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| General Adna R. Chaffee, U. S. A. |
Cortland Semi-Weekly Standard, Tuesday, April 21, 1903.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
The Christianization of China.
General Adna R. Chaffee has been telling members of the Methodist union in New York some rather unpleasant things about the missionary field in the orient as he saw it.
General Chaffee was asked to address this body of Christian workers on “The Conditions in China.” This he did with his accustomed frankness. While taking occasion to praise the work of the missionaries in the orient, he showed that he regarded the prospect for Christianity in China a very poor one. Of the missionaries he said:
“They are all in earnest and hopeful, but the results of their work are not proportioned to the great labor of love. They have done all that is possible, but the burden is too great for them.”
Referring to his talk with leading and intelligent Chinese upon the subject of religion, General Chaffee said:
“I took occasion to meet many of the prominent Chinamen while in Peking, and I talked to many of the better class. I must say that I did not meet a single intelligent Chinaman who expressed a desire to embrace the Christian religion. The masses are against Christianity.”
General Chaffee’s view seems to be quite generally shared by Americans in China other than missionaries. Apparently no headway has been made among the intelligent classes in China, which is a particularly discouraging feature of Christian propaganda in the orient.
NAME OF CHINA’S CAPITAL.
Board of Geographic Names Decides that “Peking” is Correct.
Washington, April 18.—The United States board of geographic names has decided that Peking was the correct form in English to indicate the northern capital of China. Peking always had been spelled with a “g” from the first treaties of 1858 and 1860 down to Feb. 3, 1897, when the board of geographic names voted to shorten it to the Cantonese dialect sound, “Pekin.” The decision attracted no comment or attention until the boxer outbreak in 1900.
A vigorous campaign against the dropping of the “g” was started by Miss E. R. Scidmore, who has spent many years in the Orient, and a mass of documentary evidence was submitted against the elimination. Miss Scidmore marshaled all the English-speaking sinologues, living and dead, to prove that "Peking" was the only correct and possible transliteration of the Chinese characters standing for “Northern Capital.”
At the meeting of the international oriental congress at Hamburg last September, Miss Scidmore passed a paper to the leading Chinese scholars asking how the capital of North China should be spelled in English publications, and all those learned ones wrote “Peking.”
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| Main Street, Cortland, N. Y., circa 1900. |
WORK ON CORTLAND CITY STREETS.
Commissioner Becker is Busy Cleaning Unpaved Streets.
Superintendent of Public Works Becker is a very busy man these days, as the unpaved streets of the city are in bad condition owing to the many rains of the past month and more especially to the long and severe rains of the past year. For the past few days he has had a gang of men cleaning off and repairing the cross walks in various parts of the city.
Engineer Farrington of Syracuse, who was in town Thursday taking elevations and measurements on the lower part of the Randall flats and along the D., L. & W. tracks is formulating plans relative to disposing of the surface water in that vicinity. The plans are to be completed and will probably be submitted to the board of public works at their meeting Monday night.
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| Captain William Saxton. |
WAR REMINISCENCES.
By Captain Saxton of the 157th Regiment, N. Y. Vols.
GREEN TROOPS BEGIN TO MARCH
And Find Their Equipments and Food Heavy—A Day of Straggling—Censure From General Sigel—Regiment Reviewed—End of Soft Bread, Beginning of Hardtack—Accidents Fail to Release a Soldier Who Became Tired—Fall Weather in Camp.
CHAPTER 14.
To the Editor of The Standard:
Sir—Oct. 12, Sunday. Was detailed sergeant of the camp guard. Had Sunday morning inspection; orders were read on dress parade, to be in readiness to march at 3:30 in the morning.
Green Troops on the March.
Oct. 13. Up at 2 a. m; got breakfast, packed knapsacks, stowed one day’s rations in our haversacks, struck tents at 4 and waited till daylight to start. Marched southwest for Fairfax courthouse. After a mile or two our forty rounds of cartridges begin to weigh down, our gun becomes heavier and heavier; we shift it from one shoulder to another, and carry it on our arm. Our haversack strap cuts into our shoulders as though it were going through. Our canteens seem to hold pail full of water in weight. Our knapsacks are heavier than a pack peddler’s pack. We plod along. Soon the boys begin to fall behind and sit down to rest. The regiment strings out longer and longer; it becomes half a mile long, a mile, two miles, and before night it is strung all along the road for five miles. Some of the more stalwart ones, ever open to earn an honest penny, stipulate to carry the knapsack of some weaker one for 25 cents. I saw two husky fellows with a pole on their shoulders between them carrying half a dozen knapsacks strung on it. All regimental or company organization was lost. I saw the colonel off of his horse, carrying the gun of a soldier whom he had mounted in his saddle in his place. The rests became more frequent, the stops longer; oh! oh!! oh!!! shall we ever get to the end of our day’s march? Shall we ever live our term of enlistment out if we have to endure such interminable toil?
Sigel Objects to Straggling.
The advance was met outside of Fairfax about 5 p. m. by an aide from General Sigel, who threatened to have every officer in the regiment arrested for allowing such disgraceful straggling. We halted to let the stragglers close up, and at dark pitched our tents a half mile beyond the courthouse. Tired, lame and hungry, we lay down to sleep, having marched 12 miles, (my diary says 20,) This was our first march and one of the hardest we ever had. We were raw and were loaded down with lots of things that we subsequently found we could dispense with. Another lesson in our school of experience as a soldier. This was the only march where our officers allowed straggling. After this the captain march in the rear of the company and no one was allowed to fall behind unless he had a written permit from him. The camp guard became the rear guard of the regiment, and they picked up all who fell to the rear without permits. If a soldier became sick or exhausted and not able to go farther the surgeon wrote him permission to ride in an ambulance if he could find one not already full. The soldier soon learned that the easiest place to march was in his proper place, in his own company by the side of his comrade. The usual mode of marching is by the flank in four ranks.
