Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-10-01
An Army'A supply Base.

" "lNAAA AL a. " AK FL
pire State. He was speaking Of Grand
Army posts that have adopted the Gus
tom Of a carefully prepared paper by
n of the members at each stated
meeting. Senator Miller, as he has
been in a great many other things, was
right in that remark. Grand Army
posts that have adopted that custom
are history producers. I heard one
Friday evening that was inspiring. A
synopsis, with it's best stories, will
delight readers as we'll as it did that
company of veterans. They shall have
it n Of these days.
Captain William C. Swain Of the
Ninety-third New York read a paper
on experience during the Peninsula
campaign in 1862. The base Of sup
plies in that campaign, after the bat
tie Of Williamsburg, was White House
Landing. on the PamunKy river. Swain
and his company were on duty there as
provost guard. The one building Of i'm
portance at the Landing was the large
white house then owned by Gen. Fitz-
hugh Lee, the present American consul
general to Cuba. In this house George
Washington was married. Captain
Swain said there was a table in the
house which belonged to Washington.
and also many valuable papers AMI
records. con our arrival there the Lees
evacuated in great haste, leaving a note
pinned to a door requesting the Union
army to spare the home Of Washing
ton A guard was placed in the house
and it was fairly we'll protected for a
time. When Mcclellan made his mas
terly retreat from in front of Rich.
mand when instead he ought to have
taken the Confederate capital to Nal
vern HUI, where Gen. Lee found I'm
self in a slaughter pen and his victori-
Gus army met with a crushing defeat,
1t was necessary to leave White House
Landing in mad haste. When the last
of the Union troops had marched away
a devil-may-care fellow, under the d.
rection of two captains. both Of whom
were afterward killed in battle, thought
it was his duty to make war as hideous
as possible, fell out Of the ranks, ran
back. lighted a match in the garrett Of
the historical white house, and took
the family Bible. Before the troops
We're out of sight Of the Landing they
saw the flames burst forth and the old
building well on the way to destruction.
Such was war. 1t was vandalism. The
man who lighted the match lost a leg
in the mex battle"
Captain SWANS description Of a base
Of supplies in a great campaign will be
interesting to the public as well as a
lifelike picture to those who have seen
headquarters for rations for man and
beast, clothing, ammunition, hospital
stores and everything that goes to an
army for it's outfit in camp, on the field,
In battle. He said: LAS the army set
tied down in the Chickahominy swamps
the Landing rapidly assumed the ap-
pearance Of a canvas city, or rather a
conglomeration of cities. Here is an
army of suffers, their tents pitched in
the most convenient places. without
any reference to order or arran cement.
Over in the background were the lage,
orderly, neat-looking hospital tents.
regularly laid out and covering a good
deal of ground. Near the bank Of the
erected for quartermaster's stores and
commissary supplies. A little farther
back. in comfortable wall tents, and
the most picturesque Of all, was a large
camp of fugitive slaves enjoying their
first taste Of freedom, living In congen-
ial idleness OF government rations.
Romantic and sentimental episodes
We're numerous in these quarters, and
feelings Of tender interest were excit-
| ed in the breasts OF all true lovers Of
true love in witnessing a %chivalrous
sable gallant sitting in the sun with a
woolly head resting against his shoul-
der. searching 1t with a fine tooth comb,
while ever and anon the snap Of the
thumb nail would testify that a dimin-
utive life had departed forever"
This part Of the talk of Captain
SWANS may not be very elegant-very
uplifting-may not be quite up to the
s%cratch-but to write of the army and
convey the impression that the soldiers,
contrabands and everybody connected
"AaA SAC WdO AOl UAlEcO every
week Of his connection with the army,
to battle bravely, fercely against the
onslaughts of billions Of m~erciless, con-
scienceless, impertinent, vile vermin,
that have followed armies from time
immemorial, would be to paint a false
picture. Hence l find no fault with
Captain SWANS blunt reference to the
ebony g%allant's search for game and his
creepy method of bringing 1t down.
This is my first and last reference in
these chapters to the loathsome army
grayback.
1.-THE provost guard service, II not In
~teresting, was varied. One day came
an order like this: Lieut.. Swain, you
will take a detail Of six men. search
all the suffers tents and destroy all
the whisky you dnd.' I first mott.
ned a comrade In order that our Own
future supplies might not he enda1-
gered, and then started out on my de.
tective service. Somewhat singularly,
perhaps miraculously, the tent from
which our own supplies had been oh.