The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1868-09-24
u. s. GRANT
= WEEKLY COURIER
IHI W1OAuI VVU 1VII1IC
J. M. HEDRIcK, Editor.
oTTUMwA, IOWA
Thursday -. September "a, 1868
The Army.

L :
The Army.
The Hdpk-Eye has good article
about the brutal material, both rank
and file, that enters largely into the
organization of the regular army,
and the brutal treatment often meted
out to soldiers by martinez officers of
that organization.
It is a pity, however, that the wri-
ter should have exhibited his igno-
rance Of the facts, or his gullibility in
swallowing cock and bull stories, by
defacing his article with the follow
ing:
Hundreds of soldiers during the
rebellion had their thumbs pulled off
by tying them up by these delicate
members till their toes barely touch.
ed the ground. Shall this dreadful
condition of tho army be permitted
any longer? Let us all say No p
We clip the above from the Ottum-
wa Courier. Our gallant contempo-
rary dosbts our assertions with less
courtesy than frankncss. The wri-
ter has certainly seen numbers OF
soldiers with their thumbs pulled off
as above asserted, and in one case, a
soldier was tied up to horse rack in
front ola Southern Court House by
his thumbs, and both his feet were
raised from the ground by the order
of brutal lieutenant, till his entire
weight was suspended by them to the
great glee of hundreds of rebel spec
tators. A drunken Brigadier (not
the editor ct the Courier, on his at.
tention being called to the outrage,
hiccupped out, Good for him
give him more" Next day, of course,
he would have denied all knowledge
oft The offence. was drunkenness,
peccadillo pcrpetraded by ten Off
GERS to one private.-Ha,ok- Eye.
The COURIER, as will be seen from
the above, referred to the Hdsok- Eyes
article approvingsy, agreeing with it
in the main that the regular army
had become a lying-in-hospital for the
very worst, and most dangerous ma
terial, rank and file. But while we
did SO, we protested that the cock
and bull camp stories about hundreds
Of our men having had their thumbs
pulled off, during the rebellion, should
not 90 abroad without our denial.
Instead of attempting to provo its
charge against the officers of the late
volunteer army, the Ha'ok-Eye flies
into q pet; violates all newspaper
courtesy by referring personally to
tho name Of the editor Of this paper,
and the nearest it can come to Prov
ingits statements, is that some drunk
en- subaltern (not the military editor
of the HaUk-Eye we hopc), tied a
soldiers thumbs together, &C., &c.
We undertake to say that Captain
Edwards, whom we chose to holdr re-
sponsible, and refer to personally inthis
matter, in as much as he has set us
the example, or any other officer, who
was cognizant of such brutal,
and unlawful treatment, and
who failed to prefer charges
against the officer SO doing, at the
time, was unworthy of the commiss-
ion he bore, and the regiment, brig
ade, or corps to which said unhuman-
ly treated soldiers belonged, wero un-
fit to be called American soldiers, tor
not hanging such brutal officers to
the first tree.
1t is poor compliment to the
spirit, and intelligence of the army,
that put down the rebellion, to sup-
pose that any command in it, would
tamcly submit to such paipable
violations of the articles OF war.
The immense army Of 1900, 900
men had many scoundrels and ty-
rants in it, Of all grades, and we are
not attempting their defense. The
Hdckeye's charge however is graver
than anything we have noticed in
the satanic press and 1t shall not be
allowed to go by without our denial.
1t is equally as discreditable to tho
men who would submit to such bar
barous punishment, as to the officers
who imposed them, nine-tenths Of
whom, had gone through the ranks
to their commissions, for gallant SER
vices.
We don't intend to charge Capt.
Edwards with wilfully defaming the
officers Of tho army, because in doing
SO he would lampoon himself, and
we don't suppose that he will agree
that wearing a Captains shoulder
straps, made amonster Of him (which
brings us back to our starting point,
that his credulity has been imposed
upon by an unfounded camp story,
Of some Copperhead scalawag soldier.
We never met an American officer
Of any grade, capable of inficting
such fiondish punishment and don't
believe there was any military COM
mand of such slavish paltroons in the
volunteer army, as to submit to them,
without bloody mutiny.
Witha proud respoct for every man
of the Grand Army irrespective Of
rank, and with Jealous regard for
its reputation, which is the nations