The Charge Against Wharton's Body Guard.

Galveston Weekly News
December 28, 1864, p. 2, c. 5

Anderson
Dec. 23d, 1864.

Editor News:
My attention has been called by a friend to an article published in your paper of the 16th, (I think) and copied from a Henderson paper, making very serious charges against the company known as "Wharton's Body Guard." The paper has been mislaid and I cannot quote more accurately from it. Being a member of that company, I do not feel willing that the stigma of such gross brutality as wantonly "firing at an inoffensive citizen while standing in his own door, and firing into another house in the midst of ladies and children," should rest upon it. You express a charitable hope, Mr. editor, that the charges are not true. In this case, I can assure you that they are not. Our company was at Henderson only one night. Strict orders were given not to straggle through or into the town, and a guard was placed at proper points in the town to arrest all who should be found there without a permit. No permits were given that night. This same slander—each some additions—was circulated at the time; the Capt. of our company investigated the matter and reported the result to Gen. Wharton, who was perfectly satisfied of the innocence of our company, and he is not a man to be easily deceived. That some persons may have committed outrages of the character complained of, may be true. This I do not controvert, for I know nothing about it, but I think I ought to know whether my company had any hand in it or not, as you, Mr. editor, will acknowledge when I tell you I am a private and not yet eighteen years of age. There are many other boys about the same age in the company, and I suspect we are much like boys everywhere, talking freely over (around the camp-fire) everything we know; and, under all these means of information, I say to you that the charges are untrue. These wanton attacks upon the reputation of whole companies are to be deprecated. Soldiers are bad enough, but some of us hope to live after this war is over, and would like to keep our skirts free at least from absolute brutality. There is another bad effect resulting from them, which I observed in our company when we were in Henderson. It produced a feeling of reckless defiance in many of the company. "We are charged," said they, "with crimes of which we are wholly innocent—what incentive have we to good conduct?" You must remember, Mr. editor, that we are only boys, and reason generally only from our passions, but I can see that the effect of these charges on our company is bad. Perhaps the publication of this feeble defence may result in a little good, and this hope alone induces me to trouble you with this communication.

A Member of Wharton Guard.

Article provided by Vicki Betts.