The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-05-01
The Energy, Daring and Enterprise
Of Army News Agents.
THE RAGE FOR THE HERALD.
Scenes at Army News Stands and
In Camp,
&C.. &C., &c.
Mr.. 8. C.dwalIader's Despatches.

M, rol or feene upon his first arrival at
City Point II impossible to convey an accurate I'M
preston of the place merely by description Each one
unconsciously forms certain picture In his own nina
OF how things will look and what he shall see, WHICH,
however It may differ n different individuals Is certain
to alike in the point OF bearing-no resemblance
10 truth II is true the Northern papers have been
filed for months with accounts and descriptions of all
prominent points visited by armes but the little
things that form the individuality Of place. and which
strike stranger than anything else told
stores army correspondents who have lived in camp
for months years. and rarely seized upon to pont
moral OF adorn tale" The rapid marching, the stub
born ghting the dreadful slaughter the carnage Of
tnued battle and the after horrors Of the field and hospi
t alone inspire them TO touch the heart seeth
the brain Of their distant readers These events follow
ing closely upon another crowd out all lesser
considerations and the constant tendency Of army
perence is render correspondents Indifferent to the
minor details Of surroundings movements.
NEWSPAPERS IN THE ARMY
City Point for nearly year presented the appearance
OF workshop hive OF industry It's streets and
wagon ways were crowded with teams, its wharves and
thoroughfares thronged with soldiers and civilians and
its town plot covered thckly over with tents huts,
booths and marts Of trade Many branches Of mechan
cal industry were represented ana respectable list Of
place have departed and threads its dingy dirty
wagon ways, or wanders through the deserted head
quarters of General Grant, he feels all the sentiment OF
Goldsmith and Moore without catching their inspiration
An air OF duness il gradually creeping tho place.
that will make 1t in fact "dcserted vllagc''-a ''ban-
quet hall deserted" Its newspaper agency seems to
battle alone for longer lease OF life. All else seems
quietly succumbing. Hcre everywhere else, the
newspaper enterprise runs in the van OF all
the civil avocatons permitted by tho military author
ties to accompany follow in the wake Of the
army, equal in magnitude or importance the
sale Of papers and periodicals. From the first rayin
cry that followed the fall Of Fort SUMTER to the present
moment when the Union flag floats fortified
posts in every State of tho Union, the armies Of the
United have marched from victory to victory with
extra cartridges in pocket and Extra HERaps In the
other Food for the musket and food for the mind have
gone hand hand throughout the contest Commissary
and trains have pushed after advancing
columns with all the celebrity and vgor that the entire
and appliances Of the government could bring
bear but wagons and pack mules loaded to the earth
with the latest dacs have invariably preceded them to
the front of the fight Far away the enemy country
Well directed individual enterprise has always out
stripped tho efforts of government in minor operations
In particular has the fact been clearly apparent
in the manner and regularity with which troops have
been supplied with the OF the day.
THE ENraRrIIsE NEWSPAPER AGENTS.
For the purpose OF illustration the Army of the Poto
mac will be taken a sample, and NJ Lamb the prin
cipal ncwsvender of that army, representative man.
In 1861 when lay in front Of Yorktown under General
Mcclellan a number of ncwsdcalcrs were engaged in
supplying daily papers. These all scnt from the
Offices of publication Fortress Monroe and thence
veycd by transient boats aud government vessels to
Cheeseman's Landing which at that time tho base
Of supplies in the rear OF the army But government
transports found to be too slow and uncertain
to be trusted where depended minutes. The
rivalry between competitors too keen to allow hours
days slip away between shipments So notwithstand
ing roads bad and obscure, tho country
ing with bands of desperdocs and every thcke by the
roadside ambush, the fearless men having the mat
charge organized line Of wagons and pack mules
and transported their papers from Fortress Monroe
the country TO tho flank of the army in the face of the
difficulties and dangers of the undertaking At that time
Messrs Lamb Bohn, Thaycr Kinney and perhaps others
were engaged in the business.
spE, IAL AGENrs-rHE TRIBUNE
Several metropolitan, and not few provincial papers
finding the army orders for their respective sheets de-
cning from day TO day, adopted the plan Of sending out
special agents for the exclusive sale of their dali
lies. Among these was Mr. Kinney, who came charged
with the heavy responsibility Of bolstering up the
waning influence and sale of the New York Tribune
Ellis punishment greater than he could bcar."
He struggled for a season with manfulncss de-
serving a better fate, but finally sunk a
miserable victim of Tribune dead weight and intellectual
fatness With his agency buried that papers last
hope of army circulation. The trump OF no political
Gabriel has rcsurrccicd II.
These gentlemen continued to ply their vocation Of
giving the army its intellectual repasts varying rom
humor OF the day and the character the journals and
periodicals dstr buted throughout the memorable cam
paign up the pcnns To- across TO Harrson's Landing,
and back through Washington city TO the upper Potomac
When the army lay In Maryland beyond Frederick pa
m les again the modes OF conveyance from the
nearest point which transportation could no obi aimed
by rail. About the time OF Sandy Hook being
made the base, Clark Hull opened m agency for
newspapers, IN addition TO the others named and all
followed closely In the wake back to Acqua creek. At
this point, Dan. ONcl, Of New York city, and Mr. Greg
ory Of Alexandria, Va, entered tho list Of competitors
In addition to nll these, Mr. Jackson, OF Philadelphia,
came on rs special agent for the Philadelphia Inquirer
and thu newspaper trade Of the army array
Of native shrewdness and business talent rarely exceeded
in any single branch Of business.
MoSoPcfIrs
Until the accession General Hooker to the command
Of the army permits had been granted to all unobjcc-
tonabr applicants who desired 10 engage IN the business
Such rivalry naturally cngcndered lfeeling and pride
Complaints OF sharp practice and abuse OF privileges be-
gan to accumulate against some of the 6calers Thus
encouraged, Mr. George Wilkes, Of the Spirit y
he Time, who was there with the army
for the ostesbc purpose Of corresponding for his paper
conceived and exc utcd the idea Of using his
ucnce with General Hooker To secure the special and
exclusive privilege OF Supplying tho army with ncwspa
pcrs He enjoyed this franchise for several months to
the exclusion of every else, with the single cxcep
ton OF Stewart Brother special agents for the wash
inton Chronicle which paper was understood TO have
the tu Of administration organ and to maintain its
footing in the ncld by the direct ntcrpositon q the then
secretary Of War Mr. Wilkes Is believed by those FAINT
liar with business TO have Melted about ten thousand
dollars before the combination against him gained sum
Client strength to break down his monopoly This little
scrap OF history may TO enlghcn some minds as 10
the character and extent Of that
admiration OF General Hooker In those times and &C
CONT for his persistence and industry In "bowing Gene
raj Rockers horn all occasions.
TnE SUPPLY GIVEN TO rHk BnsT mpDKn .
Previous to May 1862 all leading daes had been SOLO
In The army at ten cents each In june the Provost war
supplying the army with newspapers would be let ort u
the beet bidder therefor and solicited applications Tor the
On the 18th OF the month the contract was
TO Lamb, who agreed to supply the demand at the
uniform rate Of Ave cents per copy for each newspaper
and give s63 20 per day for the privilege payable
monthly In advance Many other propositions were 70
ceivcd then and since but were deemed more nd
vantagcous than hs The bonus paid by Mr. Lamb u
the Medical Director Of the Army OF the Potomac for the
MALI