that they should employ them without delay. "I
believe with proper regulations they may be made
efficient soldiers." He continued, “Our chief aim
should be to secure their fidelity. There have
been formidable armies composed of men having
no interest in the cause for which they fought
beyond their pay or the hope of plunder. But it
is certain that the surest foundation upon which
the fidelity of an army can rest, especially in a
service which imposes hardships and privations, is
the personal interest of the soldier in the issue of
the contest. Such an interest we can give our
Negroes by giving immediate freedom to all who
enlist, and freedom at the end of the war to the
families of those who discharge their duties faithfully (whether they survive or not), together
with the privilege of residing at the South. To
this might be added a bounty for faithful service."
Finally, March 13, 1865, it was directed that slaves be enrolled in the Confederate army, each state to furnish its quota of 300,000. Recruiting officers were appointed, but before the plan could be carried out Lee and Johnson surrendered.[1]
The central fact which we forget in these days is that the real question in the minds of most
- ↑ Wesley, in Journal of Negro History, Vol. 4, PP. 239ff.
