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LINCOLN'S "ORDER NO. 252."
After the United States had enlisted former negro slaves as soldiers to
fight alongside the Northern troops for the maintenance of the integrity
of the Union, so great was the indignation of the Confederate Government
that President Davis declared he would not recognize blacks captured in
battle and in uniform as prisoners of war. This meant that he would have
them returned to their previous owners, have them flogged and fined for
running away from their masters, or even shot if he felt like it. This
attitude of the President of the Confederate States of America led to
the promulgation of President Lincoln's famous "Order No. 252," which,
in effect, was a notification to the commanding officers of the Southern
forces that if negro prisoners of war were not treated as such, the
Union commanders would retaliate. "Harper's Weekly" of August 15th,
1863, contained a clever cartoon, which we reproduce, representing
President Lincoln holding the South by the collar, while "Old
Abe" shouts the following words of warning to Jeff Davis, who,
cat-o'-nine-tails in hand, is in pursuit of a terrified little negro
boy:
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Stories and Anecdotes About the Life of Abraham Lincoln
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