June 2,1862.
My Dear Mr. Sedgwick, — I
see I forgot the 21stly, as the old parsons used to say, of my sermon; my amen
to your emancipation speech.
If you have such a
devilish poor set in Congress that they are afraid to pass your bill, for
freeing such slaves as come to our aid, you had better give up trying for any
emancipation bill until Parson Brownlow, General Rodgers, and other pro-slavery
border state men have cultivated the manliness of Congress up to the Tennessee
standard! Why, I hear that the border state Unionists everywhere are in advance
of Congress, and go for strangling the rebellion through its vitals, not
pinching the ends of its toes! Rather than take anything worse than your bill,
I would trust to old Abe's being pushed up to the use of the military powers of
emancipation. What infernal nonsense is your present law, making freedom the
reward of those who serve the enemy, while their masters only promise them
hanging and burning if they serve us.
You carry on the war
in such a manner that either slaves or other loyal men in the border and rebel
States have one plain road to safety open; namely, to help the rebels. You
reward the slaves with freedom for such help: you offer them no reward, except
the chance of being shot by us and hanged by their masters, if they come into
our lines! . . .
Your lame
confiscation bill will be no terror to the rebels, but rather an indication of
the mildness with which you will treat them hereafter, and the many exceptions
you will make if you pass any confiscation acts.
I only wonder with
such a policy that any Union men show their heads! All your efforts seem to be
to make rebellion cheap and easy, and loyalty hard and dangerous.
In great haste, I bide yours,
J. M. Forbes
SOURCE: Sarah Forbes
Hughes, Letters and Recollections of John Murray Forbes, Volume 1,
p. 315-6
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