The morning call., 1893-06-04
THE AMERICAN ARrIY.
Sala Writes of His Experiences in the
War of the Rebellion.
London Telegraph.

London Telegraph.
Let 1t be distinctly understood that in
the field and in camp the Union army,
which, as / have frequently said, was
eventually 100000 strong. was, so far as
the rank and file were concerned, wholly
and completely teetotal army. Not one
drop OF whisky. wine or beer was allowed
to be sold at the canteens. Small quaint
ties of whisky were from time to time
struggled in. and this contraband liquor
was usually con tanned in shallow, OBJ
long TASKS, made up TO resent bic bibles
and testaments, with neat metal
lie clasps. 1t was the officers, how
ever. and not the men, who, as a rule,
were able to obtain these surreptitious
supplies OF Bourbon; and | remember once
reading IN Washington paper pathetic
letter from one of the wparers of he sky
gabardines in which he protested his great
love for Scripture, but OBJECTED to seeing
a Testament staggering about with a pair
OF shoulder-straps on-embrodered shnu-
der-straps being the characteristic mark of
a commissioned officer. The Federal
troops were. able to dispense with strong
drink. owing to the amazingly good care
which had been bestowed on their personal
com fort by body called the sanitary COM
mission. of which there were branches all
over the North. and which were able to
deal with immense sums OF money. In
aid of their funds balls and fancy fairs
were frequently held. and the voluntary
contributions formed in addition tre-
mendous aggregate.
1t was not only medicines and hospital
appliances that the sanitary commission
supplied To those who were fighting for the
union it supplemented in hundred diff
rations served out Ivy the Government to
the soldiers. Cakes, pies, fruit ported
meats and even those candies or lollipops.
of which sustaining Americans are often
immediately fond. were freely supplied
to the Federal warriors, who also reyeled,
thanks to the care of the commission, In
feeoy hosiery, nigbtcaps, worsted nit
tens and slippers. In addition to this
sanitary commission there was another
called the Christian commission, which
ministered to the spiritual needs of the
rank and file by the distribution of bibles
and tracts and by paying the stipends of
additional chaplains.
One other equally significant fact is
stated with regard to the wonderful Army
of the Potomac. These legions were gov
erned practically without corporal punish
ment, nor, save in very few instances
when some peculiarly heinous offense
against military law had been committed.
was the punishment of death inflicted. l
remember when was down with the Fed
eTal army In Virginia seeing at the general
headquarters wretched creature, a de-
linQuent soldier. who, under the grim guard
of a sentry, was sweeping all the refuse
away and shoveling it into baskets. lie
was to endure so many hours of this hu-
initiating drudgery tor so many days, as he
had been guilty, so | was told, of some
exceptionally disgraceful crime. Now and
agau some martinez commanding officer
would venture upon course of procedure
slightly analogous to bodily punishment.
l have heard of offending soldiers being
''spread.e agled," th,t is to say, tied by the
wrists and ankles to the wheels of a gun
or an ammunition-wagon and left bare
headed for certain time in the blazing
sun. But these certainly iudefensible pun
ishments were rarely resorted to.
Remembering that the use of the cat was
common in the British army during the
Crimean war and that fogging in the
army was not totally abolished until the
passing of the army dsciplin act in April
1881, and that in the French army. although
corporal punishment had long since disap-
peared from 1t. the death penalty was FREE
Quently enforced, it can scarcely have
failed to strike an onlooker with as:ontsh
ment that the American commanders
should have been able to preserve disci-
pline among the hundreds of thousands of
men serving under them without f1ogging
them and without hanging them or shoot
ing them in proportion even remotely ap-
preaching the infiiction of such extreme
penalties IN the French army.
1t must be remembered, N oreover. that
the bluebellies comprised in their ranks an
astoundingly miscellaneous congregation
of humanity. There was, truly. very
numsrou element of sternly resolute, un-
fiinchingly energetic soldiers, who were
lighting not only for the unity of the
republic. but for conscience sake. and
would have regarded the cause of the
emancipation OF the negro as q kind nf
holy war. These. practically the worthv
descendants Of the old Pnrtans, were the
leaven that gave life and vigor to The whole
Federal army.