Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-11-26
seif-Reliance of Western Soldiers


If there are men in the world gifted with
| the most thorough selfreliance western SOL
dlers are the men. To fight in the grand an
ger OF battle seems to me to require less man
ly tortltude, after ALL than to bear without
murmuring, the swarm of little troubles that
Vex camp and march. No matter where or
When You halt, there they are at once at
home. They know precisely what to do first.
and they do it. have seen them march into
strange region at dark, and as soon az fires
would show well, they were twinkling all over
the field, the Sibley cones rising like the
work of enchantuent everywhere, and the
little dog-tents lying snug to the ground. as
II, 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
The movement of regiments, you know, are
as blind as fate. Nobody can tell tonight
where he Will be tomorrow, and yet with the
hrst Sllmmer of morning the camp is astir.
and the preparations begin for staying there
forever; coy little cabins of red cedar, neat
~ ntted are going up; here boy is making
fireplace, and quite artistically plasterng
it with the inevitable red earth; he has found
a crane somewhere and swurg up thereon a
two-legged dinner pot; there a fellow is fin
lshlng out chimney with brick from an old
kiln of secession proclivities yonder a bow
er-house, closely woven of evergreens is al
most ready for the occupants; tables, stools.
bedsteads are tumbled together by the rough
est of carpenters the avenues between the
lines OF tents are cleared and smoothed-
"policed," in camp phraSe-little seats with
cedar awnings in front of the tents give cot
tage look; while the interior, in a rude way,
has genuine home like air. The bit of
iooklng-giass hangs against the cotton wall
handkerchief OF carpet just before the
punk marks the stepping off place to the
land OF dreams; violin-case is strung up to
convenient hook, hanked bya 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 dingy morning,
obedlent to sudden orders, the regiments
march away in good cheer; the army wagons
go 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 a morning
and amid such scene | have loitered till it
seemed as ii busy city had passed out of
sight, leaving nothing behind for all that life
| and light but empty desolation. Will you
| wonder much if l tell you that have watch
ed such 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
10 more b. f. Taylor, Var Correspondent
| Chicago Journal.