The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-17
A correspondent
WITH UNION ARMY
Daniel Surface of This City
AT the Front" for Gin
= cinnati Gazette.
RELATES EXPERIENCES
Aided in Work by Gen. Grant
Sherman Despised
Newspaper Men. :.

Daniel Surface, of this city, former
editor of the Palladium, served two
years during the Civil war as a war
correspondent for the old Cincinnati
Gazette. Reporting at 1.-The front" is
considered one OF the most dan
gerous tasks newspaper man can be
assigned to. Mr.. Surface gained the
reputation as one of the best war cor.
respondents that followed the union
armies during the great rebellion and
the confidence General Grant reposed
in him attested by a pass. signed by
the General. which Mr.. Surface still
prizes as one of his most valuable pos.
sessions. This pass gave Mr.. Surface
permission to go through all union
lines and gave him free transportation
on railway trains and steamers operat
ed by the United States Government
To Palladium reporter the other
day. Mr.. Surface gave the following in
terview:
Mr.. Surfaces Story.
early in 1863 l was sent to West
Virginia as war correspondent for the
Cincinnati Gazette.
1.-The status of newspaper man in
the army at that time was not well es.
tablished and his troubles were nu
merous. General Seammon, command
er of that department would not al
low any newspaper letters to go Out
without official supervision, and by
the time the official supervision was
completed the letters had no news in
them. And there were risks enough
without attempting to dodge the news
censor. So I was well pleased when
the Gazette transferred me to the
army of the Cumberland. Moreover
I Ind the good fortune of being able
to make the trip south from Cincin
natl in the same car with General
Hooker's official family, who had just
came from the East to join the Army
of the Cumberland. We arrived al
Chattanooga soon after the battle Of
Chickamaugua and the situation there
was everything but cheerful. Genera
Bragg had the town well hemmed In
and the Union army was on half ra
tons or less. This condition LASTED
till the arrival OF the Army of the
Mississippi under General Sherman
when Bragg was defeated at the battle
OF Mission Ridge and driven south to
ward Atlanta. That battle was my
first experience in real war, although
the night before. l had been with
Hooker's comm.~,d. on Lookout Noun
tain. in the fight which was POLITICALLY
designated 1.-The battle above the
Clouds" l remained with the com
bined army of the Cumberland and
the Tennessee till after the capture OF
Atlanta"
Obtaining the News.
How did you manage to get arount
in the army and get reliable informa
tom" Mr.. Surface was asked.
"Mcst of the time I was loosely at
tached to some division brigade Of
regimental headquarters, sharing tho
expense of the mess" and taking my
chances with them. Many of the of
ficers were not averse to having theil
friends in the North learn something
about the heroic deeds and privations
of the soldiers in the field than was
given in the brief and military-stylet
official reports. They freely gave the
correspondents all information tina
was not regarded as Injurious to thu
service. Now and then a correspon
dent was expelled from the army fol
sending out contraband news. A con
spicuous case of expulsion was that o
MACK" q. B. McCullagh) of the Gin
cinnati Commercial, who afterward be
came the brilliant Washington CORE
spondent Of that paper, and later, edi
tor of the ST.. Louis Globe-Democrat
General Sherman had pronounced
aversion to army correspondents ant
threatened to have one shot. Genera
Grant, on the other hand, was kindl!
disposed toward them and greatly ia
ciliated the work of those who did no
abuse his confidence and generosity
To me he gave this liberal pass. which
proved exceedingly useful in the army
and which 1 still prize as souvenir
of the Civil; war:
A Pass From Grant.
Headquarters, Military Division
of the Mississippi.
Nashville. Tenn. Dec. Is, 1868:
Guards, pickets and military au
thorities will pass the bearer. Mr..
Surface correspondent of the Cincin
natl Gazette. throughout this entir
command, without hindrance, ant
government steamers and militar.
railroads will furnish him free trans
portation to and from any point with
in this military division until furthe
orders.
BY order of
Mai. GenI U. S. Grant,
Geo X. Leet, A. A. Gen1."
How did you get your letter
through to the North
Hard to Get News Out.
There were no reliable mail
through the debatable grounds be
tween the army and the North. Cor
respondents had to depend largely OF
| furlouphed and wounded soldiers wh,