Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-11
THE OUTRAGEDTHIRD
UNvARNIsHED FACTS REGARDING
THE RECENT TROUBLE.
OUR BOYS GROSSLY MISREPRESENTED.
No Breach of Discipline or Refusal
to obey Orders-Sentiment OF the
Omcers-A Card from Colonel NnIIe.
Investigation Demanded.

| grace" from which / take the following
extract, is an issue Of Misrepresentation
from beginning to end. 1t says: "Col-
onel NaIle, of the Third Virginia, was
at mess when the disturbance about the
hospital steward occurred, and seeing
almost all his men leaving without per-
mission. he came over to call them back.
Had the men returned then, punishment
might not have followed. But they fatty
refused to obey their colonel. The latter
| threatened, and in turn pleaded with his
men, but in vain. The privates were
fresh from a spirited encounter in coun-
| try. and not accustomed TO discipline.
The mob moved about and shouted at
the teamster, while some even hooted
| their colonel. Colonel Nalle, in despair,
went over to the Thirteenth Pennsylvania
! Regiment and asked the boys to
drive back the Virginians, but the Vir-
| ginia colonel had no authority over the
| Pennsylvanians, and the latter refused
| to go out of camp to support him against
| troops no himself could not control.
Colonel Nalle then went to the First
! Connecticut quarters. where he met Colo
| mel Burdett. The Yankees, who already
| had wind Of the trouble, were ordered
| into ranks. They shouldered their guns,
| carried plenty of ammunition, and march
| ed out against the Virginians. a thousand
strong, as though they We're about to at
| tack an army of Spanards. Colonel Car
son, of the Thirteenth Pennsylvania, had
heard of the plight in which his Virginia
friend was placed, and out he, too or
dered portion of his regiment. As the
two hosts advanced. the deserters waver-
ed and stopping shouting. When or
dered again TO go back to their camp
they did it,"
THE FACTS
Never were more bare mlsrepresenta-
tions crowded into the same space than
appear in this article. In the first place,
the difficulty, which occurred between a
negro teamster and a hospital steward.
was not participated i'm by any Nirginan
except the one man, which, it seems, the
negro got the better of. A report was
circulated that the steward. member of
Company II, from Danville, was badly
hurt, and some of his friends started to
mete out punishment to the negro. When
the negro saw them coming he ran, fol-
lowed by a number of soldiers from the
Third Virginia and other regiments. and
a crowd Of civilians. He was not caught
and badly beaten, as the Post states
The crowd soon gave up the chase and
returned TO their quarters. The negro
came back. got his supper. took his
clothes and departed, nor has he been
seen since.
As soon as Captain Hutchings, the off,
Ger of the day heard of the affair. he
sent out a guard. and the men returned
quietly TO their quarters. ] repeat the fol-
lowing from Captain Hutchings's re-
port 20 Colonel Male: "To sum the
matter I'D in brief the trouble that oc-
CURED was not in the lines Of this regi-
ment. The excited crowd joining I'm the
chase of the negro. and consisting largely
Of the Hospital Corps, a few men OF
this regiment, men from other regiments.
and civilians. was IN the lines OF the
Second Division Hospital. The men of
this regiment upon being ordered back
to within the lines, returned without any
trouble whatsoever and i'm an orderly
manner.
COLONEL MALES STATEMENT.
In reply TO a question, Colonel Nalle.
made this statement: "I was at mess
when an orderly informed me that Major
Butler, son Of our division commander.
pressed surprise that | was not in a
state Of excitement. l asked him what
he meant, and he said from a message
received at headquarters he expected
to find the regiment in a state of mutiny
told him | had been there all the time
and the disturbance must have occurred
not over a couple of hundred yards from
my tent, and yet had not seen nor heard |
anything of it, if there was any,"
The Post states that nearly the entire |
regiment had left their lines, when the |
fact is. that from a canvass of the COM |
panies l find very few, If any, of those |
in the centre of the camp knew of any |
disturbance until the long roll was or |
dered. / witnessed the whole affair from /
the time the chase began until after the |
appearance of Major General Butler, who |
ordered the men TO their quarters.
NOT RECOGNIZED.
MajOr-Gencral Butler was accompanied /
by two of his staff officers, and they all
had on ponchos, and the men did not at
first recognize the General After the |
men had been ordered into their own
lines ny the officer of the day. and |
everything was quiet. a pouring rain set
in, and some one said that a regiment
had been ordered out to keep us 0he
Third "in lines" This created some ex-
element. and 1 went out to lines with
the crowd that had assembled. / found
the First Connecticut Regiment under
arms. standing in the road in columns of
fours. They never put out a line OF |
guards, and one Of them told me they did
not know what they We're ordered out
for. and they didn't have loaded guns.
Dur men were amused that this regiment
shoul1 have bean callad ont m rtt tba,,, |
IN lines when they were not out
CAN'T HOLD VIRGINIA DOWN. |
Just at this point Major-General Butler
-ode by me in an excited manner. order
ng the men 10 go TO their quarters. Some
me in the crowd. probably not knowing
Y the Generals presence, shouted. "You
ant hold Virginia down" to which the
General replied. "Pl show you"
The statement regarding Colonel Males
appealing to the colonels of the other
egiments is not only false, but ridicu-
Gus in the extreme. as any one with the
highest knowledge OF military knows
hat he would have no authority over any
egiment but his own. Colonel Nalle is |
cry much grieved that he shoald be so
ntirely misrepresented. and his regiments
laced before the public in such d false
osition.
That part of General Buffers order
Which SAYS that this order will be pub
shed at every company roll-call and
ress parade in the division for one week
: until further orders" was revoked yes |
erday Four rolls have been ordered to ;
e called every day till further orders.
'o-day guards are on duty thirty feetI !
part all around camp. There were mol ,
rills to-day. The men were standing in /