Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-30

the General commanding had been pleased ana
satisfied with my conduct as an officer. and that
he could not consent, on the reasons given by
me. to accept my resignation. Shortly after
this. Lieut.. Col. Balfe rendered his resignation
and left the service. and was followed by the AS
sistans Surgeon. whose continued bad health
compelled him also to resign. Thus | was de-
prived of the services of a Lieutenant Colonel
Major and Assistant Surgeon. md. counting the
namber who are generally on the sick list, my
regiment. through the non action of Governor
officers During several of the following
hot months. my command, usually consisting
of cavalry as we'll as infantry, was engaged in la
borious marches over the larger part Of middle
Tennessee, or in the occupancy of extreme and
dangerous ~oltposts, in which the utmost vigi-
lance and prudence was required to guard against
surprise and capture. was also in bad health.
and the scarcity of officers added much to my la
borious duties-the incessant wear and exhaus-
ton Of which ultimated in a nearly fatal at
tack of typhoid fever.
While temporarily at ShelbyvilIe. Tennessee.
during this time, Lieutenant Colonel Mullen ar
rived at my camp, accompanied by about one
dozen commissioned officers and sixty sin pri-
Yates, with orders for the consolidation Of his
6lst regiment () with the 35th Indiana Volun-
teers. The outrage contemplated by this attempt
to force upon a regiment of veterans, in which
were privates capable of commanding companies,
more than a dozen officers, unknown to the men
and nnpractised in military tactics, thus cutting
off all hope of promotion from the meritorious,
could not but create intense excitement and in
dignation in the corps. | myself very naturally
partook Of this feeling, and, while receiving the
sixty six men Of the 6lst regiment, | declined to
recognize as officers of the 35th regiment. more
than two or three Of the officers who accompanied
these men. Lieutenant Colonel Mullen appealed
to General Negley, whose district extended to
opportunity to act on this appeal were not want
ing, General Negley did not express to me. in
any way, the slightest dissatisfaction at what had
been done. On the contrary, he afterwards
assigned me 10 the command Of the post at Fay
ettevilIe. accompanying his order with expressions
of unlimited confidence in my vigilance. eff
cheney, and capacity as an officer. While at Fay-
ett%eville, l was disconnected from the omman
Of General Negley. and made my reports directly
to General Buell.. In the course of a few weeks,
however. when the army changed its base, Icame
within the command of Brigadier General Smith,
at Tullahoma. In the meantime, the bitter
feelings aroused in the regiment, by the
advent of Lieutenant Colonel Mullen. had
somewhat subsidized, and l had received and put
on duty nearly all the officers who accompanied
him. One Captain and three Lieutenants were
sent with Mullen, for whom there we're no va
cant placesin the regiment. and | could not have
received them had l been even willing and anx-
ious to do so. had determined to persist in nv
refusal to receive 8. F. Mullen into the 35th reg
iment, if for no other purpose, at least, to test
my right to reject him. In my correspondence
with this person, at Shelbyville, / did not, for di
plomatic reasons, assign the main points on
which ] should justify my action. To General
Smith. however. before whom Lieut.. Col. Mullen
brought bis claims, ! verbally stated my position
in the premises in about the following terms:
General Orders NOEL, W ar Department 1851 pro
hibit the mastering OF a volunteer officer into the
service of the United States until such officer shall
represent a specified number of men. or until he
shall be ordered into the field with a command
Lieut.. Col. Mullen and his dozen officers were all
mustered into the service at Indianapolis, while
representing less than one- tenth the number of
men they were required to represent to entitle
them to be so mustered. Il is true that these Of
fcers had been re commissioned for the 35th reg
iment. then in the field; but. until tbey joined il.
they could not be regarded as having a command.
They, therefore. presented themselves to me un
der a false muster. and it was my right. IL not
my duty. to reject their services. Yet. I had
concluded to waive the bar against their claims.
50 far as to receive those Captains and Lieuten-
ants for whom there were vacant places in the
regiment, intending to have them re mustered
before their names were placed upon the rolls
ara certified.
Gen Smith conceded the correctness of my ar
gument, but urged me, on the grounds of expe
diency. to receive Lieut.. Col. Mullen, as / had a
part OF the other officers who accompanied him,
and have them all re mustered at some subse
quent period. Being quite i'll at this time. and
it must be confessed. entirely out of patience, and
having had my right to reject Lieut.. Col. Mullen
acknowledged by a higher authority, l consented
70 receive him, on the condition. however, thai
Gen. Smith would issue a written order requirin.
me to do SO. which was forthwith done by hin
and executed by me. / desired this order belor,
actine in this case because I was NOT entirely sat
isisd that the reception Of either Mullen or hi
officers. after they had been falsely mustered
even with the understanding that they should h,
re mustered. was exactly legitimate, and I was
not un wiling that my Immediate commanding
General, who seemed disposed to assume il
should have the responsibility of the transaction
Thus the trick OF forcing a large number o.
inexperienced and unacceptable officers on NJ
old regiment. through the farce Of consolidation
was consummated The Governors very small
and transparent plot. however. had not We
reached its denouemont Il was foreordainet
before Lieut.. Col. Mullen left Indianapolis, hsv
ing become plant in the hands Of his master
that he should become the commanding officer o
the 35th regiment. Accordingly. after my re
turn to Indiana, on a short leave of absenc,
granted for the benefit of my health. I received
an order from the War Department announcin;
the fact. without explanation or comment, that
Was discharged from the service Of the Unite'
States Previous 10 this. I had not received tn
slightest intimation, ror had Gen. Buell., nor an,
Of my intermediate commanding officers, tha
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