River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-06-15
FROM DOWN EAST

tional kind have been hunting the
records for deserters from the army
in the civil war. They pretend to
have found scores, hundreds, and
thousands, who from among the
100000 that enlisted for service
deserted the colors. That there
were assertions has been no secret
1t is probable that some chicken
hearted boys deserted in presence
of the enemy. The man who failed
of his supreme duty when, with his
comrades, he confronted the enemy,
was guilty of cowardly act. He
not only failed of his duty to the
| government but exposed his COM
rades to added dangers. There is
no just palliation for sucn a crime.
1t would be interesting to know how
many whose names are set down as
| deSerterS left the ranks in presence
of the enemy and how many alb
seconded under less reprehensible
circumstances. He was a scoun-
drel who deserted the colors and left
his comrades to perform not only
their part but this in addition. (This
word "scoundrel'' has curious his
tory. 1t is derived, or reduced, from
the soldier who absconds from roll
CALL" being formed of the second
syllable of "abscond"-"sc ond"-
and "roll'O.
Undoubtedly there were scoun-
MISREPRESENTATION the army.
Some fed in the presence of the
enemy. Those who failed in cour-
age here were few as compared
with the deserters who left the
army under other conditions.
When boy learned that his mother
lay upon her death-bed and being
refused furlough ran away to his
home to gaze for the last time upon
her face, we cannot blame him as
we do those who refused to fight
when they were relied upon to do so.
In actual campaigns and when the
armies were fighting there was
little desertion. The dissatisfac-
ton with conditions was not where
there was strenuous marching and
activity in pursuit of the enemy. 1t
was when there was nothing do.
ing. Camp life was irksome.
Men became sick and then discour-
aged. The boy wanted to be busy.
Some were homesick and deserted.
Some died OF this inconsistencies.
1t is little curious that the great
est number of assertions occurred
after the war was practically over.
Is it an evidence of cowardice that a
boy served three years when there
was always a prospective chance
of fight aud when the fighting was
all over took his coat and hat and
made tracks" for home, satisfied
that his work was done? He felt
that having volunteered for the
war, when the was over, he went
home voluntarily, he had moral
right to do so. Had he a regard for
money he would have waited for his
discharge for his desertion precluded
him from receiving his monthly pay
and destroyed his chances for
pension,
A few days ago was talking with
a veteran who served in the Ist
Conn. Artillery. He tells me there
were from the beginning of the war
TO the end 5000 enlistments in that
regiment and when mustered out in
September, 1865, there were only
about 800 who received a regular
discharge. In June, 1865, the
regiment was ordered to Alexandria
to do police duty. The war was
over. There was no further pros
pect of fighting. The boys wanted
to go home, and before the fourth
of July 435 of these boys deserted
They claimed the right to go home.
They had performed their obliga-
tons to the government. But every
one of these boys has his name in
the list of deserters and is barred
from the pension rolls. Were they
| towards? E. S. K.