The Civil War News & Views Open Discussion Forum

Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865

George, Lee asked congress for a bill that would allow for the drafting of slaves, to be used as soldiers, and emancipating them in exchange. It was to be a draft similar to the draft that had been used to raise thousands of white troops already.

Congress did not pass such a bill, but the strong endorsement of such a radical "draft and emancipate" plan by Lee in a letter "turned the tide" for those who wanted any bill allowing for previously forbidden armed soldier slaves, and Lee's demands for a draft of "propery" made congress finally pass a bil that would at least allow for armed slaves to serve openly, but only if their masters donated them (no draft), and there was to be no outright automatic promise of emancipation for the slave, maybe later the master could free them, as they could before the bill.

Since Lee was operating in Virginia, their state law had to be revised also to allow free blacks and slaves to serve in the army as armed soldiers. They did finally agree to allow that but the Virgina legiislature also did not okay the idea of exchanging armed service for a guaranteed promise of emancipation for the sodier-slaves.

Paragraph 4 which you urge me to read says: Lee OVERCAME the legislative opposition against emancipation, that the politicians' bill had not guaranteed, by ADDING to the MILITARY rules in HIS order to his officers, that the military would not accept a donation without emancipation.

LEE acting on his own inititive, and backed by Davis, ordered his officers to accept donated slaves, but ONLY if they came with a paper of emancipation from the master.

That is the meaning of paragraph 4.

The CSA politicians NEVER passed a bill granting an exchange of emancipation to slaves for their service as an armed soldier, which Lee strongly felt was necessary to make it work. The bill only permitted donations of slaves with NO guarantees secured by the LAW for their emanicpation. Lee overcame that by simply making his own policy for the military under HIS command to follow, saying his officers could take the donations, but only if the OWNER signs a paper of emancipation before the donation was to accepted.

If you read the four paragraphs, and four again, I believe you will see that is exactly what happened. Lee's ADDED policy, as put into practice, required donated slaves to be emancipated, the bill of the CSA congress did NOT.

The new CSA law allowed for open service of blacks in the CSA but thwarted Lee's desire for a widespread draft coupled with promised emancipation, which Lee had hoped would bring in large numbers of black draftees like drafting whites had done. Lee in turn thwarted the lawmakers' intent by requiring the donation to be accepted HIS way only. Lee in effect was acting beyond the intent of the law, by ADDING an additional requirement not found in the actual bill, but Davis had privately agreed to run a "CYA" for Lee if the fire-eaters in the congress got angry over Lee's additional stipulation.

But Lee's General Order 14 to his military on how HE CHOSE unilaterally to put the bill into practice, using his custom made policy, was made on March 23 1865 and by that point in time the ball was all but over.

George, honest to Pete, I am NOT being argumentative. I just want you to truly understand paragraph 4 because it is important to understand just what happened and what Lee did on HIS own authority, not the CSA congress..

Messages In This Thread

The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
nother ps
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
A Confederate Officer's Response to the Law
Re: A Confederate Officer's Response to the Law
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
More on the Confederate Postition
Re: More on the Confederate Postition
Re: More on the Confederate Postition
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Emancipation Proclamation
Re: The Emancipation Proclamation
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865
Re: The Congressional Debate - March 1865