Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1880-08-07

iltil W
and thirty stand of colors were taken.
Exposing himself without the slightest
scrIple or thought for his own safety or
life, as was his custom. just as the
enemy's force was turning back. and
with broken lines began his retreat,
Hancock fell desperately wounded.
While lying on the ground. just
in rear of his line % battle, he
dispatch his aide to General Meade, with
the following message: "Ihc troops
under my command have repulsed the
enemy's assault, and We have gained a
great victory. The enemy is now flying
in all directions in my front" The aide
in delivering this message added the i'll
formation of which General Meade was
then ignorant. that General Hancock was
desperately wounded. General Meade
sent back the following reply: ''Say to
General Hancock that am sorry he is
wounded, and that thank him for the
country md for myself for the service he
hes ref..;sMd to-day" For such services
no .asaA, md no reward could be adc-
Guate. Congress, by joint resolution
three years later, thanked General Han
eock for hic gallant" meritorious and
conspicuous share II that great and deci-
sive victory.
sECRUIrINNBATTLEO OF THE WILDERNESS.
ruring tEe winter, he went North to
recruit for the Twenty-second Corps, and
was everywhere received with honors, in
Guiding a formal reception by both
Houses of the Legislature at Albany In
March, 1864, with the ranks of the
rwenty-second Corps wei. recruited and
the Third Corps added, he began the
campaign of the Wilderness in command
of $4,000 men. A. Spottsylvania, on
May II, by an assault at daybreak, he
carried the enemy's position, taking
5000 prisoners. thirty stand Of colOrs and
twenty pieces of artillery. Among the
brigadiers taken was Genets George H.
Stewart, an acquaintance of General Han
cock, and former regular army officer.
This person was ushered INTO Ge.:eral
Hancock's presence. The latter, with
characteristic frankness, offered the pris-
oner his hand with the remark. "Stew-
art, I'm glad to see yOu" Stewart, who
was afflicted with overwhelming ideas of
his own importance, drawing himself up,
said: Under the circumstances, sir, 1
cannot take your hand" With quiet COM
posure, General Hancock replied:
"Under any other circumstances, sir. 1
would not have offered You my hand. "
GENERAL ORDER, NO. 40"
In November, 1867, he was ordered to
assume command of the Fifth Military
District. with headquarters at New Or
leans. He at once issued his famous
"General Order No. 4O' to the people Of
Louisiana and Texas: Gen. Hancock
informed them that he took command in
accordance with the orders he had re-
ceived from the headquarters of the
army, but that he did not propose TO
rule them by military orders at all. He
congratulated the people of the South
west that peace and quiet reigned among
them. To best preserve that state Of
things he proposed to let the civil author
tiles execute the civil laws. War he re-
garded as only necessary to destroy OPP
position to lawful authority, but when
peace was established and when the civil
authorities were ready and willing to
perform their duties the military power
should cease to lead and the civil admin
istration should resume its natural and
rightful conditions He declared him.
self solemnly impressed with the belief
that the great principles of the Ameri-
can liberty were the lawful inheritance Of
the whole people, and should forever
continue to be. He declared that the
rights of trial by jury, haJcas corpus,
liberty of the press, freedom of speech,
the natural rights of person and of prop
erty should be preserved He believed
that free institutions being essential to
the prosperity and happiness of the peO-
pie were themselves the strongest in
ducements to peace and order. He de-
clared that the civil authorities and
tribunals should have the consideration
of, and jurisdiction over, crimes and Of
fenses, and should be supported in the
exercise of that jurisdiction. But, while
thus recognizing the rights of the peO-
pie, he annOuced that he should sup
press armed insurrectiOn and forcible
resistance to law by force of arms at
once.
General Hancock maintained the puri-
ty and independence of the elections, re-
fused to organize military commissions
to take the place of judicial trials, and
would permit no military interference
with civil administration. The Mayor
of New Orleans formally requested his
interference by military order in certain
proceedings against the corporation.
General Hancock declined on the ground
that his interference would be unconsti-
tutional, and could only be exercised in
an emergency which did not, in his Opin.
ion, then exist. He was requested by
the General commanding the District Of
Texas, to order a military commission
for the trial of a certain offender. He
declined, stating as his reasons, that
while the act passed by Congress "for
the more efficient government of the
rebel States" made it the duty of com.
manders of military districts to punish
disturbers Of the public peace and crimi-
nails, that power, from the nature Of
things, should only be exercised when
the local civil tribunals were unable and
unwilling to enforce the laws, a SUPPOSE
ton that did not exist, State Govern
ment in subOrdinatiOn to the United
States being then in full exercise of its