The National tribune., 1910-08-04
ONE OFFICERS EXPERIENCE.
He Was Cut Out of Bountics and Allow
ances by Promotion From the


Ranks.
Editor National Tribune: I have just
returned from the Reunion of the eth
Mich. held at Alma. Mich.
This regiment was raised in that vi
cinity in May. 1861, and left the State
with about 1000 men and officers. We
afterwards received about SOC recruits,
and all that we could muster at this
Reunion was 80 enlisted men and but
one of the original officers who left the
State with the regiment. The records
show that this officer was n Second
Lieutenant named Amos 7. Hecock, of
Dundee, Mich, who was very young,
and Henry b. Landon. the first Adju-
tant, are the only survivors of the 35
original officers. / do not believe that
this is an exceptional case. but it will
| be found that this is generally the case
from the fact that the-officers first ap-
pointed were older than the enlisted
men.
1 have watched carefully the progress
| of the bill to retire the volunteer Off
GERS. That the passage of this bill has
been delayed so long seems to me to be
very unjust. The most of the volunteer
officers now living were men promoted
! from the ranks for meritoriOus services,
and the acceptance of such promotion
was a positive injury to the enlisted
men They assumed greater RESPONSE
L
clothing and rations. for which they
paid high prices, and when mounted
| had to furnish and feed their own
horses. When captured by the Con-
federates they were not exchanged and
held for years as prisoners. while the
enlisted men were exchanged.
In 1864 this regiment was asked to
| e-enlist, for which each man so re-en-
listing received from s400 to $500 in
bounties. At that time 1 held a Second
Lieutenant's commission, which / had
received short time before, so I was
| debarred from receiving any bounty.
! At the time Of my muster | was in
| formed that / must be sworn in on my
commission for three years or during
the war" / was also informed that this
was only a matter of form, and that L
would be mustered out at the expira-
| ton of my original term of enlistment.
| was afterwards promoted to a First
Lieutenant, and was again mustered for
three years or during the war" Later
| / was promoted to a Captain, and on
this commission declined to muster by
reason of a ruling of the War Depart
ment that during the war; left 1t op-
tional with the Government to hold an
| officer three years from the date of last
muster, without any option on the part
of the officer to retire sooner if he so
desired.
In September, 1854. General Order
was issued permitting all officers who
had served their original enlistment to
| withdraw from the service, which was
taken advantage of by a large number
of officers, greatly reducing the expense
of maintenance of the army. So many
officers retired that it was necessary to
promote enlisted men to the rank of
Captain-men who were veterans and
had received $500 or $500 in bounties
| for re-enlisting.
I would like also to call your atten-
ltion to the fact that large number of
officers deserted and went home after
their full three years of service had ex-
court-martialed, but dropped from the
rolls. A large number of these officers
applied for reinstatement after the war,
which was refused. During President
Roosevelt's term of service Congress
voted to change the records of several
officers to show an honorable discharge,
which were vetoed by the President,
and has caused the widows and or
phans of such officers great humiliation
and suffering because they could not
avail themselves of the pension laws.
I understand that President Taft ap-
proves of this policy.
1t seems strange to me that a gener-
Gus Government that can forgive the
lcrime of treason and pardon men whom
the laws call traitors and hold the best
offices under the Government, and per-
NIT the statues of such men to be
placed in the Hall of Fame, should
show a little more generosity to our
own officers and men who deserted and
to their widows and orphans when such
officers had served their full terms OF
enlistment faithfully.
When volunteer officers are retired
and pensions of enlisted men are raised
to a sufficient amount to support them
comfortably, so they will not be driven
to Soldiers Homes, and, when the wild
ows and orphans of volunteer officers
and soldiers are placed on the same
footing as Regulars, this Government
will have done it's fun duty to the mer
who saved the Union. I hope that this
will not be long delayed.-Charles A
Nimocks, Minneapolis, MINI.