The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-11-07
PROFANE SOLDIERS.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SWEARING
IN THE ARMY OF THE UNION.

Al VI TIE OINtOrNs
An Old Soldier Takes Issue With the
Author cs "Tho Ted Badge Of Cour-
age"-carp Followers and Hangers On
Furnished the Profanity Of the war.
When the recruits OF the First Maine
cavalry began to take on "soIdier airs''
in their. camp OIL the Penobscot, in
1885,, some of them assuming that
troopers should be men "full Of strange
oatiis.'' Colonel Douty promulgated an
a~ntlpsefanatT order. AT first the edict
was received with considerable merri-
ment, and expletives, innocent in them
selves thocsh meant to do duty as oaths,
were freely used. But in a few DAYS.
inspired by the rrecepts and examples
of certain selfresrec.ing comrades, the
NEIL took q nobier view Of it and the
needless vice.. as the historian of the
regiment eaaracterizes it, was effectually
prescribed.
The First Maine served four wears
and earned q reputation for valor in the
field second to no other mounted COM
mand, It brought home q flag upon
which were inscribed by official author
ity the names of Sc battles. But the
veterans were not more proud of their
martial hcnors than Of their good NOR
ais, for they had wo the honors and
the victory to, crown them. swearing
"net at ALL" that, too, with a regi-
mental temperance pledge held in al
most universal respect.
The general over q division of 10. 900
mea who nipned the profaning evil in
the buy b ysaying, Twill do tie swear
ing for this entire commando was
mere tactfUl in lis methods than the
Maize cavalry colonel, $ he needed to
be, dealing with strange troops. but he
wac lot a jester, neither a victim of
ovc1confdenee il himself. IF military
necessity warranted violation of the law
he would be the judge. Under a leader
SO clever and farsighted the crisis would
never arise. Only once during a long
service at the front-serviee rendered in
two different regiments, different bril-
gades, divisions and army corps-did l
hear an officer above the rank of cap
tain give way to profanity. That once
was the case Of a brigade commander
invoking the curse Of Deity upon a ras-
caliy quartermaster. The Guartermaster
resigned on the spot and went home,
thus removing what might have been a
stumbling block from the path of many
besides the general.
I should say that the rascally quar-
termaster and his close concomitants,
the stubborn army mule and the OBJ
streperous teamster, furnished the chief
provocatlves to swearing for soldiers OF
the line and that in the precinct set
apart to their use-region remote from
battle and virtually outside Of the do
main of army discipline-oaths were
qIl1e as omrnon as they are in the
pages Of the "Red Badge of Courage. "
In fact, the as we'll as the Ian
guage OF the soldiers in that narrative
suggest that the studies for it were
made from camp followers and the hang
ers on of the supply departments,
manned, as these were, by noncombat-
ants. Into that safe asylum drifts, ac-
cording to a we'll known law, the slum
element of an army in the field.
My ears still retain echoes of volleys
of oaths from the lips Of two men Of
that class whom I encountered on the
peninsula in 1862. Both were enlisted
soldiers and wore the blue. One of the
offenders acted as keeper CT the brigade
commissary stores. With him the swear
ing habit was al inirmity, causing his
associates to overlook it through pity.
The other was a teamster, who had fol- |
lowed the sea until long past middle
life. Swearing in his case was a child
ish way OF showing bravado. tits need
less to add that he wasA q hopeless COW
ard, and for that reason had been detail
ed to stable duty.
By referring to the roster of the com |
pany in which I served in 1868 I now
recall the individuality Of SIS comrades,
and OF that number recognize 90 who
did not use profano language On n oc-
caslon. OF the remaining 80 only II
can be indicted as possibly given to p-o-
family at times, and that solely on the
ground OF their general reputation for
lightness of morals. On the expiration
of our term of enlistment, in 1863, two
sergeants OF the company recruited al
command for the veteran cavalry serv-
ice. They had the pick of 500 appli-
cants recently mustered out from the
two years regiments and chose their
men strictly with regard to their previ.
Gus records Is gallant soldiers. When
the men came together in camp, it ap-
peared that there was not one among
the 100 veterans 70 selected who used
GgQfane OF vulgar language