The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-02

Daring Adventures and Famous
Copyright, 1896, the S. S. Mcclure Coz
The story Of the war correspondents
which the exigencies of our great civil
war called into existence has never
peen told. Faithful to the journals
they represented, untiring in the pur-
SUIT of such news as the public re-
quired, and sharing all the hardships
and dangers Of campaign life, without
military rank or honors. they not in
frequently played the double part of
soldier and civilian with credit to
themselves and the profession to which
they belonged. They witnessed every
phase Of the struggle for the union,
from the secession of South Carolina
10 Its restoration, from the fail of
Sumpter 10 the fall of Fort Griffin at
Sabine Pass, from the murder of Ladd
and Whitney by the mob in Baltimore
on April 10, 1851. TO the assassination
OF President Lincoln on April IA, 1865.
Ihey accompanied our armies and
fleets and accurately recorded the STIR
ring feats of arms and the noble ex-
anples OF valor, patriotism and self
devotion with which our brave soldiers
and sailors Illuminated the history of
sought news as the brave soldiers
sought glory-at the lannon's mouth.
No dangers Haunted, no hardships dis
coGraged them They shared the per-
lis, the labors and the privations of
the army and navy, and viii share for
all time IN The glory of the victories
they chronicled.
At the outbreak of the war the lead
ing newspapers of New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Baltimore and the
west, placed a corps of war cores
pondenls in the field They were paid
large salaries. besides being fitted out
a. the expense Of their journals each
with q horse and equipments, field
glass, waterproof Sabretacha, COT
blankets and bedding; while those hav-
ing charge OF the several correspond
ents with a single army were provided
with regular headquarters, consisting
OF tents, m,2sS CHESTS, cooking stoves,
utensils. wine chest and other furni-
ture, besides the necessary ANIMALS
and wagons 10 transport the material.
The instructions from the various
journals to their army correspondents
were brief but comprehensive. They
were Simply these: TO obtain the most
accurate information by personal OBJ
serNatlon and forward il with the ut
most dispatch, regardless Of expense,
labor or danger Correspondents were
told thai TO be beaten by any other
papers was a crime; that TO be up and
even w.sh them was not particularly
worthy or communication: but to beat
them was a success which would not
&C unrewarGed. These instructions
the correspondents found full enough,
and their adventures by flood and
field" would make a volume of intense
interest.
ITEMS OF EXPENSE.
Some of the items charged to war
correspondents are curious One New
York correspondent returned an item
of $500 paid TO military conductor
or a railroad in Tennessee. to gain
twenty minutes lost time in order 10
make a connection with a Louisville
train al Nashville The consequence
was that an account of the battles of
Chattanooga was published day
earlier than il would have been if the
500 had not been expended. One New
YORK Journals special account of the
capture OF New Orleans. although fill
ing but a few columns Of a single issue
of the paper. cost it for the expenses
alone OF the correspondent who accom-
panied Admiral Farragut over 81, 100
Another correspondent returned one
item of so paid for wild turkey, caught
by a soldier. and eaten by the CORES /
pondent during the battle Of Stone
river. One hundred and nifty dollars
is an item for cost Of a horse starved
to death during the siege of Chatta-
nooga. Another correspondent rode his
horse TO death from the same battle
field. Several others return items for
subscription to Richmond papers, al /
the rate OF % cents per copy, delivered /
in Libby prison. There were items for
presents to energetic scouts, whose
mouths were opened thereby. Large
sums were paid TO obtain confederate
newspapers. Every mode, direct and
indirect, that h.s -enuity could devise. /
appears TO have been employed to OBJ
tain news and each correspondent ap- /
pears, by his generous expenditure of
his employers money to have been .
possessed of liberality of soul truly
admirable.
HOW DIAGRAMS OF MILITARY /
OPERATIONS WERE FUR
NISHED.
These were no; all the curious and
items. When the war first
began. the newspapers made arrange
ments to illustrate the operations, +
marches and battles of our armies, and