Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-11
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
QUEER MILITARY INDUSTRY.
An Army Oficial Tells Remarkable sto-
ries of War Times.

president were being rigidly enforced,
says an old army officer. A man whose
name was on the fated list of conscripts
had but one alternative-the ranks or
providing a substitute.
BY the provisions of the act of con-
gress authorizing the draft three hun.
bred dollars was the allowance for
these substitutes. But as the war pro-
crossed and everybody's name was ON
the provost marshal's books-that is,
every citizen who had ever voted or was
an eligible voter-the price rose in pro-
portion to the scarcity of available ma
terial for substitutes till in some of the
smaller states in New England and in
many western neighborhoods large
sums, from one thousand two hundred
dollars to two thousand dollars even,
were paid by those who were drafted,
and the quotas of each county and town
being duly apportioned the citizens
thereof voted county and town boun-
ties, and these sums, added to the state
and national bounties, made up very
respectable inducement to young men
to enlist.
This state of affairs held out every
temptation TO unprincipled men to en-
list for the sake of the bounty. Many
such enlistments were made by for
eigners, and not few Americans, most
of whom with no family ties and no re-
gard for them if they had, did the same
thing. They enlisted for the money,
pure and simple, and little perjury
here and there was small matter to
such elastic consciences. The substi-
tute who was in strange part of the
country and sworn to the fact that he
was an alien, or at any rate had never
voted, and enlisted only for bounty,
meant to desert when he could. An
cruited to fill up regiments already in
the field. They received similar large
bounties, had no more intention of
fighting than the substitutes had, and
were in great part, especially in cities,
graduates of jails and penitentiaries-
good enough food for powder if their
teeth were strong enough to bite a
"hard-taclz."
When these men had passed their
medical examination, signed their en-
listment papers, and duly perjured
themselves according to law they were
put in United States uniforms, furnish
ed with blanket, knapsack, haversack
and canteen, and sent, under guard, to
some receiving depot, where they re-
manned till they were forwarded to the
several regiments TO which they were
accredited. In these temporary depots,
in large cities like New
York, Philadelphia and Boston, there
was acomplete reign of terror. Strength
and brutality were uppermost. Half
dozen ruffians would attack a small-sized
man and take his money from him. To
complain was useless; it was impossible
to identify the money or to fix the Of
Tense, in general, upon any one individ-
ual.
From time to time these recruiting
depots were thinned out by sending the
men to various camps until enough
were collected for any designated regi- |
ment Troops from the east were sent |
to Camp Grant and to Camp Taylor, |
four or five miles from Washington
the former being only for drafted men,
and the other for substitutes and re-
cruits newly enlisted
had charge of the latter camp dur
ing the winter of 1906, and of all the |
nngracious work ever had to do in the |
army that was the meanest To start |
with, had control of shifting. vary
ing class of humanity, as "hard" lot |
as ever assembled in a penitentiary, |
with none of the restraints which are
thrown about the latter place, with no |,
possibility of maintaining more than a
semblance of discipline. ! had all the |
of a prison warden
without his means of enforcing obedi-
ence, and / am satisfied that year of
such work would have brutalized me
beyond redemption. AS it was, found
ny character-not, trust, an ungentle
Notwithstanding from day to day un-
Ter such debasing influences, and
was truly thankful when transferred
% a more congenial line of duty.
Camp Taylor covered in all about fif-
cen acres, surrounded by no stoclxade,
out instead with an armed guard of the
Veteran Reserve corps, an organization
# which those of the present genera
ion know nothing. 1t was composed
# soldiers who had been wounded Sc
-erely enough to prevent them from do
ng more serious duty in the field.
'lany of these men had received very
title bounty on enlisting, some none at
IL; and it is not to be wondered at
hat they felt aggrieved at seeing these
oughs with hundreds of dollars in
heir pockets. enjoying life after their
ashton, gambling and loafDg, and
ding away the slow hours, while they,
VINO had borne the heat and burden of
he day, were living along, wounded
nd getting mere pittance
Nor is it to be wondered at. either,
hat a one hundred dollar bill, deity
by recruit who wanted
o desert, should make his guard blind
or few minutes or accidentally turn
IS back r. permit an escape. Fully |
> per cent OF the men in camp were
Kissing every week, and never did the
iorning report show less than ten or
yvelve missing out Of FIVE or six hum