Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-06-20
THE BOOMING CANNON
REciTALS OF CAMP AND BAT
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors Of the Rebellion Relate
Many using and Startling Incl.
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Forag-
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.


ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.
Yes" said the Colonel, there were
penitentiary convicts in the Union
Army. There were twenty of them in
one company In my regiment and they
were put there with my knowledge and
approval. In 1862, when the regiment
was being organized, several convicts
in the Ohio penitentiary whose terms
had nearly expired, expressed a desire
to enlist. The Governor was prevailed
upon to issue conditional pardons or pa
roles to these men, and on their release
from prison they enlisted for three
years or during the war.
Other convicts asked the privilege of
enltsting on the same terms, and in
every case where the warden gave a
as to good conduct, the
released convict was accepted as a re-
cruit. They were placed In one COM
pany that they might be more econ
veniently watched and might make a
record for themselves For good rea-
sons the matter was kept secret, al
though a story was published at the
time to the effect that Ohio had sent
out regiment Of jail birds, recruited
from the Ohio penitentiary, and there
was much unfavorable and venomous
comment in the Democratic and South
ern papers. Only a few knew that the
foundation for the story was the en-
listment Of twenty pardoned prisoners
In one Of the very best regiments Ohio
sent to the field.
THE experiment was watched with
the greatest interest by the Governor
and officers in the secret. With only
one exception, the convicts made splen-
did soldiers. They were chosen from
the best behaved of the prisoners, and
they were eager to enter the service
that they might escape from the prison
record and redeem themselves in the
eyes of their friends. They yielded
readily to discipline, were more than
ordinarily scrupulous in the perform
ance of their duty, and were as cour-
ageous and patriotic as any men in the
regiment. At Kenesaw | saw three Of
them dead in one group, and others
my experience. In eight minutes our
regiment lost 1OS men out Of $50 in ac-
ton. Not one of the ex-convicts falt-
cred, and all were in the thickest of the
fight.
Il had trouble with only one of the
n& 1ap "
sullen fellow, and while the regiment
was unloading steamers at Nashville
in January, 1868, refused to obey a
very reasonable order. | turned to
look the man in the eye, and caught
him in the act of making a. menacing
| dropped my hand to my
revolver and quietly repeated the order.
The fellow gave me a surprised, com
glance and sullenly obeyed.
After that he held himself to the strict
est line of soldierly duty. The orderly
that his conduct was beyond
criticism, and I watched lis course
with sympathy and approval.
ION the evening of July 18, 1864, the
night before the battle of Peach Tree
Creek, | was walking ON the outskirts
Of camp, when | met my sullen mutt
neer of the Nashville wharf. He spoke
to me and said he would like to tell me
his story He was the black sheep of
a good Ohio family, and had perversely
gone from waywardness and country
to crime, and had landed in
the penitentiary. He explained that
army discipline and my friendship had
made a new man of him. When l asked
him about the wharf scene at Nash
vile, he surprised me by saying that
was the turning point in his life
He said that when he turned on me
he saw shoot in my eye, and at the |
same time saw something that made |
him believe that l was, disposed to ex-
cuse him and treat him fairly He
realized that while he was in the wrong
ne was being treated for the first time
ID his life like a man. The more he
thought about this the more he was
by my firmness, and he de-
ne proposed to lead different life.
But he never returned. 1t was my
privilege to lead the charge in the bat
lie of Peach Tree Creek next day, and
among the foremost In the charge was
he man who had told me his life story
he night before. He fell mortaly
wounded and died on the field Chi
ago Inter Ocean.
The President and the Private.
Whnn Mahlnn Shaaher of the Nine