days of the summer of 1862, a
list without heading circulated in the Potomac army, and all who
signed it bound themselves to obey only McClellan. The McClellan
clique originated this conspiracy, which extended throughout all the
grades.

What confusion prevails about the rights of existence of slavery.
How they discuss it. How they pettifog. Why not establish the
rights of existence of syphilis, of _plica_ in the human body. O,
casuists. O, _Intelligencers_. O, _Worlds_!

Well, to me, slavery seems to legally (cursed legality) exist in
virtue of the special State rights, and not in virtue of the
Constitution. But for the State rights, the Africo-American is a man
and citizen of the United States--and this under the Constitution
which is paramount to State rights. The rebellion annihilates the
State rights, and all special constitutions guaranteed by the Union,
and at the same time annihilates the relation of the Africo-American
to the specific States or constitutions. It restores to him the
rights of man guaranteed to him as man by the Union and the
Constitution of the United States. The Africo-American recovers his
rights, lost and annihilated by specific State rights and municipal,
local laws. The president had to issue his proclamation as guardian
and executor of the Constitution, and then Africo-Americans
recovered their citizenship on firmer and broader grounds than
under, or by the war power. Calhoun, the father of the rebellion--as
Milton's Satan--and all the rebels now curse or cursed the preamble
of the Constitution as Satan cursed the light. I suppose Calhoun's
and the rebels' reasons are similar to me. _Inde irae._

The commanders in the West bear evidence of the devotion, the
heroism and the endurance of the Africo-Americans, sacrificing their
lives without hope; martyrs by the rebels as well as by Hallecks and
the like.

I met a farmer from Maine. He was rather old and poor. Had two
sons--lost them both--they were all his hope. He spoke simply of it,
but to break one's heart. _He grudged not_, (his own words,) his
hopes and blood for the cause, and considered it good luck to have
recovered the body of one of his boys, and brought it back home to
the "old woman," (wife, mother.) I shook hands with him. I ought to
have kissed him. Unknown, unnamed hero-patriot! and similar are
hundreds of thousands, and such is the true people. And so
sacrilegiously dealt with by insane helplessness.

_Jan. 5._--The _