Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-02-18
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
nIuMplne 1HE COUNTY"
An Army OnIcer Tells Some Remarkable
Stories of War Times.


now, and foine job he has indade-
Every wake or two he comes home wild
lashins of greenbacks and batthers
down the dure wild new goold watch. "
Faith an it is nate job intirely,
and phwat do they call it?''
'Indade / disremember the exact
name, but ! think they call it 'leppin
the bounty" 4
Phelim's experience in 1868 was that
of good many thousands during the
hardest days of the great rebellion. The
drafts ordered by the president were
being rapidly enforced A man whose
name was on the fated list of conscripts
had but the one alternative-the ranks
or provide substitute" By the pro-
visions of the act of.congress authorizing
the draft, 5000 was the allowance for
these substitutes But as the war pro-
crossed and everybody's name was on
the provost marshals books-that is
every citizen name who had ever voted
sor was an eligible voter-the price rose
in proportion.to the scarcity of available
material for substitutes, till in some of
the smaller states in New England and
in many western neighborhoods, large
sums, from twelve 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 bounties, and
these sums, added to the state and ma
tional bounties, made up a very re
spectacle inducement TO young men to
enlist.
This state of affairs held out every
temptation to unprincipled men to en-
enlist for the bounty. Many such en-
llistments were made by foreigners and
not few Americans, most of them with
no family ties and no regard for them
if they had, did the same thing They
enlisted for the money, pure and
simple, and a little perjury here and
there was small matters to such elastic
,consciences. The substitute was in a
strange part of the country, had 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
The could. Another class was composed
of men recruited to fill up regiments
already in the field. They received
similar large bounties, and had no more
intention of fighting than the substi-
tutes had. and were in great part,
especially in cities, graduates from jails
and penitentiarn.s. good enough food
for powder If their teeth were strong
lano,,rb - l,;fa ho ~. 20 al
When these men had passed their
medical examination, signed their en-
listment papers and duly perjured
themselves according to the law, they
were put into United States uniforms,
furnished with blanket knapsack,
haversack and canteen and sent, under
guard to some receiving depot where
they remained until they were for
warded to the several regiments to
which they were accredited. In these
temporary depots, especially in large
cities like New York, Philadelphia and
Boston, there was complete reign of
terror. Strength and brutality were
uppermost Half a dozen ruffians
would attack small sized man and
take his money from him. To complain
was useless; it was impossible to identi-
fly the money or to fix the offense, in
general, upon any one individual
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
A.
or five miles from Washington, the
former being only for drafted men and
the other for substitutes and recruits
newly enlisted.
] had charge of the latter camp dur
ing the winter Of 1s64-5, and of all the
ungracious work ever had to do in the
army that was the meanest. To start
with, l had control of a 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. I;had all the
responsibilities of prison warden,
without his means of enforcing obedi-
euC6. anu all SdblSlbl bidI q year VI
such work would have brutalized me
beyond redemption. As it was, l found
my character, not / trust an ungentle
one, deteriorating from day to day un-
der such debasing influences. and | was
truly thankful when transferred to
more congenial line of duty.
Camp Taylor covered in all an area OF
about fifteen acres surrounded by nc
stockade, but instead with an armed
guard of the veteran reserve corps. an
organization which those of the present
generation know nothing. 1t was com.
posed of soldiers who had been wound
ed severely enough to prevent them
from doing more serious duty in the
field Many of these men had received
very little bounty on enlistment; some
none at all. and it is not to be wondered
at that they felt aggrieved at seeing
these roughs with hundreds of dollars
in their pockets, enjoying life after
their fashion, gambling and loafng
and idling away the slow hours, while
they, who had borne the heat and bur