Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1890 — JASPER COUNTY’S GENERAL. [ARTICLE]

JASPER COUNTY’S GENERAL.

»100,000 ON HIS HEAD. Ab Interesting Bit of War History— A Union Officer Who Was Wanted Very Much. Front the Portland Oregonian. The deaih of Jefferson Davis recalls many interesting incidents of his eventful career. When he was President of the Southern Confederacy he offered SIOO,OOO, for the head of one ofOly mpia’s best known citizens —Gen. R. H. Milroy. It happened in this way: The Confederate Legislature of Virginia passed a law authorizing the organization of companies of mountain rangers, the companies to be composed of from twenty-five to fifty men, who would elect their own officers, to whom commissions were issued by. the Confederate Government These companies were nothing more or less than bands of guerillas, and they pillaged, plundered, and murdered the loyal citizens by night, but in the daytime were simple Don-com-batant tillers of the soil. . ..... . _ The topography of West Vir-ginia-the Confederate government recognized no such state—favored such raids, the settlements being isolated in the different valleys. Here these outrages of robbery and murdering became so frequent that the loyal citizen s almost dispaired of being protected from mysterious bands that would appear with the night and disappear with the coming of day. The Federal officers and men, often appealed to for protection, were vigilant and brave, but were unable to prevent these outrages and atrocities, so they had either to give up trying or adopt some severe measures to stop them. Gen. R. H. Milroy was in command of the “Mountain Department of West Virginia,” with headquarters at Petersburg, and in the fall of 1862 he issued an order providing, in substance, that whenever the property of a loyal citizen was taken or destroyed, or a loyal citizen was killed by these “Mountain Rangers,” or guerrillas, an appraisement would be made by Federal officers of the property taken or destroyed or the lives taken, and the rebel neighbors, within twenty-four hours after notice given them, must make up the amount assessed against them, to be paid to the owner, widow or heirs as the case might be, and those failing to comply would be shot and their property burned. Now this was A VERY UNHEALTHY ORDER for some very innocent and peaceful looking farmers, and on being informed of the order Mr. J. Davis pronounced it as “most barbarous atroeiotts and in utter violation of the rules of civilized warfare.” But how did it work? Like a charm. It made peace, quiet and safety where it was enforced. It stopped the “Mountain Ranger” guerrilla business; it made that section very fatal for guerrillas. A rebel citizen felt just as much interest in the safety of his loyal neighbor’s person and property as he did in his own. He would shoot a stray guerrilla just about as quick as his loyal neighbor would if he could not get him out of the country any other way. The necessities of the case govern the severity of orders in war, and this was just such an order as the circumstances required, and after being executed in a few instances, it put an effectual stop to these thieving, murdering gangs. But these innocent farmers pined after the flesh-pots of Egypt; they wanted a return of the good times when they could resume their night raids and maraud and murder as they pleased. So the confederate government was petitioned and implored to take some steps to have this “barbarous and unmilitary” order rescinded. Jeff Davis authorized General R. E. Lee to correspond with General Halleck regarding it, and after such correspondence, in which Halleck promised to have the order rescinded, Jeff Davis wrote the following: Executive Department, C. S. A., Richmond, Ya-, Jan. 22, 1863. —Gen eral R. E, Lee, Commanding, etc., Fredericksburg, Va. —General: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 19th, covering the corres pondence with General Halleck, and am pleased at the manner in which you presented the matter which has been submitted to you in connection with the atrocities of Milroy. General Halleck should fulfill his promise Information recently received here does not permit me to doubt that be will have n j opportunity to escape on the ground that'Milroy has not executed his barbarous threats. ~ * As ever, your fnend, Jefferson Davis. This order may be found in volvme 21, senes 1, page 1,108, “War of the Rebellion, Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies.”

General Halleck ordered General Milroy to rescind the order. Knowing the necessity for such an order for the safety of life and property, General Milroy, instead of obeying General Halleck’s order, and in violation of military law, as he well knew, wrote a detailed history of the guerrilla depredations committed on loyal citizens in his department and a full argument for the necessity of the order. Such a strong., showing was made that General Halleck did not dare compel General Milroy to rescind the order; for the country upheld it, so nothing more was said about lescmding it. But Halleck never forgave General Milroy, as the Winchester affair, which occured in the June following, plainly showed. Jeff Davis made this order the subject of a special message to the Confederate Congress, in which he says of General Milroy: “Of course this monster, if captured, has forfeited all rights to be considered a prisoner of war, and will be hung to tlje first tree.” The Confederate Congress offered $160,000 reward for General Milroy, dead or alive, and the Virginia Legislature, in a long set of resolutions relating what a horrible monster and barbarian General Milroy was, offered a reward of $25,000 for his head, dead or alive. But though many attempts were made, they never got the “Old Gray Eagle,” as the boys always called him. Four horses were shot under him in battle, yet he lives to-day at the good old age of 74 years, a hero of two wars—the Mexican and the rebellion. General Milroy has been suffering greatly from heart troubles of late, and for a while his death was expected at any moment. He has rallied somewhat within the past week. Note.—The Hammond, Ind., Tribune republishes the above and adds a long note, from which the following is condensed: “Gen. Milroy had been a stalwart Democrat, politically, and was a member of the convention of 1853 which drew up the constitution of the State of Indiana. The Dred Scott decision of Chief Justice Taney * * * * and tfie arrogance of pro-slavery leaders were especially galling to him; so that when Oliver P. Morton, Alvin P. Hovey and others of the same stamp of character determined to leave the Democratic party, Milroy did the same, and joined the new Republican party which then was being formed. Soon after the presidential election of 1860 Milroy became satisfied that an attempt would be made to put into force the fierce threats of secession that were freely breathed by the Southern wing of the Democratic party at Ite North. At this period Milroy lived in Rensselaer, the county seat of Jasper county, Indiana, and was engaged in the practice of law. Rensselaer contained a population of perhaps 500 people at that time, the inhabitants being intelligent and intensely patriotic. They had organized a mock congress whose weekly debates attracted people from many miles distant Gen. Milroy and Hon. Gideon C. Moody, at present a U. S. senator from South Dakota, were conspicuous members of the society. It was comparatively easy for Milroy, Moody and others to organize the nucleus of a military company, and long before President Lincoln issued his call for 75,0u0 troops, Milroy had men pledged to enter the service in defense of the Union should the occasion require. Milroy had a full company of volunteers at Monon, sixteen miles from Rensselaer, waiting for railroad transportation to Indianapolis, on ; the 18th day of April, 1861. This ; company went into Camp Morton ; next day. Milroy was commissioned colonel of the 9th Indiana regiment, the tliird one organized in Indiana for service in the war of the rebellion, and his first lieutenant, Moody, was elected captain of the company that had gone with them to the state capital. These men were enlisted for three months only, but when that term of enlistment expired, many re-enlisted; the regiment was re-organized, Milroy was given the command of a brigade and a commission of brigadier general, and Moody became colonel of the 9th regiment. Subsequently Milroy was commissioned a major general and given the conftnand of a department. Major John O. Cravens, who is now internal revenue collector for the district in which the city of Hammond is located, was a member of Gen. Milroy’s staff _ ,