The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-09

AslAIska
The RssiEnatIon OF capt. sssrrIson
Response OF Gen Pope.
Gen. Pope has sent the following reply
TO Captain HaFrison's letter denying that
he had deserted
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF YmGHIA,l
WARRENToN, Va July 30, 1862.
CART. SAMUEL l. HARRISON, 05th Regt.
N. Y. Vols: Your communication Of July
q is received. II is not necessary to in
form you that commissioned officer, by
absenting himself without leave, is guilty
Of desertion as well as nOn-commis
stoned officer or private, and lie subject
TO the same process Of recovery, and 10
the same punishment for the ofliense.---
Nor do you need 20 be told that neither
your Colonel nor any other officer except
such as are designated by law and regu-
lation, has any right to accept your res
ignaiion, nor, under existing orders of
the War Department. TO give you any
leave based on such rendered resigna-
ton. You state that you received some
injury on the railroad, and that the med
ical officers of your regiment advised
you TO resign. This may be true, but
until your resignation be accepted by
proper authority you are not discharged
from your obligations as an officer Of the
army. Neither your resignation, the
certificates of the medical oiIicers--if
there were any--nor any other papers
bearing on the subject, have ever reached
this Office.
II is needless to tell you, as you must
Of necessity know IT, that under these
circumstances you are a deserter from
the service of the United States, In time
of active operations in front of the enemy,
il is not possible to try an officer for
such offences, especially is it not so when
he is beyond the reach of the military
authorities Of this army, and his company
about TO march against the enemy with
out captain it is, therefore, my DELHI
crate intention 20 adopt the conrse which
seems most effective to prevent such de-
sertions. Every officer of this army abb
sent without authority will be advertised
in the public papers, and disgraced be-
fore his people if it be possible to do 90.
No resignation of any officer whatever
will be accepted, except upon medical
certificates Of the most conclusive charac-
ter, or proof of worthlessness. II is
therefore TO be distinctly understood
that any officer of this army whose resig-
nation has been accepted without medi-
cal certificate, has proved himself worth
less and incompetent. Neither with cred
it to himself, nor with any sort of fair
dealing toward the private soldier, can
any volunteer officer tender his resigna-
ton. The soldier has agreed 20 go into
the service of the United States, with the
understanding that certain persons who
persuaded him to enlist shall continue to
command him. If he had thought other
wise there is no doubt that in many cases
he would have declined to volunteer
When he has been sworn in, he is bound
for the whole term of service, and there
should be no one exempt, nor, so far as
can control this army, shall he be exempt
from the same restriction, in that respect
which has been imposed on the private
soldier.
A large part of the dissatisfaction
justly felt by the private soldiers of thu
volunteer regiments has arisen from thii
very practice. As soon as q commission
ed officer grows tired of the fatigue anC
hardship of service, he tenders his resig
nation, and in very many cases has fount
means TO have it accepted. A privat
soldier has no such means of freeing
himself from an obligation which he i'm
posed on himself with the full under
standing that the officer who persuaded
him TO volunteer was equally bound will
himself and would remain with him.
The practice of abandoning the privat
soldiers who have volunteered at thei
instance, reflects little credit upon officers
and will only be tolerated in this arm,
when | can no longer control IT,
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN POPE,
MaiOr-General Commanding.