Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-09-10
COL. CLARK As 4 SOLDIER.
What one OF his men has TO say cons
cerMtMg h M.

| Iud1 dilc5dtloAia VI d oi1utiCl gus CHdl
acter are being made 10y certain
party or parties residing at Platte
vile against the reputation of Col.
John u. Clark, late commander OF
I the 5Oth regiment, with the inten-
ton, no doubt, Of injuring his cause
in the present Congressional cam
paign, and as | am personally ac-
quainted with all or nearly all the
circumstances under which the
grievances of which he complains
occurred, and being that l know
that all the allegations made are
blank falsehoods which tend to tar
nish the Coloneps bright army rec
ord, having been a member OF his
regiment, and having served with
him during the whole time the 5Uth
was in the field, | consider it to be a
duty OF mine to prove those allega-
tons to be untrue, that those who
have heard them may learn the
truth and that the Coloneps reputa-
ton as military man may be vim
dicated.
The first charge preferred against
him is, that he would not permit
his men to approach him OK ad-
dress any questions to hiT. This
accusation Is as unjust as it is un-
true. | was introduced to him at
Camp Randall, Wis, as to any other
gentleman. He acted as any other
polite gentleman would. | more
than once solicited his advice on
minor subjects and always got the
advice required cheerfully. And |
always was AS intimate with him as
with any other officer, more so than
with the majority of the line officers.
The next charge is similar to it; it
is that he was anxious to retain the
regiment in the service, aud that we
should have been brought home the
same time as the 49th, 5lst and sd
il it wasn't for his influence. Dur
ing the great $50 home excitement
of july and August 1865, Col. Clark
was, on account of his own private
affairs, rs anxious to have us dis
charged rs ourselves. This can be
proven from his own private cores
pondence with his wife, and Lieut..
Col Bryant, then on detached duty
at st. Louis, Mo l read about
dozen letters to his wife at Lancas-
ter, in which he expressed himself
as decidedly hopeful that we should
soon be sent home. In others,
written to her atter receiving march
ing orders for up the Missouri river,
he expressed himself as almost wor-
ried out with care, overwork and
disappointment and informing Mrs.
Clark that If she thought best he
would DO willing to resign in order
to be with her. IA July and August
he eagerly besought Lient. Col.
Bryant to use his utmost influence
at headquarters to have the 5oth
regiment mustered out. He also
expressed himself as fully Disguised
that his regiment, composed wholly
OF volunteers, of men who had
proven themselves as loyal to the
government should be sent up to
Fort Rice, to be banished for = or
I months from any association with
the outside world, in order to re-
ieve band of whitcwashed rebels
who had been reduced to Il very low
state from srurvy aud venereal dis
ease. This | know from letters |
have read from Col: Clark to his
wife, and from Col. Bryant to Col.
Clark. Taose letters are now in
Col. Claik's possession and may be
seen by any man that would like to
see them.
Charge number 3 is, that the
Colonel had his regiment moved
from place to place during the night
and without orders. And that he
delayed us at Kansas City, Mo. for
two or three days in going up the
river i'll 90, and in coming down the
river in '66. This charge, like the
Others is but a rotten link in q very
rusty chain of lies. We, that is my
Co., left Camp Randall on the after
noon of April 18th, 1865. We left
Benton Barracks before noon. We
left Miami, Mo. in the forenoon.
We left Camp Fletcher before noon.
We lett Fort Leavenworth at early
dawn. We left Fort Randall, Da-
kota, about 9 o'clock A. NJ. We
left Fort Sully before sunrise, in
order to get AS far as possible be-