National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-05-27
SOLDIERS USED AS SERVANTS.
Reasons Given by the ComBinutlant OF
Fort Hamilton for Many Dcsertions.

There Is dissatisfaction among the soldiers in
FCrt Hamilton. They feel asgricycd at tho uses
they are put to by their superlors one Of them, II
bruwny, clear-eyed, muscular fellow, whose hands
showed that he had never used them for rough
labor, leaned against the sea rail yesterday and
expressed himself;
There is no excuse for II at all, sir? We enlist
ms soldiers and are supposed to guard the harbor
at the beck of the officers 10 run crands lor SER
want girls clean out cellars, cart wood, dig in
gardens, and in fact, do all sorts OF dirty work
not for Uncle sam. mind you, hut back ut the prl.
vatc residences OF the officers in the villages. We
are assembled every morning, except Sunday, at
and told Off To the number of sny sixteen TO twenty
"Who does this?"
the officers They send an orderly to him anu say
send me two men 10 cart some wood or man to
dig up my yard, or something Of that sort. We are
Obliged to do work that is foreign to our duty as
United States soldiers. couple of days agn |
went to town to bring back one shad to the
family of u lieutenant How does that strike yOu3
United States sold ier paid by the government
for carrying shat. Now the Book of Rcgua.
items Of 1881, containing articles Of war Revised
Statutes, &c, which Is the acknowledged and
only standard, says in section 1879 of the Revised
Statutes No officer shall us1 an enlisted man as
n servant in any case whatever Besides, para
graph 9l0 Of the regulations of 1868 aud 1881 ad-
monishes commanding officers that fitness for
military service by instruction and discipline is
the only object for which soldier shall be set Nt
work, except in extraordinary cases, which shall
be speedily reported to the War Department"
The reporter went among the officers resi-
dences They were beautifully kept Several of
the officers We're seem. They were uniformly
courteous, and even cordial. They all said In ct.
feet that the work had to be donr, and their sala-
ries would not admit of keeping men servants.
Hence they followed what had long been Il Gus.
tom there, and used the soldiers.
Colonel John Hamilton, who Is In command,
SAID it was the custom of tho service TO detail the
men TO work about the fort, us the smallne,s OF
the military appropriations required that the
greatest economy should be praCtlced. The men
had very easy times. Many of them entered the
Army expecting to have nothing to do whatever.
The desertons, OF which there have been twenty.
two since May Q, the Inst pay day were due to
various causes, one was because OF the receipt OF
two months pay in q lump Another reason was
that the men got tired of one place and one life.
Frequently they deserted from one post in the
spring. and the next fall turned up rs recruits ut
some distant post. II discovered they are pun
shcd. TO guard against this kind of dcsorters It
would be well to brand every enlisted man with
an ineildccable broad arrow of India ink. II
would be 10 disgrace, Colonel Hamilton added,
but rather mark of honor, aud would ellectually
prevent dcserter from re-enlsting.
At the fort yesterday six soldiers were on guard
duty, u dozen We're target shooting, few were
working around tho quarters Of the officers, and
many were doing nothing. There are about 200
Of them altogether,-NeiV York SHB.