The Republican journal., 1871-02-02
SENTENCED AND SHOT.

SENTENCED AND SHOT.
| When the war closed | was .In at the
death; otherwise | should not have thi.
story to tell.
| Shreveport, 1868, made amends for Sum
| ter, 1861.
A braggart could have fired the first gun
none but hero the last; and while the first
battle was lost by recruits, the last was won
by veterans.
1t was simply brave and generous to fall
in the first charge-but it was purely noble
and heroic to die in the last The first fresh
rush of patriotic blood from the heart to the
head could have easily carried the recruit
up to the cannons mouth; but it was quite
another thing that carried him through 10 IL
years war, and flung him into the thickest
Of the last charge, to die as the enemy sound
ed the final retreat
Life becomes very dear when you have
fought your way from Bull Run to Peters
burg-from Belmont to Mobile, to be shot
by rebel at Alexandria, La, in 1860
l returned from Shreveport to New Or
leans after the surrender of Kirby Smiths
army-all that was left of it-just in time to
be ordered by Sheridan to report to Custar
for duty with the second cavalry, division
Of the military department of the Gulf. The
orders were to rendezvous at Alexandria,
La, and after due preparations to march
across the country into Texas, for the pur-
pose of re-establishing the authority of the
governmcnt-to follow up victory with occu-
patton.
Among the regiments ordered to report to
the general was the ili-fated second cavalry.
1t had suffered somewhat from Indifferent
field officers, but more that bad fortune
which overlook so many western regiments
in the shape of garrison duty in small squads
or squadrons, SO scattered as to make each Il
sort of Independent command, which in the
end resulted in loss of discipline and ruin
of those bonds of sympathy that bound most
regiments firmly together. To lead such q
regiment into 4 hotly contested fight would
be q blessing, and would etfcctually set at
rest all such trouble; but their fighting had
been altogether of the guerilla kind, and
simply because there had been no regiment
al deed Of valor.
Two colonels had resigned-one to accept
promotion, and the other had gone home
and lieutenant colonel had failed to sue
ceed to their spread eagles; and the majori-
ty of the regiment would have rejoiced if, in
his wrathful disappointment, he had thrown
away his silver leaves and gone home too.
But he never dreamed of it. Whether Justly
or unjustly, he was despised of his command :;
and only held his command by sheer force of
will, backed by the authorities above him.
Such was the condition of the regiment
when it reported for duty. Tired out with
the long service, weary with an uncomforta-
BILE journey by river from Memphis, swelter-
ing under gulf coast sun, under orders to
go farther and farther from home when the
war was over, and the one desire above all
others was to be mustered out and released
from q service that became irksome and
baleful when a prospect of crushing the en-
envy no longer existed-all these, added to
the dissatisfaction among the officers, rem
dered the situation truly deplorable. In
fact, the men of the whole division were
more or less discontented, and would have
been troublesome under any commander and
any circumstances that kept them in the ser
vice; but to be thoroughly organized and
subjected to the discipline necessary to the
mantainance of good order, and to be forced
to treat with consideration the very people
whose country they had acquired a chronic
habit of devasta ting-and that, too, by a
man whom they called "yellow haired cir
Gus rider from the SHENANDOAH
seemed to them to be almost beyond the lin
it of human endurance.
The command had hardly pitched their
tents and kindled their camp fires before the
spirit of reckless disregard Of authority be-
gan to manifest itself. The men hated the
commanding general and staff con princi-
ple," without regard to what they did. "No
eastern man can put on style over US %
soldier!'' ''It's too late to teach us Army of
Potomac notions!' ''The war is over: why
don't they send us home, instead of sending
the up-start major general, with his first
moustache, to lord it over usp" These were
such speeches as one could hear at almost any
hour of the day or evening, when wandering
through camp; and they were delivered
with such emphasis and Unsurpassed BIT
terness, that the effect was exceedingly ugly
Immediately the men,, singly and in
squads, began to 60 on extemporaneous
raids through the adjoining country, rob-
bing and plundering indiscriminately in
every direction.
They seemed to have no idea that q con-
quered and subdued people could possibly
have any rights that the conquerers were
bound to respect. But such expeditions
could not be permitted; indeed the general
was under orders to treat the people kindly,
and obeyed with the same punctillousness
with which he exacted obedience from his
command. Therefore the most rigorous and
eXpnclC ofders were issued against Jaw
hawking" of every kind and the offenders
were severely punished. But the ordinary
punishments were found to be utterly made
quate. The guard house, police duty, extra
duty, ETC., had lost their terrors; and pun
ishments had to be devised that would reach
a class of men and offences unprovIded for
in the "regulations.''
The storm which had been brewing so
many months in the ranks of the second
cavalry. suddenly burst upon it. A
paper demanding the resignation of the
lieutenant colonel, had been largely signed
hu officers and man and ,,raco.atol l., liz,