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- Aug 25, 2012
This letter showed the political aspects of use contrabands in boarder states. What would have happened if a battle had taken place? Could Kentucky still have left the Union as late as 1863?
"At the best Kentucky is only half loyal. One incident; the 18th and 22nd Mich. Volunteers came to this place a few days after we arrived, and having been in the State all winter, had naturally enough a number of black servants. On Saturday they received orders to march on Sunday morning. Early they started for the depot as they were ordered to go to Nashville by the cars. When they were just in the act of getting into the cars, they were ordered by Gen. Mason, a Kentuckian in command of the (illegible)hereabouts, to leave the negroes behind. To enforce the order, the 16th Ky. Regiment, the dirtiest handful of men found in the services, was drawn up in line of battle, with guns loaded and bayonets fixed, and a Kentucky Regiment of Cavalry also drawn up for actin, and out of town a number of cannons were planted to stop the train if it should move without obedience to orders. All this made some excitement, but Col Doolittle who is in command of the two Regiments is determined not to move unless allowed to take the darkies with them, and the boys say the same.
this matter, we understand, has been submitted to Gen. Wright, at Louisville. " Published in the Lansing Republican, May 1863.
In the end the two Michiagn Regiments departed without their servants.
"At the best Kentucky is only half loyal. One incident; the 18th and 22nd Mich. Volunteers came to this place a few days after we arrived, and having been in the State all winter, had naturally enough a number of black servants. On Saturday they received orders to march on Sunday morning. Early they started for the depot as they were ordered to go to Nashville by the cars. When they were just in the act of getting into the cars, they were ordered by Gen. Mason, a Kentuckian in command of the (illegible)hereabouts, to leave the negroes behind. To enforce the order, the 16th Ky. Regiment, the dirtiest handful of men found in the services, was drawn up in line of battle, with guns loaded and bayonets fixed, and a Kentucky Regiment of Cavalry also drawn up for actin, and out of town a number of cannons were planted to stop the train if it should move without obedience to orders. All this made some excitement, but Col Doolittle who is in command of the two Regiments is determined not to move unless allowed to take the darkies with them, and the boys say the same.
this matter, we understand, has been submitted to Gen. Wright, at Louisville. " Published in the Lansing Republican, May 1863.
In the end the two Michiagn Regiments departed without their servants.
Bringing the