Harvard memorial biographies ...

Robert Gould Shaw.

193

hardly to long for ease and comfort. I wish I could do my share;
i. e. that I had as much talent and ability to give to it as I want.....
" Now that the conflagration policy is settled, I don't mind your
speaking of what I wrote about it. Though I would never justify
such acts for a moment, there is a spark of truth in the reasoning
that, if we are to be treated as brigands if captured, we are not
bound to observe the laws of war. But I think now, as I did at the
time, that it is cruel, barbarous, impolitic, and degrading to ourselves and to our men; and I shall always rejoice that I expressed
myself so at the time of the destruction of Darien."
" ST. HELENA ISLAND, July 6.
"We don't know with any certainty what is going on in the North,
but can't believe Lee will get far into Pennsylvania. No matter if
the Rebels get to New York, I shall never lose my faith in our ultimate success. We are not yet ready for peace, and want a good
deal of purging still. I wrote to General Strong this afternoon, and
expressed my wish to be in his brigade. I want to get my men
alongside of white troops, and into a good fight, if there is to be
one. Working independently, the colored troops come only under
the eyes of their own officers; and to have their worth properly acknowledged, they should be with other troops in action. It is an
incentive to them to do their best. There is some rumor to-night
of our being ordered to James Island, and put under General Terry's command. I should be satisfied with that."
" JAMES ISLAND, July 16.
".... You don't know what a fortunate day this has been for
me, and for us all, excepting some poor fellows who were killed and
wounded. Two hundred of my men on picket this morning were
attacked by five regiments of infantry, some cavalry, and a battery
of artillery. The Tenth Connecticut were on their left, and say
they should have had a bad time if the Fifty-fourth men had not
stood so well. The other regiments lost, in all, three men wounded.
We lost seven killed, twenty-one wounded, six missing, supposed
killed, and nine unaccounted for.
"General Terry sent me word he was highly gratified with the
behavior of my men, and the officers and privates of other regiments praise us very much. All this is very gratifying to us person
ally, and a fine thing for the colored troops.
" I have just come in from the front with my regiment, where we
were sent as soon as the Rebels retired. This shows that the events
of the morning did not destroy the General's confidence in us."
"VOL. ". 9 M