Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-03-01
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
A BREACH OF DISCIPLINE.
How Poraging Federal Got Out of .
Bad ScraPe-


How = Poraging Federal Got out of .
Bad scraPe-
During the war great many we'll
meaning persons or both sides Of the
controversy earnestly deplored the ten
dency of the soldiers to lose the power
of Distinguishing between meum and
tuum- But these people labored under
the disadvantage OF not knowing how it
was themselves. Put a man in the posi-
ton that the soldiers were in-without
anything TO eat. with the supply train
miles away without money TO buy any
thing with, and with nothing 10 buy if
they had It, and his ideas as to the own
ership of what he needs to eat get won
derfully mixed. 1t can't be called steal
ing from purely moral point of view,
and if among the commsr riding officers
there were those who had peculiar views
in regard TO the propriety of appropriate
ing eatables, there was always TIE argu-
ment to fall back on that the stuff be-
longed 70 the enemy, and was subject
to conhscation anyway.
In the early part of 1869, young fell
low named Berry was sent TO the Tenth
New York He was a mere boy, and
had never been away from the farm on
which he was raised He was literally
green, and would have no more thought
of taking anything that did not belong
to him than approaching one of Uncle
Sans gunboats. But the Tenth was
good school in which to forget such
youthful teachings as led TO the neglect
of ones stomach, and it was not long
before Berry was as active in foraging as
the oldest veterans in the regiment. The
regiment then lay near Meshanicsville,
and back of this position, toward the
Rappahannock, was section literally
flowing with milk and honey. The
picket duty of the Tenth was frequent
~ performed on this front and it was
seldom that the picl1ets failed To make
3 bold foray into the enemy's country
and return with the good things of
earth. Berry soon became one of the
boldest foragers. because. being a
new recruit. he was not impressed with
the danger of penetrating into a sec
ton which swarmed with the enemy
scouts Gen. Warren. who commanded
his brigade, was not hide bound in his
ideas of military morality, and yet was
frequently compelled to check the
growing tendencies of his command to
forage on their own behalf aud finally
gave IL out cold that the next time he
received a complaint in regard to the
Tenth he would make an example of
the culprlt A day or two afterwards
Warren was ordered to take the Tenth
and reconnoiter the country lying be-
tween his position and the Rappahan-
mock. Before starting he issued or
ders that there should be no foraging
or leaving the ranks for any purpose
whatever. The men were up a stump
Fowl, lamb and sucking pigs were
seer II quantities along the route, but
the commander placed a guard on every
farmhouse, and watched so closely
that during that day there was not
single opportunity for replenishing
the larder with Injuries. Toward
evening, however, when the regiment
was on the return, the vigilance was
somewhat relaxed, and as the column
passed n well-stoclSed barnyard Berry
was missing. When the regiment
reached the picket line Warren halted
and allowed the regiment 10 pass. close
ly inspecting each man TO see if his
haversack was suspiciouslv full When
Berry came up. a side of bacon depend