The Somerset reporter., 1896-09-24
PROFANE SOLDIERS.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SWEARING
IN The ARMY OF The UNION.

Furnished the Profanity of the War.
When the recruits of the First Maine
cavalry began to take al soldier airs"
in their camp on TIN Peuobscot, in
1851, some of them assuming that
troopers should be mon full Of strange
oaths, . Colonel Douty promulgated an
antiprofanitv order Al first the edict
was received with considerable merri-
ment, and eXnletiveS, innocent in them
selves though meant To do duty as oaths.
Were freely used But in few days.
inspired by the precepts and examples
of certain sclfreSpectins comrades, the
men took nobler view Of it and the
"needlcss vice, " as ths historian of the
regiment charaeterizes It. WAS cflectually
prescribed.
The First Maine served four years
and earned a reputation fer yalor in the
field second To 10 other mounted com
mmid 1t brought ham a Hag upon
which were inscribed ~ official author
ity the names of 36 Htties But she
Veterans were not narp proud of their
martial honors than OF taaIr good NOR
ais, fer they had won the hoHors and
the victory 10 crown them swearing
mot at all that, too, with regi-
mental temperance pledge held in al
most universal respect
Tie general over Il division of 10, 600
men who nipped the protanng cvil in
the buy by saying. Twill 90 the swear.
ing for this entire command, " was
more tactful il his methods than the
Maine cavalry colonel, as he needed to
be, dealing with strange troops, but he
was not Il Jester, neither victim OF
oyerconfideuee in himself If military
necessity warranted violation If the law
he would be the judge. Under leader
So clever and farsighted the crisis would
never arise Only once during long
service nj the front--serviee rendered III
two different regiments, different bri-
gades, divisions and army corps-did |
hear an officer above the rank of cap
tain give way to profanity. That once
was the case Of brigade commander
invoking the curse of Deity upon ras-
eally quartermaster. The quartermaster
resigned ON the spot and went home,
thus removing what might have been 4
stumbling block from the path of many
besides the general.
| should say that the rascally quar-
termaSter and his close coucomitantS,
the stubborn army mule and the oh
streperOuS teamster, furnished the chief
provocatives to swearing for soldiers of
the line and that in the precinct set
apart to their use-rcgion remote from
battle and virtually OUTSIDE of the do
main of army disCipline-oathS We're
quite as common rs they are III the
pages of the Red Badge of Courage ;"
III fact, the manners aS we'll rs 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 | encountered ON the
peninsula in 1862 Both were enlisted
/ soldiers and wore the blue. One of the
offenders acted as keeper of the brigade
eommissary stores. With him the swear
ing habit was an iufirmity, causing his
associates to overlook it through pity.
| The other WAS tcamSter, who had fol
lowed the sea until long past middle
/ life Swearing III his case WAS IL child
ish way of showing bravado. 1t is need
less to add that be WAS hopeless COW
ard, and for that reason had been detail
ed to stable duty.
BY referring II the roster of the com
pauy in which served in 1923 | now
recall the individuality Of SO comrades
and Of that number recognize % who
did not use profane language on any oe-
casion OF the remaining 2S only ! /
can be indicted rs possibly given to pro-
family at times. and that solely oh the
ground Of their general reputation for
| lghtncss of morals On the expiration
of our term of enlistment, in 1863, two
sergeants Of the company recruited "A
command for the veteran cavalry sorY-
ice. They had the pick of 800 appl-
cants recently mustered out from the
two years regiments and chose their
men strictly with regard to their prcyi,
Gus records as gallant soldiers When
the men came together i'll camp, it ap-
peared that there was not one among
the 100 veterans so selected who used
profanc or vulgar language.
moments reflection must convince
every intelligent person that violent
language is subyersive of all true disci-
pline, and q successful army without
discipline is an impossiblity in this
age. The article of war prescribing
profanity, promulgated, rs II WAS, to
every uew command and read on parade
annually at least, was Il protection fer
the soldier and Il moral weapon for tine
officer. The soldier could insist upon It's
Observance by his superiors.~ On the
other hand, lie weakened his own cause
Whenever h. violated the law himself
At first blush the article seemed to
many obsolete and ridiculous and was
generally received rs IA relic of Puritan
days But the more onerous and exact
ing a rule the more it is studied and
analysed. Men Of fixed habits obcyed
readily, setting good example In the
end wilder spirits found that obedience
was easier than resistance. Thus at the
very outset the law Of God was impressed
upon thu understanding of all who