Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-15
Haneoek,s Treatment Of soldIsrr.

a General and his dOmineering spirit |
and cruel treatment Of volunteers:
Many have already read chapters from Dr.
Alfred l.. Castleman's diary ppriraying Gencr.
nl HancOcks hauRhtlncas and profanity, and
his brutal treatment of volunteer soldiers un-
der him. Dr. Castlemun was surgeon Of the
Fifth Wisconsin volunteers, Of which regiment
Third Congressional District who reads news
paper, was Colonel. Ho-tho doctOr-admlts
that General Hancock was nm Oficer Of fine
appearance, and says he was 70 ornamental IN
dress and manner that the soldiers nicknamed
him General Strut
command, q chapter IN the diary says he came
zone morning 20 brigadcdri perfectly sO-
bor' He wished 20 appear excited a. some
Nltle mistake in maneuver, and the v0lley Of
onths he Numbered down the line startled bis
men. They thought he mstOOk the men for
mules aud their officers for drivers.
the hospital, whore he said the men IN hos
pital were "a brigade Of d-d sight better
men than were left him for duty; that such
beds and such comforts would invite every
man In the regiment into hospital before
month.
cocks order an experienced druggist WIS
taken from the hospital, and a MIN that did
not know one medicine from another put in
his place. One man was in consequence pOis-
Uned to death, and two others nearly so.
Another chapter tells how the hungry men
hired and paid Tor the privilege OF one draw
eral rode down and cOmpacently looked on
until the good haul was brought to shore,
when by his order every fsh was carried away
for himself and friends, whose tables were al.
ways laden with wines and the best vlands.
Another relates how after long and tire
some march without water, the men were not
permitted 20 yet water when Il was cOnveu-
lent, and regiment was punished severely be
cause some Of the men called for water.
There lives in Lancaster a gentleman,
Charles Langridge by name, who belonged 70
the Fifth Wisconsin az the same time with DR..
Castleman. He has been frequently interro-
unfed "a a the truth Of the QrrnFufn pUufnn
from the doctors published army journal, and
several citizens have urged him 70 publish his
answers TO their questions. To get at the
facts, we invited Mr.. Langridge into the office
the other day, and asked him what truth there
was in DR.. Castleman's diary.
"SOtar as l have SEEM said he, every
| thing related Is substantially true. As we
| were not always at the same places at the
same times, he and / might differ little I'm
particulars, but our accounts would be as near
! alike as Johns Gospel Is to Matthews. Gen.
eral Hancock rarely addressed a volunteer
soldier without profanity. He treated them
! with extreme brutality. He appeared TO have
| not as much feeling for them as a man ought
| 20 have for a beast; and the men universally,
/ as far rs ! know, came 10 the conclusion that
he had only beastly instincts"
do you remember all the incidents related
! by DR.. Castleman"
! observation, but even those had not personal
/ knowledge of were so much talked Of that ]
| have no doubt of their truth"
DO you recall incidents he has not related
derugatOry to the character Of General Han
| cOckI"
81 could recall many Of them by reference
| to my diary. /, too, kept a daily journal of
what transpired that / thought worth noting.
As / expected you 70 ask such questions 1
have brought it along"
"Well, give an item from notes of your own
indicating the Generals character"
"On referring TO March 49, 1862, find that
we made a siX-mile march through drench'
ing rain to the vicinity of the Chick0hOminy
The roads we're deep mud. Our brigade made
halt near very line farm belonging TO the
distinguished Lee family. Some members OF
the regiment not on duty went to a fence, took
off top rails, and leaned them with one end
against the fence and the other on the ground
over these they spread and fastened their rub
Der blankets, as means Of protection from the
rain, They then went to a straw
stack, and carried from It armtuls of straw
which they placed under the blankets TO resi
on as protection from the mud. Hancock hap
! pened along Just then. He approached then
in his usual rough manner, and ordered then
Immediately TO replace the rails on thl
fence and TO return the straw TO the
cattle. This they had TO do, and the waiting
soldiers were compelled 70 remain in the raiT
and mud. Hancock regarded the value of
| little rebel straw as of more concern to hin
than the comfort Of volunteer UnioE
soldiers.
