The Daily Dispatch: May 11, 1864., [Electronic resource]

The "Yankee" negroes.

At dusk the change was made which transferred us from the vessel to Ship Island. As the heat's yawl touched the wharf and we mounted it, the grinning countenances of twenty contrabands, at tired in blue uniform, with the undress blouse and forage cap of the Yankee army, greeted us and followed upon our heels to the headquarters of the commandant A solitary sentinel, bon visaged, with full dress uniform, equipments and accoutrements, paced with measured stride the point of the pier, and respectfully came to a "present arms" when the officers passed. At headquarters two black guards halted us until the colored orderly announced the privilege of an interview with Col. Grovener, of the Corps d' Afrique, Military and Civil Governor of Ship Island. This distinguished personage boasted of being an original Abolitionist and New Hampshire editor, and during our sojourn in his province inquired as to his future prospects of confiscating the Register and Advertiser, and establishing a creditable Yankee journal, the prospectus of which is hereby announced to our readers with the title, (appropriately selected from the Feejee language,) " When you the title"

We were quartered in a comfortable shanty with some other prisoners, and had the privilege of drawing rations and purchasing from the sutler, and informed that New Orleans was our destination by the first mail boat, which, whatever fate might henceforth have in store for us, was welcome intelligence. Detailed negroes did our cooking and performed the servants' part, but were extremely insolent, and more conspicuously among these was "Ed.," a boy who was the property of Ed Somers, Esq, of New Orleans, and who had run off from Pass Christian in a skiff. On Sunday we obtained an excellent view of the entire force on the Island, the 2d regiment of the corps d'afrique. This was the first regiment raised by Butler, and is composed not only of runaway slaves, but many free negroes of Louisiana. They object decidedly to be called corps d'afrique, and style themselves the 2d Louisiana. About 400 were on drill and parade, and certainly made a superb appearance with fine blue cloth uniforms, highly polished shoes, standing linen collars, and immaculate white dress gloves, with muskets polished like burnished gold and silver. An excellent band filled the air with martial strains, and the manual of arms and evolutions on the field were executed with a precision and spirit which showed careful, constant training, and great pride upon the part of the negroes. North or South, whether by black troops or white, I have never seen such a splendid turnout and perfect drill. The officers above the rank of sergeant are all white — all New England Yankees — and are tyrannical and exacting Any dereliction of duty, or untidiness of appearance, upon the part of the "coffered" soldiers, is visited with severe extra duty. Under Butler's reign negroes were officers, but with the new regime, the position of sergeant is the great object of their ambition. From the strutting airs of these scions of "loyalty," one can surmise the importance which formerly attacked to commissioned officers. In addition to their duties as soldiers, by which they are required to drill once and review twice daily, these swarthy "Unionists" are required to act as cooks and servants for the white officers, who lord it over them very heavily, certainly with no encouraging disposition to the equality of races. Of the drill and discipline of the negroes I have no hesitation in stating that I believe that they are unsurpassed.--Of their fighting qualities we had an exhibition a year ago when the same troops landed at Pascagoula for the purpose of pillage and plunder, with which their encampment on Ship Island was to be furnished, upon which occasion less than 20 Confederates defeated and routed in panic the 1,200 ebony "Union soldiers," supported as they were by two gunboats! The Yankees acknowledge this defeat and the great disparity of numbers, attributing the cause to the absence of white officers, only a thin skinned Colonel, one Daniels, being with them, and he never having left the transport. This contest is a constant theme with the negroes, and a recital of the affair is daily indulged in In my hearing one fellow was discoursing of it to some new recruits. Said he: "Yous oughter seen the gunboat Jackson fro a t'ousand pound shell at the secesh, when it went plum among us cullud soldiers, and you oughter seen the dead niggers fall. "Yah! Yah!" Apparently enjoying the remintscence as a laughable joke. "An old secesh woman," continued the inquacious darkey, "put her head fru de window, and says she, 'Oncle, is you come to stay?'" "Dara old rip knowed we didn't 'come to stay' when that was free or four gorillas in de house, and l'd frod away my gun and run for de gunboat." Notwithstanding this defeat, disgraceful and discouraging the Yankee officers maintained that the negroes would fight well, and Adj't Gen Thomas when he reviewed them in our presence said that he was once a slaveholder, but was proud to see them free and shake them by the hand. At Port Hudson and Milliken's Bend they had fought desperately, and only a few days since 400 had whipped For rest at Paducah. But then Thomas may have changed his mind since the affair of Fort Pillow.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we remained on the Island, kindly treated by the Yankees, insolently by the negroes, with the dazzling light of the sun reflected from the glaring sand scorching out our eyes, the eternal, never ceasing whistle of the shrill file, and the rubidy dub dub dub of the drum constantly clashing upon the ear.

Thankful, indeed, were we when the little mail steamer Clyde, on the third day of our detention upon the island, pointed our course of travel towards the Crescent City. At sunset we entered the Rigolets, the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain, and immediately after nightfall were summoned to halt by the customary gun fired from Fort Pike. By midnight we landed at Lake Depot, and were sent thence by care to the city, where the sun of the ensuing morning discovered us in the military prison of New Orleans.