“I have the honor to remain,
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant, “J. STEDMAN, Lieutenant-Colonel, “commanding 42d Mass. Vols.
“To Lieut.-Col. R. B. Irwin, A. A. General,
“19th Army Corps.”
A letter from Brigadier-General McMillan, dated July 28th, stated that the major-general commanding the Department would send all nine months men home in such order as he would select, and as fast as transportation could be obtained; that he would send all at once if he could, and that all petitions and representations would fail to expedite the sending.
July 17th—Paroled men of Companies D, G, I, A, B, E and H arrived at Algiers from Gentilly Camp and were assigned quarters in the warehouse.
July 21st—Company K rejoined the regiment.
On one occasion while at Algiers an act of insubordination had to be summarily dealt with. Details for picket duty had been ordered, and first-sergeants had notified their men for that duty. When the hour arrived to “fall in” and report to the adjutant, the men from Companies C, H and E refused to do so. Their company officers proved powerless to enforce the orders, and the case was reported at regimental headquarters, when the lieutenant-colonel, major, adjutant and sergeant-major went to quarters to straighten matters out. Most of the trouble was in Companies C and H. Lieutenant-Colonel Stedman ordered the first-sergeant of Company C to order his detail to “fall in,” fully equipped. The first man called absolutely refused to do so. He was given five minutes to obey by the lieutenant-colonel, who held his watch in one hand and a pistol in the other. This man reluctantly did as ordered before the time expired, and the rest followed suit. No difficulty was experienced with other company details, and the picket on duty was regularly relieved. This ended all serious trouble of this kind, although Private Lawrence Mannocks, Company I, was placed in arrest July 19th for inciting to mutiny and indulging in blasphemous remarks; it was also necessary, on the twenty-eighth, to reduce to the ranks Corporal Thomas P. Hobart, Company A; a regimental special order was issued to that effect. At Battery St. John Captain Coburn reduced to the ranks Corporal E. C. Crocker, Company A, June 5th.
The guard-house was filled each day by men temporarily placed there for being drunk. They were old, hard, chronic cases, poor soldiers, unfit to be in service. Captain Leonard, Company C, found it necessary, in June and July, to arrest and confine quite a number of his men for disobedience of orders. Of his men, Private Charles F. Towle was in arrest from June 10th to July 13th, for desertion; Private John Myers, for same cause, from July 1st to the 10th. No further action was taken in either case.
Confinements in the guard-house while at Gentilly were few. Privates Owen Fox, Michael Bresneau, Company A, and Thomas Matthews, Company D, frequently got placed there for drunkenness, disobedience of orders, and insolence. Private Fox was once sentenced to carry cannon balls for two days (February 25th and 26th), without a proper hearing into his case in the regular manner. Private Bresneau was once confined a week for insolence. At other times they would be released in a few days, when sober.
At Algiers the men suffered more from sickness than at any other period of service. The regimental hospital was at Bayou Gentilly until July 18th, Surgeon Heintzelman in charge, leaving that part of the regiment at Algiers without a medical-officer, as Surgeon Hitchcock was at Port Hudson on a visit, without orders. Hitchcock always claimed permission was granted him to go there, but the only order received at regimental headquarters which authorized his absence was Special Orders No. 207, Defences New Orleans, issued April 19th, 1863, ordering him to report for duty at Berwick Bay, where he remained for a short time. Department Special Orders No. 185, issued July 30th, read: “Relieved from duty at Berwick Bay.” This want of a surgeon caused a letter to be sent the medical director, Defences New Orleans, which read: “I would respectfully bring to your attention the following facts: many men of this command are sick at this camp, and without any medical attendance. Unless a surgeon can be sent us some of our men will die in forty-eight hours. The reason of our being destitute of a surgeon will be explained by Chaplain Sanger, the bearer of this note. Please send us a good surgeon for temporary service.” Surgeon Hitchcock allowed a personal matter with the lieutenant-colonel to interfere with his duty.