Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-11
SOLDIERS OUTWITTED.
How Hayes and Matthews Be at the Boys
| ftho Twenty-Third Ohio.


The Twenty-third Ohio Regimen
, was composed of the flower of tn
state. 1t had in it's ranks bright youn
men from colleges, students from LAY
offices, besides those who had atteine
to some standing In various vocation
or professions of active life. It was no
to be expected, under such circum
stances, that it would not see the dis
tinguished consideration with which
ought to be treated. It had mayor
and congressman in it's ranks, and pres
idents end United States senator
among its officers. It was not com
posed of the scum Of society, but .
bright youths of fine promise from tht
best families and of high aspirations
Prayer meetings were keptsssteadily il
full operation so long, at least, as tht
regiment remained at Camp Chase
The boys naturally expected equip
n1ents that would accord with theil
breeding, education and character
They were disappointed. Army disci
pine is no respecter of persons. When
the arms came to be distributed there
were not Enfield rifles enough to &C
around, SO one or two of the compan.
les were given old muskets, with balls
and buckshot for cartridges. They
vowed that they would not stand it. II
was monstrous idea that soldiers
capable of dong their execution should
be asked to meet the foe with arms so
rude, weapons so out of date. It was
not to be thought Of. They would have
gums of the most improved pattern and
from the most celebrated factory.
They would not submit to so great an
indignity. They would have gaod arms
or none. r.... .
The officers Of every rank tried their
eloquence upon the men and labored
to persuade them to take the old
muskets as good soldiers until the Gov
eminent could give them better arms,
but in vain. Matters were becoming
serious. Hayes was asked TO go and
do what he could to set things straight,
but, as he was only the major Of the
regiment, he preferred that an officer
Of higher rank should execute the del
icate mission. Matthews, Lieutenant
Colonel, was urged to undertake the
work of modifying the irate men, and
he did 90 forth armed with tie power
of eloquence and historical allusion to
exhort them to patriotic obedience to
commands regularly issued, however
trying and exacting such obedience
might be.
The exhortation moved the men a
little, bus still they had taken their
stand and declared that they would not
have the old muskets, and have them
they would not. Scammon, the Col
onel, was of the regular army, and of
the Engineers Corps, at that, and did
not much believe that private soldiers
had many rights that real heightened
officers were bound to respect. He was
disposed to resort TO extreme measures
to silence the opposition, and is said to
have made speech, in which he told
the men that they were United States
soldiers enlisted for three years, or
during the war, and that they had no
choice but to obey their superiors, and
wound up by informing them that they
could either take the arms that We're
offered them or be taken out and shot.
Neither the eloquence of Matthews
nor the threats of Scammon made the
idea of old nauskets in their hands
seem tolerable to the men, while the
neighboring companies had splendid
Enfield rifles. Hayes and Matthews
thereupon put their heads together
and resolved to try diplomacy and see
whether they could accomplish. any
thing by that.
There was in the regiment an old
hunter from Ashtabula county, or that
neigh borhood, famous shot. The
lieutenant-colonel and major took the
old man into their confidence and told
him that they depended upon him to
get the boys out of bad scrape. They
suggested to him that he should test
the relative merits of the rifles and
muskets by shooting at a mark in the
presence of the boys, and that he must
see to it that the muskets came out
ahead. -e.a-e
Col. Matthews than addressed again
the men, and told them that though
the weapons offered them were some
what old in their fashion, they were
nevertheless far better than the new
tangled guns, that were in fact better
for Looks than for service. He said
that the matter was easily tested, and
that the hunter, whom they all knew
to be the best short in the regiment,
should try them both in their presence,
and that al should abide by his decis~
ion and the result Of the test.
The proposition seemed fair, and
WAS promptly accepted. The mark
was put up and the old hunter went
to work apparently in the deadest
earnest. He shot now with rife and
now with an old musket, fred at a
short range, and then q longer one. At
close range the distance between the
firearms did not seem to be very mark
ed; but still the musket would always
come out a little the best; but,
as the range became greater, the su-
periority of the musket became more
and more manifest. The veteran
marksman kept up the shooting until
every man in the company was
thoroughly satisfied that the weapon
the father might have used at Lnndy's
Lane of Buena Vista was infinitely bet
ter than an untried rifle that had
about it no such sacred memories or
patriotic associations. They took with
out another word, the rusty old muaket,
and actually began INVITING the boys