Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-03-12
From the Ohio Statesman
HmpOrtent order OfGen. Cooper

General Order No. l6.
Having been informed, and partly wit
messed, that the publication office belong
ing to the Crisis, and the printing oflic
belonging to the Ohjo Statesman, news
parers published in this city. were las
night. broken into by mob of disorder
Iy persons. composed partly of soldiers
who unlawfully and wantonly destroye,
/ furniture, papers, books and newspaper
files Of the former Office, and were onl
prevented from the commission IF simi
lar outrages at the .Stote5n,on off .e, by tn,
fear OF being detected and arrested, | de
sire to offer word of advice to the citi
zens and to warn the soldiers of the pen
atics they incur by such outrageous vic
lations of the law,
To such citizens, as can so far forge
their obligations to society and the res
pect due to the laws, which are as mucl
the safeguard of their own persons anc
property, as Of the persons and property
OF their neighbors, the just condemnation
and di,approval of their conduct, by the
intelligent and law respecting portion ol
community, Of all parties, convey 4
wholesome admonitun as well a the
merited rebuke; but such citizens should
recollect, that the condemnation and dis
approval of their conduct by the wise and
good Of all parties, is not the worst pun
ishment to which they expose themselves
The mob violence which they invoke to-
day against their peighbors, tomorrow
may be invoke against them. Retaliation
is the law of the lawless.
To the soldiers who participated in las
nights outrageS and violence, have t,
say, your conluct is strangely inconsist
ent with your duy. and the holy pur.
pose for which your country pnt arms in
your hands. Your mission is to upholo
the laws, not to violate thcm And it wa.
proudly presumed that, however unrea
sonlns the armies of de,pots, the Ameri
can soldiers who rushed by hundreds OF
thousands to the field. to uphold the cause
Of popular government. and the integrity
of the Union. imperiled by IA foul and
wicket rebellion. were intelligent enough
to comprehend and appreciate the charac
ter of the lssue-an issue involving the
rights and security of individuals as well
as the integrity OF the Republic. How
little in conSOnnnce with the character o.
the duties you have assumed, and the mis-
sion you have taken upon you to tultiI
was your conduct, last night. in lending
yourself tc tho cowardly attack. and tel
onlous outrage committed on the proper
ty of private Individuals. Forgetting YOU
dutlcS az soldiers, you have become riot
cts and buglars; and instead Of being, a.
you ought to be the protectors OF the
rights of the citizens, you bave become
their aSsaiIants.
But desire you to recollect that it is
not in aamonitions that the rules ant
regulations OF the service deal with riot
ers and plnnlerers. 1t will be seen by
paragraph 1877 of the Regulations. tina,
the offence of which you have be n guilty
is, in the language of the Regulations
have quoted, "of such enormity as to al
nit OF no remission of the awful punish
ment which tho military law awards
against offences Of this nature"
Against the perpetration of such Of
fen'es. in future, | now warn you, The
persons and pro erty of the citizen arr
sacred in the eyes both of civil and mill
tary law, aud any outrage or assault up
on them, will be visited by innicting npol
the perpetrators, the moment they are de
tected, the EXTREMIST penalty authorized
by the law.
By command Of Brigadier Gen, Cooper
WIN. Won DOEllN, A. A. G..