RMS Learning Collaborative

The following is a letter written by the colored men of Roanoke Island, N.C. on Mar 9th 1865 regarding the mistreatment they have received by the Federal Army.  The letter was probably drafted by a black school teacher among them named Richard Boyle.  

Writing President Lincoln regarding the actions of Superintendent, Capt. Horace James: "..Soon as he [Superintendent] sees we are trying to support our selves without the aid of the government he comes and make a call for the men, that is not working for the government to goe away and if we are not willing to goe he orders the guards to take us by the point of the bayonet, and we have no power to help it we known it is  wright and are willing to doe anything that the President or our head commanders want us to doe but we are not willing to be pull and haul a bout so much by those head men as we have been for the last two years and we may say get nothing for it,  last fall a large number of we men was conscript and sent up to the front and all of them has never return   Some got kill some died and when they taken them they treated us mean and our owner ever did   they taken us just like we had been dum beast."

In another letter of the same date: "We want to know from the Secretary of War has the Rev Chaplain James [Capt. James] which is our Superintendent of negros affairs has any wright to take our boy children from us and from the school and send them to Newbern to work to pay for they ration without they parent consint   if he has we thinks it very hard indeed... " "...the next is concerning of our White soldiers   they come to our Church and we treat them with all the politeness that we can and some of them treats us as though we were beast and we cant help our selves   Some of them brings Pop Crackers and Christmas devils and throws a mong the woman and if we say any thing to them they will talk about mobin us.  we report them to the Capt  he will say you must find out which ones it was and that we cant do but we think very hard it    they put the pistols to our ministers breast because he spoke to them about they behavour in the Church..."