Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27


surprising documents of this period are the
original penciled notes of Grant and Lee ar
ranging for the surrender at Appomattox Court
House in 1855.
All the Civil War records are written in long
hand peculiarly spelled, and on Strengthening
paper. 1t is not unusual TO find priceless
Confederate document penned on the back OF
a torn bit of brittle wallpaper. Although the
Civil War records are SIS years old, they are in
constant use. Only year ago Congress passed
a law authorizing headstones for all graves of
Confederate soldiers. The requests from the
public for these tombstones adding their
bit to the adjutant generals Office mail. His
torians and genealogists also find these docu-
ments valuable source of information.
Among these yellowed old papers there is q
strange story of West Point cadet who
accused of robbing fellow student of petty
cash. His room was searched and the officers
found two banknotes between the pages of a
dictionary. The cadet band played the "Rogues
March" and they marched the student off the
campus, but he was brought back and given
military trial. He pleaded mot guilty" and
was finally acquitted for lack of evidence. Senti-
ment was strong against him, but one person
believed in hinl-the girl who afterward be-
came his wife.
The cadet graduated and served his country
as splendid Army officer. But always there
remained in the archives those tell-tale bills
(evidence at the triaI fading the years
went by, but there just the same. Never again
became an old man the theft was still unsolved
after all those years. One day letter came
to the adjutant general, letter from class
mate of the accused thief 1t was the confess
sion of dying man who had stolen the money
and who asked last favor that the stigma
OF guilt be removed from an innocent fellow
officers record.
The greatest volume of records filed in the
Adjutant Generals Office are those of the
World War. Ten years before the war there
S7rad nlo he IN he
record Office in the world but after was
declared thousands of clerks were enrolled. Be
fore the the Office averaged 5000 pieces of
mail daily but in 1919 the tide rose until it
reached its peak of almost 60O,0 600 commune
cations in one day, or 80 times the volume of
business for normal year.
Work on the soldiers records has been heavy
since the war and will continue during the
lifetime of those who fought in the conflict
Each State in the Union has already been fur
nished with a true statement of service of
every soldier from that State. The medical
and hospital records bear mute testimony to
that dreadful massacre There are thousands
of blodstained Identification tags in the files
of the dead and wounded bloodstains that
viii remain there for all time. More than
100000 requests were received last year for in
formation from the records OF World War
veterans.
Besides the United States Army records in
the World War files there are 10000 captured
onerS of war; both enemy and American. The
records of this war which contain approxi-
mately 200 900 900 individual files are carefully
compiled and more complete than those of any
other war. In this file ye may read the stories
of Americas latest war heroes, such men as
Eddy Rickenbocker and Sergt York
Although a soldiers record is public docu-
ment, for various reasons it is not accessible
to unauthorized persons. Such records are never
furnished for political purposes, as a sugar.
plum to scandal mongers nor for any purpose
whatever, unless requested by the proper person
and then it Is promptly furnished
THERE is the case of a young lady who came
unauthorized TO get information from the
files concerning her lover. She had heard that
there was something against him She in
sisted that she must know the facts before she
married him although she would not ask the
man himself-he might resent it. The mans
record was examined, she was right, there was
something. The girl begged Historically and
even threatened TO ruin her life If the clerks
refused to reveal the nature of the records 70
her. Very painstakingly they explained the
rules of the of1lce and the girl departed weep
ing. Next morning her name appeared in the
newspapers along with the former soldier's-in
the marriage license column.
Suppose we peep into the file cases and read
some Of the names of American men who have
fought for the flag We wonder about men
with such names as Doxology Upchurch. Sen
Woo Long, Shady Moon, Dry Snow, Dandy
Puffer, Bunny Pigg, June Bugg, Harness Harry
Opp. Solomon Sinner, Howe DUNN, Midas
Pennypacker, Drinkwater Hardlicka, Howe
Wise, and names that are never pronounced,
but buzzed and sneezed, such as Przybysz and
Wojciebowski. But the Smiths lead them all,
there are more than $4,000 of them and they
spell this same Smith 81 different ways The
Johnsons follow closely-400O0 strong The
Browns and Brownies number nearly $1,000 and
the Williams have approximately 600 names
Naarlu 2l0 non rnnonla and nraIx fnllr