The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-06-09

to enter the army to secure the Immense
bounties that the percentage of foreigner
in the army greatly increased during the
last years of the war.
As soon as the bounty bills were passed
a large number of men from the Canadas
arrived in Boston with the intention of Of
fering themselves. as substitutes. The Bos
ton, Herald of July "a, 1863, said; 'sThe
number is stated to be much larger than
that of the persons who have been drafted
and who have run away 10 the Province tC
escape the military service for which they
were drawn" The difference in the pay
of the British and American armies being
so great, to say nothing of the tempting
bounties, induced quite a number of the
British soldiers to desert from Canada and
enter the Union army. Speaking of this
subject the Darlington (Vt.) Free Press Of
August IL, 1863, said Give or six sol
diers, who escaped from the Isle-au-No Noix
in small boat, and reached here by steam
boat, presented themselves as substitutes
for drafted men at the provost marshals
Office yesterday. They brought their arms
with them, and were dressed in the red
coats of her Majesty's Royal Engineers, to
which they belong"
Notwithstanding deserters of any sort,
and from any army, make poor soldiers,
these men, and many others of similar
class, were accepted, and, like many Others
of the unworthy, are perhaps now drawing
pensions from the United States Treasury.
During the war the New England re-
cruiting agents secured Europe for men to
fill their quotas in the army. In Decem-
ber, 1868, Massachusetts imported from
Europe, as laborers, about l 100 men, and
landed them on one of the numerous
islands in the vicinity of Boston. As soon
as they were landed active preparations to
put them into the army were made by Of
fering the most liberal promises of pay,
clothing, lands, &C., to be credited, of
course, on her quota. The immigrants
soon discovered that they had been dcceiv-
ed, but most of them enlisted; the remain
der being penniless, came to New York
and entered as substitutes. Again, in
August, 1864, about 500 emigrants landed
at Deer Island, in Boston Harbor, and i'm
mediately enlisted in the army, receiving
the bounty, and thus relieving that num-
ber of Bostonians from the draft. Most
of these men came from ireland, although
a shipload also arrived about the same time
from Antwerp and Hamburg.
THE HUBS QUOTA.
Speaking of show Boston filed its
quota" the Albany Argus said SIN the
year 1864, when the terrors of the con-
scription looked Massachusetts full in the
face, and the price of substitutes rose to
5000 and 500 apiece, there arrived in the
harbor of Boston the steamer Bellona and
the barks Garland and Peter Godefroy
They were frighted with human beings
mostly men mostly Prussians. They had
been visited at their homes in Germany by
the agentof certain Boston firms. His errand
was to procure German immigrant laborers.
The rebellion, he said, had thinned the
labor of the North, and there was great
opening for the skilled industry of Europe.
He promised them employment for three
years-S100 cash down and S12 month.
Contracts of very musty phraseology were
signed, and the poor Prussians bade fare
well to the Fatherland. Besides the con-
tract which they signed, they were induced
to release any claim they might have on
arrival to compensation beyond the 500
and the So a month.
"There are two small islands called Deer
Island and Galloupe Islands, in Boston
harbor. On these wretched spots, cut off
from all intercourse with the land, these
poor German immigrants were landed; and
by force were kept. All these immigrants
had been landed at Deer Island, surrounded
and kept in terror by the armed police of
the city of Boston. Inspected by mill
tary surgeon, whose name we have, the
sick sent ashore and turned adrift, and not
a dollar paid to them, and the we'll forcibly
transferred to Galloupe Island, military
post, and there by threats and persuasion
enlisted in the United States army and
sent instantly to the front, credited to the
quota of Massachusetts, and the substitute
money which was realized by the opera
tion received and to this day kept by COM
mercial firms with which it originated.
The Prussian Charge dAffairs made some
faint effort at investigation and remon-
STRANGE. The German societies in Boston
proposed an investigation, but were driven
from it.
The importation of such recruits as are
described above to fill her quotas under
the various calls for troops did not give
to the Government. At one
time the War Department threatened if
the Poles, Germans, Italians, Hungarians;
ETC., were continued to be imported by the
cargo, it would rofuse to give Massachu-
sets credit for the refuse she was foisting
upon the public service. The Government
had to keep them constantly under sur
veillance or guard to prevent them from
They were dragged off to the
army and put through the forms of drill
in spirit Of morose mutiny. They sat
over camp-fres in sullen groups away from
the older soldiery, who had volunteered
through patriotic motives. A great many
large number were discharged
on account of physical disability, and most
Of the remainder were unable or unwilling
to fight.
"In recent case" said the New York
Herald, of November 30, 1864, sin the
rihe-pits before Petersburg, they dropped