Virginia, April, October, 1864--one and three years. Battles: +Petersburg, White Oak Road. Mustered out November, 1865. + +29th Regiment, Connecticut, Lieutenant-Colonel David +Torrence.--Organized at New Haven, Conn., March, 1864. Battles: +Petersburg, Chapin's Farm, Darbytown Road, Fair Oaks, Mustered out +October, 1865. + +30th Regiment, Colonel Delevan Bates.--Organized at Camp Stanton, Md., +February, 1864. Battles: Petersburg, Sugar Loaf Hill, Cox's Bridge. +Mustered out December, 1865. + +31st Regiment, Colonel Henry C. Ward.--Organized at Hart's Island, N. +Y., in the field, Virginia, April, November, 1864. Battle: Petersburg. +The 30th Connecticut consolidated with this regiment May, 1864. Mustered +out November, 1865. + +32d Regiment, Colonel George W. Baird.--Organized at Camp William Penn, +Pa., February, 1864. Battles: Honey Hill, Deveaux Neck. Mustered out +August, 1865. + +33d Regiment, Colonel William F. Bennett.--Organized at Beaufort, S. C., +January, 1863, as the 1st Regiment South Carolina Volunteers; changed to +33d Regiment U. S. February, 1864. Battles: Township, Mill Town Bluff, +Hall Island, Jacksonville, John's Island. Mustered out January, 1866. + +34th Regiment, Colonel William W. Marple.--Organized at Beaufort, Hilton +Head, S. C., May, 1863. Battles: Ashepoo River, John's Island, Deveaux +Neck. Mustered out February, 1866. Organization commenced as 2d +Regiment, South Carolina; changed before completion to the 34th Regiment +U. S. + +35th Regiment, Colonel James C. Beecher.--Organized at New Berne, N. C., +June, 1863, as the 1st North Carolina Regiment, changed to 35th U. S. +Regiment February, 1864. Battles: Olustee, Black Creek, St. John's +River, Honey Hill. Mustered out June, 1866. + +36th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel William H. Hart.--Organized at +Portsmouth, Va., as the 2d Regiment North Carolina, changed February, +1864. Battles: Indian Town, Point Lookout, Pierson's Farm. Petersburg, +Chapin's Farm, Dutch Gap. Mustered out October, 1866. + +37th Regiment, Colonel Nathan Goff.--Organized at Norfolk, Va., January, +1864, as the 3d North Carolina Regiment; changed to 37th U. S. Regiment, +February, 1864. Battles: Plymouth, Chapin's Farm, Fair Oaks. Mustered +out February, 1867. + +38th Regiment, Colonel Robert W. Hall, (regular army).--Organized in +Virginia January, 1864. Battles: Chapin's Farm, Deep Bottom. Mustered +out January, 1867. + +39th Regiment, Colonel Ozora P. Stevens.--Organized at Baltimore, Md., +March, 1864. Battles: Petersburg, Federal Point, Bermuda Hundreds, +Hatcher's Run. Mustered out December, 1865. + +40th Regiment, Colonel F. W. Lester.--Organized at Nashville and +Greenville, Tenn. Battle: South Tunnel. Mustered out April, 1866. + +41st Regiment, (battalion), Lieutenant-Colonel Julius A. +Weiss.--Organized at Philadelphia, Pa., September, 1864, composed of men +enlisted, drafted for one, two, and three years. Consolidated into a +battalion of four companies September, 1865, of one year men. Battles: +Hatcher's Run, Fort Burnham, Petersburg, Appomattox Court House. +Mustered out December, 1865. + +42d Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. Putnam.--Organized at Chattanooga +and Nashville, Tenn., April, 1864, composed of enlisted and drafted men +for one and three years. Mustered out January, 1866. + +43d Regiment, Colonel S. B. Yoeman. Organized at Philadelphia, Pa., +March, 1864. Battles: Petersburg, Hatcher's Run. Mustered out 1865. + +44th Regiment, Colonel Lewis Johnson.--Organized at Chattanooga, Tenn., +Rome, Dalton, Ga., April, 1864. Battles: Nashville, December 2d, 21st, +1864. Mustered out April, 1866. + +45th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel E. Mayer.--Organized at Philadelphia, +Pa., June, 1864. Battles: Hatcher's Run, Petersburg. Mustered out +November, 1865. + +46th Regiment, Colonel C. Whittlesey.--Organized in Arkansas May, 1863, +as the 1st Regiment Arkansas Volunteers; changed to 46th Regiment U. S., +May, 1864. Battle: Mound Plantation. Mustered out January, 1866. + +47th Regiment. Colonel Hiram Schofield.--Organized at Lake Providence, +La., May, 1863, as the 8th Regiment Louisiana Volunteers; changed to +47th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Lake Providence, Liverpool +Heights, Yazoo City, Fort Blakely. Mustered out January, 1866. + +48th Regiment, Colonel F. M. Crandal.--Organized at Lake Providence and +Goodrich's Landing, La., May, 1863, as the 10th Regiment Louisiana +Volunteers; changed to 48th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Bayou +Tensa, Vicksburg, Fort Blakely. Mustered out January, 1866. + +49th Regiment, Colonel Van E. Young.--Organized at Miliken's Bend, La., +May, 1863, as the 11th Regiment Louisiana Volunteers; changed to 49th +Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Miliken's Bend, Waterproof. +Mustered out March, 1866. + +50th Regiment, Colonel Charles A. Gilchrist.--Organized at Vicksburg, +Miss., July, 1863, as the 12th Regiment Louisiana Volunteers; changed to +50th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battle: Fort Blakely. Mustered out +March, 1866. + +51st Regiment, Colonel A. Watson Webber.--Organized at Miliken's Bend, +La., and Vicksburg, Miss., May, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Mississippi +Volunteers; changed to 51st Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: +Miliken's Bend, Ross Landing, Floyd, Fort Blakely. Mustered out June, +1866. + +52d Regiment, Colonel George M. Ziegler.--Organized at Vicksburg, Miss., +July 27th, 1863, as the 2d Regiment Mississippi Volunteers; changed to +52d Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Vicksburg, Coleman's +Plantation, Bayou Bidell. Mustered out May, 1866. + +53d Regiment, Colonel Orlando C. Risdon.--Organized at Warrentown, +Miss., May, 1863, as the 3d Regiment Mississippi Volunteers; changed to +53d Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Haines' Bluff, Grand Gull, +White River. Mustered out March, 1866. + +54th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Fair.--Organized in Arkansas +September, 1863, as the 2d Regiment Arkansas Volunteers; changed to 54th +Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Cow Creek, Arkansas River, Sabine +River, Fort Gibson, Cabin Creek. Mustered out August, 1866. + +54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, Colonel E. N. +Hallowell.--Organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass., March, 1863. +Battles: James Island, Fort Wagner, Olustee, Honey Hill, Boykin's Mill, +before Charleston. Mustered out August, 1865. + +55th Regiment, Colonel N. B. Bartman.--Organized at Corinth, Miss., May, +1863, as the 1st Regiment Alabama Volunteers; changed to 55th Regiment +U. S., 1864. Battles: Ripley, Brice's Cross Roads, Moscow, Waterford. +Mustered out December, 1865. + +55th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, Colonel Alfred S. +Hartwell.--Organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass., May, 1863. +Battles: James Island, May 21st, July 2d, 1864, February 10th, 1865, +Honey Hill, Briggen Creek, St. Stephens, Deveaux Neck. Mustered out +August, 1865. + +56th Regiment, Colonel Charles Bentzoni, (regular army). Organized at +St. Louis, Mo., August, 1863, as the 3d Regiment Arkansas Volunteers; +changed to 56th Regiment U. S., March, 1854. Battles: Indian Bay, +Meffleton Lodge, Wallace's Ferry. Mustered out September, 1866. + +57th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Silas Hunter.--Organized at Duvall's +Bluff, Little Rock. Helena, Ark., December, 1863, as the 4th Regiment +Arkansas Volunteers, changed to 57th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. +Battles: Little Rock, April 26th and May 28th, 1864, Camden. Mustered +out October, 1866. + +58th Regiment, Colonel Simon M. Preston.--Organized at Natchez, Miss., +August, 1863, as the 6th Regiment Mississippi Volunteers; changed to +58th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battle: Natchez. Mustered out April, +1866. + +59th Regiment, Colonel Edward Bonton.--Organized at La Grange, Tenn., +June, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Tennessee Volunteers; changed to 59th +Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Brice's Cross Roads, Tupelo. +Mustered out January, 1866. + +60th Regiment, Colonel John G. Hudson.--Organized at Keokuk, Iowa, and +Benton Barracks, Mo., October, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Iowa +Volunteers; changed to 60th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battle: Big +Creek. Mustered out October, 1865. + +61st Regiment Lieutenant-Colonel John Foley.--Organized at La Grange, +Tenn., June, 1863, as the 2nd Regiment Tennessee Volunteers; changed to +61st Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Moscow Station, Tupelo, +Waterford, Memphis, Castport. Mustered out December, 1865. + +62nd Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel David Branson.--Organized at Benton +Barracks, Mo., December, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Missouri Volunteers; +changed to 62nd Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Glasgow, Palmetto +Ranch. Mustered out March, 1866. + +63rd Regiment, Major Wm. G. Sargent.--Organized at Memphis, and Island +No. 10, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and Goodrich's Landing, La., November, +1863, as the 9th Regiment Louisiana Volunteers; changed to 63rd Regiment +U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Waterproof, Ashwood, Marengo. Mustered out +January, 1866. + +64th Regiment, Colonel Samuel Thomas.--Organized at Camp Holly Springs, +Memphis, and Island No. 10, Tenn., December, 1863, as the 7th Regiment +Louisiana Volunteers, changed to the 64th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. +Battles; Ashwood Landing, Point Pleasant, Pine Bluff, David's Bend, June +2nd, 29th, 1864, Helena. Mustered out March, 1866. + +65th Regiment, Colonel Alonzo J. Edgerton.--Organized at Benton +Barracks, Mo., December, 1863, as the 2nd Regiment Missouri Volunteers; +changed to 65th Regiment U. S. March, 1864. Mustered out January, 1867. + +66th Regiment, Colonel Michael W. Smith. Organized at Vicksburg, Miss., +December, 1863, as the 4th Regiment Mississippi Volunteers; changed to +66th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Columbia, Goodrich's Landing, +March 24th, and July 16th, 1864, Issequena County, July 10th and August +17th, 1864, Bayou Macon, Bayou Tensas, July 30th, and August 26th, 1864. +Mustered out March, 1866. + +67th Regiment, Colonel Alonzo J. Edgerton.--Organized at Benton +Barracks, Mo., January, 1864, as the 3rd Regiment Missouri Volunteers; +changed to 67th Regiment U. S., March 1864; consolidated with the 65th +Regiment, July 12th, 1865. Battle: Mount Pleasant Landing. + +68th Regiment, Major Oliver H. Holcomb.--Organized at Benton Barracks, +Mo., March, 1864, as the 4th Regiment Missouri Volunteers; changed to +68th Regiment U. S., March, 1864. Battles: Tupelo, Spanish Fort, Fort +Blakely. Mustered out February, 1866. + +69th Regiment, Captain James T. Watson.--Organized at Pine Bluff, +Duvall's, Bluff, Little Rock, and Helena, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn., +December, 1864. Organization discontinued September, 1865, and the +commissioned officers and enlisted men transferred to the 63d and 64th +Regiments. + +70th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Morris Yeomans.--Organized in part, +April, 1864, at Natchez, Miss.; completed November, 1864, by the +consolidation of the 71st Regiment. Mustered out March, 1866. + +71st Regiment, Colonel Willard C. Earle.--Organized at Black River +Bridge and Natchez, Miss., and Alexandria, La., March, 1864; +consolidated with the 70th Regiment November, 1864. + +72d Regiment, Colonel Alexander Duncan.--Organized at Covington, Ky., +April, 1865; discontinued May, 1865; commissioned officers ordered +before a board for examination, and enlisted men transferred to other +regiments. + +73d Regiment, Colonel Samuel M. Quincy.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +September, 1862, as the 1st Native Guard Volunteers; changed to 1st +Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_, and to 73d Regiment U. S., April, 1864; +consolidated with the 96th Regiment U. S., September, 1865. Battles: +Port Hudson, Jackson, Bayou Tunica, Steamer City Belle, Morganzia, Fort +Blakely. Men mustered out at the expiration of time. + +74th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Hall.--Organized at New Orleans, +La., October, 1862, as the 2d Regiment Louisiana Native Guard +Volunteers; changed to 2d Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_, June, 1863, and to +the 74th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: East Pascagoula. Mustered +out October, 1865. + +75th Regiment, Colonel Henry W. Fuller.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +November, 1862, as the 3d Regiment Louisiana Native Guard Volunteers; +changed to 3d Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_, June, 1863, and to the 75th +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battles: Jackson, Port Hudson, Pleasant +Hill, Waterloo. Mustered out November, 1865. + +76th Regiment, Colonel Charles W. Drew.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +February, 1863, as the 4th Regiment Louisiana Native Guard Volunteers; +changed to 4th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_, June, 1863, and to the 76th +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Fort Blakely. Mustered out +December, 1865. + +77th Regiment, Colonel Charles A. Hartwell.--Organized at Fort St. +Philip, La., December, 1863, as the 5th Regiment Infantry _Corps +d'Afrique_, by the transfer of 291 enlisted men from the 4th Corps +Regiment Volunteers; changed to 77th Regiment U. S., April, 1864; +consolidated with the 85th Regiment and with the 10th Regiment Heavy +Artillery, October, 1865. Battle: Amite River. + +78th Regiment, Colonel Charles L. Norton.--Organized at Port Hudson, +La., September, 1863, as the 6th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +78th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Port Hudson. Mustered out +January, 1866. + +79th Regiment, Colonel James C. Clark.--Organized at Port Hudson, La., +August, 1863, as the 7th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 79th +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Broken up July, 1864. Battle: Port Hudson. + +79th Regiment, Colonel James M. Williams.--Organized at Fort Scott, +Kan., January, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Kansas Volunteers; changed to +79th Regiment U. S., December, 1864. Battles: Sherwood, Bush Creek, +Cabin Creek, Honey Springs, Prairie d'Anne, Poison Springs, Jenkins +Ferry, Joys Ford, Clarksville, Horse Head Creek, Roseville Creek, Timber +Hill, Lawrence, Island Mound, Fort Gibson. Mustered out October, 1865. + +80th Regiment, Colonel William S. Mudget.--Organized at Port Hudson, +La., September, 1863, as the 8th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +80th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Port Hudson. Mustered out +March, 1867. + +81st Regiment, Colonel John F. Appleton.--Organized at Port Hudson, La., +September, 1863, as the 9th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 81st +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Port Hudson. Mustered out November, +1866. + +82d Regiment, Colonel Ladislos L Zulasky.--Organized at Port Hudson, +La., September, 1863, as the 10th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +82d Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battles: Port Hudson, Barrancas, +Mariana, Mitchell's Creek, Pine Barren Ford, Fort Blakely. Mustered out +September, 1866. + +83d Regiment, Colonel E. Martindale.--Organized at Port Hudson, La., +August, 1863, as the 11th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 83d +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Broken up July, 1864, and enlisted men +transferred to other regiments. + +83d Regiment, Brevet Colonel J. H. Gillpatrick.--Organized at Forts +Scott and Leavenworth, Kan., August, 1863, as the 2d Regiment Kansas +Volunteers; changed to 83d Regiment U. S., December, 1864. Battles: +Jenkins' Ferry, April 30th, May 4th, 1864, Prairie d'Anne, Sabine River, +Fort Smith, Steamer Chippewa, Steamer Lotus, Rector's Farm. + +84th Regiment, Colonel William H. Dickey.--Organized at Port Hudson, +La., September, 1863, as the 12th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +84th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Morganzia. Mustered out March, +1866. + +85th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry C. Merriam.--Organized at New +Orleans, La., March, 1864, as the 13th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; +changed to 85th Regiment U. S., April, 1864; consolidated with the 77th +Regiment U. S., May, 1864. + +86th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George E. Yarrington.