Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-09-01
Hancock and the Soldiers.
The Narratjoe of Capt Chas. LangrSdge
of the 5th Wisconsin,. = Has 6rutGi
treatment of Volunteer Soldiers.

The Narrat5oe of Capt Chas. Langrsdge
of the 5th Wisconsin,. - Has 6rutGi
treatment Of Volunteer Soldiers.
[Waukesha Freeman.l
IF the following narrative is true-and
we must confess that it bears every mark
of genuineness-we shall be obliged to
retract what we have said heretofore as to
Gen. Hancock's being a gentleman. We
had hoped that for once the Democrats
had selected respectable man as their
figure-h cad, but this does not look like it.
We copy from an interview in the Lam
caster Herald with Capt, Chas. Lang
ridge, formerly OF the 9th Wisconsin.
After stating that DR.. Castleman's strict
ures on the General are entirely within
the truth, the Captain says in regard to
one of the Doctors stories:
"Dr. Castleman has not clothed that
outrage with more than half its real
atrocity. It is what he refers to as hap
pening August 10, 1862 Possibly, how.
ever, this incident is only another of
similar kind that happened the ssme 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 wlckedness the night
beforehand had kept riding along the
brigade to see that the resolve was en-
forced. / will tell you what know and
what will be sustained by any others
who know the facts. On the 1S;n of
August we marched over the old
Williamsburg battle ground, and at
about 4 O'Clock halted on an eminence
at the base of which was a small mill
pond. The day had been intensely hot
and dusty, and as soon as the boys broke
do e. tI~a
soap and towels. After taps (call to re
to have their canteens filled ready for an
early start the next morning. The only
possible place for filling the canteens was
TO get water out of this mill pond, which
was literally pond of soap-suds, for
thousands OF men had soaped and bathed
themselves in it. We took the early start,
and after marching few miles we no.
ticed men ii regiments ahead OF US were
breaking to the left with canteens, evil
IDENTIFY going for water. The men of our
regiment then asked permission Of their
officers to go 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 Trace of
fine, clear running water-I think from a
ssw.mill. The men got their can:eens
filled, or nearly so, when to their surprise
Hancock and his staff rode out from be-
hind the mill and compelled them to
empty their canteens and go back to their
company, without water. About noon
was the next opportunity for short halt
and peremptory orders were given by
Hancock that the men should have no
opportunity to get water. We went on
and reached Yorktown about two
o'clock. We had started from Viii,
liamsburg, 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 canteens when we start
ed, and without any water In them after
we were required to empty them Here
near Yorktown we halted, and Hancock
and his staff on horseback, made their ap.
pearsnce in front of the 9Th Wisconsin.
The men began calling, "Water, water ~
Hancock rode up to the officer command
Sng the first division. This happened to
be myself. was Lieutenant and in COM
,maad. What is your name, sir he de-
manded. l gave him my name. "A Cd
ID pretty officer you are, to allow your
men to call water when the command
ing General rides round in review. ] de-
mand the names Of the parties SO that I
i
answered, Occupying the position do,
General, in front OF my men, it is impossi.
bic for me to designate them He then
went to the officer commanding the Sec
0nd division, Enoch Totten, and the same
role was repeated. Then said he, by
Cd, I'll punish the whole id regi-
ment And he went to Lieut. Col. Emery
of Portage, who was in command of
the regiment, and ordered him to put
his regiment through bnttGlion drill on
the double quick for one hour! And this
punishment-going on the run for
one hour-after our fatigue and heat and
privation, we were compelled to undergo
This is the sort OF man or brute General
Hancock is, and [ think every volunteer
soldier under him at that time will attest
these facts"
"Can you direct how inquiry may be
made of osher?'
ST do not know where the soldiers all
are. Our brigade was composed of the
5th Wisconsin, 6h Maine, 49.h Pennsyl-
vania and 43d New York-all voluntee- 8.
The Colonel of our regiment was Hon.
Amasa Cobb, now CT Lincoln, Nebraska,
a Judge Of the Supreme Court of that
State. Our Quartermaster was Col. John
g. Clark of this place. Company A was
enlisted at Manitowoc by Capt. Temp.
Clark; Company F in Waukesha county
by Capt. l. M. Bean; Company D at Bea-
yer Dam, by Capt. Catlin; Company at
Taycheedah by Capt. Emerson; Company
G at Milwaukee by Capt. Aerens; Com
psny Fl in Richland county by Capt. r
Hawkins; Company E at GAINESVILLE by
Capt. Wheeler; Company z In Dunn
county by Capt. Evans; Company G al
Bsrlin by Capt. Bugh and Company B at
Milwaukee by Capt. Hubbard.
"Did you ever tel these facts before
Hancock was nominated for President ?''
"Many time. Many people in Ian.
caster have heard me tell them from the
time I came home from the army and
since. And here is letter from DR.. In.
gersoll, of Waukesha, brother of Bob
Ingersoll. On my way home from the
army I stopped IN Waukesha county to
recruit my self, and there fell in with DR.
Ingersoll, an old friend of mine. He
writes me that [ then told him of Han
cocks brutality (Which fact do not re.
Lor 80 h -