II could give you many other similar Incl
dents but few suffice to show the nature o
the man.
'The account Of HancocI's taking the boys
fish is familiar to me sand all our regiment
After that, the boys when they saw him woult
say, There's the tish-thef J. or There come
the old hShmOnger."
what about his not letting the soldier
have water when they were thirsty anC
fatigued, and water convenient2"
"Dr. Castleman has not clothed that Outrage
with more than half lis real atrocity. 1t Il
what he refers TO as happening August 10, 1852
Possibly, however, this incident Is only anothe
Of similar kind that happened the same day
and in the line of march some distance from
me. The General resolved we should have NJ
water-it looked as II he premeditated thu
wickedness the night betore-and may have
kept riding along the brigade to see that th'
resolve was enforced. viii tell what know
and what will be substantiated by an!
18th of August we marched over tn,
old Williamsburg battle-ground, an'
at the base of which was small mill-pond
The day had been intensely hot and dusty
and rs soon as the boys broke ranks they mad
for the mill-pond with soap and towels. Afte
taps call to retire. that evening, the boy.
were ordered 10 have their canteens filled
ready for an early start the next morning
The only possible place for filling the can
teens was to get water out of this mill-pond
which was literally pond of soapsuds, TO
thousands Of men had soaped and bathe'
and after marching few miles we noticed
men in regiments ahead of us were breaking
to theleft with canteens, evidently going 70
water The men Of our regiment then asket
permission of their officers to go for fresl
water Permission was given, and, as usual
few men were selected to take canteens 70
the whole company. The stream proved TO b.
a mill-race of fine clear, running water,
think from saw-mill. The men got thei
canteens filled, or nearly so, when TO thei
surprise, Hancock and his staff rode out from
behind the mill, and compelled them TO emptl
their canteens and go hack to their compan!
without water.
About noon was the next opportunity for
short halt, and peremptOry orders were givel
by Hancock that the men should have no op
portunity 70 get water. we went on am
reached Yorktown about two O'Clock. We hat
started from below Williamsburg. and on
hot day in August, in that sultry climate, w
had marched eighteen twenty miles wifi
only soapsuds drenched of our bodies in Ou
canteens when we started, and without an!
water in them after we were required t
empty them. Here near Yorktown we halted
and Hancock and his stat, on horseback, mad
their appearance in front of the Fifth Wiscon
sin. The men began calling Water waterl
Hancock rode up TO the officer commanding
the first division. This happened TO be my
self. was Lieutenant and was in command.
What is your name, SIR he demanded.
gave him my name. 'AG-d d-d pretty of
! ticer you are to allowyour men TO call water
review. demand the names of the parties
80 that can punish them,' howed the Gen
eral. l answered, Occupying the position
, do, General, in front of my men, 1t Is impOs
went TO the officer commanding the Sscont
I Division, Enoeh Totten, and the same role wa
punish the whole did regiment And h
wentto Lieutenant-Colo Emery, Of Portage
who was in command of the regiment, and OF
dered him 10 put his regiment through bat
] tdlion-dru on the dOublo-quick for one hour
| And this punishment-going on the run 70
} one hour-after our day of fatigue and heat
and privation, we were compelled to undergo
| "Dlo you ever tell these facts before Han
cock was nominated for President"
MANY a time. Many people in Lancaster
Z have heard me tell them from the time / can't
| home from the army and since. And here is
} letter from DR.. Ingerson, of Waukesha,
} brother of Bob lngersoll, on my way hom'
from the army stopped in Waukesha Count!
TO recruit myself, and there feu in with Or
| Ingerson, an old friend OF mine. He write
2 me that then told him of Hancock brutalit!
(which fact do not rememberl. and he urge