Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-25
ARMY PUNIsHNIENTS.
Penalties Imposed for Violations OfMili-
tary Law-Scenes and Incidents at Some
Executions in the Confederate Army
A Thief Drummed Out of Camp-A
r,..n.-icAla e

Penalties Imposed for Violations of Mill
tary Law-scenes and Incidents at some
Executions in the Confederate Army
A Thief Drummed Out of Camp-A
Convict's Life.
Murray ia Washington Star.
L has been said-inter drnld, silent
leges-in times of war the law is silent;
and in great measure this adage is
true, so far as the operations of the civil
laws are concerned, as was well exam
plitied on both sides 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 is more hide
bound, its code being the army regula-
tioDs, supplemented by the large discre-
tionary power OF the commanding officer.
In the early part of the civil contest,
when the volunteer troops considered
themselves as good as their officers, the
priVates in very many instances being SUI
perior to those placed by fortune over
them, both in education and social posi-
ton, were very FESTIVE under the saluta-
ry restraint of military discipline, and if
the superior officers had not been wise
enough to make allowances for this state
of feeling and to relax the strictness of
the rules with discretion at the outset it
is probable that serious mutinies would
have hampered the efforts of the CON-
handing Generals on both sides.
But even at that period punishments
for the refractory were put in practice
confinement in the guard house, the
ball and chain, extra police duty, riding
the wooden horse, carrying a rail, etc.,
etc. 1t is not, however, Of these minor
punishments / wish to write in this
sketch. They were the common Incl
dents of camp life, and conveyed no spe-
cial warning to the offenders or their COM
rades. 1t is of these seYerer punish
ments, cruel, doubtless, in themselves,
but absolutely necessary for discipline,
which carried to the hearts of all who
witnessed them the necessity Of prompt
and
STRICT OBEDIENCE To THE RULES
governing the vast machine-the army
of which thev were an integral part. The
lesson was thoroughly learned by the vol
unteers later on in the war.
When Gen. JOhnston's army fell back
from before the lines of Gen. Mcclellan IN
front of Washington, in the fall of 1861,
to go into winter quarters at Centerville,
his army had been brought into a very
fair state of discipline for those days. AS
weeks went by and discipline was re-
Taxed, the mOnOtOny of life and the vices
engendered by long stay in the idleness
Of winter quarters began to tell upon the
was rife, and the Generals determined to
put the screws down, SO to speak, that
discipline might be restored. According
ly daily drills were resumed whenever
the weather would permit, and quarter
guards and camp-guards were vigorously
maintained. About this time two men of
the Sixth Louisiana Regiment OF Infantry
q forget now which attacked enc OF their
officers on account of some order he had
rrsrr or g1rf 70
them, and beat him within an inch OF his
life. They were a rough set, those LOuisI-
anans, by the way. The offenders were
tried by court martial and ordered to be
shot on a 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 Virginia, and it
was not generally believed that the SEN
tence would be carried into effect. 1t
was thought to be too severe a punish
ment tor merely putting a head on sub
ordinate officer. But considering the lax
state Of discipline existing, Gen. Beaure-
gard, in whose section of the joint COM
mand of Johnston and himself the con-
demned men were enrolled, detefmiredt to
make an example that would prove TO the
entire army that the cOmmanderin-chlet
was in deadly earnest to maintain discl-
Dline. Strenuous efforts were made to
save these men, and kilograms came
pouring into headquarters as thick as
flies in August, but TO no avail. EX-Gcv-
errors, Congressman and other influential
men besieged the headquarters, but the
General was Obdurate. On the day set
for execution the brigade to which the
regiment of the condemned men was at
tached was drawn up in large open field
in three sides of a square.
THE PRISONERS, SEATED on THEIR COZ
FINS,
in an open wagon, followed by a strong
guard, were then driven into the centre
of the square, where two graves had been
dug. Thousands from the other brigades
Of the army had fiOcked to witness the
spectacle. The collins were placed beside
the open graves and the doomed men were
blindfolded and forced to kneel upon
them. To render the scene more impress
sive, while the firing platoon were max
ing ready the band of the brigade played
funeral di-ge. A flash, roll of smoke,
and the men fell forward on their faces,
and all was over. A fatigue party buried
them where they fell. while the troops
were marched off to their camps, deeply
impressed with the idea that military rule
was of iron. 1t need not to be said that
the dreadful scene had a wholesome e.
feet.
Another incident that l recOllect hap
pened in the writer's regiment (Seven-
teenth Virginia Infantry in 1862, which
partoOk more OF the nature of comedy
than a tragedy, and yet the punishment
was more disgraceful to the men involved
than in the case of those shot to death as
above stated. After the retreat from
Yorktown the regiment was encamped
below Richmond. Frequent complaint
was made by men of the different COM
=, rgk. I'd AlzF,
fects. AS the men were well acquainted
with each other, and had fought and bled
together, it was hard to lay the finger OF
suspicion on ANY one. A strict watch
was kept. and at last the THEFT, were
fixed upon two recruits who had lately
Joined one OF the Alexandria companies.
Now, | wish to say right here that in three
years of service in this regiment l do not
remember a single instance, but the one
above, where man was caught stealing
from his comrades. Even when almost
starving, the men would not surrepti-
tiously take even crust from the haver-
sack of a comraGe. On the contrary, in
my company, at least, it was share all
around in time of scarcity, although it
must be acknowledged that when the
cooks dOled out the scanty tati0f5 each
man was ready to take the best pieces. But
to our tale. A court martial condemned
the aforesaid thieves to have their heads
shaved, placard marked chief at
tached to their backs, and to
BE DRUMMED OUT OF CAMP
before the assembled regiment to tLetune
of the uRogue's March" 1t happened
that | was corporal of the guard in
charge Of the prisoners on the day the
sentence was to be carried into effect, and
it was my very disagreeable duty to act
as tonsorial artist for the occasion, to
make the finishing toilet of the pilferers,
as it were. felt sorry for the men, bad
as they had shown themselves to be, for
the disgrace which they must undergo
seemed little preferable to death itself.
Entering the tent where the men were
confined found them playing cards.
"You must undergo your sentence at
O'clock" said l. "but you must bear up.
You have brought 1t on yourselves"
sob, never mind, corpY," said one of
them, and they were both laughing.
sEWe're are glad to get loose. Wen be
enjoying life while you fellows are food
for the worms"
Utter disgust seized upon me and l felt
no more conjunction of conscience.
Calling in two of the guard to hold the
scOundrels in q convenient position, L
seized the shears and took my first and
last lesson as a barber. l think the JOB
was we'll done, for cut to the skin in
some places and left their heads striped
like a Zebra's back. At 8 p. m. the regi-
ment was drawn up as if for dress pa
rade, and marched the thieves out with
a file Of bayOnets at the back eff each,
and when all was ready paraded them up
and down before the line with the flies
and dums rafting away merrily at the
6GTp.