Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-09-06
THE THIRD REGIMENT EXON
GRATED.

Inc hnulng5 OF Tue court OF inquiry
in the case of the Third Virginia regi-
ment, charged with disorderly and dis.
graceful conduct by Major General NJ.
c. Butler, recently in command of the
Second Division of the Second army
corps, have been made public. The
regiment is exouerated from ell blame
and General Butler is mildly criticised
for the severity with which he treated
the regiment while it was under inves-
tigstion. The court says, after a care
full inquiry and consideration OF all the
testimony, it finds the following:
Shortly before dress parade on Aug.
S fight occurred between a negro
teamster of the first hospital division
and q member of the hospital corps,
recently transferred to that corps from
the Third Virginia. The fight took
place on the hospital grounds contigu
Gus to the Third Yirginia's camp and
resulted in favor Of the negro.
Later number of enlisted men were
discovered chasing the negro across the
rear section of the hospital grounds to-
ward the adjacent woods, and some ten
or twelve of them were melting the
others to violence by crying out: Lynch
him W Hang him !"
The riotous party was composed
partly of enlisted men Of the Third
Virginia. the rest being hospital corps
men and civilians. All the Virginia
men had left their camp in violation
of the standing orders of the camp
guard.
Further than this, the court relates
that the guard sent to quell the dis
turbance was not compelled to use
force, and the Virginia men returned
to their camp by direction of their own
officers. There was some disorder in
the Virginia camp, but not such as, 10
the opinion Of the court, constituted
either riotous or insubordinate conduct.
10 its opinion OF the case The court
says, regarding General Buffers order
combining the Third Virginia to the
limits of its camp and requiring four
daily roll-calls, that the author was
distinctly influenced by previous ex-
perience with the Third Virginia not
TO his liking, but this issue was not
considered by the court.
The court is further of the opinion,
the findings declare. that the author of
the order was largely, perhaps princi-
pally, influenced by his conviction that
the company officers were unwilling or
unable to exercise any control over the
disorderly men, indicating lack of
discipline most deplorable, conviction
which he now testlfies was enormously
deduced and no long entertained.
The court is finally of the opinion
that, if the author of the order had been
restricted, as the court is, to the con-
sideration Of the conduct of men belong
ing to the Third Virginia volunteers,
on the night of August only, and had
he possessed his present knowledge of
the behavior that night of all officers Of
this regiment shown to have been cog
infant of the trouble, he could not, with
high sense of right and justice, have
issued the order at all.
The court does not consider itself au-
thorized to make any suggestions as to
further action in the matter.
In reviewing and approving the find
ings of the COURT General Graham,
commanding the Second Corps, says
that General Butler had probably good
reason for believing the Virginia regi-
ment to be insubordinate in q manner
subversive of military discipline. The
testimony, however, had shown that he
was mistaken. Continuing, General
Graham says:
''Since such publicity has been given
the affair it would be only just to the
regiment and to the State of Virginia
that the public should know that the
act which brought forth the order of
General Butler was not countenanced,
but reprended by the officers and by
great majority of the enlisted men of
the regiment, and that it was not PAL
in except by few, for whose
bad conduct the rest are suffering, and
the reputation of the regiment for dis
cipline is injured. The order is, there
fore, discontinued"