--Organized at +New Orleans, La., August, 1863, as the 14th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; +changed to 86th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Fort Blakely. +Mustered out April, 1866. + +87th Regiment, Major H. Tobey.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +September, 1863, as the 16th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 87th +Regiment U. S., April, 1864; consolidated with the 95th Regiment U. S., +November, 1864, to form the 85th Regiment U. S.; subsequently changed to +87th Regiment U. S. + +87th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel William W. Bliss.--Organized by the +consolidation of the 87th and 95th Regiments U. S., November, 1864, and +designated as the 87th Regiment U. S.; consolidated with the 84th +Regiment U. S., August, 1865. + +88th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George E. Biles.--Organized at Port +Hudson, La., 1863, as the 17th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +88th Regiment U. S., 1864. Broken up July, 1864, and the enlisted men +transferred to other regiments. + +88th Regiment, Colonel Edmund R. Wiley.--Organized at Memphis, Tenn., +February, 1863; consolidated with the 3d Regiment U. S. Heavy Artillery, +December, 1865. + +89th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert F. Atkins.--Organized at Port +Hudson, La., October, 1863, as the 18th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; +changed to 89th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Broken up July, 1864, and +the enlisted men transferred to other regiments. + +90th Regiment, Colonel Charles E. Bostwick.--Organized at Madisonville, +La., February, 1864, as the 19th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to +90th Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Broken up July, 1864, and enlisted men +transferred to other regiments. + +91st Regiment, Colonel Eliot Bridgeman.--Organized at Fort Pike, La., +September, 1863, as the 20th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 91st +Regiment U. S., July, 1864; consolidated with 74th Regiment U. S., July, +1864. Battle: Bayou St. Louis. + +92nd Regiment, Colonel H. N. Frisbie.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +September, 1863, as the 22nd Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 92nd +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Red River Expedition. Mustered out +Dec. 1865. + +93rd Regiment, Colonel Simon Jones.--Organized at New Iberia, La., +November, 1863, as the 25th Regiment _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 93rd +Regiment U. S., April, 1864. Broken up June 1865; enlisted men +transferred to 81st and 82nd Regiments U. S. Battle: Ash Bayou. + +95th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel A. F. Wrohwuski.--Organized at Camp +Parapet, La., April, 1863, as the 1st Regiment Engineers _Corps +d'Afrique_; divided to form the 3rd Regiment Engineers _Corps +d'Afrique_; changed to 95th Regiment U. S.; consolidated with 87th +Regiment November, 1864, to form 81st Regiment; changed to 87th +Regiment. Battle: Port Hudson. + +96th Regiment, Lieut.-Colonel O. L. F. E. Fariola.--Organized at New +Orleans, La., August, 1863, as the 2nd Regiment Engineers _Corps +d'Afrique_; changed to 96th U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Fort Gaines. +Consolidated with 73rd Regiment September, 1865; mustered out January, +1866. + +97th Regiment, Geo. D. Robinson.--Composed of men transferred from the +1st Regiment Engineers _Corps d'Afrique_. Organized at New Orleans, La., +August, 1863, as the 3rd Regiment Engineers _Corps d'Afrique_; changed +to 97th U. S., April, 1864. Battle: Pine Barren Creek. Mustered out +April, 1866. + +98th Regiment, Colonel Chas. L. Morton.--Organized at Camp Parapet, New +Orleans, and Berwick City, La., September, 1863, as the 4th Regiment +Engineers _Corps d'Afrique_; changed to 98th U. S., April, 1864; +consolidated with the 78th Regiment August, 1865. Battles: Berwick, +Natchez. + +99th Regiment, Major Samuel Pollock.--Organized at New Orleans, La., +August, 1863, as the 15th Regiment Infantry _Corps d'Afrique_; changed +to 5th Regiment Engineers _Corps d'Afrique_ February, 1864, and to the +99th U. S., April, 1864; consolidated into a battalion of five +companies, December, 1865. Battles: Natural Bridge, Steamer 'Alliance.' +Mustered out April, 1866. + +100th Regiment, Colonel Reuben D. Massey, (regular army).--Organized in +Kentucky, May, 1864. Battles: N. & N. W. R. R., Nashville. Mustered out +December, 1865. + +101st Regiment, Colonel Robert W. Barnard, (regular army).--Organized in +Tennessee, September, 1864. Battles: Scottsboro, Boyd's Station, Madison +Station. Mustered out January, 1866. + +102d Regiment, Colonel Henry L. Chipman, (regular army).--Organized at +Detroit, Mich., February, 1864, as the 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteers; +changed to 102d Regiment U. S., May, 1864. Battles: Honey Hill, Deveaux +Neck, Salkehatchie, Bradford's Spring, Swift's Creek. Mustered out +September, 1865. + +103d Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel John A. Bogert.--Organized at Hilton +Head, S. C., March, 1865. Mustered out April, 1866. + +104th Regiment, Colonel Douglas Frazar.--Organized at Beaufort, S. C., +April, 1864. Mustered out February, 1866. + +106th Regiment, Captain Frederick Holsman.--Organized at Decatur, Ala., +March, 1864, as the 4th Regiment Alabama Infantry; changed to 106th +Regiment U. S., May, 1864. Battles: Mud Creek, Athens. Consolidated with +the 40th Regiment U. S., November, 1865. + +107th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel David M. Sells.--Organized at +Louisville, Ky., May, 1864. Mustered out November, 1866. + +108th Regiment, Colonel John S. Bishop.--Organized at Louisville, Ky., +June, 1864. Battle: Owensboro. Mustered out March, 1866. + +109th Regiment, Colonel Orion A. Bartholomew.--Organized at Louisville, +Ky., July, 1864. Mustered out February, 1866. + +110th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Dedrick F. Tiedemaun.--Organized at +Pulaski, Tenn., November, 1863, as the 2d Regiment Alabama Volunteers; +changed to 110th Regiment U. S., June, 1864. Battles: Dallas, Athens. +Mustered out February, 1866. + +111th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel William H. Scroggs.--Organized at +Pulaski, Prospect, and Lynnville, Tenn., and Sulphur Branch Trestle, +Ala., January, 1864, as the 3d Regiment Alabama Volunteers; changed to +111th Regiment U. S., June, 1864. Battles: Pulaski, Sulphur Branch +Trestle, Athens, Richland. Mustered out April, 1866. + +112th Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel John G. Gustafson.--Organized at +Little Rock, Ark., April, 1864; consolidated with the 11th and 113th +Regiments U. S., April, 1865, to form the 113th Regiment U. S. + +113th Regiment, (old), Lieutenant-Colonel Lanniston W. +Whipple.--Organized at Little Rock, Ark., March, 1864, as the 6th +Regiment Arkansas Volunteers; changed to 113th Regiment U. S., June, +1864; consolidated with the 11th and 112th Regiment U. S. to form the +113th, (new), April, 1865. + +113th Regiment, (new), Colonel Lanniston W. Whipple.--Organized at +Little Rock, Ark,, April, 1865, by the consolidation of the 11th, 112th, +and 113th--old regiments. Mustered out April, 1866. + +114th Regiment, Colonel Thomas D. Sedgwick.--Organized at Camp Nelson, +Ky., July, 1864. Mustered out April, 1867. + +115th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George T. Elder.--Organized at +Bowling Green, Ky., July, 1864. Mustered out February, 1866. + +116th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Kireker.--Organized at Camp +Nelson, Ky., July, 1864. Mustered out February, 1866. Battle: +Petersburg. + +117th Regiment, Colonel Lewis G. Brown.--Organized at Covington, Ky., +July, 1864. Battle: Ghent. Mustered out August, 1867. + +118th Regiment, Colonel John C. Moon. Organized at Baltimore, Md., +October, 1864. Battles: Fort Brady, Henderson. Mustered out February, +1866. + +119th Regiment, Colonel Charles G. Bartlett, (regular army).--Organized +at Camp Nelson, Ky. Battles: Glasgow, Taylorsville. Mustered out +February, 1866. + +120th Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel John Glenn.--Organized at Henderson, +Ky., November, 1864. Discontinued June, 1865, and enlisted men +transferred to other regiments. + +121st Regiment, Colonel Hubert A. McCaleb.--Organized at Nashville, +Tenn., October, 1864. Discontinued June, 1865, and enlisted men +transferred to other regiments. + +122d Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel David M. Layman.--Organized at +Louisville, Ky., December, 1864; consolidated into a battalion of three +companies January, 1866. Mustered out February, 1866. + +123d Regiment, Colonel Samuel A. Porter.--Organized at Louisville, Ky., +December, 1864. Mustered out October, 1865. + +124th Regiment, Colonel Frederick H. Bierbower.--Organized at Camp +Nelson, Ky., January, 1865. Mustered out October, 1865. + +125th Regiment, Colonel William R. Gerhart.--Organized at Louisville, +Ky., February. 1865. Mustered out October, 1867. + +127th Regiment, (Battalion), Lieutenant-Colonel James Givin.--Organized +at Philadelphia, Pa., August, 1864; consolidated into a battalion of +three companies September, 1865. Battle: Deep Bottom. Mustered out +October, 1865. + +128th Regiment, Colonel Charles H. Howard.--Organized at Hilton Head, S. +C., April, 1865. Mustered out October, 1866. + +136th Regiment, Colonel Richard Root.--Organized at Atlanta, Ga., July, +1865. Mustered out January, 1866. + +137th Regiment, Colonel Martin R. Archer.--Organized at Selina, Ala., +April, 1865. Mustered into the United States service at Macon, Ga., +June, 1865. Mustered out January, 1866. + +138th Regiment, Colonel F. W. Benteen.--Organized at Atlanta, Ga., July, +1865. Mustered out July, 1866. + + +INDEPENDENT COMPANY A. + +First Lieutenant, E. M. Harris.--Organized at Camp William Penn, Pa., +(one hundred days,) July, 1864. Mustered out November, 1864. + +Company A, (unassigned), Captain George L. Barnes.--Organized at +Alexandria, Va., (one year), September, 1864. Mustered out July, 1865. + + +NINTH ARMY CORPS. + +4th Division,[35] Brigadier-General Edward Ferrero. + +First Brigade, Colonel Joshua K. Sigfried.--27th Regiment, 30th +Regiment, 39th Regiment, 43d Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel Henry G. Thomas.--19th Regiment, 29th Regiment, +23d Regiment, 28th Regiment, 31st Regiment. + + +EIGHTEENTH ARMY CORPS. + +3d Division, (June 15th to July 31st, 1864.)--Brigadier-General E. W. +Hinks, June 1st to July 1st; Colonel John H. Holman, July 1st to 27th; +Colonel S. A. Duncan, July 27th to 29th; Brigadier-General Joseph B. +Carr, since July 29th. + +First Brigade, Colonel John H. Holman; Colonel Jeptha Garrard since July +2d.--1st Regiment, 10th Regiment,[36] 37th Regiment,[37] 1st Cavalry, +5th Massachusetts Cavalry.[B] + +Second Brigade, Colonel S. A. Duncan.--4th Regiment, 5th Regiment, 6th +Regiment, 22d Regiment, 2d Cavalry.[38] + +The following regiments composed the Provisional Detachment of the Army +of the Tennessee, 23rd Army Corps, commanded by Major-General James B. +Steadman, in 1864: + +First Brigade, Colonel T. J. Morgan.--14th Regiment, 15th Regiment, 17th +Regiment, 18th Regiment, (battalion), 44th Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel Charles R. Thompson.--12th Regiment, 13th +Regiment, 100th Regiment. Post of Nashville, Battery A, 2nd Artillery. + + +TENTH ARMY CORPS. + +Army of the Ohio, Major-General A. H. Terry.--3d Division, +Brigadier-General C. J. Paine. + +First Brigade, Brevet Brigadier-General D. Bates.--1st Regiment, 30th +Regiment, 107th Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Brevet Brigadier-General S. Duncan.--4th Regiment, 6th +Regiment, 37th Regiment. + +Third Brigade, Colonel J. H. Holman--5th Regiment, (Mass.,) 27th +Regiment, 37th Regiment. + + +TENTH ARMY CORPS.[39] + +3d Division, Brigadier-General William Birney. + +First Brigade, Colonel James Shaw, Jr.--7th Regiment, 9th Regiment, 16th +Regiment, 29th Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel Ulysses Doubleday.--8th Regiment, 41st Regiment, +45th Regiment, 127th Regiment. + + +EIGHTEENTH ARMY CORPS. + +3d Division, Brigadier-General Charles J. Paine. + +First Brigade, Colonel Elias Wright.--1st Regiment, 22d Regiment, 37th +Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel Alonzo G. Draper.--5th Regiment, 36th Regiment, +38th Regiment. + +Third Brigade, Colonel John W. Ames.--4th Regiment, 6th Regiment, 10th +Regiment. + +Provisional Brigade, Colonel E. Martindale.--107th Regiment, 117th +Regiment, 118th Regiment. + +Second Regiment Cavalry. + + +TWENTY-FIFTH ARMY CORPS. + +Organized in the field December, 1864; commander, Major-General Godfrey +Weitzel. + +1st Division. Brigadier-General Chas. J. Paine. + +First Brigade, Colonel J. H. Holman.--1st Regiment, 27th Regiment, 30th +Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Brevet Brigadier-General Samuel A. Duncan.--4th +Regiment, 6th Regiment, 39th Regiment. + +Third Brigade, Colonel Elias Wright, 10th Regiment.--5th Regiment, 10th +Regiment, 37th Regiment, 107th Regiment. + +2nd Division. Brigadier-General Wm. Birney. + +First Brigade, Colonel James Shaw, 7th Regiment.--7th Regiment, 109th +Regiment, 116th Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel Ulysses Doubleday, 45th Regiment.--8th Regiment, +45th Regiment, 127th Regiment. + +Third Brigade, Colonel Chas. S. Russell, 28th Regiment.--28th Regiment, +29th Regiment, 31st Regiment, 117th Regiment. + +3rd Division. Brigadier-General C. A. Heckman. + +First Brigade, Brevet Brigadier-General A. G. Draper.--22nd Regiment, +36th Regiment, 38th Regiment, 118th Regiment. + +Second Brigade, Colonel E. Martindale, 81st Regiment.--9th Regiment, +29th Conn. Regiment, 41st Regiment. + +Third Brigade, Colonel H. G. Thomas, 10th Regiment.--19th Regiment, 23rd +Regiment, 43rd Regiment. + +Cavalry Brigade, Brevet Brigadier-General B. C. Ludlow.--1st Cavalry, +2nd Cavalry, Light Battery B, 2nd Artillery. + +Artillery Brigade.[40] Battery D, 1st U. S. Artillery, Battery M, 1st U. +S. Artillery, Battery E, 3rd U. S. Artillery, Battery D, 4th U. S. +Artillery, Battery C, 3rd R. I. Artillery, 4th New Jersey Battery, 5th +New Jersey Battery, Battery E, 1st Pa. Artillery. + + +REGIMENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, APRIL, 1864. + +1st Mich., 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 21st, 26th U. S., 29th Conn., 32nd, 33rd, +34th, 35th U. S., 54th Mass., 55th Mass. Regiments. + + +REGIMENTS WITH GENERAL STURGIS IN JUNE, 1864. + +59th, 61st, 68th Regt's., Battery I, 2nd Reg't., Artillery (light.) + +FOOTNOTES: + +[34] Dr. Wright, a prominent secessionist at Norfolk, Va., swore to +shoot the first white man that he caught drilling negroes. Lieutenant A. +S. Sanborn, of this regiment, while marching a squad to headquarters +through the main street of the city was shot and killed by this Dr. +Wright, for which he was hanged. + +[35] There was with this division eleven batteries, four regiments of +cavalry of white troops. + +[36] Detached in July. + +[37] Detached June 28th to Department Headquarters. + +[38] Assigned June 22d, 1864. + +[39] Organized in November, 1864. + +[40] All white in the Artillery Brigade. