The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-10-17
Sham Battles.


having sent m orderly to the union gen
eral with his compliments, and request
to attack, the boys in blue charged right
up the hill, in the hot sun, through q
perfect hail of blank cartridges, and. hav-
ing hauled down the traitorous emblem,
planted the flag Of our country on the
battlement Unfortunately, ten or
fifteen men were injured by burnt pow
der and vads from the guns, and had to
be removed to the hospital for repairs.
So it seems that charging rebel batteries,
even in these piping times Of peace, is
not unattended with danger, not to speak
of the collie that is almost sure to result
from drinking lemonade and eating pea
nnts. There are, however, consequential
damages of the most serious character
that may result from these sham battles,
and to which We desire to call the attcn-
ton of the Washington authorities.
For the past eighteen years the army
of United ststes pensioners has been
steadily reinforced. The regiments must
be as full as they were at the beginning
of the war. There will soon be several
pensioners in every family unless some
thing is done to reduce the army Of
alleged MANNED veterans to peace foot
ing. Uhe United States government has
already paid the neat little sum of $780,
100000 in pensions since the war. Last
year, alone, 1884 new pensioners were
created, and there are now on file 269,-
67s applicants to. be passed on. When
the vast number Of crippled Union SOL
diers is taken into consideration, we feel
that We have unwlttingly done the Con-
federate generals great injustice by re-
turing to believe their reports of the
battles of the war. During the war,
whenever the Confederate generals gain
ed battles-and they meyer lost single
one-the number of Yankees they re-
ported killed and wounded was thought
to be exaggerated. A great many people
in the South believed that the Conted-
crate generals lied, but now that hun
dreds Of Thousands Of wounded Federals
are applying for pensions, it is very
evident that the Confederate generals
underestimated the damage totlle Union
forces. 1t is pretty rough OH the average
taxpayer as it is, but if sham battles
become fashionable up North, there
never will be an end to the pension bus
mess. Those militia soldiers can all
receive pensions on account of their
injuries received in that sham battle.
They can conscientiously make affidavit
that they we're disabled while fighting
under the stars and stripes. They can
lay their hands on their shirt bosoms
and truthfully swear that they were shot
down (sith blank cartridges) while
charging on a rebel battery. Under these
circumstances, the government can have
no excuse for refusingto place the names
of the MANNED heroes on the pension roll,
particularly as there are tens of thous-
ands of pensioners who never smelt
powder, even in an ammunition wagon,
who are in perfect health, and are ter
ror to their landladies. Heretofore, per-
sons who were injured by saw-mills or by
railroad accidents, have had the inside
track in the pension business, but from
now on the sacred survivors of sham
battle, in which the Union forces were
severely punished, will take thelead and
keepit. s-.e.-t
The government should make it a penal
offense to engage in sham battle, and
Gen. Sherman should issue an erder: ''If
any man pulls down the lsham) rebel
flag, shoot him on the spot until he
desists.' =....