The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-30
WANT TO BE MUSTT RED OUT.
Our North Carolina So iaier Boys Desire
TO Return Home- rhey Don't Like
the Idea OF Re' Gaining in Service
When There i NO Fighting to DO.
Their "fsnen Aust be Respected.

Their Wishes An.t be respected.
From infor nation received by The
rom some of the boys Of
the Second regiment of North Carolina
IS it seems that a movement
Is on I DOT TO keep the regiment intact
ana assign them to garrison duty. a
proc ;eeding expressly against the
WI shes of a big majority Of the regi-
r aent. Our informant says that Colo
nei Burgwyn and a very few of the
officers of that regiment consulted to-
gether and hen telegraphed the adju-
tant general that the regiment was
anxious TO remain in service, when in
truth and in fact If a poll Of the reg
iment was taken not a fifth would go
10 verify this statement, but on the
contrary the statement would be repu-
dated. He says, too, these officers are
trying to compel the members of the
regiment to do further service. OF the
correctness of this state Of affairs The
Messenger knows nothing, but for the
sake of argument and to show natur-
| ally why our boys wish to quit the SER
vice we viii take for granted that
it is SO.
First, and greatest. the boys Of North
! Carolina were by most
| glorious and honorable motives when
they went into service, and it is due
them that they should be treated in
d like manner. Second, they have for
months endured hardships and in some
instances intense suffering, and now
| when all this can be alleviated il
should, with the accent forcibly on the
should, be done. Third, no reward no
matter how great, can ever repay the
sacrifice they made, and yet it is not
| a reward to muster them out, it is
| simply something they are morally en-
titled to and sensible people must GER
tainly realize il.
Now, it will not be amiSS to discuss
the above argument in a more detailed
n palmer anner When the call for
volunteers went out several months
ago, the boys of North Carolina nobly
responded. They stopped not to ques-
ton why, but only realized that their
cOuntry'S honor was at stake and that
they were called upon to support, to
defend that great law of GOd-human-
ity. Many parted from lucrative en-
plOyment and comfortable homes in
exchange for a mere p%ittance of a sal
airy per month, work of the hardest
kind and exposure to the night and
often severe stOrming of the elements,
while all of them parted from loving
ties, and went resOlutelN forth not
W whether they wOuld ever
again see those dear ones. For months
they bore in solitude, but patiently,
the hardships of camp life, for which
hey were so poorly, aye, very poorly.
accustomed. Yet they complained not,
for they knew they were suffering for
their beloved country. The only dissat-
isfactiOn in any way they displayed
was an eagerneSs to get to the front.
and Notwithstanding they realized that
they were soldiers, and sturdily upheld
the principle, "a soldiers first duty is
| obedience"
Then there came a cessation of hos
tilitieS to the glory Of the American
arms, and now the boys are DESTROYS,
as there is no absolute necessity for
further service on their part, to be
once more with their loved ones, to re-
turn to the place of their nativity, and
to their abandoned positions and to try
and make up, if possible, the lost ad-
vancement along this line which the
months of absence has caused.
The above discussion is not intended
to, in any way, reflect upon a single
officer Of the regiment, but is simply
reasons given why the North Carolina
boys Of this regiment should not be
in any way forced, persuaded or ex-
pected to remain longer in SER
vice against their will. Now we
think hat our informant is in
error about a 'few of the Of
ficers" attempting to keep the regi-
ment, as it now stands, in service, for
we think we know the high charac-
ter of our North Carolina officers too
we'll to entertain any thought that
even a single one of them would know
ingly do anything against the interest
of their men, especially Numerically
in opposition to good, sound, logical
wishes.
We note in the Savannah (Ga.) news
Of several days ago a very interesting
article in touch with the subject now
being discussed. In this item Colonel
Burgwyn make a statement which is
certainly fair and sensible. The arti-
Gle is as follows:
Camp John B. Gordon, st. Simon's
Island, Ga, August 22.-Many mem
bers of the Second North Carolina are
kicking against the action of their of
ficers in rendering their services to the
war department for garrison duty
Without consulting the enlisted men,
and say they are opposed to staying
in service any longer. Reports to this
effect have been coming to The Morn
ing News correspondent for several
days past, and they have now become
so vigorous and so numerous that the
entire camp is discussing them. The
men take the position that the war is
now over and they do not want to do
NNSy ONoA Sooo vi oily III
towns. They threaten to take the
matter up by means of a petition 10
the war department and through their
representatives in both houses. The
men who are kicking claim that many
of them left fine paying positions to
fight, but they cannot afford to let
their interests suffer where there is
nothing of a patriotic natur involved.
There seems to be an impression
among the men that the newspaper s
are publishing everything for the Off
GERS side of the case and letting their
side go unpublished.
When The Morning News CORE
%spondent visited headquarters and ask
ed Colonel Burgwyn as to the situa-
ton, from the offcer's standpoint, he
aid The officers of the regiment now
in this camp held a meeting several
days ago and decided that they want
ed to stay in the service. Acting upon
The result of that meeting, Lieutenant
Colonel CowleS has gone or to Wash
ington to confer with the department