, 1861-08-05

6everal articles having appeared 1ate1y IN |
some Of the Chicago neHspapers1 IN which
Dfagoous, while their Captain Is held mp TO
the notice Of an admiring public, the members |
feel called upon to make plain statement Of
fActt. !;
- That. the Chicago Dragoous are now in this
city and not with Gen. Mcclellan, is the fault
Of but one person, andthe fasflHsr Gapta5u-..t
Chas. ". Barker. St
plicit confidence in their Captain. They hare
gradually lost that confidence, and to day the |.
undersigned are those who refuse to serve uu;
DER him any longer. We have been uEder hid
command three months and ten days, in tha
hald and in camp. We ought to know the |
man. We pronounce him incompetent a. sd !
officer, and habftually diseipated.
been under him. 1t has been taught nothing |
bqt few eyol1tions on horseback, such as |
Right turn, Left turn;'' - Wheel into
line" Form fou1B," aud so fotth-mova- |
ments that our horses learned in two weeks, |
tax On the intellect of his men that he never |
proceeded further. This drill was OCCASION !
silly varied by "Draw sabre" i" ssPresent sabre,''
"Ket1fn sabre" and then 1t was f1atteringiy
said that We Tere the finest dragoon compar
Our arms consisted Of sabre, carbiuc aud
| revolver. In the use of these weapons for
the battle field, We did not receive from him,
during the three months and ten days, one
| moments drilling. Most officers unacqaaint-
| ed with cavalry tactics, would have taken q
| booS, learE ed them, and, as they learned,
taught their men. The exercises would have
been good to strengthen ths particular
! muscles used in handling those arus, If OF
| no other benefit But Capt Barker devoted
bis leisure moments to Dragging and imtlb
ing:
He never permitted US to fire our arms off
our horses. He never instructed us in the
4 use Of our aims in any way; and with two
solitary exceptions. neyer permitted Us to
eIons he did not accompany us, and on the
other sat on Log laughing ut our awkward
nees, without teaching us how to do better.
He never taught Us how to clean or take care
of our a1nas, never inspected our arms, and 1t
would not be strange they were not always
! in The best condition.
he yaesxr read Tic articles Of mar to tie con,pa-
n.y. He never looked after the health Of the
men. He never, except on one occasion, when
we were visited by Gen. Prent1ss, looked into
cur tents or cooking department.
We know that he endeaYored to deceive his
men On the subj ect Of their enlistment
Officers, it Is known, are entitled to more
nations than priVates, and can draw them in
officers hare drawn theirs In money, aud,
against the remonstrance Of our First Lieu
tenant, have lived upon the rations intended
Money drawn from the Government TO pay
CIR travelling expenses from Cairo to Cfncin-
! natl, it is believed, was poekesed by the Cap
tain, whilst we went with half rations and
hungry.
the Lieutenants, made on q certain occasion,
he has changed tations Of the men into
money, and converted it to his own use, when
ever opportunity offered and boxes Of pro-
yikiore, and other articles sent in care Of the
Captain to the company by friends In Chi
cago, have been appropriated in similar
way. At any rate, the men belisue that, in con-
junction with the CommiEsa1y Of the company,
9 person appointed by himself aud kept IL
of1ce against the expressed wishes of the
company, and whose antecede1.s furnished
but shabby guaranty of his good behavior,
they were defrauded Of their rations.
There was time when eighty odd men de
clared with wild cheers their willingness to go
for three years. But, as they came to know
the man better, to feel his indifference to their
welfare, expressed, On one occasion, when our
, lire Of tents was, by his orders, pitched in 8
t vet ditch, and he declared that he did not
"ca1e for the m6u j" to endure his
abusive language, and to know that he was
not preparing them for encounters in which
Their lives and the glory Of the nation we're at
staEe-a change came over the spirit Of their
. dreams they determined to serve no longer
under him.
The Cavalry Bill, under which we are &C.
cepted into the State service, provided for
! V4uAG4OEs AAt4O1AAuE, AAA Eh3Iuts Us III &C
| coTdance with the regulations Of the q, s
Army. Two sets Of uniforms have have been
made and sent to us from this city. The first
!, came to Cairo some time before we were or
= dered to Virginia, and was returned to the
, maker, as the Captain alleged, because moi
as good as the contract called for.
The second, though sent to Cairo, we are in
( formed, soon after We left that post, reached
i us only o few days before we came from Viz
+ ginla7 and, when asked for, this uniform was
,. refused to us.
= We did not propose to refer publicly to ths
70 causes Of dissatisfaction in our company, ru
It mors OF which, it seems, had already reached
"a the people Of Chicago. We thought we nigh
- safely leave the public to put a Just constrac
le tion upon cur motives, and We were nwilIinz
'e to do any act that might dissuade or hinde
" those who would otherwise enter the seryic
.. Of their country. But while we desire al
- who can to enlist, our own experience cause
le us also to desire that they should choo6
d, competent officers whom they can trust and re
1e spect- We bear no malice against Capt Bar
~ ker. The majority Of us will again enlist
LII but not under him. If others wish to do s
e We have no objections to make
I'd Much has been said in the newspapers
Chicago about the splendid material Of on
:. volunteer army and the incompetency of of
II cerg. Let these papers look at home and Sc
We that they do not saddle on the Chicago Dr.:
mt goons batch Of officers unfit to lead them