en at the first engagement between the two
armies.

As soon as this fact became well established, Congress proceeded
to enact the first law since the organization of the Federal
Government by which a slave could acquire his freedom. The "Act
to confiscate property used for insurrectionary purposes" was on
the calendar of the Senate when the disaster at Bull Run occurred,
and had been under consideration the day preceding the battle. As
originally framed, it only confiscated "any property used or employed
in aiding, abetting, or promoting insurrection, or resistance to
the laws." The word "property" would not include slaves, who, in
the contemplation of the Federal law, were always "persons." A
new section was now added, declaring that "whenever hereafter during
the present insurrection against the Government of the United
States, any person held to labor or service under the law of any
State shall be required or permitted by the person to whom such
labor or service is due to take up arms against the United States,
or to work in or upon any fort, dock, navy-yard, armory, intrenchment,
or in any military or naval service whatever against the Government
of the United States, the person to whom such service or labor is
due shall forfeit his claim thereto." The law further provided in
effect that "whenever any person shall seek to enforce his claim
to a slave, it shall be a sufficient answer to such claim, that
the slave had been employed in the military or naval service against
the United States contrary to the provisions of this Act."

ZEAL AND INDUSTRY OF CONGRESS.

The virtue of this law consisted mainly in the fact that it exhibited
a willingness on the part of Congress to strike very hard blows
and to trample the institution of slavery under foot whenever or
wherever it should be deemed advantageous to the cause of the Union
to do so. From that time onward the disposition to assail slavery
was rapidly developed, and the grounds on which the assurance
contained in the Crittenden Resolution was given, had so changed
in consequence of the use of slaves by the Confederate Government
that every Republican member of both Senate and House felt himself
absolved from any implied pledge therein to the slave-holders of
the Border States. Humiliating as was the Bull Run disaster to
the National arms, it carried with it many compensating considerations,
and taught many useful