Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-06-11

| tnere' NY OLD captain, who was one
OF the best-tempered men l ever me
with, would sometimes be provoked in
to a violent passion with him; and Will e
he punished half the company for teas.
! ing him, would threaten, in ysice oil
thunder ito ride down Kits throat!''
the only threat which ever sllenced him
when be was in the mode of blubber
and below; aud the only punishment,
II threat be punishment, he ever
received
"The Stiffness of the poor fellow was
incredible | remember on one ocea
sion, when the regiment was drawn up,
expecting Immediately to be engaged,
and was in charge of the company
as simple act of duty. placed him in
the front rank, lest by his extreme awk-
wardness, be might do some injury IN
firing, to the man who would other
wise have stood 10 front of him. Ii is
a ludierous fact, that the poor fellow
complained to the colonel, as he was
riding down the line, thai had placed
him in the first rank to get him killed.
us he net in the front rank himself, you
fool!' was the colonel's reply This
shows, hrst, alas! that poor Kit regar
ded all the world, and me amongst
them, as his enemies-nexi, that be
had not much of the hero in bis compo.
stion. This little incident was never
forgotten by the men of the company;
add they plagued him about il to The end
OF the war, but many voice that gibed
and Jeered him was, in succession, ST
fenced in death. Tie was one Of the
few survivors in the company, at the
TERMINATION Of those memorable cam
paigns. He was present in every bat.
tie, and on every march The hand.
some, and the happy, and the hardy
fell around him: Kit lived on. At the
close of the bloody battle of Albuera,
when saw him safe upon that field Of
carnage, | was glad in nv very heart;
and felt that Il could have better spa.
red better man." | have said truly,
that Kit was no hero ss his complaint
on former occasion had proved; yet
he had apparently no fear Of death He
stood in his place had pouch full of
ball cartridges, and fir them away in
the battle: whether guilty or innocent
of blood, he could not on that occasion
! know, and little needed.
How strange to think Of such man
receiving the thanks OF parliament; as
he did In common with the army many
times; and was perhaps, sent to drill
by the commanding officer or adju,ant,
at the very parade when they we're read
to bin, for some awkwardness or irre-
gularity; perhaps in victory in the nor
/ ming, and was for some offence put or
extra fatigue duty the same evening"
What strange aud complicated ma-
chine is an army! How much of the
common enters it! Hurrah for Liberty
and Old England' is The cheerful cry
of men, enlisted for life, rushing into
battle to deal out, and to meet the death
stroke. The victory is won: then come
again-Attertion.- Word of Command
and Exercise of Arms -L'strangs chose
que la Uis,
j cat the conclusion Of the war, and
upon the return of the regiment home !;
the battalion was reorganized; Kit was
no longer 10 the same company with
the, and, except being occasionally
thrown on duty near hia. almost lost
sight of the man. At lengths after a
lapse of years, he fell again under my
notice in India. / observed about him
very remarkable change, an evident
improvement
He was far eleverer than he was ev :
err want to be: his awkward gait re-
NAMED, but his look was no longer the
same. His eye, once so restless, that
used to be looking on every side. as if
constantly expecting either reproof or
ridicule, was now still and placid, aud a
beam OF contsntment shone in it. He
always ssluted me with look of kind
and familiar recognition; and il ] occa-
sionally stopped and said word to him i,
replied as if pleased at the notice.
] Il was much puzzled and perplexed
at first about this change in a man,
whose imbecility of mind had snce re
garded as alike painful and hopeless.
Upon making more particular inqui
ry, | found that in the company to
which he belonged. he had become at.
tached to the little child OF one of his
comrades, of whom hs took as much
care as il it bad been his own; that be
I spent all his spare pay en- il: that he did
bis duty quietly, was regular. and neith-