St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-02
THE ARMY UN DER BUELL..
A Review of the Famous Investigation
by General Fry, U. s. A.
The Proceedings of Commission without
Legal Power or Authority.
Shedding Light Upon One of the Dark
Pages of Oar Military History.
Written for the Omaha Hearald. /


spite of President Lincoln's opposition to
Swapping horses whilst swimming a
stream" this was sometimes done in the
midst of a campaign or Immediately pre-
ceding great battle, an operation which
may aptly be compared to placing the reins
Of a runaway team in the hands OF an I'M
known driver, or kicking aside surgeon
whilst engaged in tying up the artery of an
amputated limb, In order to put somebody
else in charge to try and save the PATIENTS
life. Efforts were usually made to justify the
change, but in only one single instance was
any attempt made to punish and disgrace
the displaced general. In all other cases
where the generals had the slightest claims
to merit, the efforts to justify the action
taken were limited to inuendos and Sights
calculated to bring into disrepute, with his
countrymen and the army, the deposed Off
Ger. In the single case of Major General
Don Carlos Buell., the effort to disgrace and
punish was extended by placing the opera
tons OF his army for investigation in the
hands of body of officers whose actions it is
one of the objects of General Fry's book to
explain.
Before proceeding to notice the action of
this board it may be wei! to refer briefly to
the man WHO was to be brought before it, his
character and services.
. era iuate of West Point in 1S41, Buell.
came out OF the Mexican war the adjuta ut of
his regiment, and one Of the most distin-
guished subalterns in the army, being once
severely wounded, and twice brevetted for
gallantry in battle. He was made an assist
ant adiutant general in 1913, and from that
time till the opening of the civil war, when
he was a lieutenant colonel, had occupied
various important and responsible position
in the army, A man of ripe judgment,
highly accomplished, cool and impartial, he
was one OF the first selected in 1861 for the
position Of brigadier general Of volunteers,
aud was appointed to command the depart
ment OF Ohio in the fall of that year. His
march from Nashville and opportune arrival
on the field Of Pittsburg Landing in the
spring of 1862, is well known, and on the
2lst of March of that year he was made ma
jor general. His advance on Chattanooga
alter the evacuation of Corinth; his race
for Nashville and Louisville with
Gen. Bragg; the saving of both these
places from capture by the rebel
army; his conflict with that army at Perry
vile, and the final thrusting of Bragg out of
Kentucky, are all matters of history, and
are well and clearly set forth by Gen. Fry,
VINO was his chief staff
On the 29th of September, the day Of the
arrival of Buel's last division at Louisville,
and two before his army resumed its ad
vance against Bragg, an order was received
from Washington relieving Buell. of his com
mand. At the request OF Thomas, who was
designated to succeed him, the order was
suspended. The battle of Perryville followed.
and, whilst Buell., with Haleck's congratu-
lOry dispatches of the 18th in his possession,
was pursuing Bragg out of Kentucky, an
order, dated six days later, relieved him again
from command. That there was no military
reasons for this step was at the time per-
tectly apparent In those early days of the
war the popular ideas of military matters
were exceedingly crude. Enthusiastic non
professionals fancied they could Conduct
campaigns more successfully hundreds of
mics away from the scene of action than ac-
com plished soldiers on the spot, and that the
general who after the defeat of his enemy did
not ''gobble up'' his whole army was no gen.
eral at all. Hence the assertion Of Gov.
Morton that Bragg with his army had es-
capped into East Tennessee" and that Buell's
army was falling back, had in all probability
most 10 do with cutting of Buell's head.
Now comes the singular phase of this case
which makes it differ from all others occur
ring during the war Buell. was ordered on
turning over his army to Rosecrans to pro-
coed TO Indianapolis and await further
orders.
What those further orders were to be Buell.
was not lett long in doubt. On the 10th of
November following special order No. $50
h. 10. 10, nft k,s.
army. This order directed that on the 9th
military commission" should convene at
Cincinnati "to investigate aud report upon
the operations of the army under the com
mand Of Major General Buell., U. S. vols, in
Kentucky aud Tennessee"
Why General Hallcck Ia high authority on
military law Mr. Stanton (the secretary Of
war and distinguished lawyer or whoever
else was responsible for this order should
have chosen to designate this board of Off
GERS "a military mmission" 1t is difficult
TO conceive, nor is 1t at all clear why, II in
vestigatiOn was required or seemed neces-
sary, such Investigation should have been
committed 10 an organization entirely I'M
known aud unauthorized by the laws OF our
country. Surely 1t would have been wiser
and certainly would have had more the APP
pearauce OF justice and spirit OF fairness to
have committed this investigation 20 some
tribunal recognized by the law; some one
which could have had the power to bind
itself 10 do justice by some form OF legal
oath or SOME power to bind the witnesses
who might come before It to tell the truth.
This so called commission was author
lied TO adjourn from place TO place, as might
Oc leemed desirable for the convenience Of
taking testimony, and was directed TO ''re-
port an opinion in the case. It's members were
Major Generals Lewis Wallace aud L. o. c.
Ord, aud Brgadier Generals Albin Schoept.
Y. !. T. Dana and Dauicl Tyler, United
States volunteers, with Major Don Piatt, A.
D. c., TO act as judge advocate.
II is curious to speculate as to what kind Of
an oath this remarkable body OF men may
have had administered TO themselves by their
so called judge advocate, OF by what kind Of
an oath be bound himself 10 perform his
duties, tor here was none administered in
public, and no legal oath which could be ad-
ministercd in public or private This fact,
however, does not seem TO have prevented
the commission" from inGulging In 4 very
extensive system OF Oaths, for although the
record did not show that its members we're
sworn at all; It does show that Buelrs
aids dc camp we're sworn to secrecy,
and that an attempt was made to
swear him in the same way. This
be refused TO permit and the commission
resolved to proceed without his pres
ence. To this DC objected, so 1t permitted
him 10 be present without swearing, (that Is,
without taking any oatu,) but decided be
should not cross-exsmine witnesses, but this
point, under protest from Buell., was also
yielded and the investigation began with
closed doors. Il IS almost impossible TO be-
lieve that these facts can De stated OF the
transactions OF a tribunal unknown TO our
laws, ordered to act bv the government Of our
free country in this age Of the world. But
these things did occur ONLY tgeptv-iwo wears