Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1880-07-01

eral Hancock was promoted 10 the com
mand Of The Middle deparimeni. wish
headquarters a BALTIMORE having pre-
| siously been breveltr3 nssloE geseral
10 the regular army for gallant and
mcritorious services ~ Spotteyivanla.
In July. 1866, he received the iuii grade
Of major general 10 The army ana as
sumed command Of the Department Of
Missouri, conducting several important
and srdu0us campaigns against The hos
/ tile-Endians n Kansas, Colorado and
the Indian Territory. With ms COM
mand II the Department Of Missouri his
more active military lite may Be Said to
have ceased.
He snught 20 BE excused from duty
IN the South and ~ flfst hfs inciinati0ns
were respected. Subsequently,, howev-
eT, he was placed 10 on.' Of The poIltieo
military e0snmands. and from tnat Hme'
forth 5eca1ne necessarily soIaeih'ng o.
politician. as well - soldier. An
esecniivs order Of President johnson
faHEed General SHERIDAN rom me
n,Aand OF the Filth MIIisxfy DISTRICT,
tihbfscing the states OF Louisiana ana
Texas. Then, on August 70. came
presidential order, whicn was auiy pro-
mulgated and carried INTO ehect. as
signing Hancock 70 the Fiith district,
and transferring SHERIDAN 70 tne com
mand Of the Department OF the Missou-
=, Tor some time previously neiu "
the former.
II was moi until the 18Th OF woven
Der General HANCOCK assumed lne u.s.
charge o. the outses o. ms ne. Icn-
mand. wnicn ne orc % 81 oFus.,n "nlsn
nc :es iogtn 'ne P1ine.l'es - ns ns -:,
regime Oh the Supremacy !" tn s.s''
law announcing ina. he g,ea' psap-
ciples OF american iioerty sun are the
lawsui innesi.anse 2. ..'s psoP.e, saa
ever snouid Or ns 'as a. az -. -
iorln 10 the famous Oruer No. 4V' 'ne
iuil text o. WHICH was a. iO.ows
1 /. IN accordance Win General OF-
ders No. 81, Headquarters ofthe Army,
Adiutsnt Generals Office, Washing
ION, d. c.. August 81, 1867, Major
General w. s. Hancock hereby as
sumes command Of the Fifth Military
District and Of the department COM
posed of the States Of Louisiana and
Texas.
2. 1.-THE General commanding is graf
fled to learn that peace and quieireign IN
th,s, departmeft. II will be- his pur-
pose 10 preserve this condition Of things.
As = means 10 this great end he regards
The maintenance of the civil auihorl-
Ties IN The faithful execution OF the laws
a. lhe most efic,ent under existing cir
cumstapces. In war 1t is indispensable
70 repeI force by force and overthrow
and destroy opnos;tion 10 lawful author
10 Rrt when insurrectionary force
hss heen ovevihrown and peace estab.
I~hed and The civil authorities are
ready and willing 10 perform their du-
ties. the military power should cease 10
lead. and The civil administration re-
anne natural and rightlul dominion.
! S1sat nnsy ;-s,pFessed ssith 4s.sse vic;ss-.
the General ANNOUNCES that the great
principles Of American liberty are sun
the lawful inheritance OF tnis people.
and ever should be. Ibe right Of trial
by jury, the habeas corPus, the liberty
fthe press, the freedom OF speech me
natural rights OF persons ana the rights
OF property must De preserved. Free
institutions. while they are essential to
the prosperity ana happiness o. me peo-
pie, always furnish the strongest sn-
ducemsnts TO peace ana oroer: Crimes
and offences committed IN this district
must be referred to the consideration
and judgment OF the regular civil tn
bunals. and those tribunals will De sup
ported an their lawful jurisdicticn.--
While the General thus Indicates his
purposes to respect the liberties OF the
people, he wishes all TO understand that
armed insuFrection or forcible resis-
lance to the law will be instantly sup
pressed BY arms"
Thus, al the very outset of his career
during the reconstruction period. be
placed himself in antagonism with the
dominant party in both branches Of Con-
eress. and by This and innumerable 9th
er orders rendered null and void all the
so-called reconstruction acts, as far as
| his military district was concerned.
Order No. 40 was followed by two
others. which created almost as great a
sensation and revolution is that given
aboves One Of .hese was dated De-
cember s, 1867, and embraced the fol-
lowing paragraph:
"The commanding general has been
officially informed that the administra-
ton Of Justice, and especially Of crim-
Al. = -