A 11th Cavalry Voice
GRATO 1! IPIDS, Muil. October 20th 1888. Kdltor of llio Ann Arbor COÜBIKB:- My atteiition lias been callcd to an article pnbllshed on the editorial pajje of the Adrián Pres=, i 1 1 ¦ reoeot Iras ander the caption, "For the j.'Ood of the serVÍC6T As a former memher ol the E leven th Michigan Cavalry, and of the military farol ly of Colonel S. B. Brown, I bel callecí upon togranttlie re(inc.itof nunur ons comrades, who have aaked me lo answer, and deny the truth of ütatementg made therein, renectin:, as they do, 011 every worthy member of the regiment. ín frenenil, theartlcle conlirms the fat t that Litutenunt Stearns did resi;n nt the rtíuest oColonel Brown, und that his re Iguatioa wal approved for the good of the serrice. Bilt itis attemptcd to break tlie forcé of ticv '.(, by ¦aaljrnlng the reuon Col. Brown uked for Úm retlgiifttton, n the reault of a peraonal quarrel. Ny au attumpt to drajj down 13 olher uficttra of the regiment to nía degmded potltlon, by asserting they resigued for the RUU rri-.m, and hy ïalsely atierliug General Burbrldge admitted that Lleut. Btearní wü rlght. Col. Brown luid no quarrel of aoy Umd with Lieut. Stearns. It is ¦ fací wcll known to the mem hors of the regiment eenerally, that Lteot. Sicirns was unflt for the potlllun ol an officer, by his utter lack of the dlspotltlon to perforui tlie dutles aseigned him, aud to ohe.v the orden ol hia luperlon, aa he had sworn to do whcn mustered into service. In the opinión of Col. Brown, as nlso of Col. J B. Masón, Mijor H. L. Wlae, and inany other ollirers ofthe regiment, Lieu'. S earns wns hy reaton of his utter dUregard of discipline, the oommon coiirtcsiesof a (fentleman, and the lack ofoourajie, together with hisgenerHl unoldlur-llke bearlnjr, doemed nniitto utain the commission he held, both on aucount of tlie general exaniple to otliers, and a coHíWeratíon for tln llveí and careful liandltng of thoe so unfortnnaie as to come under his command. ThU is the meanlng of the words of the approTalofhb realgnation, as ever; soldier will knows; and as to Gen. Burliridüe havlnx admitted the justiee of Lleut. Stearns' posilion, it li a reflection on tlie cliaiacter of that able offiVer to make suoli suagestion, particularly tn the light oftlie fact that Gen, Burbrrage also approved the resignation of Lieut. Stearns for the good of tlie sorvlce Lieut. Stearns was paid for his time hj the u;overment, as inuclt wlicn rccinitintf as at other times, and there is II 0 truth In his statement ol liavins: devoted his time to recruittng at his own expense IfOapt. Heury Bowen ever oonteuiplated rasigulDg, it was ttuly a pit y Ín tiileil to act on sueh coiiteiiiplation, slnce I am well aware his resignation wouli have been quite iis cordially "approvei and e.irnestly recomniended" as that 0 LieOt Stearns, even had it been temlerei for tbe good of the service". In fiCt i v.a seriously cotitemplated by the C lioni 1 oominandlng, requestlng iiis resigna tlon, for ex ictly thai rataon. Tlieie eoulil be DO quettlon about tht authoiity and rlgllt of Uol. Browu to dia tribute reerulU for his regiment, In sinl manner as he deemed piopeí', and tlie in terference with such plans oll'ered h; Lieut. Stearns, as claimed by tlie artiel in question, c.illcd tor morí? tlian simpl belng ordeied back to his quartera as n laya he was. Tlie goveinnií'nt and not l'apt. llcnn Bowen, furnished arnn and accoutre menta for all the recruits. Lieut. Stearn did not command Com piiny "L" in the action at Siltville, Va. wliere Lieut. Geo. VV. Cutler fell wltih, ijallantly leading that üompuny, and wa laken prisoner. Lleut. Col. J. B. M ison did not com iiiHi.i iiiu rujiimuní on the retreat men tioned, nor was Lieut. Stearns ever ii command of a battalion ofthe Eleventl Mieliijran OoTalry. Tlie Company tu rbioh he belonged "H" wu not eveu ii the ïeir battalion, on the occasion re ferred to. Lieut. Col. Masón, and Major Ilenij L. Wise commanded tlie rear battalion. of which Company "B'' was the rea Kuardi admirably handled on that ooca sion by that gallant and efficiënt Ófflcer Lleut. Casjius M. Wise. The gallant Masón fell, mortallv wound ed, in the armsofMaj, H I;. Wise. Oí this occisión, Lieut. Stearns was not a Col. Mason's side wheu he fell, und the assertion that he was, Is a slander ou tlie memory of the limented