Washington DC

                                                                                                                        June 20^th 1865

 

Dear Brother:

                                    For the first time in my life I am under arrest & have just been tried by a general Court Martial.

 

            The circumstances are these: On the evening of June 5^th a man belonging to Co. H. of this reg^t was being punished by being hung up by the thumbs. he was a very old man, that is for a soldier. Some citizens living near came to camp & expressed themselves, saying among other remarks, that it was a shame & they would report it to the Secretary of War, &c. The Soldiers became somewhat excited & quite a crowd collected, though no violence was attempted. the citizens were ordered out of camp & left at once. / Meanwhile, a crowd of Citizens, women & children, composed of the most respectable & influential people on Capitol Hill, collected on the sidewalk opposite the barracks, & after awhile several young ladies came across the street & called on Capt Dunton to take that man down. They were forcibly sent out of Camp & returned across the street. (This Cap^t Dunton is the same who was formerly in the 5^th Vt. Co. C.) After a little, the officers thought it best to send a force to disperse the crowd, Dunton volunteering to take his Co. & do it, in a very brave style. The Adjutant of the Reg^t requested me to take that Squad & clear the street, putting it in the form of a request, not an order. I suggested that I did not belong to that Co. that I would rather not take the Co. when its Commanding officer was present. Some further talk followed & he finally ordered me to take the Co. & clear the street. I took the Co. brought it to a front facing the crowd, composed mostly of women & children, brought them to charge bayonet & dispersed the crowd. The Adjutant ordered me to bring the squad back to the Co street, & dismiss them, which I did & no further effort was made to quell the alleged disturbance. The Adjutant told me that I did not fully carry out his orders. I claimed that I did & after some talk he became irritated & ordered me under arrest, & his action was sanctioned by the Col. Com^dg. Charges were preferred against me of disobedience of orders, Insubordination & violation of the Articles of war, &c. My trial commenced on Friday last & after hearing three witnesses for the prosecution, adjourned to Monday. The prosecution furnished its evidence on Monday & Tuesday, to day. / the trial was continued by introducing evidence for the defence & after hearing two officers & two enlisted men my Counsel (Ex Gov Ford of Ohio) advised me to close the case & rely on the reviewing of the case, which I concluded to do so & the case was adjourned to Saturday next to give time for the defense to prepare the Argument & there is where the case now stands. I am tolerably confident that the evidence will not stand the scrutiny of an impartial review by an unprejudiced man & in fact all that has been elicited against me is that I hesitated on being asked to take command of that squad. Meanwhile I have been the recipient of the most flattering demonstrations of regard from the Citizens in the vicinity. Every day something has been sent me, fowers & delicacies in great abundance, more than I could conveniently dispose of & also the enlisted men unanimously express themselves in my favor & have been ready to add the weight of their testimony in my behalf, but I thought & my Counsel advised that the case be closed. The President of the Court was evidently prejudiced against me & showed considerable temper & it was / more for that reason that I concluded it would be best to rely upon the review of an impartial officer & when I saw the evident spirit of persecution on the part of two or three of the Senior members, I knew that prejudice existed against me, though my Counsel thinks that the Junior members are more just. But I do not expect an acquittal by the Court. I have Citizen friends who are friends & acquaintances of the Secretary of War & who declare that if I am unsucsessful in clearing myself of the charges that measures will be taken to bring the case before him.

 

            I am under the necessity of asking you for that money as I sent most of my last months pay home to help our parents / & the expense of counsel &c will run me short, & I shall not be able to draw any pay until I am released from arrest. I am allowed the liberty of the camp & when I request it, can leave camp.

 

            Cap^t Dunton was as bitter as he could be against me, the more so, as I presume he is aware of his standing among the inhabitants, as well as among the men & well disposed officers of the reg^t & his dodging the duty of taking his own company to escape the odium of a most unpleasant duty by pretending that it was necessary for him to attend to the man he was punishing.

 

            He has incurred the contempt of all men of common sense by his supercilious & important bearing & his cruel & unjust punishment of the men of his Co. I must close & mail this.                                                                                              Truly

Let me hear from you soon.                                                                            Geo S Hawley

 

[front margin]

Please send the money immediately

                                    Do not write

                                    a word of this

                                    to Vt. they

                                    know nothing

                                    of it & I dont

                                    want them to.

SOURCES