The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-06-07

itary nation acknowledges the best in the
world, has preponderated largely over
every other class in the composition Of
| American armies. Our Government being
essentially democratic In its constitution,
and designed to be so In its administ ration,
| the people, to sustain, defend, and perpet
uate that which is their own work, come
naturally from the peaceful shades of q
| citizen to the sometimes warlike and per-
! ilous life of the citizen soldier. The ideal
volunteer soldier is not driven by any
fear of conscription into the service of
his country; he does not follow in the
| long and perilous march of her armies
through any sordid or selfish motive, for
plunder and gain; but his own voluntary
choice, induced by the purest and most
exalted patriotism, leads him in her
| defence to the field of carnage, if need be
to die for her cause. Thousands Of these
noble volunteer private soldiers have
fallen in the late war for the Union, while
other thousands lived through the dark
nights of despair and storms of death-hail,
to be examples of patriotism for US all to
the latest posterity.
| DEsERTERs.
| The most numerous class of deserters
in this District mas been that of men VINO
never reported Ia obedience to notice OF
draft The number of those who left
| their commands in the field or camp is
comparatively small, while those who
really never entered the service have been
sweled by successive drafts to the pro-
portions almost Of little army. Every
| locality was for time infested by these
skulkers from Guty, until the Government,
with more fixed purpose and determine
| ton, directed its energies to their arrest
and punishment
In some of the more disloyal portions
OF the District, where they were encour-
! aged by their numerical strength aud by
the private counsel of influential men, they
leagucd themselves together for purposes
offensive and defensive in case any attempt
should be made to bring them to justice.
Their rash act aud imprudent demon
strations of resistance only resulted in
their OWN injury, for It became a necessi-
ty OF one or two occasions TO awe tn EN-
into subsection By manning or mortally
wouGding some of their number. To
avoid as fer as possible, however, any
unnecessary loss Of life, strategy and ia
the deserters seemed determined in their
procedure was attended with greater sue
cess than the employment Of force could
have been
Deseriers were arrested in this District
principally By detachments of thu Veteran
Reserve Corps under the command of
deputy provost marshals, and special
agents, who were men well acquainted
with the people and natural confguration
of their respective counties. 1t would
sometimes become necessary to employ as
guides the citizens Of the immediate
peighborhood in which the deserter resi-
ded or was aarbored, and occasionally
one or two persons of the same township
would arrest their own neIghbor and bring
him In, to secure their exemption, or the
release OF one whom they deemed more
worthy thar he, and who had been de-
tanned in custody because of his failure
to report.
1t would be Impossible for me to detail
the exact manner of making arrests, fur
ther than l have already done in giving
the agents by means of whom this was
accomplished for in every case there
arose circumstances which necessarily
modified the method of procedure and
left it with the judgment Of the guard as
to what manner of strategy he should en-
ploy 90 most certainly secure success.
L have been constantly in receipt of
descriptive lists of descrters from the
army, transmitted me from the Bureau of
the Provost Marshal General at Washing
ton, which lists we're at once distributed
by mail to the deputy provost marshals
and detachmeuts of the Veteran Reserve
Corps, stationed at the different strategic
points in the District. Many deserters
and stragglers have thus been ierreted out
and brought to justice almost before they
! were aware of any efforts being made for
their apprehension, and some even while
they yet imagined the fact of their deser-
tion profound secret.
The manner of disposing of deserters
after they had been arrested and brought
to these headquarters was very simple.
Their description, date of desertion and
date of arrest were entered into Record
Book kept for that purpose, after they
had been carefully examined by the
Board of Enrolment and ascertained
without doubt to be deserters They were
then placed in the barracks under rigid
guard or locked into the county Jail, as
the enormity or suspicious nature of their
case might seem to demand. Here they
were kept In strict custody, being subsis-
drafted men, until such time as they could
be turned over to the Provost Marshal oi
the Post at Harrisburg, Penna, either for