The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-01-30

Proclamation of President Lincoln
made them free. The commission of
the Colonel was dated March /, 1864.
and was signed by c. A. Dana, Assist
ant Secretary of War.
The regiment was well differed,
every one from the Colonel in command
to the Second Lieutenant of Co. K hav-
ing had experience in actual warfare,
and passed a creditable examination as
to proficiency in the Army Regulations,
the tactics and management Of troops
in the field.
They had come from regiments that
had fought under Mcclellan on the
Peninsula, had helped charge the nights
of South Mountain; they had been on
the bloody field of Antietam, with Burn
side at Fredericksburg, Hooker at
Charlottesville and Meade at Gettys-
burg. They understood well the duties
of the picket and the skirmiSh line;
they had not only been in the advanc-
ing column, but had helped repel
charges such as no war ever saw sur
passed, either in deeds of valor or in
decisive results. They knew what sue
cess was and also what it meant to save
the rear of an army from the pursuit
Of an enemy flushed with victory.
Responsibilities of Ohicers.
the colored service were much greater
than those incurred by the officers in
the command of white troops, and also
were their chances for death much
greater. The rebels had a special an
tipathy against the colored troops, which
extended from the Confederate Con-
gress down to the private soldier in the
ranks of the Confederate army. In
1853 the following resolution was
passed at Richmond, Va: Resolved by
the Congress of the Confederate States
or America, in response to the message
OF the President, Sec. 4, That every
white person being commissioned Off
Ger, or acting as such, who during the
present war shall command negros or
mulattos in arms against the Confed-
crate states, or who shall train, organ
lie or prepare negros or mulattos for
military service against the Confederate
States, or who shall voluntarily aid ne
gros or mulattos in any military enter
prise, attack or conflict in such service,
shall be deemed as melting serviIe in
surrection, and shall, if captured be
put to death or be otherwise punished
at the discretion of the court" We
laughed at such resolutions.
When the mighty army of Gen. Grant
crossed the Rapidan in May, 1864, the
cpiored troops at Baltimore were organ
lied into the Fourth Division of the
Ninth Corps, and were assigned the duty
of guarding the immense wagon train,
1000 teams, which IL extended in a
single line would have reached from
Washington to Richmond, 1870 miles
These teams were busy, many of them
by night as well as by day, hauling
supplies from the nearest railroad 10
the troops at the front. and many We're
the contentious and controversies be-
tween Quartermasters and Wagonmas-
tiers IN regard 10 the right of way dur
Ing the six weeks that passed while the
army was forcing its way thru the
Wilderness, beyond Spotsylvania, across
the North Anna River and on the
bloody fields around Cold Harbor
One little episode in which the Quar-
termaster of the 10th u. s. c. T. was
involved will give an idea of how the
right-of-way question was sometimes
solved. Lieut.. Baldwin was one of the
best Quartermasters in the army, and
his teams were generally among the first
TO reach their destination when the
bivouac was ordered. But one day Inc
was bluffed by a Quartermaster from
the Fifth Corps, and thus delayed for
several hours. The next day he asked
for Sergeant and six men to accom-
pany his train. The detail was given
him. and he held his way amongst the
wilderness of teams at the point of the
bayOnet whenever the occasion demand
ed. He had received his training in the
Oath N. Y, one OF the best regiments
Ihe State sent out, and he understood