1863 Pamphlet Argues For Enlisting Negro Soldiers: "There exist four millions of an oppressed race, who would gladly aid us in the war we are carrying on, but from regard to the feelings and interests of our enemies we have hitherto refused their assistance...

[Colored Soldiers] General Washington and General Jackson on Negro Soldiers. Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird, 1863. First edition. 8 pages, 5.75" x 9" inches. This pamphlet was issued to urge the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army: " We are in the midst of a great war for the existence of free institutions. No one can be so blind as not to see that the triumph of the Confederacy would insure the overthrow of rational liberty." The author—anonymous but clearly abolitionist in sympathy—argues that it is both strategic and moral to enlist African Americans, noting, “In the heart of the Rebel States there exist four millions of an oppressed (truncated) race, who would gladly aid us in the war we are carrying on, but from regard to the feelings and interests of our enemies we have hitherto refused their assistance.” The author cites “authentic documents,” including letters from George Washington and Andrew Jackson, the Journals of Congress, proceedings from the Rhode Island General Assembly, and recollections from army officers.

Particularly vivid is a passage from Jackson’s 1814 address to Black troops in New Orleans: “From the shores of Mobile I collected you to arms… I knew that you could endure hunger and thirst and all the hardships of war… You surpass my hopes.” Elsewhere, the pamphlet references Revolutionary-era battles, including the service of free Black soldiers at Cambridge, Massachusetts, who “served in the ranks with white men,” and concludes with a practical and urgent argument: “By utilizing this element the Government can secure the services of 700,000 able-bodied men… Will not posterity hold to a severe account the statesman who would neglect to use so powerful a force for the suppression of the Rebellion?” A forceful piece of Civil War propaganda that blends strategic argument with moral conviction. Rare and deeply evocative of its political moment. Toning but overall very clean. Small separation along spine of final leaf. In very good condition. (Inventory #: 21794)