Hard Tack Begins.
Oct. 14. Up at daylight; lame and stiff in every joint, shoulders sore as an old galled horse; we felt and acted like old men of 60 years. We have been in the field two weeks. Oh! how long they have been. Can we endure such hardships for three long years? To look forward to it, seems an age. The breaking in of raw recruits is the hardest part of the service. Good bye to soft bread. Hard crackers (hard tack) were issued to us today for the first time. From this time on hard bread was the rule.
The Regiment Reviewed.
Oct. 15. We were reviewed by Major General Sigel and Brigadier General Steinwehr. A review is conducted something after this manner: The troops to be reviewed are marched to a suitable place, formed into line, officers in front. The reviewing officer rides slowly along the whole line from right to left. As he arrives in front of each company the officers salute with swords; the men are brought to present arms and stand in this position until the reviewer has passed. When he arrives opposite the center of each regiment the colors are dipped. The reviewing officer returns the salute by raising his cap or with his hand. When he has ridden the entire length of the line he wheels around, rides back at top speed and takes a position where he wishes the troops to march before him. The regiments are wheeled into columns by companies and they march before the reviewing officer in this formation. When they arrive in front of him they are brought to present arms, officers salute with swords, and in this manner march till they have passed about two or three rods and then are brought to shoulder arms. The colonels then take charge of their regiments and march them to camp unless otherwise directed.
A Chapter of Accidents.
Oct. 16. A man in our company while we were in Hamilton procured leave to go home for a few days. While at home he met with an “accident.” He was splitting kindling wood, made a miss lick and cut off his right toe. He overstayed his leave on account of this, but before we left the captain sent a man for him, and he was taken along with us. Today he and a comrade went down into the timber to get wood for the cooks and met another “accident.” In some way while he was holding a dry limb on the stump for the comrade to cut into convenient lengths to carry, his right forefinger was cut off with the hatchet. He was sent to the hospital and when the finger healed, instead of being discharged from the service, was returned to the regiment for duty. Afterward when we were on the march going to the battle of Fredericksburg, I heard the report of a gun in the rear of the company, and this same man came forward holding out his bleeding right hand. His gun had “accidently” been discharged, the ball passing through his hand. He was sent to the hospital again, and deserted from there, but came back to the regiment in 1863 just before we started for Gettysburg, under President Lincoln’s proclamation of pardon. In that battle he was conspicuous for absence, and we saw him no more forever—in the army.
Oct. 17. Was detailed sergeant of the police. Each morning a number of men and one sergeant were detailed for police work, whose duty it was to clean up the camp, or do any necessary work around it.
Oct. 19, Sunday. After inspection, those who chose assembled in an open space and listened to a temperance sermon by the chaplain.
Oct. 20. Started at 7 a. m. for Germantown and was reviewed by General Sigel. Returned to camp at 4 p. m., tired out and hungry, as we took nothing with us but our guns and accoutrements.
Oct. 21. Took cold on the review the day before and felt badly all day today.
A Notable Supper.
Oct. 22. Had a fresh beef stew for supper.
Oct. 23. Tried squad cooking.
Oct. 24. Mail came with letters from home.
Oct. 25. With comrade went to a creek and washed our clothes and bathed.
Oct. 26, Sunday. A cold rain set in with a high wind which made it very uncomfortable all day. A number of tents blew over in the night.
Oct. 27. Wakened to find the water had run into our tent and wet us considerably while we slept. Still it rains and the wind blows harder than ever. We have to get out and dig a ditch around our tent to keep the water out. This is pretty rough soldiering, we have no warm fires to sit by but wrap ourselves in our blankets and sit on the cold wet ground. Cleared off at noon, but so muddy we have no drills.
Oct. 28. The Tenth cavalry passed through Fairfax, C. H.
Oct. 29. On account of the mud moved camp about a mile to the road from Fairfax to Centerville. Buried a man from Company B, who died last night.
Victim of a Spent Ball.
Oct. 30. A man on police duty, while helping put up a hospital tent, was accidently shot and killed. Some pickets from another regiment nearly a mile away who had come off duty, discharged their guns for cleaning, one of the bullets reached our camp, struck this man in the head and killed him instantly. A man from Company F died. The hardships and exposure begin to tell on the regiment.
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| Albert Allen, retired railroad superintendent. |
New Cortland Company Incorporated.
Albany, N. Y., April 18.—The Beaudry-Allen company of Cortland has been incorporated with a capital stock of $15,000 to trade in wall paper and stationery. The directors are Albert Allen, A. Edward Allen, and G. Fred Beaudry of Cortland.
BREVITIES.
—The New York Central [railroad] is planning an expenditure of $20,000,000 in improvements and extensions.
—Elmira has an epidemic of measles, 370 cases having been reported to the health officer during the month of March.
—The condition of J. Robert Kennedy, who suffered the loss of three fingers at Cooper Bros.’ foundry Thursday morning, is so much improved that he was able to leave the [Cortland] hospital Friday morning.
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