Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-15

lieutenants, and sergeants, his former
equals, sordeu hin1fabout, andzhe must.
obey them. On, what daysi and OH, What
niQhfsi Where ishome and affection ?
Where is the soft bed and loaded table |?
Change Of climate, change of food, want
of rest, want of an kinds of old things,
and an Influx of all sorts of new things.
make him sick really sick in body
and soul. But in spite of a few doses OF
quinine and wholesome hospital bed
and diet, las the soldier of 81 remem-
beers them,l his vigorous constitution
and indomitable heart prevail, so that
he is soon able to cross the Long Bridge
and invade the sacred red clay of Virgin
la. with his companions In arms. Yet,
perhaps. should you now observe hm
very closely, you viii perceive his en- u
thusiasm increasing faster even than his
strength. He is on the enemy's side OF
the river now for the strict guard du-
ty,snow fer. the lonely picket amid the
thickets where men are Killed by am
pushed foes. How the eye land the ear.
and. may L say it, the heart, are quick
ened in these new and trying vigils.-
Before long, however, the soldier is in
ured to these things; he becomes t.nl,,
liar with every stump, tree and pathway
of approach, and his trusty gun and
stouter heart defy any secret foe.
+ Presently you find him on the road to
battle; the hot weather of July, the
usual load, the superadded twenty extra
rounds of cartridges and three days ra-
lions. strung to his neck, and the long
weary march quite exhaust his strength
during the very first day. He aches to
leave the ranks. and rest, but no! mol
He did not leave home for the ignomin-
ious name of ''straggler" and ''skulker. !"
Cost what it may, he tolls on. The
Acotink, the Cub Run, the never-to-be-
forgotten Bull Run, are passed. Here
of a sudden, strange and terrible sounds
strike upon the ear, and bear down up
on his heart; the booming of shotted
cannon; the screeching of bursted shell
through the heated air, and the zip, zip,
zip of smaller balls everything pro-
dIces singular effect upon him. Again,
all at once he is thrown. quite unpre7
pared upon new and trying expert
ence; for he now meets the groaning
ambulance and the bloody stretcher.
He meets hmping, armless. legless, dis
figured, wounded mep.E 10 the rightof
him and to the left of him are the life
less forms of the slain. Suddenly a
large iron missile of death strikes close
beside him, and explodes, sending out
twenty or more Jagged fragments, which
remorselessly main or kill five or six OF
| his mates before they have had. the OPP
| portunity to strike one blow for their
| country. His face is now very pale; and
| will not the American soldier finch and
turn back? There is a stone wall; there
is a building; there is a stack of hay:
| it is SO easy to hide. But mol He will
not be a cowardl ''Oh God, support and
strengthen me?" It's all his prayer.
| Soon he is at work Yonder is the foe.
tsIoad and fire." ''ioad and fire." But
the cry comes, ''Our flank is turned!'
s'Our men retreatw With tears pouring
down his cheek, he slowly yields, and
| Joins the retiring throng. Without any
more nerve and little strength, he strug-,
| giles back from lost field.
Now he drinks the dregs of suffering.
! Without blanket for the night, without
! food, without hope, it is no wonder
| that panic seizes him, and he runs
demoralized away. This disreputable
course, however, is only temporary.
! The soldier before long forgets his de-
feat and his sufferings, brightens up his
armor, and resumes his place on the de-
| fensive line. He submits. for weary
DAYS to discipline, drill and hard fare;
| he wades through the SHOWS of winter
| and the deep mud of Virginia spring.
| He sleeps upon the ground, upon the
! deck of the transport steamer, and
| upon the floor of the platform car. He
helps load and unload stores; he makes
| fascines and gabions, he corduroyN
/ auicksands, and bridges creeks and
Dogs. Night and day he digs or watches
/ in the trenches What world of new
experienced What peculiar labor and
suffering he passes through, the soldier
4 alone can tell YOU. He now marches
burriedIy to his second battle; soon
after he is in a series of them. Fight
/ and fall backi Oh, those days of hope
lessness. sorrow, toll, and emaciation.
How wildly the living soldier remem.
bers them, those days when he cried
from the bottom of his heart, "Oh,
God, how longl how longp'v2
/ Would you have patience to follow
/ him through the commingling of dis
i asters from the battle of Cedar Noun.
i tain to the same old Bull Run, you
would emerge with him from the chaos
and behold his gIistening bayonet again
4 on the successful field of Antietam,
i where a glimmer of hope lighted up his
/ heart. Would you go with him to the
bloody fields of Fredericksburg, stauDch
/ his wounds in the wilderness of Chan
/ cellorville, and journey on with him af,
forwards to this hallowed ground OF
Gettysburg, and could you be enabled
i to read and record his tolls, his suffer
ings and all his thoughts, you might
be able to appreciate the true American
soldier You might then recite the first
chapter of the cost of the preservation
of the American Union. In Septem-
ber, 1868, after the battle of 'Gettys-
burg, the Government sends two army
corps to reinforce our brethren In the
4 West. The soldier is already far from
home and friends, hut he is suddenlyap-
prised that he must go yet two Thousand
i miles. He can not visit his family to
take leave of them, Hehas scarcely the
opportunity of writing a line of farewell.
The chances of death are multitudinous
as they appear before his imagination,
and the hope OF returning Is very slen-
| der. seaas rus = nos 3 .s - - =
Yet again, the soldier does not falter.
With forty others he crowds into the
close, unventilatedss Height ear and
speeds away, night and day, without
| even the luxury of decent seat. With
III @la ,nao,,l;a. .5;aoapfov.s of tins