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE CONFEDERATE SERVICE. + + +The leaders at the South in preparing for hostilities showed the people +of the North, and the authorities at Washington, that they intended to +carry on the war with no want of spirit; that every energy, every nerve, +was to be taxed to its utmost tension, and that not only every white +man, but, if necessary, every black man should be made to contribute to +the success of the cause for which the war was inaugurated. +Consequently, with the enrollment of the whites began the employment of +the blacks. + +Prejudice against the negro at the North was so strong that it required +the arm of public authority to protect him from assault, though he +declared in favor of the Union. Not so at the South, for as early as +April, 1861, the free negroes of New Orleans, La., held a public meeting +and began the organization of a battalion, with officers of their own +race, with the approval of the _State_ government, which commissioned +their negro officers. When the Louisiana militia was reviewed, the +Native Guards (negro) made up, in part, the first division of the State +troops. Elated at the success of being first to place negroes in the +field together with white troops, the commanding general sent the news +over the wires to the jubilant confederacy: + + "NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 23rd, 1861. + + "Over 28,000 troops were reviewed to-day by Governor Moore, + Major-General Lovell and Brigadier-General Ruggles. The line + was over seven miles long; _one regiment comprised 1,400 + free colored men_." + +The population of the city of New Orleans differs materially from that +of any other city on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. It has several +classes of colored people: the English, French, Portuguese and +Spanish,--all a mixture of the African,--and the American +Negro,--mulatto,--numerically stronger than either of the others, but +socially and politically less considered and privileged; the former +enjoyed distinctive rights, somewhat as did the mulattoes in the West +Indies before slavery was abolished there. Of these foreign classes many +were planters, and not a few merchants, all owning slaves. It was from +these classes that the 1,400 colored men, forming the Native Guard +regiment, came, and which recruited to 3,000 before the city was +captured by the Union fleet. This brigade was placed at the United +States Mint building, under command of a creole, who, instead of +following the confederate troops out of the city when they evacuated it, +allowed his command to be cut off, and surrendered to General Butler. + +Of course, prior to this date, the negro at the South had taken an +active part in the preparations for war, building breastworks, mounting +cannon, digging rifle-pits and entrenchments, to shield and protect his +rebelling master. + +January 1st, 1861, Hon. J. P. Walker, at Mobile, Ala., received from R. +R. Riordan, Esq., of Charleston, S. C., a dispatch rejoicing that-- + + "Large gangs of negroes from plantations are at work on the + redoubts, which are substantially made of sand-bags and + coated with sheet-iron." + +These doubtless were slaves, and mere machines; but the Charleston +_Mercury_ of January 3rd, brought the intelligence that-- + + "One hundred and fifty able-bodied free colored men + yesterday offered their services gratuitously to the + governor, to hasten forward the important work of throwing + up redoubts, wherever needed, along our coast." + +Only the fire-eaters based their hope of success against the North,--the +National Government,--upon the stubborn energies of the white soldiery; +the deliberate men rested their hopes,--based their expectations, more +upon the docility of the negro, than upon the audacity of their white +troops. + +The legislature of Tennessee, which secretly placed that State in the +Southern Confederacy, enacted in June, 1861, a law authorizing the +governor-- + + "To receive into the military service of the State all male + free persons of color, between the age of 15 and 50, who + should receive $8 per month, clothing and rations." + +And then it further provided-- + + "That in the event a sufficient number of free persons of + color to meet the wants of the State shall not tender their + service, the Governor is empowered, through the sheriffs of + the different counties, to _press_ such persons until the + requisite number is obtained." + +A few months after, the Memphis _Avalanche_, of September 3rd, 1861, +exultingly announced the appearance on the streets of Memphis, of two +regiments of negroes, under command of confederate officers. On the 7th +of September, again the _Avalanche_ said: + + "Upwards of 1000 negroes armed with spades and pickaxes have + passed through the city within the past few days. Their + destination is unknown, but it is supposed that they are on + their way to the 'other side of Jordan.'" + +Nor were the negroes in Virginia behind those of the other Southern +States. In April, the Lynchburg _Republican_ chronicled the enrollment +of a company of free negroes in that city, also one at Petersburg. + +Thus instead of revolts among the negroes, slaves and free, as predicted +by some Union men at the North, many became possessed of a +fervor,--originating generally in fear,--stimulated by an enthusiasm of +the whites, that swept the populace like a mighty sea current into the +channel of war. The negro who boasted the loudest of his desire to fight +the Yankees; who showed the greatest anxiety to aid the confederates, +was granted the most freedom and received the approval of his master. + +The gayly decked cities; the flags, bunting and streamers of all colors; +the mounted cavalry; the artillery trains with brazen cannons drawn by +sturdy steeds; followed by regiments of infantry in brilliant uniforms, +with burnished muskets, glittering bayonets and beautiful plumes; +preceeded by brass bands discoursing the ever alluring strains of the +quick-step; all these scenes greatly interested and delighted the negro, +and it was filling the cup of many with ecstasy to the brim, to be +allowed to connect themselves, even in the most menial way, with the +demonstrations. There was also an intuitive force that led them, and +they unhesitatingly followed, feeling that though they took up arms +against the National Government, freedom was the ultimatum. Many of +those who enlisted feared to do otherwise than fight for slavery, for to +refuse would have invited, perchance, torture if not massacre; to avert +which many of the free blacks, as well as some of the slaves, gave an +apparent acquiescence to the fervor of their lesser informed comrades, +who regarded any remove from the monotony of plantation life a respite. + +The readiness with which they responded to the call was only astonishing +to those who were unacquainted with the true feelings of the unhappy +race whose highest hope of freedom was beyond the pearly gates of the +celestial domain. One thing that impressed the blacks greatly was the +failure of Denmark Vesy, Nat Turner and John Brown, whose fate was ever +held up to them as the fate of all who attempted to free themselves or +the slaves. Escape to free land was the only possible relief they saw on +earth, and _that_ they realized as an individual venture, far removed +from the field-hand South of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. + +It was not unnatural, then, for some to spring at the opportunity +offered to dig trenches and assist Beauregard in mounting cannon, and +loading them with shot and shell to fire upon Fort Sumter. + +[Illustration: DOING MILITARY DUTY FOR THE CONFEDERATES. + +Negroes building fortifications for the Confederates at James Island, S. +C., under direction of General Beauregard, to repel the land attack of +the Federal troops.] + +The negro did not at first realize a fight of any magnitude possible, or +that it would result in any possible good to himself. So while the +_free_ negroes trembled because they _were_ free, the slaves sought +refuge from suspicion of wanting to be free, behind, _per se_, an +enthusiasm springing, not from a desire and hope for the success of the +confederates, but from a puerile ambition to enjoy the holiday +excitement. + +Later on, however, when the war opened in earnest, and the question of +the freedom and slavery of the negro entered into the struggle; when +extra care was taken to guide him to the rear at night; when after a few +thousand Yankee prisoners, taken in battle, had sought and obtained an +opportunity of whispering to him the _real_ cause of the war, and the +surety of the negroes' freedom if the North was victorious, the slave +negro went to the breastworks with no less agility, but with prayers for +the success of the Union troops, and a determination to go to the +Yankees at the first opportunity; though he risked life in the +undertaking. When the breastworks had been built and the heavy guns +mounted, when a cordon of earthworks encircled the cities throughout the +South, and after a few thousand negroes had made good their escape into +the Union lines, then those who had labored upon the fortifications of +the South were sent back to the cotton-fields and the plantations to +till the soil to supply the needs of the confederate soldiers who were +fighting to keep them in bondage. But when the policy of the North was +changed and union and _liberty_ were made the issues of the struggle, as +against slavery and disunion, and the Union forces began to slay their +enemies, the Confederate Government realized the necessity of calling +the negroes from the hoe to the musket,--from the plantations to the +battle-fields. + +In the incipiency of the struggle, many of the States made provision for +placing the negro at the disposal of the Confederate Government; but +elated at their early victories, the leaders deemed the enforcement of +the laws unnecessary, negro troops not being needed. As the change came, +however, and defeats, with great losses in various ways depleted the +armies, the necessity of the aid of the negroes became apparent. +Stronghold after stronghold, city after city, States in part, fell +before the march of the Union troops. The negro had become a soldier in +the Union army, and was helping to crush the rebellion. President +Lincoln had declared all slaves in rebeldom free, and thousands of black +soldiers were marching and carrying the news to the slaves. + +This state of affairs lead President Davis and his cabinet to resign to +the inevitable, as had the North, and to inaugurate the policy of +emancipating and arming the slaves, knowing full well that it was sheer +folly to expect to recruit their shattered armies from the negro +population without giving them their freedom. + +It was therefore in the last days of the confederate authorities, and it +was their last hope and effort for success. Despair had seized upon +them. The army was daily thinned more by desertion than by the bullets +of the Union soldiers, while Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea had +awakened the widest alarm. In the winter of 1864 and 1865 the question +of arming the slaves was presented as a means of recruiting the depleted +and disordered ranks of the army, and it soon assumed an importance that +made it an absorbing topic throughout the Confederacy. There was no +other source to recruit from. The appeal to foreigners was fruitless. +"The blacks had been useful soldiers for the northern army, why should +they not be made to fight for their masters?" it was asked. Of course +there was the immediate query whether they would fight to keep +themselves in slavery. This opened up a subject into which those who +discussed it were afraid to look; nevertheless it seemed unavoidable +that a black conscription should be attempted, and with that in view, +every precaution was taken by those who supported the scheme to avoid +heightening the dissensions already too prevalent for good. The +newspapers were advised of the intended change of policy, to which not a +few of them acquiesced. General Lee was consulted, as the following +letter, afterward printed in the Philadelphia _Times_, shows: + + "HEADQUARTERS ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA, + + "January 11th, 1865. + + "HON. ANDREW HUNTER: I have received your letter of the 7th + instant, and, without confining myself to the order of your + interrogatories, will endeavor to answer them by a + statement of my views on the subject. + + "I shall be most happy if I can contribute to the solution + of a question in which I feel an interest commensurate with + my desire for the welfare and happiness of our people. + + "Considering the relation of master and slave controlled by + human laws, and influenced by Christianity and an + enlightened public sentiment, as the best that can exist + between the white and black races, while intermingled as at + present in this country, I would deprecate any sudden + disturbance of that relation, unless it be necessary to + avert a greater calamity to both. I should, therefore, + prefer to rely on our white population to preserve the ratio + between our forces and that of the enemy, which experience + has shown to be safe. But in view of the preparations of our + enemies it is our duty to prepare for continued war and not + for a battle or a campaign, and I own I fear we can not + accomplish this without overtaxing the capacity of our white + population. + + "Should the war continue under existing circumstances the + enemy may in course of time penetrate our country, and get + access to a large part of our slave population. It is his + avowed policy to convert the able-bodied men among them into + soldiers, and emancipate all. The success of the federal + arms in the south was followed by a proclamation from + President Lincoln for two hundred and eighty thousand men, + the effect of which will be to stimulate the northern states + to procure as substitutes for their own people the negroes + thus brought within their reach. Many have already been + obtained in Virginia, and should the fortunes of war expose + more of her territory the enemy will gain a large accession + of strength. His progress will thus add to his numbers, and + at the same time destroy slavery in a manner most pernicious + to the welfare of our people. Their negroes will be used to + hold them in subjection, leaving the remaining force of the + enemy free to extend his conquest. + + "Whatever may be the effect of our employing negro troops it + can not be as mischievous as this. If it end in subverting + slavery it will be accomplished by ourselves, and we can + devise the means of alleviating the evil consequences to + both races. I think, therefore, we must decide whether + slavery shall be extinguished by our enemies and the slaves + be used against us, or use them ourselves at the risk of the + effects which may be produced upon our social institutions. + My own opinion is that we should employ them without delay. + I believe that, with proper regulations, they can be made + effective soldiers. They possess the physical qualifications + in an eminent degree. Long habits of obedience and + subordination, coupled with that moral influence which in + our country the white man possesses over the black, furnish + the best foundation for that discipline which is the surest + guarantee of military efficiency. Our chief aim should be to + secure their fidelity. There have been formidable armies + composed of men having no interests in the country for which + they fought beyond their pay or the hope of plunder. But it + is certain that the best foundation upon which the fidelity + of an army can rest, especially in a service which imposes + peculiar hardships and privations, is the personal interest + of the soldier in the issue of the contest. Such an interest + we can give our negroes by granting immediate freedom to all + who enlist, and freedom at the end of the war to the + families of those who discharge their duties faithfully, + whether they survive or not, together with the privilege of + residing at the south. + + "To this might be added a bounty for faithful service. We + should not expect slaves to fight for prospective freedom + when they can secure it at once by going to the enemy, in + whose service they will incur no greater risk than in ours. + The reasons that induce me to recommend the employment of + negro troops at all render the effect of the measures I have + suggested upon slavery immaterial, and in my opinion the + best means of securing the efficiency and fidelity of this + auxiliary force would be to accompany the measure with a + well-digested plan of gradual and general emancipation. As + that will be the result of the continuance of the war, and + will certainly occur if the enemy succeed, it seems to me + most advisable to adopt it at once, and thereby obtain all + the benefits that will accrue to our cause. + + "The employment of negro troops under regulations similar to + those indicated would, in my opinion, greatly increase our + military strength, and enable us to relieve our white + population to some extent. I think we could dispense with + the reserve forces, except in cases of emergency. It would + disappoint the hopes which our enemies have upon our + exhaustion, deprive them in a great measure of the aid they + now derive from black troops, and thus throw the burden of + the war upon their own people. In addition to the great + political advantages that would result to our cause from the + adoption of a system of emancipation, it would exercise a + salutary influence upon our negro population, by rendering + more secure the fidelity of those who become soldiers, and + diminishing the inducements to the rest to abscond. + + "I can only say in conclusion that whatever measures are to + be adopted should be adopted at once. Every day's delay + increases the difficulty. Much time will be required to + organize and discipline the men, and action may be deferred + till it is too late. + + "Very respectfully, + + "Your obedient servant, + + "A true copy. J. B. W." "(Signed,) R. E. LEE, _General._" + +This letter was intended for members of Congress to read, and it was +circulated among them, but all was not harmony. Many members were +bitterly opposed to arming the slaves, some of them denounced General +Lee for writing the letter, and prepared to oppose the measure when it +should be introduced into Congress.