University of Virginia Library

ORIGIN OF BROOKS' BATTALION.

In 1864, when the Northern armies had the world from which to recruit
their ranks, and even our slaves had been armed against us,—while the
Southern armies were being rapidly depleted, and, perhaps, four-sixths of
those who were fighting had been wounded—the authorities in Richmond
conceived the idea of enlisting in our ranks foreigners among the Federal
prisoners, hoping that, like the redoubtable Dougal Dalgetty, they would
care very little on which side they fought. To command such an organization
no ordinary officer was needed. Courage was a sine qua non, and he
should have military knowledge. experience and judgment. Covered with
wounds and with honor, Capt. J. Hampden Brooks, who, in his own person,
had illustrated the courage of the Brookses and Butlers on many a bloody
battlefield, was selected to command them. A serious mistake was made in
allowing a large number of Northern men to enlist, many pretending to be
Englishmen. Among those selected were Irishmen, Germans, Spaniards
and one Italian who could scarcely speak English.—Extract from history of
Brooks' Battalion by Vincent F. Martin.

These men soon decided to kill all the officers and return to the Northern
army, but were betrayed by one of their own men whose name was Sinner;
he was an orderly sergeant and a vile sinner, too, in their estimation.
The other orderly sergeants were courtmartialed and shot—the men sent
to Florence, S. C., and locked up in prison, and the officers were soon with
their respective commands again.