_May 27._ Negroes--plantation negroes, at least--will never make
soldiers in one generation. Five white men could put a regiment to
flight; but they may be very useful in preventing sickness and death
among our troops by relieving them of part of their work, and they may
acquire a certain self-respect and independence which more than
anything else they need to feel, if they are soon to stand by their
own strength.