1863 "Negro Soldiers Speech" by Missouri Politician James S. Rollins, during the Civil War

Negro Soldiers Speech of Hon. James S. Rollins of Missouri Delivered in the House of Representatives, Feb. 2, 1863. Washington, D.C.: L. Towers & Co., 1863. 8 pages. 5.5" x 8.5". Rollins was a nineteenth-century Missouri politician and lawyer notable for his role in establishing the University of Missouri. In this speech, Rollins, while a committed Unionist, comes out against black soldiers entering into combat roles in the Union Army. He addresses Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax and is concerned that African Americans desire for vengeance against their Southern oppressors would bring the country to ruin. Rollins' support for the war extended (truncated) only as far as the maintenance of the Union, stating that "whenever it becomes a war of subjugation and of conquest, or dwindles into a miserable abolition war, to free the slaves of the South... then the sooner it is abandoned the better for the entire country." Despite the dissent of Rollins and the sizable element who shared his views, Lincoln, other leading Republicans like Speaker Colfax, and military brass saw the value in forming African American regiments. In fact, not long after, the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment becomes were the first black unit to see combat in the Civil War as well as being the first black regiment organized in a northern state. The regiment served primarily in Missouri, engaging the Confederates several times, including at the Battle of Honey Springs. This speech is a interesting demonstration of the range of opinion within the Civil War era Republican Party and Unionist side more broadly. This speech has been separated from a larger volume; its binding is intact. Foxing along margins, some mild toning. Very good condition overall. (Inventory #: 19685)