[41] + +At length the period for its introduction arrived. Lee in his attempted +invasion of the north made no more careful preparations than did Mr. +Davis and his cabinet to carry through Congress the bill enrolling +slaves and to emancipate them. Finally the hour was at hand, and amid +the mutterings of dissenters, and threats of members to resign their +seats if the measure was forced through, the administration began to +realize more sensibly its weakness. However, it stood by the carefully +drawn bill. + +Of course the negro people about the city of Richmond heard of the +proposition to arm and emancipate them if they would voluntarily fight +for their old masters. They discussed its merits with a sagacity wiser +than those who proposed the scheme, and it is safe to say that they +concluded, in the language of one who spoke on the matter, "It am too +late, de Yankees am coming." There were those among them, however, known +as the free class, who stood ever ready to imitate the whites, believing +that course to be an evidence of their superiority over the slaves. They +were very anxious to enlist. + +On February 8th Senator Brown, of Mississippi, introduced a resolution +which, if it had been adopted, would have freed 200,000 negroes and put +them into the army; but on the next day it was voted down in secret +session. Upon this very February 9th, when Senator Brown's resolution +was lost, Mr. Benjamin, Secretary of State, addressed a large public +meeting at Richmond. He made a very extraordinary speech, setting forth +the policy of President Davis and his cabinet. Emissaries of Mr. Davis +had just returned from the Peace Conference at Fortress Monroe, where +they met representatives of the United States government, and learned +that the conditions upon which the Southern States could resume their +relations were those which they were compelled to accept finally. During +Mr. Benjamin's speech he said: + + "We have 680,000 blacks capable of bearing arms, and who + ought now to be in the field. Let us now say to every negro + who wishes to go into the ranks on condition of being free, + go and fight--you are free. My own negroes have been to me + and said, 'Master, set us free and we'll fight for you.' + You must make up your minds to try this or see your army + withdrawn from before your town. I know not where white men + can be found." + +Mr. Benjamin's speech created an intense excitement among the +slave-holders. The situation seemed to have narrowed itself down to a +disagreeable alternative. They must either fight themselves or let the +slaves fight. Doubtless many would have preferred submission to Lincoln, +but then they could not save their slaves. Immediately following Mr. +Benjamin's speech on the 11th, a bill was introduced into the House of +Representatives authorizing the enlistment of 200,000 slaves, with the +consent of their owners. As a test of its strength a motion was made for +the rejection of this bill, and the vote not to reject it was more than +two to one. There was every indication that the bill would pass. It was +while this measure was under discussion that General Lee wrote the +letter which follows in answer to one of inquiry from a member of the +House: + + "HEADQUARTERS CONFEDERATE STATE ARMIES, + + "February 18th, 1865. + + "Hon. Barksdale, House of Representatives, Richmond. + + "SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your + letter of the 12th inst. with reference to the employment of + negroes as soldiers. I think the measure not only expedient + but necessary. The enemy will certainly use them against us + if he can get possession of them, and as his present + numerical superiority will enable him to penetrate many + parts of the country, I can not see the wisdom of the policy + of holding them to await his arrival, when we may, by timely + action and judicious management, use them to arrest his + progress. I do not think that our white population can + supply the necessities of a long war without overtaxing its + capacity, and imposing great suffering upon our people; and + I believe we should provide resources for a protracted + struggle, not merely for a battle or a campaign. + + "In answer to your second question I can only say that, in + my opinion, under proper circumstances the negroes will make + efficient soldiers. I think we could at least do as well + with them as the enemy, and he attaches great importance to + their assistance. Under good officers and good instructions + I do not see why they should not become soldiers. They + possess all the physical qualifications, and their habits of + obedience constitute a good formulation for discipline. They + furnish a more promising material than many armies of which + we read in history, which owed their efficiency to + discipline alone. I think those employed should be freed. + It would be neither wisdom nor justice, in my opinion, to + require them to serve as slaves. The best course to pursue, + it seems to me, is to call for such as are willing to come + with the consent of their owners. Impressment or draft would + not be likely to bring out the best class, and the use of + coercion would make the measure distasteful to them and to + their owners. I have no doubt if Congress would authorize + their reception into service, and empower the President to + call upon individuals or States for such as they are willing + to contribute with the condition of emancipation to all + enrolled, a sufficient number would be forthcoming to enable + us to try the experiment. + + "If it proves successful, most of the objections to the + matter would disappear, and if individuals still remained + unwilling to send their negroes to the army, the force of + public opinion in the States would soon bring about such + legislation as would remove all obstacles. I think the + matter should be left as far as possible to the people and + the States, which alone can legislate as the necessities of + this particular service may require. As to the mode of + organizing them, it should be left as free from restraint as + possible. Experience will suggest the best course, and would + be inexpedient to trammel the subject with provisions that + might in the end prevent the adoption of reforms, suggested + by actual trial. + + "With great respect, + + "ROBERT E. LEE, _General._" + +Meanwhile the measure, to forward which this letter was written, was +progressing very slowly. J. B. Jones, clerk of the War Department of the +Confederate Government, entered in his diary from day to day such scraps +of information as he was able to glean about the progress of this +important matter. These entries are significant of the anxiety of this +critical time. Under February 14th we find this entry: + + "Yesterday some progress was made with the measure of + 200,000 negroes for the army. Something must be done and + soon." + + "February 16th.--Did nothing yesterday; it is supposed, + however, that the bill recruiting negro troops will pass. I + fear when it is too late." + + "February 17th.--A letter from General Lee to General Wise + is published, thanking the latter's brigade for resolutions + recently adopted declaring that they would consent to + gradual emancipation for the sake of independence and peace. + From all signs slavery is doomed. But if 200,000 negro + recruits can be made to fight and can be enlisted, General + Lee may maintain the war, very easily and successfully, and + the powers at Washington may soon become disposed to abate + the hard terms of peace now exacted." + + "February 21st.--The negro bill has passed one house and + will pass the other to-day, but the measure may come too + late. The enemy is enclosing us on all sides with great + vigor and rapidity." + + "February 22nd.--Yesterday the Senate postponed action on + the negro bill. What this means I cannot conjecture, unless + there are dispatches from abroad with assurance of + recognition, based on stipulations of emancipation, which + can not be carried into effect without the consent of the + States, and a majority of these seem in a fair way of + falling into the hands of the Federal generals." + + "February 24th.--Yesterday the Senate voted down the bill to + put 200,000 negroes into the army. The papers to-day contain + a letter from General Lee, advocating the measure as a + necessity. Mr. Hunter's[42] vote defeated it. He has many + negroes, and will probably lose them; but the loss of + popularity and fear of forfeiting all chance of the + succession may have operated upon him as a politician. What + madness! 'Under which king, Benzonian?'" + + "February 25th.--Mr. Hunter's eyes seem blood-shot since he + voted against Lee's plan of organizing negro troops." + + "February 26th.--Mr. Hunter is now reproached by the + slave-holders he thought to please for defeating the negro + bill. They say his vote will make Virginia a free State, + inasmuch as General Lee must evacuate it for want of negro + troops." + + "March 2d.--Negro bill still hangs fire in Congress." + + "March 9th.--Yesterday the Senate passed the negro troops + bill--Mr. Hunter voting for it under instruction." + + "March 10th.--The president has the reins now, and Congress + will be more obedient; but can they leave the city? + Advertisements for recruiting negro troops are in the papers + this morning." + + "March 17th.--We shall have a negro army. Letters are + pouring into the department from men of military skill and + character asking authority to raise companies, battalions, + and regiments of negro troops. It is a desperate remedy for + the desperate case, and may be successful. If 200,000 + efficient soldiers can be made of this material there is no + conjecturing when the next campaign may end. Possibly 'over + the border;' for a little success will elate our spirits + extravagantly, and the blackened ruins of our towns, and the + moans of women and children bereft of shelter, will appeal + strongly to the army for vengeance." + + "March 19th.--Unless food and men can be had Virginia must + be lost. The negro experiment will soon be tested. Curtis + says that the letters are pouring into the department from + all quarters asking authority to raise and command negro + troops. 100,000 troops from this source might do wonders." + +So ends the entries on this interesting subject in Mr. Jones' diary. +Though the conscientious war clerk ceased to record, the excitement and +effort of the advocates of the measure by no means slackened. Grant's +cordon around the city drew closer and tighter each day and hour, +continually alarming the inhabitants. Governor Smith gave the negro +soldier scheme his personal influence and attention. The newspapers +began clamoring for conscription. No little effort was made to raise a +regiment of free blacks and mulattoes in the latter days of January, and +early in February a rendezvous was established at Richmond, and a +proclamation was issued by the State authorities. A detail of white +officers was made, and enlistment began. The agitation of the subject in +Congress, though in secret session, gave some encouragement to the many +despairing and heart-sick soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia.[43] +Their chief commander, Lee, perhaps dreamed nightly that he commanded +200,000 negro troops _en masse_, and was driving the Yankees and their +Black Phalanx like chaff from off the "sacred soil" of the Old Dominion, +but, alas, such a dream was never to be realized. + +About twenty negroes,[44] mostly of the free class, enlisted, went into +camp, and were uniformed in Confederate gray. These twenty men, three of +whom were slaves of Mr. Benjamin, Confederate Secretary of State, were +daily marched into the city and drilled by their white officers in the +Capitol Square, receiving the approving and congratulatory plaudits of +the ladies, who were always present.[45] However, no accessions were +gained to their ranks, consequently the scheme, to raise by enlistment a +regiment of blacks, was a failure, for the few volunteers secured in +Virginia and a company in Tennessee are all that the writer has been +able to obtain any account of. The Confederate authorities then sought +to strengthen the army by conscripting all able-bodied negroes, free and +slave, between the age of eighteen and fifty. Monday, April 3d, was +appointed as the day to begin the draft. The Virginia State Legislature +had come to the rescue of the Davis-Lee-Benjamin scheme, and so had the +local authorities of Richmond, but all was to no purpose. It was too +late; they had delayed too long. + +With a pitiable blindness to the approach of his downfall, only a few +days before he became a fugitive, Jefferson Davis wrote the following +letter:[46] + + "RICHMOND, Va., March 30th, 1865. + + "His Excellency William Smith, Governor of Virginia: + + "Upon the receipt of your letter of the 27th inst. I had a + conference with the Secretary of War and Adjutant-General in + relation to your suggestion as to the published order for + the organization of negro troops, and I hope that the + modification which has been made will remove the objection + which you pointed out. It was never my intention to collect + negroes in depots for purposes of instruction, but only as + the best mode of forwarding them, either as individuals or + as companies, to the command with which they were to serve. + The officers in the different posts will aid in providing + for the negroes in their respective neighborhoods, and in + forwarding them to depots where transportation will be + available, and aid them in reaching the field of service for + which they were destined. The aid of gentlemen who are + willing and able to raise this character of troops will be + freely accepted. The appointment of commanders, for reasons + obvious to you, must depend on other considerations than the + mere power to recruit. + + "I am happy to receive your assurance of success as well as + your promise to seek legislation to secure unmistakably + freedom to the slave who shall enter the army, with a right + to return to his old home when he shall have been honorably + discharged from the military service. + + "I remain of the opinion that we should confine our first + efforts to getting volunteers, and would prefer that you + would adopt such measures as would advance that mode of + recruiting, rather than that of which you make enquiry, to + wit: by issuing requisitions for the slaves as authorized by + the State of Virginia. + + "I have the honor to be, with much respect, + + "Your obedient servant, + JEFFERSON DAVIS." + +[Illustration: UNION SOLDIERS BEFORE YORKTOWN BRINGING DOWN A SOUTHERN +ALLY. + +This negro being a good marksman was induced by the confederates to +become a sharpshooter for them, and greatly annoyed the Union pickets +before Yorktown by firing upon them from trees, in the branches of which +he would perch himself at early morning and remain there through the +day, shooting at such Union soldiers as happened come within his range. +His hiding place was finally discovered however, and after refusing to +surrender, thinking himself safe, he was brought down by a bullet +through his head.] + +The appointed time came, but instead of the draft, amid blazing roofs +and falling walls, smoke and ashes, deafening reports of explosions, the +frenzy of women and children, left alone not only by the negro +conscripting officers and President Davis and his Cabinet, but by the +army and navy; in the midst of such scenes, almost beyond description, +the Black Phalanx of the Union army entered the burning city, the +capitol of rebeldom, scattering President Lincoln's Proclamation of +Emancipation to the intended confederate black army. For twelve squares +they chanted their war songs, "The Colored Volunteers" and "John Brown," +in the chorus of which thousands of welcoming freed men and freed women +joined, making the welkin ring with the refrain, + + "Glory, glory hallelujah, + Glory, glory hallelujah, + Glory, glory hallelujah, + We is free to-day!" + +The decisive events of the next few days, following in rapid succession, +culminating with Lee's surrender, on the 9th of April, at Appomattox, +left no time for further action, and when the war was over, with the +important and radical changes that took place, it was almost forgotten +that such projects as arming and freeing the negro had ever been +entertained in the South by the Confederate Government. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[41] General William C. Wickham led the opponents of the project in a +very bitter pro-slavery speech. + +[42] It was upon the discussion of this bill that Mr. Hunter, of +Virginia, made these significant statements and admissions: + +"When we left the old government we thought we had got rid forever of +the slavery agitation; but, to my surprise, I find that this (the +Confederate) Government assumes power to arm the slaves, which involves +also the power of emancipation. This proposition would be regarded as a +confession of despair. If we are right in passing this measure, we are +wrong in denying to the old government the right to interfere with +slavery and to emancipate slaves. If we offer the slaves their freedom +as a boon we confess that we are insincere and hypocritical in saying +slavery was the best state for the negroes themselves. I believe that +the arming and emancipating the slaves will be an abandonment of the +contest. To arm the negroes is to give them freedom. When they come out +scarred from the conflict they must be free." + +[43] Of these twenty volunteers six of them are frequently to be met on +the streets of Richmond, while some of them are members of the Colored +State Militia of Virginia. + +[44] The veterans of General Henry A. Wise's Legion adopted resolutions +commending the scheme. + +[45] On April 1st, 1865, quite a company of negroes, most of whom were +pressed into the service, paraded the streets of Richmond. + +[46] This letter is a copy of the original now in possession of Senator +George A. Brooks. It has never before been published. + + + + +PART III. + +MISCELLANY. