[
526]
The Army Appropriation bill being before the Senate,
Mr. Garrett Davis, of
Ky., moved
1 to add:
Provided, That no part of the sums appropriated by this act shall be disbursed for the pay, subsistence, or any other supplies, of any negro, free or slave, in the armed military service of the United States.
Which was rejected: Yeas 8; Nays 28:
Yeas--Messrs. Carlile, G. Davis, Kennedy, Latham, Nesmith, Powell, Turpie, and Wall (all Democrats).
At the next session — the Deficiency bill being before the
House--
Mr. Harding, of
Ky., moved
2 to insert--
Provided, That no part of the moneys aforesaid shall be applied to the raising, arming, equipping, or paying of negro soldiers.
Which was likewise beaten: Yeas 41; Yays 105--the Yeas (all Democrats) being
Messrs. Ancona, Bliss, James S. Brown, Coffroth, Cox, Dawson, Dennison, Eden, Edgerton, Eldridge, Finck, Grider, Hall, Harding, Harrington, Benjamin G. Harris, Charles M. Harris, Philip Johnson, William Johnson, King, Knapp, Law, Long, Marcy, McKinney, William II.
Miller, James R. Morris, Morrison, Noble, John O'Neill, Pendleton, Sainuel J. Randall, Rogers, Ross, Scott, Stiles, Strouse, Stuart, Chilton A. White, Joseph W. White, Yeaman.
No other War measure was so strenuously, unitedly, persistently, vehemently resisted by the Opposition, whether Democratic or Border-State Unionists, as was the proposal to arm Blacks to uphold the
National cause.
Said
Mr. S. S. Cox, of
Ohio:
I believe the object of gentlemen, in forcing this bill here, is to bring about — or, rather, to make final and forever — a dissolution of the Union. * * * Every man along the border [Ohio] will tell you that the Union is for ever rendered hopeless if you pursue this policy of taking the slaves from the masters and arming them in this civil strife.
The regular, authorized, avowed employment of Blacks in the
Union armies — not as menials, but as soldiers — may be said to have begun with the year 1863--that is, with the issue of the
President's absolute Proclamation of Freedom.
Mr. Stanton's first order to raise in the loyal States three years men, with express permission “to include persons of
African descent,” was that issued to
Gov. Andrew, Jan. 20th of this year; which was promptly and heartily responded to. In March,
Gen. Lorenzo Thomas,
Adjutant-General of our Army, was dispatched from
Washington to the
Mississippi Valley, there to initiate and supervise the recruiting and officering of Black regiments — a duty which he discharged with eminent zeal and efficiency; visiting and laboring at
Memphis,
Helena, and other points, where Blacks were congregated, addressing them in exposition of the Emancipation policy, and urging them to respond to it by rallying to the flag of their country.
To our officers and soldiers, in a speech at
Lake Providence, La.,
3 he forcibly said:
You know full well — for you have been over this country — that the Rebels have sent into the field all their available fighting men — every man capable of bearing arms; and you know they have kept at home all their slaves for the raising of subsistence for their armies in the field.
In this way, they can bring to bear against us all the strength of their so-called Confederate States; while we at the North can only send a portion of our fighting force, being compelled to leave behind another portion to cultivate our fields and supply the wants of an immense army.
The Administration has determined to take from the Rebels this source of supply — to take their negroes and compel them to send back a portion of their Whites to cultivate their deserted plantations — and very poor persons they would be to fill the place of the dark-hued laborer.
They must do this, or their armies will starve. * * *
All of you will some day be on picket-duty; and I charge you all, if any of this
