The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-06-12

3UDA4t1 1zlA&0UUE.
1.as.as II w ~ Siassss ivssyssay.
1pysessalH asassaA 0ssaA {.
speaking q, Jubsl Early recalls. tve
incidents Ne DO NOT remember to have
seen in print. Of, II given, only par
TALLY related. Shortly after the battle
Of Winchester the Richmond .gcvcr1.
ment forwarded 10 Esr1ys krhiy, then
a. Fishers Hill, ten or twelve Napo-
leon guns, admirably equipped. Tho
guns were unloaded from the ears n
staunton. and packed IL ne wide
street near The railroad track Just west
81 the depot. Tho dry after their ,ar-
rival AZ. otderf1 ssigeant nanaed May,
Belonging to company A, Twenty.
Eighth Virginia Veteran Infantry.
Pickett's division. then stationed on the
lines below Richmond, arrived ct
Staunton on his way TO his command:
May, who was . waS, seeing youth
about Is years Of age connected with
the quartermaster's department. then
under the orders Of Major Edward Nc.
Mahon, engaged with pot amt. brush
marking and direstins barrels of mess
beef to Earlys command, and learning
from him who the gums were for, May
borrowed the boys outfit aid Proceeded
to direct each gun III plain letters,
much to the amusement of the soldiers
gathered around:
Major-General Phil Sheridan,
Care Of Iieutspane General Early,
Near Winchester Va
The arrival Of the guns thus directed
al their destination some days latcr
created . good deal Of mirth and some
anger in The artillery camps. and. q re:
port Of the matter reached Earlys ears.
Mounting his horse, he rode out to the
different batterieS to which tho guns
had been assigned, ind snw for himself
The indignity = the wsg had put on his
command. Towering with passion,
with a.yolley Of oaths, he ordered the
offensive lettering to DO removed, che
did not care d-n how" by the next
review day under the penalty of cashier
ing and reduction to ranks Of every
commissioned officer who failed to obey.
On his arrival at his tent he ordered an
inquiry to be at once instituted for the
offender, and the facts as related by the
boy were placed before him. A long
list Of double and twisted charges, with
accompanying specifications, were
drawn up against the orderly and for
wsrded with the usual request, to the
War Department, that tho offender be
Arrested, tried, and DEATH with as pro-
vided in such cases.
Before the Department could act the
battle Of Fishers Hill was fought, and
Sheridan had The guns. A few days
later the charges were returned to EARLY,
then at Mount jackson, with the shat
tered remnant of his command, with
the printed Endorsement thereon sigti
ed by James A. Seldom, then Secretary
of War, that "His Excellsncy the Presi,
dent had ordered court Of inquiry to
Investigate the late disasters in the vail
ley, and as the guns had duly reached
their destination as directed by the
only known method of delivery at the
earliest possible day for such an event
to happen, and the consignee, General
Sheridan, the only person who had a
right to complain, had expressed no
dissatisfaction as to the direction CT
mode of delivery, the charges, with
specifications and accompanying papers,
are respectfully returned to the general
commanding Che Department of the
Shenandoah, and soon thereafter EARLY
was relieved of all command by ordef
Of General Lee. This piece of drunk
en- folly was q fitting finale to u long
career Of inconsistency, military bravo
do and official .incompetency.
Several OF the captured guns; With
their prophetic directions partly oblit-
Grated by use and the weather, could be
seen as late as July, 1865, at the Mar
tinsburg depot; whittier they had been
sent after the battle:
The other incident occurred whilo
General Grant was acting secretary OF
war, during Johnson's administration.
Several Virginian's, headed by Beverly
Douglas, called on Grant, and proceed
ed to intercede for Early, who was then
refugee in Canada. Grant in
his quiet way replied, THAT General
Early seemed very DESTROYS of being
made martyr of, but he will be disap-
pointed. His case in no wise differs
from that of many others now living
peaceably at their homes; he was clear
ly included in the terms of the surrend-
er, which will be sacredly kept on my
part, and he can return to the United
States whenever he sees proper to dc
SO. This department, so far as I know
has no charge to prefer against Gensr.
eral Early, and no other department Of
the government has any thing to do
with him or his alleged actions during
the late war;" Early came home soon
after a thoroughly disappointed and
Disguised man, and, it is needless to
say, this indifference has had more to
do with his carping and bitterness than
if he had been subjected to trial and
conviction, for form sake, and could to-
day show an executive pardon:-Lynch:
burg (Va.) Cor. Inter- Ocean.
Espionage in Russia.
In Russia; says Rev: DR.. Buckley, d
child ten years of age cannot 60 away
from home to school without q passport.
Common servants ind peasants cannot
60 away from where they live without q
=