William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

[239] employed to catch and return fugitive slaves, sorely vexed the Governor, who immediately wrote to Lieutenant-Colonel Palfrey against Massachusetts men being employed in such duty. He also wrote a long letter to Secretary Cameron, protesting against the practice. He said, ‘I invoke your interposition, not only now, but for the future, for the issue of such orders as will secure the soldiers of this Commonwealth from being participators in such dirty and despotic work.’ This letter he enclosed in another to Senator Sumner, with a request that he would read it, and hand it to the Secretary of War, and that he, Mr. Sumner, ‘would co-operate with him in his efforts to protect the soldiers of Massachusetts from being made the bloodhounds of slavery in obedience to the iniquitous and illegal orders of brigadier-generals, and others in the interest of the slave power.’ The War Department took no immediate action upon this particular case. Mr. Sumner brought it before the Senate, and denounced in strong language the order of General Stone, which drew from that officer a letter equally denunciatory of the Senator, and an implied challenge to a duel. Mr. Sumner took no notice of either. But the matter did not end here. On the thirtieth day of December, the Governor wrote a long letter to Major-General McClellan, in reply to a letter from Brigadier-General Stone, which had been forwarded and apparently approved by General McClellan, in which the order issued by General Stone, directing the arrest of the fugitives, is defended, and an attempt is made to belittle the State of Massachusetts, and in which he speaks of the ‘usurpations of these ambitious State authorities.’ It also speaks of the soldiers of the Twentieth Regiment being ‘enlisted in the service of the United States, in the State of which the Governor referred to is the respected chief magistrate; but this gives him no right to assume control of the internal discipline of the regiment.’ The Governor gives the General to understand that the regiment was recruited in Massachusetts, that the soldiers were Massachusetts men, that they were provided with every kind of equipment, including Enfield rifles, every thing ‘down to shoestrings and tent-pins,’ all of which was furnished by the State, and paid for by the State, that the officers were commissioned