Recruiting Negroes in the 7th USCT

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Manuscript Document in the hand of a United States Colored Troops officer, 14p. quarto, 1864, and reads in part: “...Reported to Gen. Wm. Birney Comd’g Birney Barrack at Baltimore, Md & mustered into service Oct. 15/63, assigned to ‘A’ Co. Capt Deermett & 1st Lt. Edgerton, A Coats Post Adjt. At that time four companies of the reg’t, A,B, C & D were organized and officered - the total strength of the reg’t being fourteen officers and 668 enlisted men. Oct 19th the order for recruiting was issued and Co’s A & B were marched through Baltimore headed with a negro band and embarked on Board of the Balloon. In passing through the streets of Baltimore no signs of disapproval was manifested and the crowd who witnessed the first public parade of negro soldiers seemed actuated more by curiousity than by any other sentiment. The men had muskets in their hands for the first time that day but having had a few days drill in company movements made quite a creditable display - sufficient at any rate to disarm criticism and show their capacity for instruction as their soldierly qualities - Events proved this true....the first landing was made at Mill Stone Landing at the mouth of the Patuxent River and Lt C. H.C. Brown with fifteen men...commenced recruiting from among the slaves in Md. Further landings were made on the river and a camp started about six miles form the mouth of the river...Lt. White with a squad of men was landed at Benedict and while in the discharge of his duties was shot by Col. Southern resulting in his death...The method of recruiting was simply to receive any negro man who seemed to the recruiting officer sufficiently able bodied to do the duties of a soldier - old men were rejected, only able bodied men received...At Mill Stone Landing a Col. Freeman called upon the officer in charge with the remark ‘you have taken all my able bodied men for soldiers, the other men have run away and only the women and children are left, what do you propose I do?’ A question not easily answered and one which in a short time became familiar to every officer of the 7th who was on recruiting service...the usual drill and discipline was observed among Col’d Troops as among the white troops but it was not common at all for the officers to deal with men of a low order of intelligence, whose ideas of right and wrong had received only the training of the planation. It was a sometimes difficult matter to deal with the slave holder who although he recognized the right of the Gov’t to take his horse did not equally recognize the right to take his other property - his slave....at the time recruiting was first commenced there the crops were standing ready for harvest and before they could be gathered every able bodied Negro in St. Mary’s Co. had either been taken by the officers of the 7th or else had fled to Pt. Lookout (or Pt. Comfort?) The habits of singing indulged in by the Negro was a valuable adjunct in recruiting. On one occassion a large party of men were seen some miles down the Patuxent river and in order to attract thier attention the Lt at Mills Stone Landing caused his men to commence the singing of their religious songs, the ruse succeeded and soon the men at a distance were seen waving their hats and from their motions supposed to be singing also, which latter proved true for on a nearer approach their voices could be heard & on a still nearer approach both parties united in the same song and for an hour the singing continued and then was stopped only that the officer might enroll them in John Brown’s Army. After experience proved how valuable was this means of securing the services of the negro to the Army for at night the camp or quarters of the men were filled by visitors from the different plantations attracted by this, to them, keen enjoyment and it always resulted in additional recurits...The principal recruiting was done in the Eastern Shore of Md....At Snowhill ? [Newtown - added in pencil] the officers under the guidance of a citizen made a night raid dividing into two parties...seizing upon the negroes and carrying them to the steamer where after spending the night those who could not be persuaded to enlist were allowed to depart....At the junction of the Wiacimice & __ river which empty into the Chesapeake Bay was a settlement of free negroes who had been previously enrolled by a provost marshal but who had never been called upon to perform service and this coming to the knowledge of the officers at that point a night expedition was planned and resulted in a large addition to the number of men recruited at this place....news reached the officer that serious trouble was brewing at Princess Ann - a town about eight miles distant...Lt. Tuple the officer stationed at that point, had attended church the Sunday before and not having the most complete faith in the loyality of the citizens had taken the precaution to have his men in heavy marching order and in this order had filed his men into church coming to an ‘order’ in true military style. This raising the ire of the true believers they expistulated and endeavored to have the men removed to which the officers objected, and man being of more consequence than God the citizens left the church in high dudgun and the minister refused to proceed with the services. Lt. Tuple equal to the occassion, occupied the deck himself and conducted services appropriate to the day and the place, and, doubtless, to the edification of his men. The newspaper published at the place took occassion in its next issue to criticise the event and to speak insultingly of the officer and men, whereupon Lt. Tuple jealous of his uniform and the indignity thereby offerred to the cause he espoused, and being a true disciple of the Pilgrims, vacated the editorial sanctum and put the key in his pocket and in furtherance of his plan to make the uniform respected proceeded to make arrests among the citizens....Another incident in which Lt. Tuple figured occured at the previously named expedition among the free negroes. During the raid in the woods Lt. Califf & Brown heard the discharge of firearms near the road...hastened to the spot to find that one of the men of Lt. Tuple’s party had been wounded by the discharge of a musket during a scuffle...The recruiting was carried on almost exclusively by officers of the Seventh although later officers of other regt’s participated. The main work was however done by the Seventh, and its conception by Genl Birney found competent and active agents in the officers of the Seventh, who made the advance and touched the slave holder in the most tender point, the possession of his slave - the danger of the undertaking is seen in the murder of Lt. White by Col. Southron and the hardships and annoyances of the duty is apparent when it is remembered that the officers of Col’d Troops were looked upon with feelings of contempt by the citizens of a slave state...” More. VG.

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