The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-09-02

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fully, Moses Corr TAYLOR.
The Hon. HI. P. Baldwin, chairman of
Michigan state central committee.
Hancock and the Soldiers.
[Waukesha Freeman.1
If the following narrative is true-and
we must confess that it bears every mark
of genuineness-we shall be Obliged to re-
tract what we have said heretofore as to
Gen. Hancock's being gentleman. We
had hoped that for once the democrats had
selected a respectable man as their figure
head, but this does not look like it.. We
copy from an interview in the Lancaste,
Herald with Capt. Chas. Langridge, for
merly of the 5th Wisconsin. After stating
that Dr. Castleman's structures on the gen
eral are entirely within the truth, the cap
tain says in regard to one of the doctors
stories:
"Dr. Castleman has not clothed that
outrage with more than half its real at
rocity. It is what he refers to as hap
pening August 49, 1862. Possibly, how
ever, this incident is only another Of sim.
liar kind that happened the same day and
in the line of march some distance from
me. The General resolved we should have
no water-it looked as if he premeditated
the wlckednes, the night beforehand had
kept riding along the brigade to see that
the resolve was enforced. will tell you
what I know and what will be sustain
ed by any others who knows the facts. On
the 18th of August we marched over the
old williamsburg battle ground, and at
about o'clock halted on an eminence at
the base of which was small mill-pond.
The day had been intensely hot and
1,,y&, ~ %na ho,,, l.. J.
they made for the mill-pond with soap ard
evening, the boys were ordered to have
their canteens filled ready for an early
start the next morning. The only DOS
sible place for filling the canteens was to
get water out of this mill-pond, which
was literally pond of soap-suds, for thou
sands of men had soaped and bathed them
selves in it. We took the early start, and
after marching few miles we noticed men
in regiments ahead of us were breaking
to the left with canteens, evidently gong
for water. The men of our regiment then
asked permission Of their officers to 90 for
fresh water. Permission was given, and,
as usual. a few selected to take canteens
for the whole company. The stream
proved to be a mill race Of fine, clear run
ming water-I think from saw
mill. The men got their canteens
filled, or nearly so, when to their surprise
Hancock and his staff rode out from be-
hind the mill and compelled them to emp
ty their canteens and 80 back to their COM
pany, without water. About noon was the
next opportunity for short halt, and per-
emptory orders were given by Hancock
that the men should have no opportunitv
to get water. We went on and reached
Yorktown about two o'clock. We had
started from Williamsburg, and on hot
day in August in that sultry climate we
had marched Is or 20 miles, with only SOAP
suds drenched off our bodies in our can
teens when we started, and without any
water in them after we were required to
empty them. Hear near Yorktown we
halted, and Hancock and his staff on horse
back, made their appearance in front of
the 9TH Wisconsin. The men began call
ing, "water, waterw Hancock rode up to
the officer commanding the first division.
This happened to be myself what is
your name, sir? he demanded. I gave
him my name. A Cd id pretty Of
ticer you are, to allow your men to call for
water when the commanding general rides
round in review. demand the names of
t he parties so that I can punish them,'
howled the general. I answered, 'Occu-
pying the position l do. general, in front
of my men, it is impossible for me to de-
signate them He then went to the officer
the second division, Enoch
Totten, and the same role was repeated.
'Then,' said he. by Cd, I'll punish the
whole ID regiment. And he went to
Lieut.. Col. Emery of Portage, who was in
of the regiment, and ordered
him to put his regiment through battalion
drill on the double quick for one hour! And
this punishment going on the run for one
hour after our fatigue and heat we were
to undergo. This is the sort of
man or brute General Hancock is, and I
think every volunteer soldier under him at
that time will attest these facts"