General Washington and General Jackson, on Negro Soldiers. Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird, 1863. 

8vo, 8 pages. Self wrappers. FIRST EDITION. 

Published two years into the Civil War, this influential pamphlet represents a critical collaboration between politically active publisher Henry Carey Baird (1825-1912) and the Union League of Philadelphia, the storied loyalty league founded in 1862 to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. Seeking to dismantle contemporaneous resistance to the enlistment of African American soldiers, Baird constructs a powerful argument by leveraging the legacies of two of America’s most revered patriots and military commanders.

The text highlights the distinguished service of soldiers of African descent under George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and further cites Andrew Jackson’s historic 1814 address praising the "Free Colored Inhabitants of Louisiana" for their valor at the Battle of New Orleans.

Beyond establishing these historical precedents of valiant service, Baird directly confronts contemporary racial biases. Early in the tract, he observes: "There certainly does exist at this time a strong prejudice in the minds of many against employing Negroes as soldiers... [but] this prejudice is unfounded, and our wisest and best men, our bravest and most patriotic generals, our Washington, and our Jackson, did not hesitate to solicit, to employ, and to reward the service of Negroes."

To bolster his thesis, Baird provides additional supporting quotations extracted from foundational American documents and speeches. The text maintains an unwavering gravity throughout, culminating in an urgent plea for immediate action to thwart the Southern rebellion: "No one can be so blind as not to see the triumph of the Confederacy would insure the overthrow of rational liberty." A compelling piece of wartime propaganda and a significant artifact of the struggle for African American enlistment.

Vertical folds.