National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-20
ARMY PUNISHMENTS.
FHE PENALTIES IMPOSED FOR VIOLA.
TIONs OF MILITARY LAW.
lscenes and Incidents Attending Some Execu-
lions on the Field in the Confederate Ar.
mI-A Thief Drummed Out of Csmp--sad
Story Of a Convicts Life.

~ mas Deen balu-fntef anna, 8lent NgcS-
in times of war tho law is silent; and in a
great measure this adage Is true, so far as
the operations Of the civil laws arc con-
cerned, as was we'll exemplified on both
sidos of the fence, so TO speak, in our late
civil war. But, as there is law in civil
life,so Is there In the military, only that the
latter Ia more hide. bound--its code being
the army regulations, supplemented by
the largo discretionary power Of
the commanding officer. In the
earlier part Of the civil contest,
whom the volunteer troops considered
themselves as good as their officers the
privates in very many instances being
superior to those placed by fortune over
them, both In education and social posi-
ton, were very FESTIVE under tho salu-
tary restraint Of military discipline,
and If the superior officers had not been
wise enough to make allowances for this
etate Of feeling and to relax the strictness
of the rules with discretion at tho outset
4 1t Is probable that serious mutinies would
have hampered the efforts Of the COM
manding generals on both sides.
But even at that period punishments for
the refractory were put In practice-con-
fnement In tho Ruardhouse, the ball and
wooden horse, carrying a rail. &C., &c. 1t
Is not, however, of those minor punish
ments i wish to write in this sketch.
They were the common incidents of camp
life, and conveyed no special warning to
the offenders or their comrades.
1T Is OF THOSE sEvERER PUNIsHMESTs,
cruel. doubtless, In themselves, but ALSO
lutely necessary for discipline which
carried to tho hearts Of all who witnessed
them, the necessity of prompt and strict
obedience to the rules governing the vast
machine-the army--of which they were
an integral part. The lesson was thor
oughly learned by the volunteers later on
in the war.
When Gen. Johnston's army foil back
from before the lines of Gen. Mcclellan
in front of Washington, in the fall OF
1861, to 90 into winter quarters at Confer
terville, his army had been brought into
very fair state Of discipline for shosa
days As weeks went by and discipline
was relaxed, the monotony of life and the
vices engendered by long stay in the
idleness ofswinter quarters began to tell
upon the morale Of the army. Insubor-
dination was rife. and the generals deter
mined to put the screws down, 80 to speak,
that discipline might be restored. Ac-
cordingly daily drills were resumed when
4 ter-guards and oamp-guards were rlgor.
ously maintained. About this time
two of the men of the Louisiana
Tigers, or the 9th Louisiana regiment
of infantry Il forget now which,, attack cd
one of their officers on account of some
order he had given them which was dis
tasteful to them, and beat him within an
inch of his life. They were rough set
those Louisianisns, by the way. The Of
Tenders were tried by court-martal and
ordered to be shot on day stated. Now
up to this time, as far as my memory
serves me, there had been no military
execution In the army of Northern Vir.
GINA, and 1t was not generally believed
that the sentence would be carried
into effect. 1t was thought to be toe
severe punishment for merely putting
head on q subordinate officer. But CON
Ridering the lax state Of discipline exist
ing, Gen. Beauregard, in whose section Of
the joint command of Johnston and him
self the condemned men were enrolled
determined to make an example tha
would provo to the entire army that thu
commander-in-ehiefw was in deadly ear
nest to maintain discipline. Strsnuou
efforts were made to save these mon, ant
telegram5 came pouring into headquar
ters as thick as flies in August. but to n,
avail. EX-GOVERNOR, congressman, ant
other Influential men besieged the head
quarters, but the general was obdurate.
ON THE DAY SET FOR EXECUTION
the brigade to which the regiment Of tn,
condemned men was attached was draw
up in largo open Aeld in three sides of
square. The prisoners, seated on thei
collins in an open wagon, followed by
strong guard, were then driven into tn
center Of the square, where two grave
hal IL. 10
other brigades Of the army had hocked Il
witness the spectacle. The eofhns wsr
placed beside the open graves and tn
doomed men were blindfolded and forced
to kneel upon them. To render the seen
more impressive, while the firing platoon
were making ready the band OF tn
brigade played funeral dirge A flash,
roll of smoke, and the mon fell forwar,
on their faces, and oil was over. A fatigu
party buried them where they fell. Will
the troops were marched off to thei
camps, deeply impressed with the ide
that military rule was of iron. 1t need
not to be said that the dreadful seen
had a wholesome effect.
Another incident that recollect, hap
pened In the writer's regiment ut
Virginia infantry in 1862, which partool
more Of the nature of q comedy than
tragedy, and yet the punishment wa
moro disgraCeful to the men involves
than In the case Of those shot to death a
above stated. After the retreat fror
Yorktown the regiment was encampe
below Richmond. Frequent complain
was made by men Of the different com
panies of thefts committed on thei
effects. As the men were we'll &C
quainted ,ith each other, and ha
fought and bled together it was hard I
lay the finger of suspicion on any ono. .
strict watch was kept, and at last tn
thefts were fixed upon two recruits VIII
had lately Joined one of the Alexandra
companies. Now, 1 wish to say RICH
here that in three years of service in thi
regiment do not remember a single In
stance. but the above where man wa
caught stealing from his comrades. Eve
when almost starving, the men woul
not surreptitously take even crust froi
the haversack Of comrade. o
tho contrary, in my company,
least, il was share all aroun
in time Of scarcity, although it must /
acknowledged that when the cooks dole
out the scanty rations each man WI
ready to take tho best pieces But
our tale. A. eourt-martial condemne
the aforesaid thieves TO have their heaC
shaved, placard marked thief" q
tached to their backs, and to
BE DRUMMED OUT OF CAMP
before the assembled regiment to I'll
tune of the Rogue's march. 1t happene
that was corporal Of the guard in charf
of tho prisoners on the day the sentent
was TO DO carried into effect, and it WI
my very disagreeable 'ty to act
tonsorial artist for the oGcA on, to mai
the finishing toilet of the pilferers, as
were. felt sorry for the men, bad
they had shown themselves TO be, for IL
disgrace which they must undergo SCENE
but little preferable to death itself III
tering the tent whore the nsn were col
fined found them playing cards.
"You mon must undergo your sen ten