Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-02-19
THE BLUE PAMPHLET,
The Omitted NameS----Seeretary Aliens Re-
port to q Resolution of the Assembly.

In compliance with an Assembly
resolution, Gen. Allen has furnished
that House with a list of the names
omitted from the published list of de-
serters procured from the War De-
partment, stating opposite each name
the reason for the omission. Gen,
Allen accompanies the list with an
explanation of his action, which we
think must prove satisfactory even to
those Democratic journals that have
insisted that the names omitted were
those of Republicans. We quot:
''In compliance with the above res
olution, | herewith transmit such list,
marked A. containing the names.
company and regiment Of FIVE hundred
and eighty-two soldiers, reported from
the War Department as deserters
from their respective regiments. /
am sincerely sorry that the list is not
larger than it is, and that it does not
contain the names of many other good
soldiers, whom | have discovered since
the publication of the list, to have
been enormously reported as deserters.
Believing as | did and still do believe,
that the object of the law was to pro-
cure a full and complete list of actual
deserters, and not to include any 9TH
ers, [ should have proved derelict to
my duty, should have violated the du-
=
should have offered an insult to the
memory of many fallen comrades, and
should have done injustice to others
who were either honorablv discharged
the service, or were mustered out af-
ter faithful service to the end Of the
war, or were enjoying the hospitali-
ties Of Andersonville or other rebel
prisons, had /, with official knowledge
of their innocense, published their
names as deserters. | cannot believe
that any soldier, or any man that SYM
! pathised with his country IN the late
| war to crush out an infamous rebellion,
or who WAS not opposed to soldiers
| suffrage during TIE war, viii ever de-
mamd an apology from me for the per
/ formance of simple act Of Justice
! And in performing this act of Justice.
| am confident that neither the letter
nor the spirit Of the law was violated
The first section of the law. provi-
ding for the publication of the list of
deserters, provides that the Secretary
Of State shall procure from the Sec
rotary Of War of the United States,
an authenticated list of all persons
who at any time deserted from the mil,
itarv or naval service of the United
| States &c, This list was procured
and is on file and open to inspection
in this Office. Being in doubt, howcv,
er. whether the list, as certified, did
not contain the names of persons er-
roneouslv reported as desertcrs, wheth.
er the list had been compared with
the muster-out-rolls of the several
regiments. which are the latest and
best authority on the question, and
| whether or not it was made from the
monthly returns of regiments in the
field. which every soldier knows are
errors may ra5hr2pG 6DpWinG hey ,ssuIcg ,
letter TO the War Department on
the subject. | was aware that Gen
Mcclellan had issued an order In 1862
requiring all soldiers absent from
their commands to be dropped from
the rolls and reported as deserters
and it was well known by those who
took sufficient interest in the Union
army to know any thing about it
that thousands OF soldiers were so re.
ported who were sick IN hospital, OF
who were captured during the disas-
trous Peninsula campaign
Similar orders was issued by the War
Department in July, 1862, under
which many soldiers were reported as
deserters. who. after a temporary alb.
sonce were restored TO duty and per
formed faithful service. And it an
| pears hv letter received by Score
tarv Allen from the " ar Department,
/ prior to the publication of the social
ed " pamphlet that the list sent from
the War office to this state had not
been corrected by comparison with the
muster-rolls. that department being
so crowded with business that it had
not been able TO make the corrections.
/ L appears further that the DEPART.
ment recommended our state to fol
low the example of Pennsylvania bv
affording the parties an opportunity
to remove the charge Of desertion
Secretary Allen says:
e Now, it Is known to every man
who ever saw his name upon a muster
roll, that the muster-out roll of a
company contains the name of every
man who ever belonged to the com.
/ panv from the beginning to the end
| of the war; that every such man is
accounted for in such rol! tina: every
! man who was an actual deserter is
there so reported, and that those hon
/ orable mustered out or discharged at
any tine, or killed in action. or tax.
Ell prisoner, or absent in hospital. are
not deserters, even though they nav
at some time have been so reported
to the War Department. The same
! official evidence on file in the War
! Department, are also on file in the
office of the adjutant General Of this
state. The mustcr-out rolls were
made in tripGcate, signed by the
+ comma nding officer of each COMPANY
I and regiment, and bv the United
/ States mastering officer. two COPIES
/ were sent TO the War Department.