Masón, as wel as on the other offl'ers of tlie regiment The statement legaiding the ue o some very bitter language by Lient Stearns regardipg "). Brown íh a frank admluton from S oonfeaaed, dlsgraeeful, uuprincipled and detestable character wlio would be a fit correspondent for that notoiiously Copperhead sheet the "Detroit Free Press" of war times. It Is unnecessary for me to say Lieut Stearns' v lunted denouncing of Col Browo, asa coward, duinkard, liar, an( dirty do, would seem about (lie leve he would aeek, had the cowarüly fellow possessed the courage to face tlie music such action on bis part would have occasioned. To membeis of either the Sixtli nr Elevt -ntli Miciiigan Cavalry, In boÜJ ol which Col. Browo served, the resultol any sucli e Midiiet to Col. S 15. BroWD, needs 110 elucidation, but, for tlie beneli (fstnners t ihit wortliy ollicer, I wi remark tll.it Ooi. Brown's Oh a ráete r tor sobrii'ly M well as iutegrily and courage, - secoud t') no citizen of the state, wülel he so iniinfnlly representad, Whoíe honor lie so jfallantly uphcld on maiiy a wel ooDtested lii ld, and in whicli he lias liveil au honoied einzen more ye.irs tlian have paated over the henil of bis traducer. Had L'eut. Stearns indulged in any such tirado against Col. Hrown, 119 it is dal roed in llie artiele he (lid, there would have been do opportunity for tliis discussion, bal iistead, no doubt, a funeral, and Lieut. Stearns would have been uuable to olllciale as a inourner. There could be no basis for the bluli f shame in a eliaracter which this confelion of Liciit. Stearni procrea hU to be, coiisi quently it is Httlng he ihould re(trd hi diagraoefal oonduct witii piiile, as the article claims be does, and there is no doubt bul bis armv rtoord wlll fío down tu liii neiyhbors and Jellow citizenu, as well ¦I bil childreii, as evideucc of the extent to whicb n vlclom nature, suppleinenteü by a cowardly dltpocltlon, vn mould the conduct of adepriived belng. I now tuin to the annex, or part of tliis remark ible editorial, to wllioli 11 attiiclied the Dame of "H. Howen late Capr. Company " II '' lltb Micliigan Cavaliy'' the coiupanlon in sliamc bv enilorsi.'incnt, of Lleut. Stearns. It iu a flttlng companion picce to the prect'dlng agjcragatlon of falsehood and slander, and au impciishalile ïnonunicnt to the disjrrace of its author. Thinkof it! Thiiteen disabled and bon orably discharged offleen, in one llttla sentence of tliis man of Slar#, branded wilh the stigma of lastinf; infarny as conipanions in sbame of Lieut. Stearns, the selt-confessed traducer of a noble ollicer, ind open riolüor of lu's Hole.mn oith of 'Jlice, in wliieli, after 21 years of reflecnon, he now glories, and refers to with apparent pride. No comment is neces'iiry on tliis subect to members of the regiment. To lioso not members, I desire to say, no liatloio oftruth altadles to this statement, jieut. Stearns stands alone in the list of ofticers of the llth Michigan Cavalry wbo resijjni'd thcir oommUdOQS "for the fOod ')f tha service." and I take this occasion on b'hall' ol' iny Ikhrteen cour nies o slandered, to brand as tin infamous He bis statement over Cupt. H. liowen's lame. In conclusión, no occasion for the atack made in the article referred to, on Jol. lirown and otber worthy ofHceré of be regiment appears, except to build up hechaiacter of Willard Stearns, on the uins ot' ut lier-, and perchance enhancu lis prospects politically. He bas an undoubted rijfbt to enjoy and air hls own politieel views in any nanner he may choose, but, on behalf of Col. Brown, nn nged and respected üizenofst. Clalr, Micli, my erteenwd former comra vnder. mid of tlie many othi r coinraU-8 of tli Eleventli Michigan Cnvalry, 'lio liave culleil inv attcntimi tn the artlcle dUeoMed, and roandly denonnced. bótb LUnit. Slerna aníCpl Henry Bowen, for u níithonhfp rao utter disregard of' trilth, I takfl tilia occasion to denouiice tl unióle In general M an outragcously infamous combina tiim of untrutb, unwoitliy of notioe of ¦ny decent selfrefpecthiK citlzcn or soldier, imd to characterize the authors aa unqualiticd and untit for meml)crahi In the "Grand Armyofthe üepublic," na 1 .¦un advlsfd they claim to belong to tliat oriraniation. Late Adjutunt lltli Michigan Cavulry.
Article
Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News