ally as laborers, but as they are
to be organized into companies and uniformed, and a portion of
their time is to be spent in drilling, it is easy to understand
that the possibility of their being used as soldiers is not lost
sight of. The exact time of commencing the work of enlisting the
colored recruits, I am not able to state, but that it will be
shortly, to my mind, there is not a shadow of doubt. The only way
in which the men can be obtained is by the establishment of posts
at various places upon the coast, where the negroes, assured of
protection, will flock to us by thousands. Past experience and
present information both go to prove this fact, and to establish
these posts more men will be required; therefore we may soon
expect that the Government will be deriving positive advantages
from this department which, heretofore, has been only negative of
service, as the field of experiments and the testing of ideas.
Gen. Saxton will go to Washington by the first steamer, for
consultation with the President on the subject."

Just what one thing changed the President so suddenly upon the
question of the employment of Negroes as soldiers was not known.

In Louisiana the Negroes were anxious to enlist in the service of the
Union, and with this object in view thousands of them sought the
Federal camps. Brig.-Gen. J. W. Phelps, commanding the forces at
Carrolton, La., found his camps daily crowded with fugitives from
slavery. What to do with them became a question of great moment. Gen.
Phelps became convinced that it was impossible to subdue a great
rebellion if slavery were to have the protection of Federal bayonets.
He gave the Negroes who came to his camp protection; and for this was
reported to his superior officer, Gen. Butler. In a report to the
latter officer's Adjutant-General, on June 16, 1862, he said:

"The enfranchisement of the people of Europe has been, and is
still, going on, through the instrumentality of military service;
and by this means our slaves might be raised in the scale of
civilization and prepared for freedom. Fifty regiments might be
raised among them at once, which could be employed in this
climate to preserve order, and thus prevent the necessity of
retrenching our liberties, as we should do by a large army
exclusively of Whites. For it is evident that a considerable army