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REFLECTIONS-GEN. SHERIDAN'S VINDICATION.

failed to observe the distinction, and it therefore follows that he was either very stupid or else practiced a falsification in seeking to convey the impression by his Order No. 62, that the Seventh had abandoned its regimental flag.

There is a maxim of the law, "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus"-False in one thing, false in everything-which is often applied in weighing evidence, the rule being that where one deliberately or knowingly distorts the truth as to any one material fact, all his statements may be disbelieved unless corroborated. This principle is applicable to the case in hand; and if put to use, Gen. Butler having, by his own admission, been caught in at least one act of falsification or distortion of the truth, ought not to be believed in any particular. Indeed, to any fair mind it must be apparent, without invoking such a rule, that the Seventh was most unfairly and unjustly dealt with by Gen. Butler; and I think, too, it must be evident that had he made an impartial examination of the complaints emanating from the Indiana regiment, giving us a fair opportunity to be heard, before taking action upon them, he would never have had occasion to censure or reprimand the regiment for the part it took in the battle of Baton Rouge, but on the contrary, would have found that the conduct of the officers and men was highly praiseworthy and commendable. There was much of the "irony of fate" in our experience under Gen. Butler. But the reparation which he refused to make subsequently came to us at the hands of the gallant and illustrious Sheridan, who gave the regiment a full vindication. A Board of Officers not convened by, and not amenable to Gen. Butler, made a report concerning the

GEN. SHERIDAN'S VINDICATION.

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services of the Seventh at Baton Rouge, which led to the promulgation of the following order:

"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE GULF, "NEW ORLEANS, LA., July 10th, 1866.

"General Order No. 12

"In compliance with the requirements of General Order "No. 19, 1862, from the War Department, and in accord"ance with the reports of Boards convened to examine into "the services rendered by the troops concerned, and by "authority of the Lieutenant-General commanding the Armies of the United States. It is hereby ordered that there shall "be inscribed upon the colors of the following regiments the names of battles in which they have borne a meritorious part as hereinafter specified.

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AMP WILLIAMS, as I have already stated, was situated in a very unhealthy locality. As Dr. Blanchard describes it, the encampments were placed "upon a strip of "solid ground of some few hundred yards in width on all "sides of which was a formation or combination, peculiar to "the lower Mississippi, of soil or black clay and water in "varying proportions, whose products, both animal and vegetable, were numerous beyond conception, and rank and "offensive beyond description. Repeated representations of "the terrible effect to health and the alarmingly high and "rapidly increasing rate of mortality in the command, occa"sioned by exposure to the poisonous atmosphere and deadly

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surroundings of this miasmatic locality, were made by the "medical officers to the Commanding General without avail, "and for a month or more the men were left in these noxious

encampments, exposed to the scorching heat of an August "and September sun, so peculiarly intense in Louisiana, and "surrounded with all this reeking rottenness and corruption, "until absolute annihilation threatened us, when at last, but "too late to save many valuable lives, we were ordered to an open space nearer the river."

I doubt if a more unhealthy spot could have been selected for camps anywhere in the vicinity of that most unhealthy of places, the city of New Orleans, and had the much dreaded

yellow jack" made its appearance, I very much fear the "absolute annihilation" with which we were threatened would have actually been brought to pass instead of proving to be but an impending danger. As it was, our experience was a most severe and dreadful one. During the day the atmosphere was exceedingly close and muggy, and although we had frequent and often times almost a continual succession of thunder storms, the air was not cooled or purified, but on the contrary these rain-falls only increased its humidity and heaviness. At night and in the early morning we were enveloped, as we were at Vicksburg, in a thick watery mist, and the stench from the surrounding swamps was intolerable. All the drinking and cooking water was brought from the Mississippi, some two and one half miles distant. But owing to the condition of the direct road leading to the river, which was rendered almost impassable by the heavy rains, much of the water had to be transported five or six miles by cir

cuitous routes, and the result was that our wants were but imperfectly supplied, and not unfrequently the men were obliged to use the waters from a bayou running in front of our camp. As might have been expected the sick list increased with alarming rapidity and to add to the horror of our situation the death rate kept at an almost even pace with it. It was not an uncommon thing for men to fall dead in their tracks, and numerous instances can be recalled of men who fell dead on the banks of the bayou, with the fatal waters of which they had sought to quench their fevered thirst.

At the time we reached Camp Williams the seeds of disease had been planted to a greater or less extent in every system, and it seemed to us rather hard that our vitality should be still further sapped by being sent to such an unhealthy locality. Other troops who had been comfortably quartered in the city and its vicinity and who had not been exposed, or compelled to undergo any severe strains we thought should have been selected for such service. There can be no doubt had our regiment been sent to a healthy spot immediately on our return from Baton Rouge, many lives would have been saved and many who were obliged to return to their homes. shattered by disease, and disabled with chronic complaints, would have been restored to health and duty. But that was not to be, we were forced to remain at Camp Williams until September 30th, when we moved our quarters to "Camp Kearny" a short distance below Carrolton which was а slightly more desirable and healthy place. On the 4th of November we again moved to the city of New Orleans taking up our quarters at the Jackson Cotton Press in the lower