Viewing page 6 of 16
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
383 DOUGLASS' MONTHLY. June, 1863 [[line]] [[column 1]] familiar faces in the crowds that gathered around. At a little after ten o'clock the regiment marched down the street, escorting Governor Andrew, who was accompanied by most of the members of his staff, Major Gen. Sutton and staff, Major Gen. Andrews and staff, Gen. R. A. Pierce, Senator Wilson, Major Gordon, Commandant at Fort Independence, Hon. Richard Warren of New York, Captains Collins, McKim and Read of the Army, Capt. Couthaway of the Navy, (recently paroled,) Major Hartwell of the Mass. 55th regiment, President Hale of the Common Council, and others. They entered the common at the Charles street gate. Every place overlooking the parade ground had long been thronged with people, and hundreds who had, and thousands who had not tickets, were passed inside the lines. Among those present were most of the men and women of Massachusetts who have been prominent in the anti-slavery movement; included among them were Mr. Garrison and Edmund Quincy. Frederick Douglass, whose son is Sergeant-Major of the regiment, was also there. A short rest was permitted, and during the interval that passed thus, there was a discussion of the propriety of raising colored troops; in that assemblage there was no objections, and the unanimity of opinion was as great as was the pleasure with which the early friends of the measure greeted each other. At eleven o'clock the regiment again took its place in line and was reviewed by Gov. Andrew. The men then passed in review by companies before him, and though their lines were by no means perfect they marched in good time, and wheeled with a readiness which showed that they had a clear idea of what was required, and only needed a little more practice to equal the best regiments that have left the State. At a quarter before twelve o'cleck the regi- [[???]] and marched down Tremont, Court, State, and Commercial streets, to Battery wharf.-- As on the route to the Common, so were these streets thronged with approving multitudes who cheered as they went marching on.' Col. Robert G. Shaw, Jr., who commands the regiment, is regarded as a very superior officer. He went out as Captain of the 2d Mass. regiment, and retained that position till appointed to his present command, having participated in several battles. In the organization of the regiment he has displayed judgement, zeal and discretion, which has won him the confidence and esteem of the officers of the regiment and the State officials. He is a grandson of the late Robert G. Shaw, Jr. The regiment reached the wharf at about twenty minutes of 1 o'clock. The baggage had all been put aboard the De Molay previous to the arrival of the regiment. The guns were at once placed in cases, and at 1 o'clock the troops marched on board the steamer by companies. Capt. McKim was present superintending the arrangements for the departure, and everything would probably be in readiness to leave by 2 o'clock. Adj. Gen. Schouler, Gen. Reed and other State officials were also present. Several gentlemen were on the wharf distributing tracts and other reading matter among the troops, and Mr. Frederick Douglass passed round among the different companies, bidding the soldiers farewell and giving them words of encouragement. The Regiment is accompanied by a colored Band, but they did not perform, being still under practice.--Boston Traveller. [[line]] THE MEETING OF COLORED LOYALIST was held, agreeable to adjournment on Thursday (Fast day) evening April 30th at Shiloh Church, Rev. H. H. Garnet presided and Mr. Geo. T. Downing acted as Secretary.-- Remarks fitting the occassion were made by the President, and prayer offered by Rev. J. T. Raymond. Three verses of the 100th [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] Psalm were sung by the congregation, when Frederick Douglass was introduced. Her commenced by stating that he wished to hear a discussion which would embrace the prejudices arising in the midst of colored men, in relation to the mission which he was there to forward. He had supposed that the propriety of colored men enlisted in the service of the United States, through the invitation extended by the State of Massachusetts, had been discussed, but a great obstacle existed in the minds of colored men, against enlisting into the United States services, under the conditions offered by that State. He did not wonder at this, because the tardy, back-door manner in which it was done was ground for hesitation. He alluded to the Proclamation of Jeff. Davis, threatening to shoot all white men found in colored regiments, and to punish all colored men found in arms for aiding insurrection. The Government had taken no measures whatever to protect colored men, and he considered it manly on the part of the young men to hesitate before entering the service under such degrading conditions. Again colored men were not eligible for commissions, and could rise no higher than non-commissioned officers, and this was also some ground for the diffidence and hesitation, and indifference exhibited by colored men. He had looked at these things, and he confessed that his blood boiled at the discriminations made by the government against colored men, and he has been particularly indignant at the silence of the government and their failure to say one encouraging word to the colored man to induce him to join the army. Old General Jackson called them 'fellow-citizens,' (applause,) and asked them to come to the rescue against a foreign foe: but our government would not do so. A General had been here for months organizing a black regiment, but it was not done openly; in fact, the black man was [[???]] under the [[???]] (Applause.) The United States had behaved badly but Massachusetts had not. (Applause.) Was it Archimides who said he only wanted a fulcrum for his lever to move the world. All the black man wanted was to move Massachusetts, and thus they would move