Evening star., 1898-08-10
Third Virginia Regiment Angered by
q Publication.
CARD OF PROTEST SIGNED BY OFFICERS
Denial That Command Was Guilty
of Riotous Conduct.
COURT-MARTIAL SENTENCES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


CAMP ALGER, Va, August 10, 1898.
Much Indignation is expressed every
where in camp because of the unjust and
unfair position in which the Sd Virginia
Volunteer Infantry has been placed as a
consequence of the fracas outside the regi-
mental lines Monday night. In compliance
with suggestions from commissioned off,
GERS of nearly every regiment in the 1st
Division The Stars representative has en-
deavored to ascertain the exact facts in
the matter, which, as far as he has been
able to learn, are as follows:
Monday evening about o. clock some dis
order was noticed near the camp of the
Sd Virginia 1t was occasioned by re-
port that one of the hospital stewards of
the I'd Division Hospital had been killed by
negro. Probably seventy-five persons ran
across the road In pursuit of the negro.
There were about thirty Virginians, fif-
teen or twenty men from the 1st Connecti-
cut and ten or fifteen from the other regi-
ments of the division. Before the move
nent had attained any proportions the
crowd was dispersed by Captain John r.
Hutchins, officer of the day for the Sd
Virginia. Afterward a crowd of much
larger size gathered to learn what was the
matter. The name of the negro is not
known; that of the white man said to have
been killed is R. E. Duff formerly pri-
vate in the Sd Virginia, but since trans
ferred to the hospital corps of the 1st d.
vision. Duff has not been seen since the
occurrence, but is not supposed to have
been seriously injured
Gen. Butler Witnesses the Scene.
Maj. Gen. Butler came on the scene while
the larger crowd was locking for the negro.
The men acted, it is said, just as any other
crowd would have looked for a man ac-
crsed of misconduct. The situation seemed
to him rather serious, especially as alleged
exaggerated accounts of the occurrence
had been brought to him from many
sources. Accordingly, determined to pre-
vent a recurrence of the misconduct in the
9th Pennsylvania of about a month ago,
Gen. Butler issued an order, summary Of
which appeared in The Star of yesterday.
Col Nalle was asked this morning to eX-
plain away much of the misunderstanding
ard of the misaprrehension created by the
reports in morning paper. OF the official
side Of the incident. of course, he could not
speak. He did say, however, that OF the
entire account published. but one sentence
had any foundation in fact That sentence
referred to his having been at mess when
news was brought to him of the occurrence.
ION the whole the report could not have
been more slanderors," he said, ''if it had
been the deliberate intention of the paper
in which it APPEARED to do us all the injury
possible"
Statement by Officers.
A statement has been prepared by the
staff and line officers of the regiment, of
which the following is the substance:
CAMP ALGER, Va, August 10, 1893.
Every officer and m an in the Sd Virginia
Regiment is justly and intensely indignant
at the absolutely false and unjustifable ar
ticle published this morning relative to an
occurrence in (or rather near) our camp the
ey ening of August s. The facts of the in
cident referred to are as follows:
ABOUT 1870 o'clock, the evening in uueS-
tfen, just after dress parade, a few men
were standing near the picket line along
the public road discussing a rumor to the
been attacked and seriously injured by
negro teamster in the field opposite the
camp. Considerable indignation was ex-
pressed over the occurrence, and when the
statement was made that the negro was
then crossing the field, some of the men
started in pursuit of him. We are safe in
saying that not fifty men participated in
the pursuit, many of whom were doubtless
men of other regiments, who happened to
be passing along the road at the time, and
who joined in the chase more for the pur-
pose of seeing the outcome of the affair
than anything else. However, the officers
present soon succeeded in getting the men
back within the lines and the whole thing
was over in less than fifteen minutes
There was not drunken man in the crowd,
and while the negro would probably have
been roughly handled, II he had been
caught, the excitement was speedily sub
dued and the camp became quiet and or
derly. In fact, the commotion was so slight
and so soon over, that Col. Nalle, who was
at supper short distance away, knew
nothing of it until it was all over.
I'm a short while, by order of the major
general commanding, the long roll was
sounded, and Notwithstanding the fact that
a tremendous rain storm was in progress
at the time, preventing many who were at
the Y. M. G. A. tent and other places
within the lines from hearing the call. only
about thirty men in the whole regiment
failed to answer roll CALL
Charge of Exnggeration.
This shows how the whole thing has
been magnified and exaggerated, and yet,
in place Of these facts and without due in
vestigation, highly-colored and distorted
account of the fracas with the negro has
been published, with charges that the Sd
Virginia Regiment was guilty of riotous
conduct. The statement was made that
Colonel Nalle, seeing that almost all his
men had left without permission vainly
endeavored to call them back; that he
threatened and in turn pleaded with his
men, but in vain; that some of the men
even hooted him. that he then, in despair
went over to the 18th PENNSYLVANIA and
ians, but as he had no authority over the
Pennsylvanians the latter refused to go
out of camp to support him against troops
he himself could not hold in subordination
THE article goes on to say that Colonel
Nalle then went to the 1st- Connecticut
quarters, where he met Colonel Burdett,
and that the Yankees, who already had
wind of the trouble, were ordered into
ranks. They shouldered their guns, car
ried plenty of ammunition and marched
out against the Virginians a thousand
strong. as though they were about to at
tack an army of Spaniards. Meanwhile, it
was stated, Colonel Corson of the 18th
Pennsylvania had heard of the plight in
which his Virginia friends We're placed,
ana ne, too, ordered out a portion of his
regiment. AS the two hosts advanced the
deserters wavered and then returned to
camp etc.
The whole account is grossly libeIous
ana does great injustice to one of the best
disciplined regiments in the service.
Military discipline prevents us from
properly characterizing this attempt to dis
grace the Sd Virginia Regiment 1t is need
less to say that the whole regiment. from
the colonel commanding to the humblest