New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-03-30
HINTS TO YOUNG CAMPAIGNERs,
WITH THE
MANUAL OF ARMS.
QUINTUS CURTIUS SNODGRASS, ESQ.,,
High Old Private of Louisiana Guard
PART I.-AC7IYE SER VICE.


and missing. Sergeants should be careful chat the
names on their respective rolls have been origin
ally placed there with due regard to their correct
orthography as it must be intensely annoying to
the spirit of defunct warrior to know that, after
| having laid down his life for fame, his name has
| been misspelt in the paper that announces the
sacrifice that he has made. The term missing is
pleasantly and conveniently ambiguous, as it may
either signify that the individual has been taken
prisoner or that he has run away, and should the
latter supposition have been the caae, it is by no
means necessary that his friends and all the world
should know Of his little "accdent." A judicious
officer will, therefore, place his name under the
| above head.
| As soon az it has been officially announced that
such and such parties are not expected to rejoin
| their comrades at mess again in this world, young
men with any degree Of enterprise and spirit, will,
without delay, proceed to appropriate any little
| creature comforts or spare change that their
| lamented friends may have left behind them; but
until the list has been issued officially such pro-
| ceeding is deemed premature, and "hands off,
should be the word. In view of these sad chances
of war it is well that every man should at the
mencement Of campaign, look about him and
find out some one whose size is about his own and,
consequently, one whose clothes he can wear with
comfort he should also discover if their tastes be
similar as to the size and stiffness of brstles of the
article toothbrush, if they use the same style of
soap, ETC., etc-and having once marked such q
man. spot the spot where he slows away his kit,
and by attention to this rule after the first action,
those that are left will absolutely roll in luxury,
while those that are gone, will scarcely miss what
they left behind them. We know that there is a
proverb which tells " It's i'll waiting for dead
mans shoes" but we question whether it extends
to his drawers, his brandy flask and his toothbrush,
and now, should it do SO, it must be remembered
that the proverbs of civilians criterion
of what should or should not be done by military
man.
After an action, during which the officers of
Infantry corps gallantly remained full five PAGES
behind the line of their men, there are Of course
many promotions made, with the accompanying
increased pay and rations, while the newspapers
TEEN with interesting anecdotes of GOODNESS and
selfposseasion; how Lieut.. Smith, in the very heat
of the combat, asked one of his gergeants for
piece OF tobacco; how Capt. Brown, in voice
entirely free from tremor, commanded some one
else to go somewhere and do something that was
dangerous; and how General Robinson heroically
and originally remarked, "Victory or DEATH"
And then the officers of cavalry! Who would
not be dragoon? True it is that horses require
much attention and care, but they repay you for
it q thousand times; for be you as arrant a-but
no. we will not use such word. Supposing,
therefore, that you be nervously timid il your
horse be well-trained charger, and you do not
become so nervously frightened as to fall of, your
reputation is at once made. You are seen charging
at the head of your troops yoG do not return till
they do, having been in the thick of the fight, and
4n5 20 MO
Your horse at night gets his quota Of OATS instead
of which, in the same ratio that you were pro
NOTED, he should, according to his actual merits,
be made brigadier-general. How many officers
are there, with huge epaulettes dangling from
their shoulders, which said epaulettes, if justly
awarded, would be hanging on the shoulders of
their horses. We ask, how many; and echo majes-
tically replies" Oh, ever many"
And meanwhile these poor privates who have
been standing up in front and loading and firing
at will, Or what is more probable, very much
against their will, what is to be done to reward
them for the courage and devotion they have ex-
hibited? Simply nothing they canno; all be made
officers, and hence the question, does it pay for
man brought up as a gentleman and accustomed
to the Injuries Of life, to go into active service as
private? We think that we hear readers
monosyable "No" Nor does it to go forth Civ
ing MP home, friends, comfort, and perhaps life,
for your native State when the powers that be
refuse to give you the proper accoutrements and
necessaries of life, and fit weapons to protect the
lives that.are offered in their service. While the
volunteer corps of New Orleans have been for
months straining every nerve to perfect themselves
in drill that their services might be the more vau
Had iIn fhny O0fth
corps have expended their every spare dollar to
meet the many expenses which ripen such an Or
ganzation, the Louisiana Legislature has been too
much occupied passing bills of personal aggrand-
izement, and of nature peculiar to State Legisla
tures to lend even helping hand to these young
haryesters in the field of glory. They will neither
repay them what they have been compelled to lay
out of their outfit, nor will they even give them
safe proper or efficient arms
1t is all very well to say, place your trust in
the God of Battles,n but he personally would pre-
fer, besides the trust aforesaid, something besides
musket that will either not go off at ALL or else
will explode at both ends at an unexpected mo-
ment As we are writing this, of our finest
companies have left the city an excursion of
pleasure. May the god of target excursions watch
over them and send down merciless rains just
about the time they are going to shoot at that tar
get. for if those muskets go of, many gallant
Young soul will go off with them. This. company
will probably return, but we fear will return to us
decimated We have digressed somewhat from
our subject, this being the farewell chapter of
Hints to Young Campaigners. viii not some one
soon fill their place by Hints to Old Legislators.
-~e s~------
| An EDITOR IN TRoUBLE-The managing editor
of one of our sporting, journals was arrested a
night or two since, and taken to the Fourteenth