The times., 1898-09-07
THE BLAME is REMOVED
Third Virginia Exonerated by
Court of Inquiry.
HISTORY OFt THE TROUBLE
The Order Issued by Mhj. Gen. hut
Ter, Under which the Volunteers
Were So Severely Restricted, Was
the Result of n Misapprehension-
The Inst Week mt Camp AIger.

%
The Inst Week nt Camp AIger.
Information was received at Camp Alger
yesterday, having been transmitted to
| Col. Nalle through the War Department,
| that the court of inquiry which was con-
vened at the request of the colonel of the
Third Virginia Regiment to consider the
order of Maj. Gen. Butler rejecting on
the troops has exonerated the regiment.
| The news was received with pleasure
by the Virginans, as the reflection upon
the discipline of the regiment and the
| humiliation to which they were subjected
by the order has weighed heavily upon
the men, and especially the officers. The
report of the court sums the case up as
| follows:
''On August s, shortly before dress pa
rade, a fight occurred between a negro
teamster and member or the First Di-
| vision Hospital Corps, who short time
| previously had been transferred to that
| corps from the Third Virginia.
THE fight took place near the camp of
the Virginians and resulted in favor of
| the negro. Afterward some enlisted men
of the Virginia and other regiments and
some civilians chased the negro across
the hospital grounds toward the woods,
some crying. Lynch ,himr Hang him.
THE Virginians had left their camp in
violation of the standing orders of the
camp guard"
The findings Of the court are that the
was not compelled to use force. and
that the Virginians returned to their
camp by order of their own officers. The
disorder in the Virginia camp following
this incident could not, in the opinion of
the court, be characterized as riotous or
insubordinate.
Gen. Butler Mfsinformed.
The order issued by Maj. Gen. Butler on
August is cited by the court, and then
follows the opinion of the court, which
states that by the terms of this order the
regiment was credited with all the re-
sponsibility for the disturbance: that the
! officers and enlisted men were confined to
the limits of their regimental camp. and
| compelled to report daily at four roll
calls.
The regiment was arraigned as having
! disgraced the entire volunteer service. as
well the State of Virginia, and adju-
| tants of all other regiments of the divi-
sion commanded by Gen. Butler We're d.
| rected to read the order aloud once each
day to the men of their regiment.
It is said that the court comments on
| this harsh order To such an extent as 70
| intimate that its author was influenced
while preparing IL by previous experience
with the Third Virginia, which had not
| been TO his liking, and that the order was
| perhaps mainly consequence of his con-
viction that the officers of this regiment
| We're unable OF unwilling to control their
| men.
1t is said that Gen. Butler, in testifying
| before the court. stated that he no long
| er entertained the conviction that the Of
, ficers failed TO do their duty in the case
and that this opinion was enormously de-
duced on account of misleading informa-
| tion.
The report went to Gen. Graham before
| being forwarded to the war Depart
ment. and his comment upon it begins by
stating that Gen. Butler probably had
very good reason for believing that the
men of the Third Virginia had been in
subordinate in a manner subversive to
military discipline but the testimony.
! however, has shown that he was mis-
taken. He says:
Since such publicity has been given
the affair 1t 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 Gen
! Butler was not countenanced, but repre-
| hended. by the officers and by great
| l,,1a of ha a1 ma n
ment and that it was not participated
| in except by a few, for whose bad con-
duct the rest are suffering and the repu-
tation of the regiment for discipline is
| injured The order is. therefore. discon-
| tinued.'
| Thanks of the Regiment.
eve are very glad that the report
reached US before we left camp for home, -
said Col. Nalle yesterday. "as it will serve
to set us right before the people of our
native State. The men have suffered
keenly under what they considered their
| humiliation and disgrace, and especially
so because they were convinced that the
order was issued under a misapprehen-
| sion. We owe our heartiest thanks to the
great men of our State who came to our
assistance and did not abandon the fight
| until we WERE lullg tAbHSEdlSu
| Col Charles l.. Burdette. of the First
| Connecticut, Informed his men late Mon
| day evening on his return from Washing
| ton that he had at last been successful
| in his efforts to have his command sent
| back to Providence, and that the work of
! the mastering out would be done at once
| The men received the news with much
| cheering. as with the men of the Third
! Virginia they have been lonesome and
| anxious to leave for their homes since
the breaking up of the camp began.
| BY Thursday. when both the Virginia
and Connecticut regiments leave, Camp
| Alger will be a thing of the past, and
| headquarters will be moved to Camp
| Meade when the Virginians leave for
Richmond. The division hospital has but
| few remaining patients and these are be-
| ing transferred to Fort Myer hospital as
rapidly as practicable. The surgeons ex-
pect to clear the hospital and move to
Camp Meade with headquarters.
There has baAp oDIv ono in, 10