History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2: Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as CitizensWilliams, George Washington
History
History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2: Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens
Williams, George Washington
African Americans -- History; Liberia; Sierra Leone
"August 13th, 1863, the Third United States regiment left Camp
William Penn, and was in front of Fort Wagner when it
surrendered.
"October 14th, 1863, the Sixth United States regiment left for
Yorktown.
"January 16th, 1864, the Eighth United States regiment left for
Hilton Head.
"The 22d and 25th regiments are now at Camp William Penn, waiting
orders from the Government."
The duty of recruiting "Colored troops" in the Department of the
Cumberland was committed by Secretary Stanton to an able, honest, and
patriotic man, Mr. George L. Stearns, of Massachusetts. Mr. Stearns
had devoted his energies, wealth, and time to the cause of the slave
during the holy anti-slavery agitation. He was a wealthy merchant of
Boston; dwelt, with a noble wife and beautiful children, at Medford.
He had been, from the commencement of the agitation, an ultra
Abolitionist. He regarded slavery as a gigantic system of complicated
evils, at war with all the known laws of civilized society; inimical
to the fundamental principles of political economy; destructive to
republican institutions; hateful in the sight of God, and ever
abhorrent to all honest men. He hated slavery. He hated truckling,
obsequious, cringing hypocrites. He put his feelings into vigorous
English, and keyed his deeds and actions to the sublime notes of
charity that filled his heart and adorned a long and eminently useful
life. He gave shelter to the majestic and heroic John Brown. His door
was--like the heavenly gates--ajar to every fugitive from slavery, and
his fiery earnestness kindled the flagging zeal of many a conservative
friend of God's poor.
Such a man was chosen to put muskets into the hands of the Negroes in
the Department of the Cumberland. His rank was that of major, with the
powers of an assistant adjutant-general. He took up his headquarters
at Nashville, Tennessee. He carried into the discharge of the duties
of his important office large executive ability, excellent judgment,
and rare fidelity. He organized the best regiments that served in the
Western army. When he had placed the work in excellent condition he
committed it to the care of Capt. R. D. Mussey, who afterward was
made the Colonel of the 100th U. S. Colored Troops.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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