The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-08-02
sHoOFING OFFICERs.

II mon army WIS always LuFS3ISLf-
ling TO shoof his officers, Declared
Iron talking back when scolded or
abused, compelled to trudge thro'
mud for weary mile on mile, while
This commander rode on horseback /;
ordered about and punished when
he disobeyed; this style of soldier
worked. himself into. q frenzy, and
balanced accounts by threatening to
| shoot the particular officer In Ques-
ti0n in the fret hattie.
| An Irritable Irishman, called San
| dy Short, or Short Sandy, by the
boys, elWRys had his eye on an OIL
Ger TO be shot In The next engage
ment, Sandy resented every long
march, every long watch on pick ret
duty, every hours work in tho IN
trenchments and holding the Colo
mel or General In command strictly
responsible, eWore with redundancy
of profaae oaths that he would
shoot the officer in the first battle.
Short ratious, or the absence of the
paymaster at the appointed time, or
the failure, to draw clothing when
Sandy needed y pair, of socks. or 9
notice 4 to quit camp when Sandy
had Just got his "shebang in order,
brought upon some nnluoky officer
the preVis0Fx sentence of death,
Sandy was violent in his anger
and was q bully He had nearly
killed two or three men In the reg
iment and was held on all sides as q
dangerous man. fr
There came time when Sandy
had chance to shoot somebody, q
whole regiment being in sympathy
with him. but he didn't shoot. A
Brigade .Quartermaster shot q man
down for refusing TO obey when or
dered to take his place in the ranks
with q squad forming for fatigue
duty. The killing of q man on such
slight proVoeation aroused the reg
iment to fury. The man had been.
shot but q few steps from headqnar-
tiers. Gen. j. D. Cox. in command
of the post, ordered the Quarter
master at once under arrest. just
as this order was being executed, an
orderly ran up to say that the regi-
ment oamped back on the hill had
Tnutinied, and the men were coming
with guns TO kill the murderer.
Gen. Cox. standing barehesded and
without arms, started. on run fora
break in q high stone wall through
which the men must come. He ar
rived at the opening just moment
befOr q dozen of the men came up,
painting for breath. They were the
advance of five hundred who were
pouring down the bill, followed by
their officers, who were trying to
control them. vz.
Sandy led the way, holding in his
hand Q loaded gun! Hewas as near
like q mad bull as any man could
be-. Supported by. the other men
behind him he was courageous and
defiant. The spectacle of General
stopping the way was new to him.
He raised his gun and the boys who
feared his arm. and believed his
threats expected, 20 see the General
In command fall. The quiet deci-
siVe sHstop," caused Sandy to look
up and snarl out, ''To hell wild yer
orders, mAn-git out of this, or yer
q dead. man." In reply came, "Pnt
down Vour gums men. / am un-
srned, you see. ] came here sim
ply TO ,6aVC good soldiers from do
ing q wrong thing You may shoot
me, hut that Wilt only insure your
own death. You may shoot the
man guilty Of this murder, but that
will avail you lnothing. ! promise.
lvou that he shall have q fair trial
and be punished as he deserves to
.be.D As Sandy moved forward the
General pushed, him back, saying,
I.N6 sir--not. o man passes here.
Now SoeE 90 to your quarters.D
Whether the Generals arm was
strong, or whether his voice DIS
tuEbe0 Sandy, something infiuenc-.
ed the man tOid0 as he was ordered.
It was not difficult to reason with
the more intenigent@men, and the
General remained master ofthe sit
Ilation. f.gl
. When the men returned to their
quarters Sandy was smoking his
pipe and watching his coffee boil.
'FWhy didn't you shoot, you fool 2"
exclaimed one irate man. Sandy
ground up some tobacco between
his two hands, deliberately re-filled
his pipe, and after puff 0r two to
light the fresh tobacco, drawled out,
cit was too aisy thing to do. 1
was niver q goin' TO shoot a man
like that, when every spaipeen
would know / did It. Thin, sur, he
Els 3 gintleman and scholar, be
CAD; and he talked the right thing,
and when q man comes that on me,
be CAD, am rs wake as kitten"
/ Sandy meyer shot an officer. He
was as iSwake as kitten" whenev-
| or q battle doomed up, and missed
every engagement during the earli-
| er part Of the war. When Rose
| Grams moved out of Nashville to
attack Bragg at Murfeesboro, Sandy
was deceived, and in spite of all ef-
| forts to the contrary was engaged in
the second days battle. When the
/ final charge routed the rebels and
| the army moved forward in pursuit
| on the afternoon of january I'd.
/ Sandy was In his element. The
| regiment run on a rebel battery ia
/ the dim light, which opened upon
1 them q furious fire. Down went
every man IN the mud, but one poor
fellow passing in the rear was
| struck by q she'll aud horribly man
I HIed. His groans and cries drew
1 the fire Of the battery in that direc.
ton: Sandy, hugging the ground
close, turhed,t0 belch out q horrible
/ oath ct the wounded man, and aftel
. TRADE of-Abhse, ordered him to b
| quiet. A great, !tsnWieldy5 German
| laying Alongside, raised his arm
i without . word and struck Sandy I
| terrible blow in the mouth, at which
there was . cry of fHbully" dowI
the line. The next instant the ions
} expected order to charge came and
{ Sandy had an excuse to- remain
/ where he was. He never figured II
another engagement and never sho
IA ofaeer.-E Toledo Blade.