The National tribune., 1906-03-08
MILITARY sNoBBERY.
FIOgging I'm the Army-DIstinctiOns Of
Rank In This Democratic Country.

Editor National Tribune: The Nation
al Tribune is in error in saying that
there never was any QegaD whipping
or branding in the U. S. Army.
/ have seen men receive so lashes and
branded with the letter b, by sentence
of a General Court Martial, at Camp
Floyd, Utah, in 1859 and 1860, and that
punishment was common before the war
of the rebellion.
When 1 crossed the plains as men,
ber of Col. Mays column, in the Sum
mer of 1858, 1 more than once heard
Capt. Campbell, Quartermaster, order
some civilian teamster so many lashes
onmaSter carry out the order.
One morning, on that same march, l
saw Capt. Henry Heth, 10th Inf, COM
manding the infantry detachment, sit
ting in front of his tent, smoking a
cigar, the while the Sergeant Major
fiogged two drummer boys who were
tied to a stack of muskets. The boys
cried pitifully, "oh, Sergeant-Major,
Sergeant-Major," and Capt. Heth would
lazily remove his cigar and order. Lay
it on, Sergeant-Major!" All the boys
had been guilty of was to fail to keep
up on the last days march. and Capt.
Heth said they meant to desert. But l
never saw soldier flogged except by
sentence of court-martial.
Anent your article, Army Snobbery,"
in your issue of Jan. 25, many years ago
visited, one Sunday afternoon, public
beer garden in Stuttgart, Germany. A
fine military band was playing, all
classes were represented in the audi
ence, there were plenty of children, but
a church is not more quiet and orderly
than was that miscellaneous gathering;
yet, everybody was drinking. At one
table / noticed a General In uniform,
.t.l
more than six feet away, sat four pri-
vate soldiers, each with a glass of beer
in front Of him. i had been watching
these two parties about an hour, when
the General and his ladies arose; the
four soldiers Immediately sprang to
their feet, saluted and stood at atten-
ton until the officer had passed them,
then sat down again.
l was profoundly moved. Here is
the most military nation of the earth"
I said to myself, "and yet private SOL
diers can sit, drinking beer, within a
few feet of their General and his wo-
mankind, whereas in my republican and
unmilitary country Lieutenant would
not under the same circumstances. be
caught within half mile of private
or non-com.
Some years ago visited the military
cemetery of the Preside of San Fran
cisco, accompanied by its Superintend-
ent. The cemetery was divided by a
broad driveway, on one side of which
were the graves of officers and their
male and female relatives and on the
other the graves of enlisted men.
Suppose the relatives of dead nom
commissioned officer or soldier wanted
him buried on the officers side. and
as to quality of monument, could it be
done?" / asked my companion.
He answered with a laconic NO"
"Then you have here an aristocracy
of lime and phosphorus" said I; cor
are you afraid that familiarity among
bones might breed contempt. to the
prejudice of good order and military
discipline %
The Superintendent shrugged his
| shoulders, and the breakers and trade
| winds Of the Pacific win continue 10
chant misererj in depreciation of the
absurd line of demarcation between the
bones of an American citizen educated
at the cost of the people and the bones
of an American citizen educated by him
self
| Then look at the Loyal Legion. That
may be a highly patriotic institution;
| but is it American?
| If there is anything noble and pa
thetic in the history OF the civil war. il
is the self-sacrificing American volun-
| teer private. Yet this, the true hero OF
the war, is debarred from membership
in an association of officers to whose
reputation, glory and profit he was the
main contributor. "Who am l." Gen
Sherman was wont to say when visiting
Grand Army Posts, that you should
make all this fuss over me? / am only
| what you made me-"
What does it mean to be q Repub-
licen or Democrat?" asked the en-
bryo statesman.
at means that one man is Just al
good as another, and q - sight bet.
ter"
Snobbery may be excusable undel
monarchical auspices; it certainly is no
under republican.-Theo. V. Brown
Hospital Steward, u. s. A, retired.