September 22, 1862 (Monday): Depredations

Rare Photo of Confederate Soldiers On March-Frederick, MD.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
September 22, 1862.
Generals LONGSTREET and JACKSON:
    The depredations committed by this army, its daily diminution by straggling, and the loss of arms thrown aside as too burdensome by stragglers, make it necessary for preservation itself, aside from considerations of disgrace and injury to our cause arising form such outrages committed upon our citizens, that greater efforts be made by our officers to correct this growing evil. It is feared that roll-calls are neglected, and officers of companies and regiments are ignorant of the true condition of their commands, and are unable to account properly for absentees. To correct this, the general commanding wishes the prescribed roll-calls to be made at reveille, each man appearing under arms, in order that the company commander may know that they have not been thrown aside, and wherever a man is found without his arms and equipments that he be refurnished; those lost to be immediately charged against him on the muster-rolls. As half a quire of foolscap paper will last one year for a morning report, containing, as it does, thirty-two lines, and it is the labor of half an hour to rule the columns of a morning report for one month, the morning report will be made every morning to the regimental or battalion commander and sent through brigade to division commanders. Inspections of arms and equipments will be made at least weekly, and company officers will see that the arms are properly cleaned and in serviceable condition, and learn daily that cartridge-boxes are properly filled. A brigade guard will march in rear of each brigade to keep up the ranks, drive up all stragglers, irrespective of commands, and all leaving the ranks. Commanding officers of regiments will frequently during the march pass along the lines of the regiment to see that the ranks are closed up, and that company officers are present with and attending to the proper order of their companies, arresting all neglecting their duty or absent without authority, detailing a field-officer, or officer next in rank to himself, to follow in rear to see these orders executed. Upon arriving in camp, the brigade guard will immediately take measures to protect houses in the vicinity, sentinels being placed to prevent those of the command form overrunning the houses or depredations being committed upon their grounds. Where forage, wood, or other necessaries are required, they must be obtained through the proper staff officers, who will purchase for the use of the command. Officers have been allowed as inspectors to division commanders, and these inspectors will examine the company and regimental papers, and see that a proper system of accountability prevails; that company officers make proper returns and have given proper receipts for all arms in their possession, and that all property issued to soldiers has been duly charged where lost, and measures taken to indemnify the Government for losses sustained though carelessness or neglect. Quartermasters and commissaries will be compelled to remain with their trains, their accounts will be examined, property on hand inspected,and where disobedience of orders or misappropriation of property appears, report fact to commanding general for correction. The destruction of private property in attributed in a great measure to teamsters and quartermaster's attaches, who tear down fences whenever halting temporarily to cook or park their train, without regard to damage to private property. Inspectors should, therefore, be actively and constantly employed in seeing that orders issued have been received, and if not, advising the ignorant, and, where known, seeing that they are properly executed, as, upon their activity and energetic performance of duty, commanders will be advised of the condition of their commands and be enabled to adopt necessary means to secure their efficiency. A permanent provost guard, under and efficient, energetic, and firm officer, will be established in each army corps, to which all prisoner will be turned over, either those captured or those under general charges, who, in addition to their duties as guard, will perform provost duty in correcting and punishing violations of orders coming under their observation. Commanding officers of regiment having instructed officers of their commands to look to their good order on the march and elsewhere, will arrest all neglecting this duty; this system will be carried up through the different grades.
    The commanding general is satisfied that you feel the same solicitude with himself for the advancement of our cause, and earnestly appeals to you to impress your general and other officers, by personal explanations, and calls upon their sense of duty and interest in that success which alone can preserve to them everything they hold dear in this life, making every necessary effort to bring about a better state of discipline, and to impress men and officers with the importance of a change necessary to the preservation of this army and its successful accomplishment of its mission, as its better discipline, greater mobility, and higher inspirations must counterbalance the many advantages over us, both in numbers and material, which the enemy possess.
    I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,


   R. H. CHILTON,
   Assistant Adjutant-General.

Official Records, Series I., Vol. 19, Part 2, Page 619.

The image of the Army of Northern Virginia has been burnished by its accomplishments on the battlefield.  It does not take away from them to note it was subject to the same pressures as other armies north and south.  The Antietam campaign exposed problems on the march which were not as apparent fighting closer to home.  One aspect not much discussed, but mentioned here, is soldiers throwing aside weapons on the march to lighten their burden.  Depredations against civilians were also a fact which Lee was determined to minimize.