Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-05-03

l8Dty IN tne constitution Ii one III ia'or
of the several States in their capacity
as parties TO the compact, and It Is
therefore to be asserted by the States
and not by individual citizens IN all
cases of its violation. Hence it is prop
er and becomes necessary, in the pres
lent instance, to examine the relations
and intercourse between the State and
the Federal Government during the
war, and the conduct of each in rela-
tion TO the defence of the State. Did
the State perform; all her duties to the
Federal Government, and Is she IN a
position to claim that the guaranty in
question should have been kept The
answer ID this question Is furnished by
the statutes of the Commonwealth, and
by the pubic records of the war.
The State furnished her due share of
militia and volunteers under the sever
al calls made by the President of the
United States, and she submitted with
out complaint to the vigorous execu-
tion within her limits of the conscrip-
tiou act OF March, 1878, and Its sever
al supplements. Her due share of
troops for the public service was furn-
ished by her or drawn from her under
United States laws and Presidential
proclamations throughout the war, and
IN addition thereto in several cases ,of
emergency sne furnished to the United
States her own defensive force. At
the urgent demand of the War Depart
ment she allowed her border to be un-
covered to the stroke of the enemy,
when, by a more selfish policy, she
could have secured her own protection
at the peril of the common interests
involved III the struggle.
But it Is material consideration in
passing upon her conduct as member
of the Federal Union in time of un-
exampled diff ulty and danger that she
did not rely wholly upon the United
States for her protection from external
danger. In addition to prompt, zeal
Gus aud complete performance OF all
her duties to the coiLmon cause, she
made adequate provision for defending
herself, and would have wholly relieved
the Federal Government from the per-
formance of practical duties to her I'M
der the constitutional guaranty if that
government had not interfered with
her defensive arrangements and taken
from her defensive force.
MEASURES OF STATE DEFENCE.
The exposed condition of our south
ern border enlisted the attention of the
Legislature at the very beginning of
the wal. On the 18th day of April
1861, at act was approved approprlat-
ing five hundred thousand dolla to
organize the militia for the defen oe
the State On the 18th of May, 1861,
bill was approved appropriating three
million of dollars for the organization
of corps of defense. Under this act
loan was created when the public
credit was trembling in the balance,
aud was with great difficulty disposed
of at par, to enable the State to organ
ize the Reserve Corps for the protec-
ton Of her own people and for her own
defence. An organization of some if
teen thousand men was so promptly
made that the State was prepared to
avert the full measure of national dis.
aster at Bull Run, six weeks after the
passage of the bill, by transferring this
defensive force to save the defeated
Union army. The troops thus raised
TOR local defense at a cost of three mil
lion dollars, were mustered into the
Unlted States service, and transferred
to the General Government and contin-
ued lu its service to the close of the war.
In June, 1865. the enemy, under
Gen. Jenkins, raided Franklin county
and soon after Gen. Lees army occu-
pied the counties of Adams, Franklin,
York, cumberland and Fulton. The
Executive promptly called out the
militia forces Of :he State to afford pro-
lection against the invasion of raiding
parties, aud obtalued means for their
Immediate payment by loan from pri-
vate citizens under an assurance that
the State would provide for repayment.
When the Legislature met it lcgalized
the payment and authorized loan 70
procure the means, which was APPROX
ed May 4, 1861.
On the 10Th and 30th of July 1854
some three tho olsanc of Lees army.
under command of NJ, ausland, made
raid through the counties of Fulton
aud Franklin.
Six regiments of troops had been or
ganized by the Executive and depart
ment commander but short time be-
fore, under special authority from the
War Department for border defense.
This force would have been more than
ample TO protect the exposed counties
and to have saved hambcrsburg. But
the defeat Of Gen. Hunter in the Val
ley of Virginia and the retreat of his
shattered forces north of the Potomac,
again stripped our State of its troops
organized for local defence. In obe-
dience TO an urgent appeal from the
national authorities the whole six reci-
ments were hurried to the Potomac to
save Hunters army, the last regiment
passing through Chambersburg but a
few hours before the town was Destroy
ed.
The border counties were again left
defenseless at the earnest solicitation
and by the express command of the ma
tional authorities. because of the ex-
treme peril of the national cause
Gen Couch had less than one hundred
and fifty troops on the border, and
they were scattered as scouts and
pickets. The town of Chambersburg
was shelled, sacked and burned with.
cut even demand for surrender, or
granting time for women, and children,
aged and infirm to escape before the
torch was applied The citizens saved
none of their property and but little