Part 55 (2/2)

”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 a.s.surance 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.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 Emanc.i.p.ation 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 a.s.sumes power to arm the slaves, which involves also the power of emanc.i.p.ation. This proposition would be regarded as a confession of despair. If we are right in pa.s.sing this measure, we are wrong in denying to the old government the right to interfere with slavery and to emanc.i.p.ate 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 emanc.i.p.ating 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.

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