Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1911-07-14
q II y
RENEGADE
Why a Southern Officer of
the Union Army Was
So Considered
,..ss........s.s.e.....
BY F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Fress Asso-
ciation. 1871.


ciation. 1871. :
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When It became necessary In 1861
for the officers Of the United States
regular army hsiling from southern
states to choose between the Union
and the Confederate causes those who
were fully In sympathy with the seces
sion movement went guyly over With
out qualins OF conscience or regret
But those VINO believed the movement
was wrong. III advised and doomed to
failure stood between two fires. II
they remained where they conceived
their duty held them they would be
condemned as renegadeS. as traitors
BY those they loved and who loved
them at home.
In 1861 | served in Virginia with
my battalion Of the -th U. s. cavalry
One Of our officers was Lieutenant
Harold ClaybourEe. a premature grad
uate from West Point. nineteen years
old. say premature. because his
class had been graduated far ahead OF
its time In order to furnish officers. so
greatly needed. Claybourne had been
appointed to the academy from vir-
ginia and was now serving in his
native state against his own people.
Unfortunately for these southern
officers who fought on the northern
side. there was always an element OF
distrust concerning them. This prob.
ably arose from the fact tlrat maHy
southern civn officers held positions
under the United States government
TIL long after hostiIitles commenced.
all the while aiding and abettlng the
Confederate cause. Young Claybourne,
suffering at being obliged to fight bis
own people. was unhappy and morose.
We, bis brother officers. knowing him
TO be man OF tender conscience and
that his heart was really with bis
own desh and blood. sympathized with
him. but our intimate knowledge OF
him prevented any suspicion of his
fidelity to the cause with which he
had cast his lot.
Of the Potomac on the one hand and
the Army Of Northern Virginia on the
other were facing each other day after
day and month after mouth. the Con
federates waiting for General MeClel
Ian TO move upon them. The division
TO which our battalion was attached
remained encamped In the same corn
field for months. One night Lieuten-
ant Waters. the adjutant. made spe
cial detail. placing Lieutenant Clay
bourne In command OF twelve men for
reconnoiterlng purposes. On going to
his tent to notify him Of the order II
was found vacant.
There was nothing TO do but detail
another officer. The adjHnni did not
report the matter TO the major com
manding. nor did he speak Of 1t to any
one else. Waters was curious to know
the cause Of Claybournes absence.
But. being man prone to proceed de
lberately. he kept his own counsel.
not even speaking to the absentee
when he next saw him of not finding
him in his tent when wanted
Waters after this kept some watch
over Claybourne and found that on
certain occasions when the command
was asleep Claybourne mounted his
horse and rode away. Where he went
Waters did not know. But, remem-
bering that Claybourne was Virgin
ian, the adjutant became suspicious
that h was communicating in some
way with the Confederates.
We were all very young In those
days and not always inclined TO take
the right way of doing things. Wa
ters. instead OF questioning Claybourne
or reporting his singular conduct at
headquarters. chose TO speak Of 1t one
day at the mess table.
Il don't blame any southerner." he
said, for siding with bis native state
or section. but | do blame him after
he has once chosen his side for riding
out nights carrying information to his
friends"
What induced Waters to take such a
course can't conceive. saw at once
~
insult which any southerner would
consider could not be washed out ex-
cept in blood. l shall never forget bis
expression. There was nothing Of an
tagonism in 1t; the principal feature
was pain II seemed to me that
Waters shaft struck home. | was
sure Claybourne would not do any
thing that he conceived to be dishonor-
able. but | feared that he was engaged
In something that would tend to injure
the Union cause.
There are only two Of you fellows
here. besides Waters and myself,
said Claybourne. (which is lucky. You
must know that no man can charge
me with what Waters bus charged
me without having to fight. We can't
fight openly. but there's way we
can fight without being generally
known. We can ride out beyond our
yedettes. have 1t out and, returning, re-
port that we've had a brush with the
enemy's pickets."
Lieutenant Thorpe and were the
two officers present besides the princi-
pals. and we both endeavored to
smooth the matter over. Waters said
that II Claybourne would explain his
absences he would apologize Clay
bourne declined to explain and said
that such charge TO an officer Of the
army did not admit Of an apology.
Thorpe and lnbored all that day to
settle the matter amicabiy. but Clay
bourne would NOT explaln. and with