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE BLACK PHALANX AT SCHOOL. + + +The esteem in which education was held by the soldiers of the Black +Phalanx, can be judged of best by the efforts they made to educate +themselves and to establish a system of education for others of their +race. Doubtless many persons suppose that the negro soldier elated with +his release from slavery, was contented; that his patriotism was +displayed solely upon the field of battle, simply to insure to himself +that one highest and greatest boon, his freedom. Such a supposition is +far from the truth. The Phalanx soldiers had a strong race pride, and +the idea that ignorance was the cause of their oppression gave zest to +their desire to be educated. + +When they found following the United States Army a large number of +educated people from the North, establishing schools wherever they could +in village, city and camp, and that education was free to all, there was +awakened in the black soldier's breast an ambition, not only to obtain +knowledge, but to contribute money in aid of educational institutions, +which was done, and with liberal hands, during and subsequent to the +war. + +Unlettered themselves, they became daily more and more deeply impressed, +through their military associations, and by contact with things that +required knowledge, with the necessity of having an education. Each +soldier felt that but for his illiteracy he might be a sergeant, company +clerk, or quartermaster, and not a few, that if educated, they might be +lieutenants and captains. This was not an unnatural conclusion for a +brave soldier to arrive at, when men no braver than himself, were being +promoted for bravery. + +Generally there was one of three things the negro soldiers could be +found doing when at leisure: discussing religion, cleaning his musket +and accoutrements, or trying to read. His zeal frequently led him to +neglect to eat for the latter. Every camp had a teacher, in fact every +company had some one to instruct the soldiers in reading, if nothing +more. Since the war I have known of more than one who have taken up the +profession of preaching and law making, whose first letter was learned +in camp; and not a few who have entered college. + +The negro soldier was not only patriotic in the highest sense but he was +a quick observer of both the disadvantages and opportunities of his +race. He recognized the fact that the general education of the white men +who composed the Union army in contra-distinction to so many of those of +the confederate army, gave them great prestige over the enemy. The +ingenuity of the Yankee he attributed to his education, and he readily +decided that he lacked only the Yankee's education to be his equal in +genius. Great was the incentive given him by example, arousing his +latent hope to be something more than a free man; if not that, his +children might rise from the cornfield to the higher walks of life. +Their thirst for a knowledge of letters was evinced in more ways than +one, as was their appreciation of the opportunity to assist in providing +for coming generations. + +Colonel G. M. Arnold says: + + "Aside from the military duties required of the men forming + the Phalanx regiments, the school teacher was drilling and + preparing them in the comprehension of letters and figures. + In nearly every regiment a school, during the encampment, + was established, in some instances female teachers from the + North, impulsed by that philanthropy which induced an army + of teachers South to teach the freedmen, also brought them + to the barracks and the camp ground to instruct the soldiers + of the Phalanx. Their ambition to learn to read and write + was as strong as their love of freedom, and no opportunity + was lost by them to acquire a knowledge of letters. So + ardent were they that they formed squads and hired + teachers, paying them out of their pittance of seven dollars + per month, or out of the bounty paid to them by the State to + which they were accredited. In a number of instances the + officers themselves gave instructions to their command, and + made education a feature and a part of their duty, thereby + bringing the soldier up to a full comprehension of the + responsibility of his trust. "Taps" was an unpleasant sound + to many a soldier, who, after the fatigue and drill of the + day was over, sat himself down upon an empty cracker box, + with a short candle in one hand and a spelling book in the + other, to study the ab, eb, ob's. When the truce was sounded + after a day or night's hard fighting, many of these men + renewed their courage by studying and reading in the 'New + England Speller.' And where they have fought,--died where + they fell, and their bodies left to the enemy's mercy, they + often found in the dead soldier's knapsack a spelling-book + and a Testament. At the siege of Port Hudson and Charleston, + and of Richmond, agents of the Christian Commission and of + various other societies, made a specialty of the + spelling-book for distribution among the soldiers of the + Phalanx, and upon more than one occasion have these soldiers + been found in the trenches with the speller in hand, + muttering, bla, ble." + +The historian of the 55th Regiment says: + + "A great desire existed among those who had been deprived of + all educational privileges to learn to read and write, and + through the kindness and labors of Dr. Bowditch and others, + a school was established to teach those who desired to + learn. Many availed themselves of this, and many were + assisted by their company officers and their better informed + fellow-soldiers, so that a decided improvement in this + respect was effected among the men during their stay at + Readville." + +But it is not necessary to dwell upon the subject to show the eagerness +of these soldiers to learn to read and write, as many of them did. + +Lieutenant James M. Trotter,[47] in an article published in Mr. +Fortune's paper, gives this graphic description of "The School-master in +the Army": + + "Of the many interesting experiences that attended our + colored soldiery during the late war none are more worthy of + being recounted than those relating to the rather improvised + schools, in which were taught the rudimentary branches. One + would naturally think that the tented field, so often + suddenly changed to the bloody field of battle, was the last + place in the world where would be called into requisition + the schoolteacher's services; in fact it would hardly be + supposed that such a thing was possible. Yet in our colored + American army this became not only possible but really + practicable, for in it frequently, in an off-hand manner, + schools were established and maintained, not only for + teaching the soldiers to read and write but also to sing, + nor were debating societies, even, things unheard of in the + camp life of these men. Besides in quite a number of the + colored regiments military bands were formed, and under the + instruction of sometimes a band teacher from the north, and + at others under one of their own proficient fellow-soldiers, + these bands learned to discourse most entertaining music in + camp, and often by their inspiriting strains did much to + relieve the fatigue occasioned by long and tiresome marches. + But we are speaking now mainly of the work of the + school-teacher proper. And what shall we say of the halls of + learning in which were gathered his eager pupils? Well, + certainly these would not compare favorably with those of + civil life, as may well be imagined. As says Bryant, truly + and beautifully, speaking of primitive religious worship: + + 'The groves were God's first temples.' + + So, too, in the groves and fields of their new land of + liberty, these men found their first temples of learning, + and in spite of all inconveniences these school tents were + rendered quite serviceable. Of the text books used there is + not much to say, for these were generally 'few and far + between.' Books were used at times, of course, but quite as + often the instruction given was entirely oral. That these + spare facilities did not render the teacher's efforts + ineffective was abundantly proven in the service, and has + been proven since in civil life. Scattered here and there + over this broad country to-day are many veteran soldiers who + are good readers and writers, some of them even fair + scholars, who took their first lessons from some manly + officer or no less manly fellow-soldier in the manner + mentioned, during such camp intervals as were allowed by the + dread arbitrament of war. In a number of regiments these + fortunate intervals were quite frequent and of long + duration, and in such cases, therefore, much progress was + made. + + "It must, of course, be remembered that in our colored + regiments a very large percentage of the men were + illiterate, especially in those composed of men from the + south and so lately escaped from under the iron heel of + slavery. Indeed, in many of them there could scarcely be + found at the commencement of the service a man who could + either read or write. Many an officer can recall his rather + novel experience in teaching his first sergeant enough of + figures and script letters to enable the latter to make up + and sign the company morning report. All honor to those + faithful, patient officers, and all honor, too, give to + those ambitious sergeants who after a while conquered great + difficulties and became educationally proficient in their + lines of duty. + + "In this connection I readily call to mind one of the most, + if not the most, unique figures of all my experience in the + army. It was Colonel James Beecher, of the famous Beecher + family, and a brother of Henry Ward Beecher. He was in + command of the First North Carolina Colored Regiment. In + this position it would be hard to overestimate the variety + and value of his services, for he became for his soldiers at + once a gallant fighter, an eloquent, convincing preacher, + and a most indefatigable and successful school-teacher. + Preaching had been his vocation before entering the army, + and so it was but natural for him to continue in that work. + At one time our regiment lay encamped near his in South + Carolina, and I well remember how, on one Sabbath morning, + the two commands formed a union service, all listening with + deep, thrilling interest to the inspiring words of this + "fighting parson." That he was indeed a fighting parson we + fully learned not long after this Sabbath service. For again + we met on the bloody field of battle, where in the very + front of the fight we saw him gallantly leading his no less + gallant men, even after he had been wounded, and while the + blood almost streamed down his face. Seeing him thus was to + ever remember him and his noble work with his regiment. + + "Colonel Beecher when encamped neglected no opportunity to + form schools of instruction for his men, in order that they + might become not only intelligent, efficient soldiers, but + also intelligent, self-respecting citizens, should they + survive the perils of war. I do not know what are his + thoughts to-day, but judging from the grand work of Colonel + Beecher in his black regiment, I can not doubt that he looks + back to it all with satisfaction and pride, and as forming + the richest experience of his life. + + "I know another ex-colonel and scholar, of high rank as a + man of letters and in social life, who yielding to the call + of duty, not less to country than to a struggling race, left + his congenial studies and took command of a colored + regiment, becoming not only their leader, but, as chance + afforded, their school-teacher also. However, as he has + given to the world his army experience in a book abounding + in passages of thrilling dramatic interest, I need only in + this connection make mention of him. I refer to that true + and tried friend of the colored race, Colonel T. W. + Higginson. + + "But let it not be supposed for a moment that only officers + and men of another race were engaged in this noble work of + school-teaching in our colored army. Not a few of the best + workers were colored chaplains, who wisely divided their + time between preaching, administering to the sick by reason + of wounds or otherwise, and to teaching the old 'young idea + how to shoot;' while many non-commissioned officers and + private soldiers cheerfully rendered effective service in + the same direction. Nor must we close without expressing + warm admiration for those earnest, ambitious soldier pupils + who, when finding themselves grown to man's estate, having + been debarred by the terrible system of slavery from + securing an education, yielded not to what would have been + considered only a natural discouragement, but, instead, + followed the advice and instruction of their comrade + teachers, and, bending themselves to most assiduous study, + gained in some cases great proficiency, and in all much that + fitted them for usefulness and the proper enjoyment of their + well-earned liberty. And so we say, all honor to teachers + and taught in the Grand Army that made a free republic, + whose safe foundation and perpetuity lies in the general + education of its citizens." + +FOOTNOTES: + +[47] Now Registrar at Washington, D. C. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +BENEVOLENCE AND FRUGALITY. + + +The negro troops gave striking evidence of both benevolence and +frugality with the money they received. They needed but to be shown an +opportunity to contribute to some object, when they quickly responded. +Frequently, too, they fell easy victims to the crafty camp bummers and +speculators, who were ever collecting means for some charitable object +for the benefit of the negro race. However, here it will be a pleasing +duty to name some of the more conspicuous instances where their charity +was well and nobly bestowed. At the same time they deposited a vast +aggregate sum of savings in different banks established for this +purpose. + +The 62nd Regiment contributed to a commendable project gotten up by its +officers, who gave, themselves, $1,034.60, the regiment giving +$3,966.50. With this money the founding of a school was commenced, which +eventually became a college known as the Lincoln Institute, situated at +Jefferson City, Mo. To this sum of $5,001.10, the 65th Regiment +contributed $1,379.50, through the efforts of their officers. The sum +was soon increased to $20,000, and the Institute stands to-day a +monument to the 62nd and 65th Phalanx Regiments. + +Professor Foster, in his history of this Institute, gives these +interesting details: + +[Illustration: U.S. PAYMASTERS PAYING OFF PHALANX SOLDIERS.] + + "Dr. Allen, a man of high character and influence, gave the + scheme standing ground by declaring that he would give $100. + Both our field officers, Colonel Barrett and + Lieutenant-Colonel Branson, though neither was with us at + the time, afterwards subscribed a like amount. Others + responded in the same spirit. Officers and men entered into + the work with enthusiasm. The lieutenants gave $50 each; + officers of higher rank, $100. First Sergeant Brown, Co D, + gave $75; Sergeants Curd, Bergamire, Alexander and Moore + each gave $50, while the number who gave 25, 20, 15, 10, and + 5 dollars apiece is too great for me to recall their names + on this occasion, but they are all preserved in our records. + The total result in the 62nd Regiment was $1,034.60, + contributed by the officers, and $3,966.50 by the colored + soldiers. The soldiers of the 65th Regiment afterwards added + $1,379.50. One of them, Samuel Sexton, gave $100 from his + earnings as a private soldier at $13 per month, an example + of liberality that may well challenge comparison with the + acts of those rich men who, from their surplus, give + thousands to found colleges." + +Colonel David Branson, late of the 62nd Regiment, in his dedicatory +speech, said: + + "MY FRIENDS:--This, with one exception, has been the + happiest 4th of July in my life. That exception was in 1863, + when I saw the rebel flag go down at Vicksburg. I felt the + exultation of victory then, and I feel it to-day as I look + upon this splendid building. Looking in the faces of my old + comrades of the 62nd Regiment here to-day, memory goes back + to the past, when hundreds of you came to me at Benton + Barracks, ragged, starving, and freezing--some did freeze to + death--and emotions fill me that no language can express. I + cannot sit down and think of those scenes of suffering + without almost shedding tears. But happily those days are + passed. No more marching with sluggish step and