Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-12-12
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECITALS OF CAMP AND BAT
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, Forag-

The government of armies comes
nearer being an absolute despotism
than anything else. The general com
handing an army in the field is sup
posed to be limited by certain regula-
tons, laws of Congress, aud orders
from superior authority; but when IL
comes TO the actual test. il is not easy
1 10 find any practical limit 10 what
general In command may or may not
DO am not writing Just now of the
/ subject OF this sketch; / am merely
Introducing il by some striking exam
! pies of military severity. TO show how
tremendous an engine this almost alb
solute military power can be- Thus
spies and cuerTillas are supposed TO
! be entitled 10 a trial 10y military COM
mission before they can be punished.
i but all soldiers Of active campaigns
Know that when an army is moving
ard fighting, the most summary kind
of justice is dealt out to such people
when caught Most of our army saw
/ the dead body OF man hanging TO
a tree near Frederick, Maryland. in
! the first days of August. 1864 and
were told on inquiry that he had been
identified as q spy and hung BY
/ do not now remember what general.
Guerrillas in the Shenandoah valley
charged with "buShwhacking' our sol
diers, were hung I think Gen. Custer
! treated half dozen OF them in this
fashion near Front Royal that sum
mer The act of course led TO bloody
reprisals Gen. Hunter, in the pre-
/ vious spring, moving far mp the valley
with an army, found at Lexington
proclamation from Ex-Governor Letch-
er, calling on the people 10 carry on
i guerrilla warfare against the invaders,
which so incenSed the General, that
\ he burned the house and buildings Of
| Letcher, who had prudently ahsented
himself when the invaders appeared,
In retaliation for this, Chambersburg,
in Pennsylvania, was In July following,
/ burned by the Confederate General
/ McCausland, and hundreds of unoffend-
ing women and children rendered
homeless.
Ia the last of September, 1864. when
X IL,
Lieut. Meigs, of Sherldan's staff, was
shot ard killed at distance from the
4 troops. 1t was believed at the time
! that this was the work OF gueITillas,
and Sheridan believed. though the Con
federates afterward insisted that the
man was a regularly enlisted soldier
on a scout II was most harshly av-
enged by whomsoever committed.
Sheridan ordered his cavalry To burn
every house within an area of five
! miles, and the order was executed
Sueh examples of suffering by persons
ignorant of any direct offense, as are
furnished by this and the Cumber-
land incident. are enough 10 make MS
revolt from the very idea of war,
These instances l have called to show
what a terrible thing il the absolute
/ power of the military commander /
have not criticised them; they have
been variously treated by the military
critics, depending largely on which
! side of the conflict had their sym
/ pathies
And l do not mean 10 put these
/ things under the head OF military tyr
/ amy | wished more particularly 10
! speak OF the War Department aud of
! the manner in which the great See
/ rotary sometimes exercises his vast
/ power
This Is rather delicate subject TO
1 treat OF TO the American reading pub
/ lie, thousands Of whom are full of ad-
miration for the mans sterling pa
! trlotism and sturdy honesty. That
| Mr.. Stanton had these lofty qualities
none Will deny But he had also
most bitter and vindictlye disposition
1 toward those who had offended him.
and he was capable OF pursuing such
with his anger as long as he could
! reach them
In July, 1863, there came TO the De
4 partment Of the Gulf 10 act as Banks
chief of staff, tall. soldierly looking
man. whose hair and mustache were
| plentiful streaked with gray. and
whose fine face showed signs of acute
mental suffering lie was Gen. Chas
p. Stone. l remember seeing him az
OtA AANdroI aIttI tAt anu
that / was deeply impressed with his
appearance and bearing He had been
sent there In answer 10 the urgent re-
quest of Gen. Banks He was fine
soldier. a West Point graduate, and In
late years was known as the engineer
of tie construction Of the pedestal for
the statue OF Liberty, In New York
harbor. At the outbreak OF the war;
his services at Washington Ia the or
ganization Of troops, was Invaluable.
He was placed In command of dis
| trict along the Potomac, and the dis
aster of Balls bluff happened 10 part
of his command. He was not respon-
sible for 1t, but the press demanded
q victim, and Gen. Stone was selected.
Just what the pretext was upon which
he was arrested and confined in a mil
tary prison is not known TO this day.
He was SO confined sly unOnfhs during