Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-12-26
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
HONESTY OF THE SOLDIER.

Not Paymnster Robbed During Moro
Than Four Ycsrs of the War.
After the arst entity of the volunteer
into tho nav life of the soldier, 1t al
ways seemed to me, that either the |
oath of muster in or some invisible |
cause made him man OF honor,
q man whose word could be trusted. 1
am willing to admit that in the prepara-
tory camp he may have been, and was,
somewhat wild, but when he became
somewhat accustomed to the routine of
soldierly duties, saw the necessity of
drill and discipline, his word always
seemed to me as good as gold.
This fact is more firmly established
FOR the reason that with the thousands
of opportunities l have yet to hear of a
paymaster being robbed during the war
by the sutler, the volunteer or regular
soldier, and this point stands out in
high relief to their credit, for nothing
could have been more easy during
those days than for one soldier and one
accomplicc, making themselves inde-
pendently rich, had they been 80 dis
posed.
During the last two years the surviv-
luR SOlulcT VI VIC Aooo "U'
doubt remember the small iron safe
carried by paymasters when they came
to "the front" to pay off the troops.
They were small, as matter OF course,
and two men could carry it easily, it
having handle on each side for that
purpose.
When paymaster would arrive, he
would be given an extra tent in which
to place the safe; guard would be de-
tailed who was supposed to keep the
safe in sight and well remember an
incident thatcame under my own view
of that kind. The safe in this instance
contained, the paymaster told me, sew
an hundred thousand dollars. An ex-
ira tent was assigned him on his ar
rival, and detail of three men, all he
asked for, was made to guard the extra
tent. The guard paced backward and
forward in front of it, but as he could
not possibly see the rear of 1t, and only
occasionally its sides, any one can read
lily see that it would have been no diff
cult matter for two dishonest soldiers
to have cut open the tent from the rear,
quietly enter it, and carry off the safe
with all it's contents, the guard being
none the wiser. Even the guard could
easily have become an accomplice with
some others, and winked at the rob
berry. After securing the booty, 1t
could easily have been hidden away,
to await a future visit; when the for
tune could have been secured and di-
vided.
This is only one illustration of the
ease with which paymasters could have
nj
other plans that might have been put
In force, whereby fortune might have
been secured
To the everlasting credit of the sol
diers composing the federal army dur
ing the late war, not single paymas
ter was robbed by the soldiers them
selves. They did lose money in man,
ways; one believe, lost in gambling
nearly all the contents of his safe; al
immense amount of greenbacks were
lost by the sinking of the Sultana OF
the Mississippi below Memphis, if 1 re
member correctly, rising into more
than n million of dollars They los
money in many other ways, but no sol
dier that ever heard of, was guilty
with all the opportunities at his dispos
al, of taking a single greenback from
them.
There was something in the servic'
that seemed to put men on good beha
vior; it might have been the oaths re
quired of them, or it may have beer
the knowledge that when they wor
she uniform of their country they rep
resented the everlasting principles o
right, justice and humanity in general
and that it would be inconsistent il
them to do single act that was meal
or wrong. In any way it may b
looked at, the fact that no paymaste
was robbed by the soldiers during tn
war, whose opportunities were excel
lent every day, speaks volumes il
praise of the inherent honesty of tn
pay corps of the federal army durin
the war.-Reub. Williams, in America,
Tribune. err....