Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-11-25
>eif-kaiiaase of Western Soldiers.

:, 'i'efe are men in the world gifted with
tue most thorough seifreliance western sol.
uiefs arc the men, To fight in the grand an
Sei VI o"t'ie seems to me to require less mar
= ioi ''aue' ai'ef all, than TO bear without
muTlnuring, the swarm Of little troubles that
vex camp and march, No rnatta4r bera or
when YOU halt there they are at one ~
home. They know precisely what To do frst
and they do it. / have seen them nah No.
strange region at dark, and as soon a. fras
would show well, they were twinkling all over
the field, the Sibley cones rising like tho
work of enchantment everywhere, and the
little dog-tents living snug to the ground. as
1t, like the mushrooms, they had grown there,
and the aroma of coffee and tortured bacon,
suggesting creature comforts, and the whole
economy of life in canvas cities moving as
steadily on as If it had never intermitted.
Inc movement OF regiments, yen know, are
rs blind as fate. Nobody can tell tonight
where he Will be tomorrow, and vet with the
hrst gllmmer of morning the camp is astir,
ana the preparations begin for staying there
forever; coy httle cabins of red cedar, neat
ly fitted are going up; here a boy is making
a fireplace, and quite artistically plastering
It with the inevitable red earth he has found
a crane somewhere and swung up thereon a
two-iegged dinner pot; there fellow is fin
fishing out chimney with brick from an old
Kiln OF secession procliyities Wonder bow
er-house, closely woven of eyergreens is al
most ready for the occupants; tables stools,
bedsteads are tumbied together by the rough
est OF carpenters; the avenues between the
lines OF tents are cleared and smoothed-
pohced, IN camp phrase-little seats with
cedar awnings in front of the tents give a cot
tage look; while the interior, in a rude way,
has genuine home like air The bit of
looklng-giass hangs against the cotton wall
a handkerchief of a carpet just before the
bunk marks the stepping off place TO the
land of dreams a vioin-case is strung up TO
convenient hook, fanked by gorgeous pic
ture of some hero of somewhere, mounted
upon horse rampant and saltant. " and with
length of tail behind -
The business of living has fairly begun
again.
But at five O'clock some dingv morning.
Obedlent To sudden orders, the regiments
march away in good cheer; the army wagons
90 streaming and swearing after them; the
beat of the drum grows fainter: the last
straggler is out of sight; the canvass city has
vanished like vision. On such morning
and amid such scene | have loitered till il
seemed as If busy city had passed out of
sight, leaving nothing behind for all that life
and light but empty desolation. Will YOU
wender much if | tell Won that / have watch
ed such a vanishing with pang of regret
that the trampled field looked dim TO me,
worn smooth and beautiful by the touch of
those brave feet whose owners have trod up
on thorns with song-feet, alas, how many,
that shall never again in all this coming and
going world make music upon the old thresh-
holds And how many such sites of persisted
cities this war has made, how many bonds of
good-tellowship have been rent to be united
no more ID. f. Taylor, Var Correspondent
Gicdgo Journal.