A WAR TO FREE THE SLAVES—FROM WHAT?

All listed In this essay comes for “The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion” which are all records kept by the Union Army with no contributions from Southern Sources.

On the 8^th of May in 1862 Major General David Hunter, Department of the South, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina advised Brigadier General Isaac I. Stevens, commanding Post at Beaufort, Port Royal Island: “I am authorized by the War Department to form the Negroes into squads, companies or otherwise as I may deem most beneficial to the public service. I have concluded to enlist two regiments.

General Stevens, Second Brigade, Northern District, Department of the South sent out a circular on May 11^th which read: “In accordance with orders from Major General Hunter the several agents or overseers of plantations will send to Beaufort tomorrow morning every able-bodied negro between the ages of 18 and 45 capable of bearing arms.”

Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, on May 21^st sent to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton multiple dispatches reference the state of affairs on Port Royal Island which included the following correspondence from Edward L. Pierce, who was a “special agent” for the Treasury: “This has been a sad day on these islands. The scenes of today have been distressing, some 500 men were hurried from Ladies and Saint Helena to Beaufort and then carried to Hilton Head. The negroes were sad; the superintendents aided the military in the disagreeable affair, disavowing the act. Sometimes whole plantations, learning what was going on, ran off to the woods for refuge. Others with no means of escape admitted passively to the inevitable decree. This mode of enlistment by violent seizure and transportation, spreading dismay and fright, is repugnant.”

The next day, May 13^th, from Pope’s plantation on Saint Helena Island, Mr. Pierce again wrote to General Hunter: “Scenes transpiring yesterday in the execution of your order, the colored people became suspicious of the presence of the companies of soldiers detailed for the service, who were marching through the islands during the night. They were taken from the fields without being allowed to go to their houses even to get a jacket. There was sadness in all. As those on this plantation were called in from the fields, the soldiers, under orders, and while on the steps of my headquarters, loaded their guns, so tht that the negroes might see what would take place in case they attempted to get away.

On some plantations the wailing and screaming were loud and the negro women threw themselves in despair onto the ground. On some plantations where the men had taken to the woods, they were hunted up by the soldiers. I doubt if the recruiting service in this country has ever been attended with such with such scenes before.

Also, about this same time, G.M. Wells, Superintendent of plantations on Mrs. Jenkins plantation, Saint Helena Island also wrote the following to Mr. Pierce: “The conscription, together with the manner of its execution, has created a suspicion that the Government has not the interest in the negros that it has professed, and many of the sighed yesterday for the “old fetters” of slavery as being better than their new liberty.”

On 13 May L.D. Phllips at Dr. Pope’s plantation sent this dispatch to Mr. Pierce: “The whole village, old men, women and boys, in tears, followed at the heels of their men. The wives and mothers of the conscripts, giving way to their feelings, break into the loudest lamentations and rush upon their men, clinging to them with the agony of separation. Some of them setting up such a shrieking as only this people could, throw themselves on the ground and abandon themselves to the wildest expressions of grief. The old foreman at Indian Hill said it reminded him of what his master had told him the Yankees would do. I have heard several of them contrast the present state of things with their former condition as slaves to our disadvantage.

The rude separation of husband and wife, children and parents, must needs remind them of what we have always stigmatized as the worst feature of slavery. Never, in my judgement did the Major General fall into a sadder blunder and rarely has humanity been outraged by an act of more unfeeling barbarity.”

And now another instance of the lack of humanity displayed toward these “former” slaves. Five and one half months after this violent “recruitment” of these men, Brigadier General Rufus Saxton in Beaufort informed Secretary of War, Stanton, “ When the colored regiment was first formed by General Hunter no provision was made for its payment and the men were discharged several months later receiving nothing for their work and service. In the meantime their families suffered. This failure to pay them for their service has weakened their confidence in our promises for the future and makes them slow to enlist.”

Oh, those benevolent Yankees and their valiant efforts to free the slaves.