Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18
HARD LINES IN SIXTY. Two
What q Veteran Of the Rebellion Says
Concerning Hsrdships.
ONLY THREE MEN LEFT IN HIS COMPANY
Endorsement on His Application for
Leave Which Tells q Tale Of the
Terrible Suffering Of His
Regiment. -"

Living in Omaha today Is a veteran OF
the civil war who has in his possession
Official documents, relics Of the rebellion.
which furnish interesting reading matter for
those who have found so much fault with the
management OF troops during the war with
Spain and who have been free to charge
brutality In the general treatment Of the
men. Among these papers Is the original
copy of an application for leave OF absence
by the veteran, who was a lieutenant Of q
company and who desired to 60 and see
his brother, who had been captain Of the
same company. The brother was wounded
ct the battle Of Fredericksburg thirty six
years ago and was lying at the point Of
death In a hospital at Washington. In
fact, he died before the lieutenant could
reach him.
Tho application was made January 2, 1863,
ut the camp Of the corps near Falmouth.
Va. The first endorsement was one of
approval by Captain L. w. Carpenter. VIII
was then In command Of the regiment. The
next was as follows:
HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, Jan.
2, lss3.-Respectfully forwarded approved.
Captain - was wounded severely In the
leg at Fredericksburg. After his removal
to Washington his leg was amputated and
there is very little prospect Of his recovery.
His brother Is In comm Id OF Company r,
uiCu uuHDcTS unTte men present. On6 10
on extra duty as teamster and the other
two are on sick report. His services can,
therefore,, very we'll be spared here and I
trust he may be allowed to visit his brother,
that he may be enabled to render assistance
TO one OF the best officers of my regiment.
JOHN 8. MASON,
Colonel Commanding Brigade.
The application IL then endorsed and ap.
proved successfully by ALI sully. brigadler
general; John Sedgwick, major general COM
handing corps; /. H.. Taylor, for Major Gen.
eral Sumner. who was father of Brigadier
General Edwin v. Sumner, commander OF the
Department OF the Missouri. and the final
endorsement was by John Tucker, assist
ant secretary of war, who extended the leave
eight days.
The paper has interest In the personal
signatures OF the men named. most Of whom
were we'll known in the west, but the state
ment In the second endorsement that but
three men OF the company were recorded 40
present Is where the real story lies. The regi-
ment had seen but little fighting previous to
Fredericksburg, but had been campaigning
over the swamps in the peninsula, and the
Elen OF this particular company, as well as
OF all others, were either dead from disea 20
or sick. The mortality OF the company was
large at the battle OF Fredericksburg, but IL
only had a small portion of It's original num-
Der left to go into that engagement and the
onhcer who holds this paper was the only
member Of his company who was not killed
or wounded In the fight. He says his reg
iment was w~oefulfy depleted by disease dur
Ing that compaign and the organization was
almost wiped out by the battle.
The man who has this paper withholds his
name from the story because he says he has
finished fighting battles and does not care
10 get into any controversy, but the docu-
ment Is where anyone can see 1t who de-
s!res. and those who see It will know 1t u
official. He gives 1t out at this time to show
that the soldier who finds faurt with his
treatment In this age does not know what
| real hardships are.