The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-10-13

Rto bsuko VI Soof-
age"-Camp Followers and Hangers On
Furnished the Profanity of the War.
When tho recruits of the First Maine
cavalry began TO take on soldier airs"
in their camp ON the Penobscot, in
1861, some of them assuming that
troopers should be men "full Of strange
oaths," Colonel Douty promulgated an
antiprofanity order. AT first the edict
was received with considerable merri
ment, and explosives, innocent in them
selves though meant to do duty as oaths,
were freely used. But in a few days
inspired by the precepts and examples
of certain selfrespecting comrades, the
men took nobler view of ii and the
needless vice, " as the historian of the
regiment characterizes ii, was effectually
prescribed.
The First Maine served four years
and earned reputation for valor in the
field second to no other mounted COM
mand. 1t brought home flag upon
which were inscribed by official author
ity the names of 36 battles. But the
veterans were not more proud of their
martial honors than of their good NOR
ais, for they had won the honors and
the victory to crown them, swearing
mot at ALL" that, too, with a regi-
mental temperance pledge held in al
most universal respect
The general over division Of 200
men who nipped the profaning evil in
the buy by saying, Il will do the sweaI
ing for this entire command, was
more tactful in his methods than the
Maine cavalry colonel, as he needed to
be, dealing with strange troops. but he
was not a jester, neither victim Of
overconfidence in himself. If military
necessity warranted violation of the law
he would be the judge. Under leader
so clever and farsighted the crisis would
never arise. Only once during long
service at the front-service rendered in
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-
cally quartermaster. The quartermaster
resigned on the spot and went home,
thus removing what might have been a
stumbling block from the path Of many
besides the general.
| should say that the rascally quar-
termaster and his close concomitants,
the stubborn army mule and the OBJ
streperous teamster, furnished the chief
provocatives 70 swearing for soldiers of
the line and that i'll the precinct set
apart to their use-region remote from
battle and virtually outside of the do
main of army discipline-oaths We're
quite as common as they are in the
pages of the RED Badge of Courage. !"
In fact, the manners ms 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 10 well known law, the slum
element of an army i'll 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 Us keeper Of the brigade
commissary stores With him the swear
ing habit was an iufirmity, causing his
associates TO overlook it through pity.
| The other was teamster, who had fol-
lowed the sea until long past middle
life. Swearing in his case was child
ish way Of showing bravado. Ii is need
less to add that he was a 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 / served in 1893 l now
recall the individuality of SO comrades,
and of that number recognize 55 who
| did not use profane language OH any oc.
casion. OF the remaining 2S only II
can be indicted as possibly given to pro.
family at times, and that solely ON the
ground of their general reputation fol
| lightness of morals. On the expiration
| of our term of enlistment, in 1868, two
sergeauts of the company recruited 0
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 theil
men strictly with regard to their previ
| Gus records as gallant soldiers. Wher
| the men came together in camp, it up
| peared that there was not one among
| the 100 veterans so selected who USED
| profane or vulgar language.
A moments reflection must convinct
every intelligent person that violent
| language is subversive of all true disci
| pline and successful army without
discipline is an impossibility in this
age. The article of war prescribing
profanity, promulgated, as it was, tc
every new command and read on parade
annually at least, was protection fol
the soldier and moral weapon for the
officer. The soldier could insist upon it,
observance by his superiors On the
other hand, he weakened his own cause
whenever he violated the law himself
| At first blush the article seemed Il
many obsolete and ridiculous and wa
generally received as relic Of Puritan
days But the more onerous and exact
ing rule the more il is studied an,
analysed. Men of fixed habits obeye,
readily, setting a good example. In tn
end wilder spirits found that obedienc
was easier than resistance Thus at tn
very outset the law of God was impresse
upon tho understanding Of all wb
hadn't il written in their hearts :
George l.. Kilmer in Independent
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