plantation + gait through the streets of St. Louis, Mo., amid the jeers + of your enemies; no more crossing the Mississippi on ice; no + more sinking steamers, and consequent exposure on the cold, + muddy banks of the river; no more killing labor on + fortifications at Port Hudson, Baton Rouge and Morganza; no + more voyages over the Gulf of Mexico, packed like cattle in + the hold of a vessel; no mere weary marches in the burning + climate of Texas; no more death by the bullet, and no more + afternoons on the banks of the Rio Grande, deliberating on + the future education of yourselves when discharged from the + army; but peace and prosperity here with the result of those + deliberations before us. Our enemies predicted, that upon + the disbanding of our volunteer army--particularly the + colored portion of it--it would turn to bands of marauding + murderers and idle vagabonds, and this Institute was our + answer." + +When Colonel Shaw, of the 54th Regiment, fell at Fort Wagner, the brave +soldiers of that regiment gladly contributed to a fund for a monument to +his memory, but which, upon reflection, was appropriated to building +the Shaw School at Charleston, S. C. And yet all these sums sink into +insignificance when compared to that contributed by the negro soldiers +to the erection of a monument to the memory of President Lincoln, at the +capitol of the nation; seventeen hundred of them gave _ten thousand +dollars_. But let the record speak for itself, for it is only a people's +patriotism that can do such things: + + CORRESPONDENCE AND STATEMENTS OF JAMES E. YEATMAN, + + PRESIDENT OF THE WESTERN SANITARY COMMISSION, RELATIVE + TO THE EMANCIPATION MONUMENT. + + "ST. LOUIS, April 26th, 1865. + + "_James E. Yeatman, Esq._: + + "MY DEAR SIR; A poor negro woman, of Marietta, Ohio, one of + those made free by President Lincoln's proclamation, + proposes that a monument to their dead friend be erected by + the colored people of the United States. She has handed to a + person in Marietta five dollars as her contribution for the + purpose. Such a monument would have a history more grand and + touching than any of which we have account. Would it not be + well to take up this suggestion and make it known to the + freedmen? + + "Yours truly, T. C. H. SMITH." + +Mr. Yeatman says: + + "In compliance with General Smith's suggestion I published + his letter, with a card, stating that any desiring to + contribute to a fund for such a purpose, that the Western + Sanitary Commission would receive the same and see that it + was judiciously appropriated as intended. In response to his + communication liberal contributions were received from + colored soldiers under the command of General J. W. + Davidson, headquarters at Natchez, Miss., amounting in all + to $12,150. This was subsequently increased from other + sources to $16,242." + + "MARIETTA, OHIO, June 29th, 1865. + + "_Mr. James E. Yeatman, President Western Sanitary Commission, St. Louis_: + + "MY DEAR SIR: I have learned, with the greatest + satisfaction, through Brigadier-General T. C. H. Smith and + the public press that you are devoting your noble energies + in giving tone and direction to the collection and + appropriation of a fund for the erection of the Freedmen's + National Monument, in honor and memory of the benefactor and + savior of their race. + + "The general also informs me that you desire, and have + requested through him that the five dollars deposited with + the Rev. C. H. Battelle, of this city, by Charlotte Scott, + should be used as the _original and foundation subscription_ + for this most praiseworthy purpose; and Mr. Battelle assures + me that he will most cheerfully remit it to you this day. As + a slave-holder by inheritance, and up to a period after the + outbreak of the rebellion, and as an ardent admirer of our + lamented president, the author of universal emancipation in + America, I feel an enthusiastic interest in the success of + the Freedmen's National Monument. I hope it may stand + unequalled and unrivalled in grandeur and magnificence. It + should be built _essentially_ by _freedmen_, and should be + _emphatically national_. Every dollar should come from the + former slaves, every State should furnish a stone, and the + monument should be erected at the capital of the nation. + Nothing could be better calculated to stimulate this + downtrodden and abused race to renewed efforts for a moral + and national status. + + "Charlotte Scott, whose photograph General Smith will + forward, was born a slave in Campbell County, Virginia. She + is about sixty years old, but is very hale and active. Her + reputation for industry, intelligence, and moral integrity, + has always been appreciated by her friends and + acquaintances, both white and colored. She was given, with + other slaves, to my wife, by her father, Thomas H. Scott. + When we received the news of Mr. Lincoln's assassination, + the morning after its occurrence, she was deeply distressed. + In a conversation with Mrs. Rucker, she said: '_The colored + people have lost their best friend on earth. Mr. Lincoln was + our best friend, and I will give five dollars of my wages + towards erecting a monument to his memory._' She asked me + who would be the best person to raise money for the purpose. + I suggested Mr. Battelle, and she gave him the five dollars. + + "I am, my dear sir, truly and respectfully, + + "WILLIAM P. RUCKER." + + + "MARIETTA, OHIO, June 29th, 1865. + + "_Mr. J. E. Yeatman._ + + "DEAR SIR: I was providentially called upon by Charlotte + Scott, formerly a slave of Dr. W. P. Rucker, now living in + this place, to receive the enclosed $5, as the commencement + of a fund to be applied to rearing a monument to the memory + of Hon. Abraham Lincoln. + + "I received her offering, and gave notice through the press + that I would receive other donations, and cheerfully do what + I could to promote so noble an object. Other persons have + signified their willingness to give when the measure is + fully inaugurated. + + "By the advice of General T. C. H. Smith I herewith forward + you her contribution, and I hope to here from you upon its + receipt, that I may show to Charlotte and others that the + money has gone in the right direction. After hearing from + you I hope to be able to stir up the other colored folks on + this subject. + + "I rejoice, dear sir, that I have some connection with this + honorable movement in its incipiency. I shall not fail to + watch its progress with thrilling interest, and hope to live + until the top stone shall be laid amid the jubilant + rejoicing of emancipated millions crying 'Grace, grace unto + it.' + + "Very respectfully yours, + + "C. D. BATTELLE." + +"The publication of the note of Mr. Yeatman, and the first communication +received concerning the colored woman's proposed offering, brought the +following letters and contributions, showing how generously the +proposition of Charlotte Scott was responded to by the colored troops +stationed at Natchez, Miss. These contributions have been duly deposited +for safe keeping towards the Freedmen's National Monument to Mr. +Lincoln. + + "HEADQUARTERS 6TH U. S. COLORED HEAVY ARTILLERY, + + "FORT MCPHERSON, Natchez, May 19th, 1865. + + "_James E. Yeatman, President Western Sanitary Commission, St. Louis_: + + "DEAR SIR: I hereby transmit to you, to be appropriated to + the monument to be erected to the late President Lincoln, + the sum of four thousand two hundred and forty-two dollars, + the gift from the soldiers and freedmen of this regiment. + Allow me to say that I feel proud of my regiment for their + liberal contribution in honor of our lamented chief. Please + acknowledge receipt. + + "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, + + "JOHN P. COLEMAN, + + "_Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 6th U. S. Colored Heavy Artillery._" + + + "Amounts as donated by their respective companies: Company + A, $515; Company B, $594; Company C, $514; Company D, $464; + Company E, $199; Company F, $409; Company G, $284; Company + H, $202; Company I, $423; Company K, $231; Company L, $142; + Company M, $354. Total, $4,242." + + + "HEADQUARTERS 70TH U. S. COLORED INFANTRY, + + "RODNEY, MISS., May 30th, 1865. + + "Brevet Major-General J. W. Davidson, commanding + District of Natchez, Miss.: + + "GENERAL: I have the honor to enclose the sum of two + thousand nine hundred and forty-nine dollars and fifty cents + as the amount collected, under your suggestion, for the + purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of President + Lincoln. Every dollar of this money has been subscribed by + the black enlisted men of my regiment, which has only an + aggregate of six hundred and eighty-three men. Much more + might have been raised, but I cautioned the officers to + check the noble generosity of my men rather than stimulate + it. Allow me to add that the soldiers expect that the + monument is to be built by black people's money exclusively. + They feel deeply that the debt of gratitude they owe is + large, and any thing they can do to keep his 'memory green' + will be done cheerfully and promptly. + + "If there is a monument built proportionate to the + veneration with which the black people hold his memory, then + its summit will be among the clouds--the first to catch the + gleam and herald the approach of coming day, even as + President Lincoln himself first proclaimed the first gleam + as well as glorious light of universal freedom. + + "I am, general, most respectfully, your obedient servant, + + "W. C. EARLES, + + "_Colonel 70th United States Colored Infantry._" + + + "DISTRICT OF NATCHEZ, May 21st, 1865. + + "_Hon. James E. Yeatman_: + + "Upon seeing your suggestions in the _Democrat_ I wrote to + my colonels of colored troops, and they are responding most + nobly to the call. Farrar's regiment, 6th United States + Heavy Artillery, sent some $4,700. The money here spoken of + has been turned over to Major W. C. Lupton, Pay-master U. S. + A., for you. Please acknowledge receipt through the Missouri + _Democrat_. The idea is, that the monument shall be raised + to Mr. Lincoln's memory at the national capital exclusively + by the race he has set free. + + "Very truly yours, + + "J. W. DAVIDSON, _Brevet Major-General._" + + + "HEAD PAY DEPARTMENT, NATCHEZ, MISS., June 15th, 1865. + + "_James E. Yeatman, Esq., President Western Sanitary Commission, + St. Louis_: + + "SIR: The colored soldiers of this district, Brevet + Major-General Davidson commanding, feeling the great + obligations they are under to our late president, Mr. + Lincoln, and desiring to perpetuate his memory, have + contributed to the erection of a monument at the national + capital, as follows: + +73th. United States Colored Infantry, Colonel W. C. Earle $2,949.50 +Three Companies 63d U. S. Colored Infantry--A, C, and E-- +Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell 263.00 +Freedmen of Natchez 312.38 + --------- +Total $3,529.85 + + "Added to this Major John P. Coleman, of the 6th United + States Colored Heavy Artillery, (those that Forrest's men + did not murder at Fort Pillow), stationed here, has sent you + nearly five thousand dollars for the same fund, and the 57th + United States Colored Infantry desire me, at the next + pay-day, to collect one dollar per man, which will swell the + amount to nearly ten thousand dollars. This is a large + contribution from not quite seventeen hundred men, and it + could have been made larger--many of the men donating over + half their pay, and in some instances the whole of it--but + it was thought best to limit them. + + "Will you please publish this, that the colored soldiers and + their friends may know that their money has gone forward, + and send me a copy of the paper. + + "I am, sir, with regard, + + "W. C. LUPTON, _Pay-master United States Navy._" + + "These noble contributions are a striking evidence of the + favor with which this movement is regarded by the colored + people, and especially the brave soldiers (the Phalanx who + fought to maintain their freedom) of this oppressed race who + have been fighting to carry out the proclamation of their + benefactor, securing them their liberty." + +There is still another evidence of the appreciation of freedom by the +negro soldiers in their frugality. After the enlistment of colored +troops became general, and they began to receive pay and bounties, the +officers commanding them readily discovered the necessity of providing a +better place for keeping the money paid them than in their pocket-books +and in the soldier's knapsack. Every payday these soldiers would carry +sums of money to their officers for safe keeping, until thousands of +dollars were thus deposited, which were often lost in battle. In August, +1864, General Rufus Saxton, military governor of South Carolina, after +mature deliberation as to the best means to be adopted for the safe +keeping of these soldiers' monies, established a bank in his department. +General Butler established a similar one at Norfolk, Va., about the same +time. At the organization of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust company, +chartered by act of Congress, these institutions transferred to the +Freedmen's Bank all the monies on deposit in them, as the war had +ceased, and the troops and officers were being mustered out of the +United States service. The Butler Bank at Norfolk in July, 1865, +transferred $7,890. In December the Saxton Bank at Beaufort transferred +$170,000. Thus the sum of $177,890, belonging to soldiers in two +departments only, was placed to their credit, subject to their order, in +the new national bank, called into existence by like motives. This bank +had branches at these places. Had similar banks been established in the +other departments an enormous sum would have been collected. The +Freedmen's bank, however, took the place of these military banks, and +had the confidence of the soldiers who continued to deposit in its +various branches throughout the south. When that institution collapsed +in 1874, of the many millions of dollars deposited in it, it is +estimated that two-thirds of the amount was the savings of the Phalanx. +There is now in the vaults of the national government more than a +quarter of a million of dollars belonging to the Phalanx, held as +unclaimed bounty and pay--an ample sum from which to erect a suitable +monument to commemorate the heroic devotion and patriotic endeavor of +those who fell in Freedom's cause. This money doubtless belongs to those +who on the battle-fields and in hospitals died for the country's honor. +These are some of the lessons taught by the history of the Black +Phalanx. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +BIBLIOGRAPHY. + + +The following publications have been of service in the preparation of +this volume: + +Goodrich's History of the U. S. + +The Great Rebellion.--Headley. + +Record of the Seventh U. S. C. T. + +War of 1812.--Rossiter. + +Negro in the Rebellion.--Brown. + +Butler in New Orleans--Parton. + +American Conflict.--Greeley. + +Historical Research.--Livermore. + +Record 55th Regt. Mass. Vols. + +Patriotism of Colored Americans. + +Boys of 61.--Coffin. + +Record of 37th U. S. C. T. + +History of Virginia.--Magill. + +Atlanta.--Cox. + +March to the Sea.--Cox. + +Lincoln and Slavery.--Arnold. + +Ramsey's History of America. + +Grimshaw's History of the U. S. + +Attack on Petersburg.--Congress. + +Fort Pillow Massacre.--Congress. + +Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac.--Swinton. + +Army Life in a Black Regiment.--Higginson. + +Anti-Slavery Measures in Congress.--Wilson. + +Principles and Acts of the Revolution.--Niles. + +Military History of U. S. Grant.--Badeau. + +First and Second Year of the War.--Pollard. + +Report of the Conduct of the War.--Congress. + +Bryant's Popular History of the United States. + +Virginia Campaigns of '64 and '65.--Humphrey. + +Life and Public Service of Charles Sumner.--Lester. + +Boys and Girls Magazine, 1869.--Oliver Optic. + +Burnside and the Ninth Army Corps.--Woodbury. + +Military History of Kansas.--J. B. McAfee. + +History of the Great Rebellion.