H. Oscar to Frederick Douglass, September 25, 1862

FREEDMEN AT CAIRO.

WELL FRIEND DOUGLASS:—Cairo now begins to look as though the jubilee, sure enough had come, in this country. Besides what are here already, filling the old barracks, from one end to the other, still they come. Every morning, when I go down to the "Ohio Levee," I find it literally dotted over with new arrivals of contrabands. Old men and young men, old women and young women, and children are here. The town is literally alive with them. And they are like "Joseph's coat of many colors"—black, white, almost white, half white, "ring streaked and striped."—Many with whom I have talked appear buoyant and hopefull, and say, "God bless the Yankees." I have heard various accounts of what they thought and what they did when they heard "dem big guns roar"—how the men and women in the fields would prick up their ears and listen, and how they would begin to fall back upon their dignity and disregard the commands of the overseer, and rejoice and thank God that their friends had come. The overseers and the white folks generally had been telling them that the Yankees were enemies, and they pretended to believe them until now. The overseers would tell them, "now, when you see the Yankees coming you must break for the woods or Cain-breaks." They would say, "no, we think the best way would be to run to the Yankees and throw ourselves on their mercies, and they will be less liable to hurt us."

I am constantly asked by both men and women whether they can get work in the North—what the wages are, and whether they can make money there, and whether it is very cold in the winter &c. &c.

Now it is a noticeable fact, to the most careless observer, that the prejudices of the common laborers, PARTICULARLY the IRISH, are raging intensely and fiercely here against those poor unfortunate and innocent people. I believe the Irish would murder every man and woman of them if they thought they dare do it. Indeed, were it not for the military authorities here, you might not be surprised to hear of a mob here any day—I have been informed by parties who are known to the facts—the attending physician on the poor mother and her two little daughters, of a circumstance that took place here, recently, that would shock the moral sensibilities of any well regulated mind or community. I saw the mother and her two little outraged daughters while under the doctors' hands. No doubt the three white men who committed the outrage would "d— a niggar anyhow." But thank heaven there is a "higher Law" that rules the destines of us all.

Your friend and brother,

H. OSCAR.

Cairo, Illinois, Sept. 25th, 1862.