The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-08-12
TIE EGIS-
Eel .sil., Md. august IL. 1870.
HOW TEvIs REGULATED THE sEcEsH.


HOW TEvIS REGULATED THE sEcESH.
Most of our readers are acquainted with
the exploits in Kent, during the late civil
war, of one "Charles Carroll Tevis, Lieut.
Col. Commanding" in connections with q
certain John Frazier, Jr, when many OF
our most prominent citizens were arrested
and hurried of to Baltimore under milf
tary guard, for no other reason than that
they were opposed to the election OF the
said Frazier to the office of County Clerk.
The following reminiscence will doubtless
prove interesting to our readers. Dom
Piatt, the writer is the man before whom
> the ''prisoners" were arraigned on their
arr al in Baltimore city: 1000 aY
FROM DOM PlATT's BALTIMORE LETTERS
IN THE CINCINNATI COMMERCIAL.
One of the the queerest military ducks it
was ever my fortune to meet with turned
up in Baltimore under the title and name
of Col. Tevis. He was handsome fellow.
Take him all in all he was one of the hand
soonest of men. Nature seemed to have ex-
erted herself in setting Carroll Tevis on
end as fair sample of what could be done
in that line. He was graduate of West
Point; went to Europe; took part in the
Crimean war on the side of the Allies !;
received no end of orders for gallant con
duct, and returned in time to consider the
merits of the quarrel between the South
and the Government, and, after due DELHI
Grafton, accepted the position of Colonel
of the Second Maryland Cavelry. $50
The Second Maryland was made up
principally ofMarylanders born in Ireland,
Germany, and the unknown islands of the
They had been educated- --Ea~i-
Gus public institutions not of charitable
sort Sonic three hundred were taken from
the Delaware prison for confederates, who
claimed to have been forced into the Con-
federate service against their wishes, while
subjects to the United States, Great Bri-
tain, and the other powers that had not
yet recognized the Confederacy. The Off
GERS were gorgeous creatures. The Colo
mel had taste for dress-he had a genius
for dress-and the Second Maryland begun
the war by running all the tailors in Balti-
more.
They were gallant fellows in the field,
but while organizing and stationed near
Baltimore, they were terror to the ma
tives. 1t was customary to kill or Grip
pie one of the men every twenty -four hours,
while howls of anguish went up from the
neighborhood night and day, over the fear
Interpretations ofhog pens and hen roosts.
My liveliest recollection of his band of
braves is connected with the first election
held in Maryland after we took command.
We sent Teyis to the Eastern Shore, with
Instructions deliberately written for him to
follow. There was one difficulty however.
He never read them. On the contrary, soon
as he landed he called upon the prominent
Union men, and getting from them list
of the leading Democrats and candidates
on the opposition ticket, proceeded to is
sue coup d'etat of the largest proportions
At midnight, without any warning what
ever, those prescribed were routed out of
bed, given five minutes to dress and bid
farewell to their weeping and frightened
families, then sent on board the steamer,
and forwarded to headquarters Baltimore.
Gen. Schenck was in rage. That lot
of solemn old pumps-Reverdy johnson,
Tom Swami and Governor Bradford-went
into a perpetual state of indignation meet
ing, telegraphing every fifteen minutes
The patriots were not only released, but
returned to their afflicted families, with
permission to vote early and often, in ac-
cordance with strict Democratic precedent,
and Col. Tevis was ordered under arrest.
| made out the order, and wishing to
soften the severity, wrote private note,
marked confidential, in which very free.
ly expressed my opinion ofmen andevents.
Tevis took the arrest very hard. l think
the loss Of his sword worried him 1t was
magnificent piece of cutlery, encased in
wonderful brass adornments. I sympathiz-
ed with and advised him to get his papers
together, and throwing the blame on the
Provost Marshal, appeal to the Governor
He did so with vengeance. The first time
thereafter that met his Excellency, Gov
ernor Bradford, he put sixteen more wrink
les in his ugly mug, and refused to shake
hands. That night got hold of the pa
pers Tevis had submitted to the Governor,
and among the first was my confidential
note, beginning:
"MY DEAR TEvIs: You are playing hell
on your beat This old fool Bradford, has
gone over to the Copperheads," &c.
Small wonder that the venerable Kanga-
roo refused me his paw.
The last time that heard of my friend
Tevis he was recruiting American citizens
for the Pope's army. / believe he is in
that service now. Wherever he may be, he
is a gay bird, and dangerous to write CON
tidential letters to.-Keat Neaos