--Kettell. + + + + +APPENDIX. + +HISTORY OF THE 29TH CONNECTICUT NEGRO VOLUNTEERS. + + + "HEADQUARTERS 29TH CONNECTICUT COLORED VOLUNTEERS, + HARTFORD, CONN., November 29th, 1865. + + "Brigadier-General H. J. MORSE, + _Adjutant-General, State of Connecticut._ + +"GENERAL: In obedience to your request I have the honor to submit the +following as the history of the 29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers +(Colored): + +"Recruiting for this regiment began early in the autumn of 1863, and by +the latter part of January, 1864, the maximum number had been enlisted. +During its organization the regiment was stationed at Fair Haven, Conn. +On the 8th of March, 1864, the regiment was formally mustered into the +service of the United States. + +"No field officer had as yet reported, but on the 12th of March William +B. Wooster, formerly lieutenant-colonel of the 20th Connecticut +Volunteers, reported to the regiment, and soon after assumed command. + +"On the 19th day of March the regiment formed in line, and after the +presentation of a flag by the colored ladies of New Haven, marched on +board the transport "Warrior." + +"On the 20th we steamed out of New Haven harbor, and after a pleasant +voyage disembarked at Annapolis, Md. + +"The regiment was as yet unarmed, but on the 7th of April we received +the full complement of the best Springfield rifled muskets. + +"At this time the 9th Corps was assembling at Annapolis, and to it we +were assigned, but on the 8th of April the regiment received orders to +proceed to Hilton Head, S. C., and on the 9th of April we left Annapolis +for that place. Arriving at Hilton Head we were ordered to Beaufort, S. +C., where we disembarked on the 13th of April. The regiment had, up to +this time, learned nothing of drill or discipline, so that there was +plenty of work to be done. + +"After a fine camp had been laid out the work of converting the raw +material of the regiment into good soldiers was vigorously and +systematically commenced. The men learned rapidly, and were faithful in +the performance of their duties. While here, although the utmost +attention was paid to all that pertained to the health of the regiment, +much sickness prevailed, the change of climate telling severely upon the +untried soldiers. In less than two months a decided improvement in drill +and discipline had been effected, and our dress parades began to attract +marked attention. But as yet our soldiers had not fired a shot at the +rebellion, and had still to be tried in the fiery ordeal of battle. At +last events on the bloody fields of Virginia determined our destiny. + +"The battles fought during the summer campaign had demonstrated that +negro troops could fight well; they had also shown that more men were +required in Virginia, and that we could not await the slow process of a +draft to get them. The success of the entire campaign seemed dubious, +and the army, after all its gigantic toils and losses, found itself +confronted by strong lines of works, manned by a brave and resolute foe. +Under these circumstances the only policy was concentration in Virginia. +Accordingly all the troops that could be spared from other points were +ordered to Virginia. + +"Among the number was the 29th Connecticut Volunteers (colored). On the +8th day of August, 1864, the regiment left Beaufort, S. C., and +disembarked at Bermuda Hundreds, Va., on the 14th of the same month. +This regiment was brigaded with the 7th, 8th, and 9th United States +Colored Troops, forming with other colored regiments a division of the +10th Army Corps. We arrived just as the active movements terminating in +the capture of the Weldon Railroad had commenced. That railroad being on +the then extreme left of our line it was deemed advisable, as a feint, +to keep the enemy well engaged on our right. For this purpose the 2d and +10th Army Corps had been assembled, as secretly as possible, near +Bermuda Hundreds, and on the morning of August 14th had advanced upon +the enemy's works near Deep Bottom. + +"This regiment accompanied the force as far as Deep Bottom, where, with +the 7th United States Colored Troops and one light battery, it was left +to defend the post, under command of Colonel Wooster. The two corps +moved farther to the right and front, and soon became warmly engaged. +During the fighting General Butler, desirous to ascertain the strength +and position of the enemy immediately in our front, ordered Colonel +Wooster to make a reconnoissance with this regiment and the 7th United +States Colored Troops. + +"This was successfully accomplished, the men in this their first +encounter with the enemy, displaying great coolness and bravery. Soon +after this we were relieved and ordered to join our brigade, then +actively engaged at the front. + +"We set out in a drenching rain storm, and after a tiresome march +reached the battle-field about dark. Our forces had suffered a bloody +repulse, and had just finished burying our dead under a flag of truce. +The burial parties with their bloody stretchers were returning, and the +sharp crack of the rifle began again to be heard, and so continued with +more or less fierceness during the night. + +"At daylight hostilities, except on the picket line, were not resumed. +The opposing forces lay and narrowly watched each other's movements. +Towards night, however, it was discovered that the enemy was massing in +our immediate front, and just before sunset they commenced the attack. +The contest was sharp and short; a fierce roar of musketry, mingled with +wild yells and the deep bass of cannon; a fainter yell and volleys less +steady; finally a few scattering shots and the attack was repulsed. As +this movement of the two corps on the right was merely a feint to cover +more active operations on the left, it was resolved to withdraw the +forces during the night. The movement began just after dark. We marched +to the Bermuda Hundreds front, and pitched our camp near Point of Rocks. +On the 24th of August, 1864, the 10th Corps relieved the 18th Corps in +front of Petersburg. Here we remained, doing duty in the trenches, until +the 24th of September, at which time the 10th Corps marched to the rear +to rest a few days preparatory to an advance upon Richmond then in +contemplation. While here our ragged, dirty, and shoeless men were clad, +washed, and shod as rapidly as possible. + +"At length, at about sundown, September 28th, the corps broke camp, and +we once more started for Deep Bottom, which place we reached about four +A. M., September 29th. + +"Just as the first faint glimmerings of light were visible the movement +against Richmond commenced. After pushing through a deep wood our +brigade formed in line of battle near the New Market Road, under fire of +a rebel battery. We had scarcely formed when it was found that the rebel +lines had been broken further to the left, and we were ordered forward +in pursuit of the flying foe. Three successive lines had been carried by +impetuous charges, and during that summer forenoon the enemy on all +sides was pressed steadily back. By noon Fort Harrison, a large powerful +work, and a key to a large portion of the rebel line, had been carried +at the bayonet point by the 18th Corps, and we found ourselves in front +of the strongest line of the outer defenses of Richmond. An assault was +immediately ordered. Two regiments of the brigade to which this regiment +was attached,--the 7th Maryland and 8th Pennsylvania--were selected to +make the attack on Fort Gilmer, the 29th Connecticut and 9th Maryland +being held in reserve. A charge was made on the double-quick through a +felled forest, half a mile in extent. They were met by a murderous +enfilading fire, and after an obstinate struggle were forced back. They +re-formed quickly and again charged, this time up the very guns of the +fort. After a most heroic fight they were again compelled to retire. +Some of the companies sprang into the ditch, and refused to surrender +even after their companions had been driven back. They continued the +unequal contest until dark, when we were forced to leave the brave men +to their fate. + +"After the repulse of the second charge, the brigade formed under a +galling fire, preparatory to another charge, but after a careful survey +of the enemy's position, it was deemed advisable to delay the attack for +the present. Darkness soon after coming on, the troops were quietly +withdrawn to one of the captured lines a short distance in our rear. +Next morning vigorous measures were at once taken to reverse this line, +and to render it impregnable against a counter attack, which was +constantly expected. While busily engaged in this work the rebels opened +upon us with a fierce artillery fire. A powerful force, said to be under +the direction of General Lee in person, had been silently massed in +front of Fort Harrison, screened from our view by the inequality of the +ground. They soon made their presence known, however, and advanced with +determination. They were met by a fire that sent them reeling back with +immense loss. Again they formed, and were again driven back. Another +charge more furious, and another repulse more bloody, finally convinced +them that the attempt was useless, and we were left in possession of our +victories of the previous day. After this, comparative quiet reigned for +a few days, but they were not days of idleness; the captured lines had +to be reversed and heavy picket duty to be done, and of these duties +this regiment had its full share. + +"On the 7th of October, the enemy made a dash on our right, and at first +met with considerable success. This regiment was detached from the +brigade, and ordered to the right to assist in repelling the attack. +Before reaching that point the attack had been repulsed and the fighting +was nearly over. We formed a skirmish line and remained until midnight, +when we returned to the brigade. + +"On the 13th of October a reconnoissance was made upon the enemy's lines +in front of our right, in which this regiment took an active part. The +fighting was severe, and the loss considerable. The men behaved like +veterans: but the wary foe behind his strong works bade defiance to our +small force, and so, after fifteen hours of fighting, at night we +returned to camp. On the 27th of October a movement commenced on our +extreme left which required the active co-operation of the Army of the +James, that the enemy might be kept busily engaged at all points. This +regiment, as part of the force selected for this purpose, set out early +on the morning of the 27th, and came in contact with the outposts of the +enemy. Deploying as skirmishers, after a short, sharp action, we drove +the enemy within entrenchments. After driving in the skirmish line, we +remained in front of the enemy's works, picking his men as opportunity +offered, and keeping him engaged generally. We were in an open field, +exposed to the fire of an enemy protected by strong earthworks. The men +behaved very well; for twenty-three hours they held this position, +exposing themselves with the most reckless indifference, taking the +ammunition from the bodies of their dead and wounded companions when +their own was exhausted, and in all respects, if valor be any criteron +of manhood, proving themselves to be 'good men and true.' At length on +the morning of the 28th, the troops were withdrawn, and we returned to +camp. + +"On the 19th day of November, the regiment was ordered to garrison +certain detached forts on the New Market road, which were considered of +great importance on account of the relation they bore to the whole line +north of the James. That this regiment was sent to hold them, was +certainly a marked tribute to its valor and efficiency, and was +expressly given to it on that account. We remained here until the +formation of the 25th Army Corps, when on the 5th day of December, 1864 +we removed to the left of Fort Harrison, forming a part of the 2nd +Brigade, 1st Division of that Corps. + +"Here we remained during the rest of the winter, picketing, drilling, +building forts, and making roads, and preparing for the spring campaign. +One division had been sent to Fort Fisher, and but two were with the +Army of the James. At length, late in the month of March, 1865, one of +the remaining divisions was sent to the left, while the division to +which this regiment was attached, together with one division of the 24th +Army Corps, was left to guard the defences north of the James. The +campaign opened vigorously. The last week in March brought a series of +splendid victories to the Union armies, and we began to feel that the +'end' so ardently desired was near at hand. This regiment had been +placed in Fort Harrison, the most important position on our line. The +fort was said to be mined, and it was feared that the rebels would make +an attack in force near that point. On Saturday and Sunday, April 1st +and 2nd, the fighting on the left had been terrific but generally +favorable to us. We were ordered to observe with great care all +movements of the enemy in our front. + +"At sunset of April 2nd, we witnessed the last rebel dress parade in +Virginia from the magazine of Fort Harrison. Early on the morning of +April 3rd, 1865, the picket fires of the enemy began to wane, and an +ominous silence to prevail within his lines. Very soon deserters began +to come within our lines who reported that the lines in our front were +being evacuated. In a little while we saw the barracks of Fort Darling +in flames, and tremendous explosions followed each other in rapid +succession. The earliest dawn revealed to us the deserted lines, with +their guns spiked and their tents standing. We were ordered to advance +at once, but cautiously. The troops jumped over the breastworks, and, +avoiding the torpedoes, filed through the rebel abbatis, and then began +the race for Richmond. + +"No words can describe the enthusiasm of the troops as they found +themselves fairly within the rebel lines, and tramping along the bloody +roads leading to the 'capitol of secessia.' The honor of first entering +that city was most earnestly contested; many regiments threw away +everything but their arms, while this regiment 'double-quicked' in heavy +marching orders. Two companies of this regiment--G and C--had been sent +forward as skirmishers reaching the city close on the heels of our +cavalry, and were, without the slightest doubt, the first companies of +infantry to enter the city. Through the heat and dust the troops +struggled on, and at last, as we came in full view of the city, the air +was rent with such cheers as only the brave men, who had fought so long +and so nobly for that city could give. Since that time our history has +been blessedly unfruitful in stirring events. We remained in Richmond +for a few days, and were then ordered to Petersburg; from here we went +to Point Lookout, Md., where we remained until the 25th Corps was +ordered to Texas. We embarked for Texas on the 10th day of June 1865, +arriving at Brazos de Santiago July 3rd, 1865. From Brazos we marched to +Brownsville, on the Rio Grande, where we continued until ordered to +Hartford, Conn., to be mustered out. On the 26th day of October, 1865, +we left Brownsville for Hartford, where the regiment was discharged and +paid on the 25th day of November, 1865. + +"The following is a report of changes and casualties in the 29th +Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, (colored), from date of organization to +date of discharge: + +Gain by recruits 8 officers, 210 enlisted men. +Loss " discharge 5 " 121 " + " " dismissal 1 " -- " + " " desertion -- " 103 " + " died of disease 1 " 153 " + " " wounds 1 " 21 " + " by killed in battle -- " 24 " +Promotion into other organizations 5 " -- " +Total gain 8 " 210 " + " loss 13 " 422 " +Wounded, officers, 6; men, 102. Captured, officer, 1; missing, none. + +"It will be necessary to remark here that fully one hundred per cent of +our desertions occurred while at New Haven, and during the organization +of the regiment very few desertions occurred after we left the State. +Our total of killed and wounded was--enlisted men, 123; officers, 6. The +officer who was captured eventually re-joined us. The officers lost by +promotion into other organizations were--Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Ward, +promoted to be colonel of the 31st United States Colored Troops; Major +F. E. Camp, promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the 29th United States +Colored Troops; Captain E. W. Bacon, promoted to be major of the 117th +United States Colored Troops; Assistant Surgeon Crandall, promoted to be +surgeon of the 33d United States Colored Troops; 1st Lieutenant H. H. +Brown, promoted to be captain of the 1st United States Colored Troops; +2d Lieutenant Edward Coe, promoted to be 1st lieutenant and adjutant of +the 27th United States Colored Troops. + +"Thus have I attempted to trace the history of this regiment. I have +done this with some degree of minuteness, owing to the fact that, as we +were considered a United States organization less can be learned +concerning us from the reports of the adjutant-general of the State than +concerning any other Connecticut organization. And as the employment of +colored troops was at first tried as a grand experiment, the people of +Connecticut may be desirous to know how far, in the case of their +colored regiment, that experiment has been successful. Justice, too, +demands that those who are the most competent judges--those who have +been with the colored troops on the march and in the battle--should give +their testimony to the loyalty and valor of this despised race. They +went forth to fight the battles of the Union when there was every thing +to discourage even the bravest. Both officers and men knew, that should +they escape death on the battle-field a fate awaited them, if captured, +from which death on the battle-field would have been a glorious relief. +The poor rights of a soldier were denied to them. Their actions were +narrowly watched, and the slightest faults severely commented upon. In +spite of all this the negro soldier fought willingly and bravely, and +with his rifle alone he has vindicated his manhood, and stands confessed +to-day as second in bravery to none. + +"I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, + + "DAVID TORRANCE, + + "(_Late_) _Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 29th C. V._" + + +DIARY OF THE THIRD REGIMENT DURING THE SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON. + +"May 1st, 1863.