Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-07-15
Silly Stories of Mutiny.

1nOSe reports OIL pTOpOSSu IS-
volt in the Russian army in Man
churia,' said the colonel. made a
good many old soldiers smile. The
idea of any part of an army 5000
miles from home cutting itself loose
from the government that held trans
portation lines and supplies. as well
as authority, was absurd, but the re-
port was circulated all the same. AS
a matter of fact it is not possible for
an army organized on the modern
plan to revolt, but in every war there
is talk about armies throwing down
their arms or refusing to fight or de-
.clining to do this or that.
More such talk was INDUCED in
concerning the volunteer army of the
civil war than of any other army that
ever did any real fighting The talk
began in the army, where it passed
for mere buster and extended to the
politicians and the people at home, to
whom it seemed very menacing in
deed. In the earlier years of the war
1 was in the engineer corps and was
pretty close to headquarters. After
Antietam l was informed confidential
1y that Mcclellan was to be sent to
Washington and that Burnside was
to take command of the Army of the
Potomac.
1T was explained to me by a regu-
lar army officer that Mcclellan really
had been removed from command, but
the president, fearing a mutiny in the
army, desired to have the soldiers be-
1ieve that Little Mac had been called
to Washington to take the place of
Gen. Halleck. l was informed also
that when Mcclellan started rearward
no air,c
Burnside, and the end of things would
come soon. l did not believe a word
of all this, and said so. But 1 was
asked to wait. / waited, and l saw
Mcclellan go without demonstration
of any kind and Burnside welcomed
everywhere with cheers.
THE truth was that the Army of
the Potomas was made up of Amer
lean citizens who were in the army
to fight, not for Mcclellan nor for
Burnside, nor Pope, nor Hooker, but
for the Union, and most of them,
much as they liked Mcclellan, felt
that the time had come for him to go.
There was absolutely no thought of
mutiny on his account. but hundreds
of men who knew better limited that
there was the gravest peril in slight
ing Mcclellan because the army as an
army was so attached to him that it
would resent injustice by refusal to
obey orders of another.
"Rattle-pated officers of this school
often misled the people, as well as the
officers in command. / remember one
case in which the field officers of two
regiments in Virginia intimated to
the general in command that their
men were in ugly mood because a de-
of ooiy
to be shot. They expressed a fear
that if the men were ordered out to
witness the execution they would
mutiny, and suggested that it might
be well to not insist that the regi-
ments be present
ssThe general heard them in amaze
ment, but said he would consider the
matter. The day of the execution the
two regiments were ordered out with
out arms, and each was placed in the
square opposite to regiment fully
armed and equipped. No one under
stood the situation except the officers
who had talked to the general of
mutiny, and to them it was a rebuke
that stung like blow in the face.
THE truth was there had been no
excitement in either regiment about
shooting the deserter, and absolutely
no disaffection and no thought of mu-
tiny This was made known to the
general in good time, and he sent for
the recreant officers and told them
bluntly that they must get over their
old women's notions or he would rec
,ommend their dismissal from the
service They never limited at mu-
tiny, after that."-Chicago Inter
Ocean.
Records of Illinois Regiments.