Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-01-17
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
A COWARDLY OFFICER.

the widow of Zachariah Reeder. She
was old and poor and blind. Her hus
band had been q soldier in the 10th Ohio
infantry and died in hospital at Camp
Dennison, o., on the dth of July. 1864
of that insidious destroyer, chronic
diarrhma. The wife stood by his cot
holding his hand and felt the last pulse
beat and knew the soul had ebbed out
upon which she leaned.
She returned to the humble home
from which the soldier, three years be.
fore, strong and brave, had gone to the
front. In due time she was awarded
the pension which the government then
allowed soldiers widows, eight dollars
month. On this pittance she managed
TO exc out existence until the spring OF
1884, when there occurred a new chapter
in her sorrowful history. Zachariah
Reeder had lived his uneventful life at
Henpeck and knew little of the world,
but designing woman had managed to
get his name in some way, as well as
that of his company and regiment and
filed claim for pension alleging that
she was his widow-together with all
the facts usually stated in a declaration
for pension.
The usual call on the Adjutant-Ge ZEN
erals Office for the soldiers military
history developed the fact that in the
late fall of 1868 Zachariah Reeder had
been courtmartialed for desertion and
sentenced to a forfeiture of all pay and
allowances and to six months hard labor
in the military prison of Nashville,
Tenn, and that he had died in hospital
at Camp Dennison. o., on the 4th of
July, 1864, three months after the eX-
piration of his sentence. This record
had been overlooked when the rightful
widow had obtained her pension, soon
after the soldiers death. Under the
then rulings of the Pension Office such
q record would have deprived the SOL
dier of a pension and consequently of
any one claiming through him and the
FSor old blind widow of TIenpecl5 was
stricken from the 55 5555insa::1on rolls and her
allowance suspended.
Her miserable condition soon became
noised about the little village and a
storm of protest went up to Washing
tngton against this action of the Pen
sion Office.
The papers in the case were sent to a
special examiner of the pension office
then located at Wilmington. o., with
instructions to investigate and ascertain
the true condition of affairs, in which
two women had claimed to be the
widows of the same soldier and the fol-
lowing curious history was unfolded: In
the fall of 1862, when all Kentucky and
the North was in commotion by the in
vasion of Bragg's army and the threat
ened capture of Louisville, the roth
Ohio Infantry was ordered to move
from n camp in the central part of the
State. at which it had been some time
located. Zachariah Reeder was sick,
too sick to march and as his officers
thought, so near deaths door as to be of
no further use as soldier. He was
given pass, told to go home. and that
his discharge would be sent to him in
due time. This promised discharge
was an assumption his company Off
GERS had no right to take, but the
ignorant soldier knew no better and
went home. He worried along in poor
health for months, wondering why his
( Charge never came. And the officer
VIZ lad sent him home and marked
him discharged OF the company book
was also worrying. rhe discharge for
warded from the company to army
headquarters for approval was lost or
misplaced and never came back. Mean
while the company commander, to cover
up his own delinquency and assumption
of authority, carried the name of Zach
ariah Reeder on his company roll and
had him reported as present for duty
with his company, when for months he
knew he was at home sick and
that he had sent him there. This
officers conduct seems to have been in
fiucnced more by his fear of superiors
than by his duty to his soldier In the
summer of 1858 by the advice of n
farmer in the neighborhood, to whom
he had disclosed the condition of affairs
as to his coming from the army Reeder
reported himself to the military author
tiles at Camp Dennison, o., lest he
might be arrested for desertion. But
this did not save him. No sooner had
he reported himself and stated the cir
cumstances of his absence from his
regiment, than a man calling himself a
deputy provost marshal and who made
his living by the costs out of which he
fieeced the Government in such cases,
seized him as deserter and took him
to his regiment
Back with his company again, all
went on as usual for some months when
one day lie was ordered for trial before
u court martial, sitting in the vicinity
of his regiment. The charge was deser-
ton and the otfense consisted in his GO
ing home on a pass from his Captain
with promise that his discharge would
be sent him. On trial the poor fellow
was too ignorant and 40 badly fright
ened to explain all this, and no one was
there to speak for him. The officer who
had been the cause of all this trouble did
not possess true bravery in sufficient de-
gree to step forward and acknowledge
his own error and thus save an innocent
man. Hence the sentence of the court
that was the already sick mans death
decree. Printed copies of the company