--Regiment broke camp at Fort William, Baton Rouge, at 5 +A. M.; marched out of Bayou Monticino on the road to Port Hudson. In the +evening Company G, under Lieutenant Quinn, was detailed for picket duty +on the Clinton Road. Colonel promised to encamp close by with the rest +of the regiment, but instead of doing so he fell back to the junction of +the Clinton and Port Hudson Roads, thus leaving the rebels a fine chance +to cross the bayou and cut off Company G from all support. Lieutenant +Quinn was doubtful of the colonel, and to satisfy himself sent 2d +Lieutenant Frederick Dame with twenty men back to the woods to see how +things were. Lieutenant Dame found that Colonel Nelson had retreated +back to Baton Rouge and reported. Lieutenant Quinn, feeling that if +attacked during the night he would not receive aid from the regiment, +changed his position from the place assigned in the woods by Colonel +Nelson, to one 300 yards further down in the woods, and on the +road-side. He then threw out his pickets in all directions, but only a +short distance from the remainder of the company who were held in +reserve. Every man was on that night. Occasionally horsemen were seen in +the clearing, but as they did not appear to know of our company's +proximity the pickets did not fire on them. + +"12th.--Had a slight skirmish. + +"13th.--Companies G and E, under Lieutenant Quinn, went on a +reconnoissance; returned at midnight. + +"14th.--All quiet in camp. + +"15th.--Fell back to Bayou Monticino. + +"16th.--Commenced to build a second bridge at Monticino Bayou. + +"17th.--Company G, Lieutenant Dame, and Company E, Lieutenant John +Keefe, went on a scout under command of Lieutenant Quinn, captured one +horse, cattle, and had a skirmish with rebel pickets. + +"18th.--Company G on picket ordered to block the road with felled trees, +connecting the Clinton and Bayou Sara roads, to prevent the rebel +cavalry and artillery getting in the rear of Dudley's brigade, who were +camped near Plains Store. + +"19th.--Colonel Nelson and Lieutenant Quinn rode to Dudley's +headquarters. The regiment marched two miles nearer to Port Hudson in +the evening; were ordered back and bivouacked that night. + +"20th.--At 10 P. M. again for Port Hudson. After hours of hard marching +in heavy order in a hot sun on dusty roads and very little water to +drink, the regiment camped at dark in the left of the Union line on the +road leading to Springfield landing. + +"21st.--Battle of Plains Store. During the morning there were rumors of +a fight, as the rebels were determined to prevent a junction of the +force under Augur and Grover, of Banks' army, who were moving down from +St. Francis. This brought on the above-named battle, in which the negro +regiment held the extreme left, and thus prevented the rebels getting in +the rear of the Union troops. + +"22d.--Companies A and G drove back some rebel pickets, capturing one +man, horse, equipments, and two rifles. The man was thrown by his horse +and was badly hurt, his head striking against a tree. + +"23d.--We formed a junction to-day with Banks, and Port Hudson is +invested. + +"24th.--Companies E and G, under Captain Blake, on a scout. + +"25th.--To-day the regiment marched from the extreme left to the extreme +right of the Union line, a hard long tramp again in heavy order. At +night we encamped near Sandy Creek, close to the Mississippi. Each man +had to carry his own baggage. This regiment was never given any wagons. + +"26th.--At Sandy Creek protecting men laying the pontoon bridge. +Skirmishing all day with the rebels. The boys are getting used to +fighting. + +"27th.--Storming the batteries. The negro soldiers prove the bravest of +the brave. To-day was fought one of the most desperate battles on +record. Our brigade, six companies of the 1st, and nine companies of 3rd +Regiment Louisiana Native Guards, commenced fighting at quarter of an +hour before 6 A. M. The 1st, under Lieutenant-Colonel Bassett, advanced +in skirmish line up through the wood and soon drew the enemy's fire. The +3rd under Lieutenant-Colonel Finnegass, were in line of battle about +fifty yards in rear of the first, the whole command under Colonel John +A. Nelson, of the 3rd Regiment. The rebels opened with infantry fire and +shells at short range, and their fire was very effective and for a short +time the first, which was in danger of utter destruction, wavered, when +Colonel Bassett and his colored officers moved among the men encouraging +them by their own fearless examples. At this crisis, Colonel Finnegass +sent forward his four left companies, under Captain John E. Quinn, to +support the 1st. Captain Quinn moved up in good order, placing his left +company under Lieutenant John O'Keefe so as to face the bridge on his +left, held by the rebels in rifle-pits, Finnegass keeping the other five +companies well in hand, to use them when most needed. When within pistol +shot of the fortifications, to their dismay they were stopped--not by +the rebels, but by a back flow of the river. The water was not more than +forty feet across, but over eight feet deep. To cross this without boat +or bridge was impossible, particularly under such a terrible fire as the +rebels poured upon them in front and on both flanks. On the left the +rebels were actually in their rear so far had the gallant fellows +advanced. The slaughter was now becoming fearful. Colonel Finnegass at +this juncture asked Captain Quinn if he could cross the water; Quinn +called on volunteers to follow him. The whole that was left of his own +company, G, and Lieutenant O'Keefe with Company E, responded to his +call, and in they plunged, the men holding their rifles and cartridge +boxes above their heads. In the mean time Bassett and Finnegass (whose +men were lying down) kept a continual fire on the rebel gunners and +drove them from their guns, but the water was too much for the men, and +only 35 or 40--with Quinn and O'Keefe and Lieutenants Burnham and +Dame--succeeded in crossing. This handful actually followed their +reckless leader up to the very cannon's mouth, and for 15 or 20 minutes +held the whole rebel battery in their hands. Colonel Finnegass seeing +that in a few minutes more his brave men would be destroyed, rushed into +the water and ordered Quinn to fall back, as a regiment of rebels were +clambering over the works to get in their rear. The brave fellows fell +back, but alas, few of them ever answered roll-call again. Out of the +band but six re-crossed alive, and of these, Lieutenants O'Keefe, +Burnham and Sergeants Vincent and Taylor, who were wounded; Quinn and +Dame were the only ones unhurt. The whole regiment now fell back about +600 yards, in the shelter of the woods. Six times we advanced, hoping to +find some spot where the men could cross, but in vain. We entered this +fight with 1080 men, and lost 371 killed and 150 wounded; total loss, +421. The rebels shelled us with their heavy guns. On our front were +artillery and infantry; on our left a wooded ridge full of riflemen. We +had two six-pounders; one of them was dismounted early in the fight, and +the other the gunners ran out of range, it being of no use. + +"Now, why were the colored troops left unsupported? Why were they sent +on such hopeless missions? Why were the officers informed by General +Dwight that there were clear grounds beyond Sandy Creek? There were +white troops who could have been sent to their support; the officers +expected to fight the rebels but met the river. Colonel Nelson played +General to perfection; during the whole battle he remained on the safe +side of Sandy Creek, and had his corps of orderlies to attend him; in +plain words he kept his men under fire from quarter before six A. M., +till seven P. M. During the day he never saw a rebel's face or back. +* * * The heroes of the day were the men; not one of them showed the "white +feather." Colonel Bassett and his colored officers of the 1st were as +brave as any men who ever drew a sword, and so were Finnegass, +Lieutenant-Colonel of the 3rd, and Captains Smith, Daly, Masterson and +others. Lieutenants O'Keefe, Burnham, Wiley, Griggs, Emory, Westervelt +and Dame of the 3rd, and Captain Quinn, who commanded the left wing and +led the storming column of the 3rd. Lieutenant-Colonel Bassett was +formerly of the 4th Mississippi Regiment; Colonel Nelson and +Lieutenant-Colonel Finnegass, were both of Irish parentage; Captain +Daily and Lieutenant Emory, of the 31st Massachusetts, Lieutenant +O'Keefe of the 9th and Burnham, of the 13th Connecticut, Masterson and +Wiley, of the 26th Massachusetts, Company A, of the 3rd, were on +detached service. Captain John E. Quinn is a native of Lowell, Mass.; +born April 22nd, 1837 came from the 30th Massachusetts, in which he was +orderly of Company B." + + * * * * + +A correspondent of the New York _Tribune_ writing, says: + + "The more I see of our colored regiments, and the more I + converse with our soldiers, the more convinced I am that + upon them we must ultimately rely as the principle source of + our strength in these latitudes. It is perfect nonsense for + any one to attempt to talk away the broad fact, evident as + the sun at noonday, that these men are capable not only of + making good soldiers, but the very best of soldiers. The + Third Louisiana Native Guard, Colonel Nelson, are encamped + here, and a more orderly, disciplined, robust, and effective + set of men I defy any one to produce. + + "An old European officer, one who has followed the + profession of arms from his very boyhood, said to me to-day: + 'In one essential respect, sir, I believe that in a short + time these colored soldiers will surpass any we have in our + army--I mean in subordination--without which no army can be + effective. We are in the habit of carrying our citizenship + with us into the field, and that begets an amount of undue + familiarity between officers and men that is often + destructive of obedience. Toward the black man we feel none + of these delicate sentiments of equality, and he, on his + part, has always been accustomed to be commanded. Beside + this he is acclimated, knows the country thoroughly, and if + called upon to fight will fight in earnest, for he knows + that if taken prisoner he will meet no mercy.' + + "Colonel Nelson, anxious to have an opportunity of + exhibiting to the world what his command is capable of, and + thus put their manhood beyond all question, has implored + General Banks to put him in the foremost point of danger in + the coming struggle, and says that his men are as ready as + himself to stake their lives upon the result; but the + general--doubtless acting upon explicit orders--says they + must, at present at least, be confined to manning the + fortifications here. + + "I am happy to say that the feeling toward these colored + regiments throughout the army is undergoing the most rapid + and extraordinary changes. Soldiers that only a few months, + nay, weeks ago, would have flown into a furious passion at + the bare idea of a black man carrying a musket like + themselves, now say, 'O, if you are going to give them white + officers that is another affair altogether.'" + + * * * * + +The following letter gives some interesting recollections of the +military events of the Department of the Gulf: + + "NEW ORLEANS, January 18th, 1883. + + "_To Colonel J. T. Wilson, Norfolk, Va._: + + "FRIEND: Your two circulars issued from Cailloux Post No. 2 + on the 13th inst. are received. It is quite a compliment to + Louisiana to have named your Post after the hero of Port + Hudson, who immortalized himself in those celebrated charges + in May, 1863. + + "It is over twenty years ago that I took a commission in the + 3d Louisiana Native Guard as a senior lieutenant of Company + H. I was quite intimate with Captain Andre Cailloux. + + "Grave doubts had been expressed by Banks, the nominal + commander, and his officers regarding the fitness of colored + men as soldiers. The perplexing question was, 'Will they + stand their christening under such a hail storm as will come + from those bristling Port Hudson heights?' In fact those + three colored regiments--the 1st, 2d, and 3d Louisiana + Native Guards, organized in 1862, and afterward incorporated + in the Ullman Brigade as the 73d, 74th, and 75th--had become + more a subject of test than of real dependence at the + critical juncture of trial. + + "General Osterhaus solved the mystery by taking command of a + division, including the 1st and 3d Native Guards. Those + magnificent series of charges were made by these two + regiments. The first charge was made on a Sunday, the 27th + day of May, 1863, supported on the right by the celebrated + Duryea's Zouaves, of New York, which were mowed down like + grass before a scythe. It was then and there that Captain + Cailloux gloriously died in advance of his company while + cheering his men. It was also on that day that the immortal + color-bearer, Anselino, was killed, and fell within the + folds of his regimental flag, which was besmeared with his + blood, with the broken flag-staff in his hand. Other strong + arms came to the rescue of the flag only to meet death until + the honor of the flag alone cost the lives of sixteen men or + more. The gallant Lieutenant Crowder was killed on the field + of honor at the flower of his age. Captain Sauer was wounded + in the foot while charging. The 3d Native Guards also + sustained its reputation, and many deeds of valor were + performed by its officers and men. But when after those + engagements the roll-call was made we had many friends to + mourn. You are aware, I suppose, of an historical fact. + Jefferson Davis had issued a proclamation that any colored + officer captured at the head of black troops would not be + exchanged, but immediately hung. It was thus that Lieutenant + Oscar Orillion, when captured at Jackson, La., was hung and + shot to pieces. + + "Port Hudson was surrendered by General Pemberton the 8th of + July, 1863. General Osterhaus became very proud of his + colored regiments after what he had seen at Port Hudson. + + "Had these two regiments failed, or destiny betrayed their + courage, the colored troops would have been universally + condemned, and would not have been employed as soldiers, but + used as servants, drivers, and laborers, on fortifications, + bridges, and ditches. To the 2d Louisiana Native Guards + belongs the honor of having had the first colored major in + the army, and it is Major Ernest Dumas, now living and + actually in New Orleans. + + "The most terrible engagement (1st and 2d) was at Spanish + Fort in Mobile Bay, Ala., shortly after Fort Pillow's + massacre. General Osterhaus told the colored troops the + night previous to the attack that at break of day they had + to charge and take Spanish Fort. It was customary with the + general to tell the troops by what regiments they would be + sustained. The men did not seem to be very enthusiastic, but + when they were told how the rebels had murdered men of their + own color and their white fellow-soldiers without mercy, + they sprang to their guns and called unanimously for + 'revenge.' Great God! they had their revenge, sure enough! + The charge was made, the fort taken, and nearly every rebel + slaughtered amid the deafening yells of the colored and + white troops of 'Remember Fort Pillow.' The 1st and the 3d + regiments cleared Alabama up to Selina. + + "As it is impossible for me to devote my time any longer, + and to turn over the leaves of the past in my clouded + memory, which is quite impaired lately on account of my + declining years, besides the metacarpal bone of my right + hand, which was broken by a musket in the army, is always + painful when I write too much, I will refer you to Sergeant + Calice Dupie, of Company H, 1st Louisiana Native Guards, + Captain Sauer, who is employed in the custom house. I am + told that Captain R. H. Isabell, of the 2d Louisiana Native + Guards, has taken a memorandum of all the historical + incidents of those three regiments. They are all + Louisianians, and reside in New Orleans. As for the officers + of my regiment (the 3d Native Guards) they are all dead + nearly, which makes me think that my time soon will be on + hand. + + "Though my information is limited, I have strictly confined + myself to facts which I am sure will be corroborated by + others, I court investigation upon my statements, and will + always be glad to furnish witnesses to sustain them. + + "Fraternally yours, E. LONGPIE, + + "_Ex-1st Lt. Co. H 3d L. N. G., Ex-officer of + Anselino Post No. 6 G. A. R._" + + +FINIS. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Black Phalanx, by Joseph T. 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