their country. (Applause.) Massachusetts had called on the government to use their black hand; they had been fighting with their soft white hand, while their iron black hand was tied behind. (Applause) He believed it were better after all to join that 54th Massachusetts regiment. The design of the Confederacy was to enslave all the colored people all over the United States. Our government it was true, had not made them line officers and Colonels, but had done a noble act when it struck the chains off the limbs of 3,000 people in the District of Columbia. (Applause.) Now he would say that Jeff. Davis, aye and Fernando Wood and Ben, would rejoice when they saw the reluctance of colored men to enlist. (Applause.) It was well known that the whole mass of colored citizens could not enlist, but he asked for a full tide of sympathy and encouragement from influential people to those boys who wanted to go into the service of their country. The Chairman then referred to some colored patriots, who were discouraged by white copperheads, but had applied to Governor Morgan for permission to form a regiment when the war first broke out, but the Governer could not give his sanction, not having the power. He was certain that at least 1500 young colored men were now in the service of the United States as menials, who would have been soldiers instead had they been allowed to enlist. Some of these young men had returned minus an eye, an arm or a leg, from wounds received in action. They did what they could but could not get the opportunity to do enough. He gave it as his candid opinion, that now was the time for his colored fellow citizens to come forward and strike a blow for the Union and for freedom. The history of the black man was being written, and the page would no doubt be bright and glorious at the close of the war. His advice to the young men of New York was to [[/column 2]] [[column 3]] be careful in in all their actions and words, for their are men watching all your words to find some means of slandering you. Join the armies of the United States, and, in the language of old John Brown, who frightented Virginia to the core, march through and through the heart of his rebellion. (Cheers.) At the close of Mr. Garnet's remarks, James Williams, an aged colored man, a drummer in the rebel army, was introduced and related his experience, which was very interesting and laughable. After the battle of Bull Run the first, his regiment was sent to Fernandina, where he made the acquaintance of a colored woman who washed and repaired his clothes for him and as his regiment was about to be moved elsewhere, he was sent by his master to get his clothes, which he has been after ever since. He is about to enter the 54th Massachusetts, and embrace the first chance to repay his old debts to the slaveholders. Rev. Dr. Cheever was the next speaker.-- He began by paying a just compliment to Mr. Douglass and to the Butternut drummer. He can now recommend the colored men to go into the army, which he could not do one year ago, because the government was then pro-slavery, and would not protect the rights of black men. He also referred to the last order of Adjutant General Thomas, in relation to placing the freed men of the South as serfs on the plantations even of their former masters. But if these be the orders of the government, it is the first duty of every man, colored and white, to hold mass meetings throughout the loyal North, and express their burning indignation against such infamous orders. In respect to the action of Kentucky in enslaving the freedmen, who put foot on her soil, he declared it, to be the duty and right of the President to march an army to that State and make a park of it, but they must submit to this government. (Cheers and applause.) He briefly alluded to a plan, presented to him yesterday morning, to raise 10,000 black men in the loyal States, and put them under command of Gen. Fremont to go down South. They would crush out this rebellion. (Cheers.) At the close of Dr. Cheever's remarks, a vote of thanks was given to him. Mr. Downing then read a letter received from Gov. Andrew, of Mass., in relation to the guarantees of protection which the government will extend to them, which will be equal in all respects to those of white men. The following resolutions were offered by Mr. Downing and adopted by the meeting:-- Resolved, That we are impressed with the fact that the resolutions most in place now, are those which will give force and efficacy to a determination on our part, to stand by the government in every way we may: with sympathy and succor, with loaded muskets and drawn swords, seeing that the very existence of our government is imperriled; a government which is daily endearing itself to us more and more, by an increasing willingness to respect and defend us, as its equal subjects. Resolved, That in determination to stand by the government in this war, we are not only deciding to stand by good government, but against slavery, the parent and fosterer of the unjust prejudice we have been the subjects of here in the North; we believe that as we shall manifest competency and valor in the field, will their rewards, acknowledgement and promotion, be awarded us; and that the bugbear, 'Colonization,' which has so troubled the American people, will not, out of respect for the feelings of Loyal Americans, be ever again agitated. Resolved, That an address be forwarded to his Excellency, Horatio Seymour, by a committee of thirteen, to be appointed by the chairman, which shall respectfully urge the Governor to give all the encouragement he may to the enlistment of colored citizens of the State, as soldiers, for the purpose of maintaining the Union and in defense of Liberty; that we desire this that other states may not draw too much upon the patriotism which we would, as New-Yorkers, have set down to the credit of our own State; but until the Gov- [[/column 3]]
Transcription Notes:
column 2, third line
transcription word Her should be He
