The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-08-29
CoMMIssARY DEPARTMENT.
Its Organization and Incidents Relating to It.

Its Organization and Incidents Relating TO It.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: At the COM
mencement of hostilities tho Commissary De-
partment of the Army was but meager affair,
with Brig Gen. Taylor at its head. IL was
really under tho control Of the Quartermaster
Department. Early in tho Spring of 1863 Col.
Amos Beck with, Lieut.. Col. George Bell, Capt.
Thomas Wilson and some other old Regular
Army officers conceived the idea of getting a
bill through Congress to make the Commssary
a distinct and separate Department OF the
Army, with one Major-General and as many
Brigadier- Generals Colonies, Majors and Cap
tains rs the service required AT that time the
writer, who had resigned cerkship in tho
House of Representatives TO enter the army,
was stationed with Col. Bell Chief Depot Com
missary of tho Army of the Potomac. at Alex
andria Va. Any old volunteer who had the
pleasure of serving under any of the old Reg
uars will fully understand my astonishment
when received an order to report to Col Amos
Beckwith, ut Washington. Immediately. When
/ reported the Colonel asked how long had
been an employee of the House of Representa-
tivcs, and when i replied about six years, no
asked: About how many Members of Con-
gress do you know" 1 replied, Nearly ALL"
He handed me the bill, and asked me to read
il. When / had finished he asked: "Do you
think you can get that passed by the Housed"
l replied that | could get it offered and re"
ferred to the Committee on Military Affairs,
and If there was any fine work to be done, such
as explaining the necessity of the changes to
be made, that it must be done with the COM
mttee, in order to get an early and favorable
report. He replied: Il see you understand
the way it is done, and as you will need some
money for expenses, / will draw on our grease
fund for all you may need"
l aiterward learned why It was called the
"grease fund.-" In boiling large quantities of
meats at the soldiers rests, the fat was skim
4 a n,
tallow were sold, and the proceeds turned into
the Department and called the "grcase fund.-"
and was used for incidental expenses, etc.
After receiving my instructions ! immedi-
ately proceeded to the Capitol, aud button-
hoed the Member from my District, the Hon.
Elijah Rabbit, of Erie Pa, who agreed to offer
the bill, but afraid that he could not get the
floor told him that would see to that and
being well acquainted with Speaker Coiax aud
his clerk, Thad Morris, it did not take long to
| arrange that he would be recognized the next
| day during tho morning hour. Being an old
employee of the House, no one questioned my
| right to be OH the floor during the session, and
took advantage of that fact to explain the bill
to many OF the Members, and especially TO
those of the Military Committee, among them
the Hon. Edward MCPHERSON, of Pennsylvania,
who was at that time the Chairman.
On the next day Mr.. Babbitt offered tho
bill, and il was referred to the committee
without objection. Two days later the
| Chairman reported the bill favorably to the
House. and it passed. / then followed 1t TO the
| Senate, where it had TO 90 through another
routine of red tape" but by urging IL rs
military necessity il was rushed through in
/ three days and sent to the President for his
signature. Now, being young man of but
81 years of age, aud raised In the back woods Of
western Pennsylvania. it really seemed like
/ stroke of fortune to have the bill passed so
| y oil nQiV n
my achievements, and only asked as my reward
/ for commission as Captain and Commissary of
| Subsistence in the Regular Army. i merely
wished to be transferred from the volunteer TO
the Regular Army. My application met the
same fate that many others did In those days.
| IL went into some pigeon-hole in the War De-
partment, and that was the last ever heard
| Of 10.
] returned 10 Alexandria, where Col. Bell
/ was running the largest grocery store this
| country ever saw, there being on hand ready
for issue on the last day of March, 1863.
100000 30 pound boxes of hard bread, 10000
| barrels of pork aud beef beans peas and rice.
coffee, tea aud sugar, molasses, pepper, salt and
vinegar, soap and candles, desiccated mixed
| vegetables French cabbage and curry, all in
| proportion. During the Winter the army had
| TO be supplied with potatoes 10 keep off tho
| scurvy. and when il became known along tho
| New England coast that the Government
| Wautcu large quantities Oh POTATOES sLney ulH
not stop TO put them in barrels. but shipped
them in bulk In vessels. The first lead We
| received from Maine. On removing tho
matches the men who were to unload them
jumped down. and before they had time to
| wink they were up TO their necks In frozen
potatoes. They bad frozen on their way down
the New England coast, and when they came
| up the Potomac IL was warm enough 10 thaw
them; the consequences was that they lost over
half their cargo.
10 was during the Winter Of 1862 that tho
brigade field bake-ovens were found not 10 bo
n success, aud that the ration Of -four WINS
wasted aud what bread was baked was Of a
poor quality aud very short In quantity. Tho
idea was conceived by Col. Bell 10 build bak-
| cry large enough 10 supply nn army OF 100 600
men with fresh bread daily. Upon laying bic
plans before the Commissary General 40 WASH
ington, he was ordered 10 build tho bakery at
Alexandria. The buildings were erected on
the outskirts of the city on the branch railroad
leading from Alexandria 10 Wash ingt6n aud
when completed had capacity for baking
100000 loayes every ~ hours aud Ia four
months time made q saving 10 the Government
OF over $4,000. and gave the soldier tho same
weight Of bread that he received in the -four
ration. At this time the army lay at Falmouth,
in front OF Fredericksburg, aud all this large
amount Of soft bread chat IN tho name the boys
gave III had to be transported daily by steamer
to Aqua Creek aud Bell Plain, besides all the
large amOunt Of other stores necessary 10 feed a
large army,
Fresh beef was an item not TO be overlooked.
The Department kept herding and c0rralled ia
the country surrounding Alexandria from 4 900
TO 5000 head Of beef cattle with orders 10 ship
10 the front daily aa many AS were required.
The larger portion OF these cattle were from
the West, and were as wild as deer. The herd
ers had 10 drive them through the main streets
OF the city TO push them on board steamers en-
route for the front. IL was during the load
J, ing Of the steamer Warrior-she had carry
Ing capacity for 600 head OH one deck--that the
following incident occurred: Before driving
them through the city, they were divided into
lots Of 100 each, as that number could be moro
easily handled. Now any one that ever saw
, drove of wild Western cattle, can easily imag-
Inc just how they would perform when they
were being prOdded with the herders' long goad.
sticks. through narrow street. with the dogs
barking, and cheap clothing, red shirts etc,
hanging In front of the numerous stores fiyinR
! In their faces. IL simply made them furious,
and one old broad -horled fellow lowered his
head, shot his tail into the air, and made a rush
, for red shirt. The door being open he never
stopped until lbs reached the rear end of the
! store, where sewing machine stood with a
red cover on 1t; the steer saw IL, lowered his
head, and, presto change" the sewing ma.
chine went up TO the ceiling and came down q
: wreck In the meantime the Jew proprietor
took refuge under tho counter. About this
3 time herder appeared on the scene and with
bis long goad-stick prodded him out in good