The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1896-11-25
WEDNESDAY,. NOVEMBER 25, 1926
PROFANE SOLDIERS.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SWEARING
IN THE ARMY OF THE UNION.

An Old Soldier Takes Issue With the
Author of "The Red Badge of Cour-
age"-Camp Followers and Hangers On
Furnfshed the Profanity of the War.
When the recruits of the First Maine
cavalry began to take OF "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 a nobler view of it and the
needless vice., I" as the historian of the
regiment characterizes it, was eff~ectually
prescribed.
The First Maine served four years
and earned a reputation for valor in the
field second to no other mounted com-
mand 1t brought home a 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 a division Of 10, 900
men who nipped the p%rofaning evil i'll
the buy by saying. II will do the swoaI-
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 a victim of
ovcrconfdenoe i'll himself. If military
necessity warranted violation of the law
he would be the judge. Under q leader
so clever and farsighted the crisis would
never arise. Only once during a long
service at the front-service rendered in
two different regiments, different bri-
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 O brigade commander
invoking the curse of Deity upon a 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.
l should say that the rascally quar-
termaster and his close concomitants,
the stubborn army mule and the OBJ
streperous teamster, furnished the chief
p~rovocatives to swearing for soldiers of
apart to their use-region remote from
battle and virtually outside of the do
main of army discipline-oaths were
quite as common as they are in the
pages of the "Red Badge Of Courage"
In fact, the manner as we'll as the Ian
guage of the soldiers in that narrative
suggest that the studies for 1t 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 Stun
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 l 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 an infirmity. 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. 1t 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 1923 l now
recall the individuality of SO comrades,
and of that number recognize 30 who
did not use profane language on any oc-
casion. OF the remaining 30 only II
can be indicted as possibly given to pro-
family at times, and that solely on the
Qrnun1 pf tbeir Uapara1 raIn,tot,on for