Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-07-20

uals who had never experienced mill
tary discipline were apt to find 1T lrk-
some, and it is not surprising that the
yarns told by deserters of crueltles
which they we're obliged to undergo
should have done harm. For example,
the accounts they gave of having been
"tied up nv the thurlbs" compare
lively mild punishment for retractOrl-
ness-were construed as signitiylng
chung up by the thumbs" very diff
ferent and extremely barbarouS per-
Torrance.
Prior to the beginning of the war the
army regulations gave a reward of $40
for the arrest and delivery of a desert
er. Such arrests were usually made by
the police of the cities for the sake otthe
reward. During the spring and summer
of 1861 large bodies of volunteer troops
were called into service and assertions
became very frequent. Accordingly
there should have been an increase OF
the rewards given; but, on the contrary,
an order was issued from the ad]utant-
generals office September 7, 1861, re-
duclng the reward for the capture of a
deserter to So, which was to cover all
expenses involved. This action, intend
| ed as an economy, proved extremely
expensive in the long run. 1t etfectu-
allv mt a stop to arrests, and the mis-
| chief grew apace.
Several general orders followed at in
| tervals for collecting stragglers and de-
serters. ETC., but it was not until March
3, 1868, that anything really effectual was
done On that date Congress passed the
| first enrolment act, making it the duty
| of provost marshal-general In Wash
| ingtOn to maintain correspondence with
| provost marshals IN every congressional
| district respecting deserters and means
| for their apprehension. The law re-
! CURED all officers in command OF regl-
ments and battallOns not attached to
| regiments to report each month the de-
sertions from their commands during
the month previous. They. were
obliged tC, make out blanks, giving the
name, description, residence and prob
able whereabouts of each such absentee.
These reports were duly classified at
| the office of the provost marshal-gen
eral at Washington and information WAS
sent to the provost marshals in the var
| ious congressional districts about the
runaways who might he expected to be
found in their respective neighbor-
| hoods. The provost marshals were
ordered to arrest the delinquents when
they could be found.
At the beginning it was found very
difficult to get the commanding officers
in the field to send their reports of de-
sertions with regularity. Obviously,
| they were very busy with other things,
: and such clerical matters fatigued them.
| However, way of getting over that
trouble is quickly discovered, orders
being issued to the effect that the pay
of such officers as failed to respond
should be stopped until responses were
received. After the enrolment act Of
March l, 1868, was passed, there was no
longer any trifing. That law made the
| harboring, concealing or employing
knowingly of a deserter criminal
offense, punishable with Imprisonment
and fine. About that time it came to
be understood that there was no use in
| toying with the evil, and the prompt
and decisive method of shooting de-
serters was commonly resorted to in
place of the former gentle style of pro-
cedure.
An act approved by Congress March
5, 1865, provided that deserters who
failed to report within sixty days
should be deemed to have relinquished
the rights of citizenship and to be dis
qualified for holding office. Mean
while, on July is, 1868, the reward for
arresting a deserter was increased from
s. to $40. Two months later it was fur
| Their increased to $50, and 1t remained
at that figure until March II, 1865, when
all rewards were discontinued by the
secretary Of war. This last general or
der was subsequently modified to allow a
reward of $50 for the arrest and deli
ve1v of a deserter from the regular
army After the organizing Of the
| bureau of the provost marshal general,
in April, 1868, 10000 deserters were
arrested, averaging about 5000 month.
Under a section of the act of March 8,
1868, President Lincoln issued proc
lamation pardoning all deserters who
should voluntarily report before April
/. The number who did SO report is
| not on rooorH