The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-11-20
THE REGULAR ARMY.
A Plea for Those Reasonable Regulars and Lit.
tie MAJ

lE.E Two Nt.tl> Oh Nue TeNGllleu. buI nv inter
est was more particularly aroused by reading
the article from COmraae J. NJ. Rogers, Co. II,
10th Conn, in your paper Of Oct. ..
lie says: TO begin with, the South not only
desired but determined upon war as early as
ls5l' This is true to the letter. The old
motto Of the Southern politicians TO rule or
~. was de- rooted IN the Southern mind,
aulsi1tu M with full hloss0m after the Lincoln
Douglas campaign was decided, and whether
the election Of Mr.. Douglas would have quoted
the storm for another sour years is blank
question. And whether the South had any
faith in the election Of Mr. Douglas or not, it is
certain that they had prepared for war
Floyd was Secretary Of War during the
buchanan administration, and lie commenced
his work rs early as ISIS by closing the recruit
in Offices for the Regular Army.
The Mormon war in Utah had attracted my
attention in 1853, and had concluded TO join
the Army and 20 there, when / picked up
paper in Elgin, ILL.,, and read notice that all
but two Of the recruiting offices for the Army
were closed. and so | went 10 Chicago and en-
listed on December q, SIS, and very soon after
the two remaining Offices were closed. In
1859 all the dspOsable recruits which had been
collected at Governors Island. \. Y, and New
port, KY, were sent 10 Utah TO ill the ranks Of
the regiments stationed there.
10 is well known that before the war the
Regular Army was principally oilicered by
Southern m1n, which Of course gave the South
a great advantage in preparing for war. The
movements Of these officers commenced in the
early part Of 1860 Gen. A. s. Johnston, who
was then in command Of the Department Of
Utah, left Camp Floyd on the 10th day of March,
l5G0. TO 20 South and take his place in the
ranks OF the rebellion. aud from that time
"lcaye Of absence" was freely granted TO GER
tain ranking officers who were wanted down
South
In the Spring OF 1850 marching orders came
from the War Department that scattered the
Regular Army TO the four winds. My regi-
mCnt the 10th Inf WAS scattered into Arizona,
New Mexico Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.
My company (C) marched from Utah TO where
we built Fort Lyon, on the Arkansas River,
where we witnessed the general stampede Of
Southern officers, who migrated to the South
during the Summer Of 1861, until We were left
almost without commissioned officers. But
while the mass Of Southern officers went South,
it must be remcm bered that quite a number Of
them chose TO remain with the Government
that had made them what they were, and fought
nObly for the Union, and 10 such the tribute Of
reasonable" is anything but becoming. And
then, il COmTadC Rogers knows. We had 4 very
large Frontier 10 guard against the depredatiOEs
of savage and hostile Indians so that il was an
utter impossibilitv for the Regular Army to be
removed from their stations on the Frontier
until they could be replaced by volunteers.
But when so relieved they marched gladly to
the front and did their duty like men, and that
without the stimulus Of b0unties.
We had four companies Of the IOsh Inf. who
could be spared from Utah, and joined the
army before Richmond, and were battAlioned
with four companies Of the 2d Inf Gen. Ne.
Clelian appropriated this battalion for his
Headquarters Camp-guard. Their tactics were
those of light infantry, and during the Seven
Days fight in the retreat from before Rich
mond, this battalion used 10 take their places
in the line OF battle, dopIoyed as skirmishers,
aud fight through the whole day.
In Gen. McClellan's report Of the battle OF
Antictam he says that this battalion captured
rebel battery, although there were not men
enough TO haul away the guns" And that
was done with the loss Of but one man. In
November, 1862 four companies of US who had
come in from Arizona, New Mexico, and Coo.
RADIO, Joined this battalion before Eredercks-
burg, Va. and while was with them in the
battles Of Frederick sbuTR, Charlottesville and
| Gettysburg, | saw nothing but willing bravery
exhibited by Them.
| Again, he says: Mcclellan organized the
Army of the Potomac, but who appointed its
corps commanders? Did subsequent events
prove them to DO the best onesl / make no
case for Mcclellan. In the strictes. military
| sense, he was not a fighting General. / am
| after facts" I'm the first paragraph Of his
HAFLElNs nc SAyb. y ED4ulcE paper Is lON TIC
information Of soldiers facts are iaformatiOa-
mere statements arc Ro'.")
Now, 10 those WHO were acquainted with
| Mcclellan, the +" facts which italicizs in this
| parenthesis will be a sufficient explanation OF
| the " facts " that he says lie is after" But
| verify believe that there are a great many,
who honestly judge Mcclellan in like manner,
| who are really uuacquanted with the circum-
stances and difficulties under which he labored.
| In the question Who appointed It's corps
| commanders" the comrade makes case for
| Mcclellan in spite Of himself The OTganiZI-
| ton Of the Army Of tho Potomac of itself Is
an overwhelming evidence that its organizer
| was fighting" man, for subsequent events
/ proved that he knew now 10 set his men up
| Tor a fight; aud the way lie handled them in
the Seven Days fight, IN his retreat from before
Richmond, and at Antetam. proved to the
/ Europeans that he knew hCw 10 handle them.
| But while Mcclellan was allowed 70 organize
/ save i'm the appointment Of OificeTs-the Army
| Of the Potomac, after that much is said, he
| was like q boy sent 10 celebrate the Fourth OF
| July with one irecTackeT in his pocket and no
money 10 buy gingerbread. lie had to do his
/ work with just what Inc had with him, and
| although his chosen plan was to attack Rich
/ moud via Petersburg. he must keep his army
| between Richmond and Washington, and bear
| the blame Of planting his army in a swamp;
| aud when il was thought that he was about u
1 take Richmond, the commander of the Army
| of the West-WhO until this time had been
/ having a good time in s.. Loui3-eOuld step
/ down into Tennessee aud take command in
| person before Corinth and set his army 10
| digging in tho ground, while the whole rebel
| Army Of Tennessee rushed of TO Richmond TO
| drive Mcclellan away, leaving but COTpOTal's
/ guard at Corinth. A rebel deseTter told me
/ that the day that Gen. Haleck took command
| before Corinth they sent away 10000 rebels 10
| Richmond, and the rest OF their army came as
| fast as they could get there. Aud then. while
| McDowells Army of Observation could have
| turned back Jaekson's thanking column he had
| other business, and stood by To observe
/ Jack sons flank, aud make McClellan's position
| uutcnabe-
| Another difficulty that he labOred under was
| that he must send all his plans to Washington
10 be approved or disapprOycd, and then his
| plans aud orders would come TO Richmond,
! aud he could get them from there three days
| sooner than the slow bOatwOuld bring them
! from Washington. These are some Of the diff
culties lac had to contend with, which, think,
/ should shield him until he went into politics.
| Blu. think we all might exercise much charity
/ ia judging the actions Of those who fought fOI
the Union. lis at least too late to ask them
! 10 correct their mistakes and il seems to me
| that after % years we ought 10 grow peaeeable
w. l.. RAYMOND. Meadows, Idaho.
For E0sebuiS or Marriage.
| Ladies Home journal
! Let me venture a few little points TO those
OF my girls who since the Summer have worn
a bright ring on their third finger:
NV dear don't let the man To whom YOU
! are puragea tn be married nay any of the ex.