Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-28

Well, the net was cast, and, while the
drawing was going on, Gen. Hancock
rode down to the beach, and watched the
operation with much apparent interest.
The draught was nearly at shore; the
hungry mouths and watching eyes of the
soldiers were being gratified by the anti
cipation of a joyous feast, for it was now
beyond doubt that the net was cast at
propitious moment, and was coming in
loaded with herring, shad and cells. But
what right had common soldiers to in,
dulgencies like these? The Generals
mouth bwatered, too. The instant the
draught was brought to land the bayonets
of the Generals guard bristled all around,
and the Generals capacious bags received
every fish. Oft they were carried for him
sell ana friends, without even nod in
acknowledgment"
that Hancock was evidently possessed of
one very Napoleonic trait of character
that, when an object is to be attained, the
lives OF men are not to be estimated" It
adds: "The men were exposed and hard
worked. The efforts of the surgeon were
not seconded. Their advice was disre-
garded. Sickness increased" In August,
when the weather was very hot, another
example of
THE GENERALS INHUMANITY
was afforded. On August 10Th writes DR..
Castleman:
This morning we started early. The
day has been intensely hot, the dust al.
most lnsutterable. Gen. Hancock was in
command of his brigade We had made
rapid march OF about ten miles The
men were fatigued, footsore and thirsty.
In many instances, Two or three having
TO depend on one canteen, 1t was soon
emptled, and, when we stopped to rest
after the ten-mile march, were in sight of
| large spring of beautiful cold water.
But the General ordered that not q man
should leave the ranks to fill his canteen.
1t was hard to bear, but the men submit.
ted in patience till they saw the soldiers
from other brigades passing from the
spring with their canteens filled. This
was too much. and they began crying ou.s
Water, water Immediately the General
dashed among them, precleiming Mutt.
n.y. and demanding the offenders. Of
course, no one could tell who they were.
He then turned upon the regimental and
company officers, id them to hell"
ana spent some time in consigning the
soldiers to the same comfortable quarters.
After he had got them all label.
ed for that kingdom, he told them
their officers were mot worth a c.
d, and, having exhausted his vocab-
ulary OF gentlemanly explosives, calculat-
ed to encourage subordination, he called
the men into line and put them through
the evolutiOns of a brigade drill for about
naif an hour, and thus were they rested
to resume the march. These men-this
remnant of fine army who had been
dragged through the putrid swamps of
the Chickahominy till they were more
like ghosts than men-were thus rested.
thus drilled, thus marched, thus abused.
And the subject of these charges is
THE GALLANT OFFICER
whose martial qualities are set forth
equally to be admired by North and
South! If sneeriug at sick men in hos
pital, if robbery of soldiers food, If pro.
fame denunciation of the commanders I'M
der him, and utter disregard of every in.
stinct OF humanity are parts of chivalrous
strategy, the less We have,of it the better.
Ii such are the graduates West Point
turns out, no one will regret to see it soon
among the institutions of the past. The
late war was fought by American freemen,
who voluntarily sacrificed home, and
even life, for the welfare of their country.
They were no unwilling conscripts, forced
into battle at the point of the bayonet,
but. had they been horde of recaptured
deserters, they could hardly have been
treated more contemporary than by Gen.
Hancock. He may run we'll at the South,
but the votes he will get from those who
served under him will be wonderfully
small.