The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-11-08
miscellaneous.
DAYS WITH THE KNAPsACKs.
BY JAMES FRANKLIN FIr1s.

In the early days Of the year o
Christian grace and American
blUodshed, eighteen hundred aud
sixty.three. the humble individua!
whose name is appended to this
article was favored with the re.
CARDS Of Ills Excelleucy, Iloratio
Seymour, in the shape of a cap.
tain's commission in one of the
fighting New York regiments OF
the Nineteenth corps. Ills &C.
ceptance Of this parchment raised
him from the a.jutant's a. laborious
routine to the command of COM
pany, and gave him u Iong-desircd
opportunity to gain an experience
in the service beyond consolidated
morning reports, and daily dress
parades and guard mountings.-
lie bade farewell, without regrets,
to thesphere Of headquarters, and
with regret, to the gallant gray
which could not share his new du.
ties-sold his spurs, laid aside his
clanklng cavalry sabre and high.
topped boots, ard tor the following
eighteen months, at Tie head Of a
hundred merry men, shared the
unique and nomadic life of the
foot soldier in the field The
lights and shadows OF life are bes,
appreciated when seen from the
ranks; with your foot in the stir.
rup you are beyond that close C m
panionship with the rank and filC
which alone gives an insight int,
the tolls, the sutierings, the sacri
fees, and the humors oi that granc
! figure in the history OF our tire
mendous civil conflict, tho Ameri
can private soldier. And hardl,
less proud is the position Of tn,
line officer whose duty is a sacreC
trust, and who gains the affection
ate devotion Of those under him by
careful attention 70 their needs, BY
the exercise OF a firm but kind au
thority, and by proving to then
that he is in fact what his commits
sion creates him-their leader. =
With this respect and confidenc,
once bestowed, their honest hearts
beat beneath their blue blousel
with firm loyalty to "the Cap
tain, " and if they indulge in tn,
innocert familiarity OF addressing
him as 4" Cap, it is but anmhe
evidence of their regard. The.
follow him on the march through
dust, and heat, and thirst, anC
weariness, much better content be
cause " Cap shares in them
their coarse rations seem some
thing better in quality because
Cap" finds them palatable; tll'
rain does not appear to pcnetrat,
tho rubber blanket. nor the grounC
to be half go hard beneath it
when /" Cap" lies under the sam,
cover with Private Green; ant
when the skirmishers' rifles ar,
swelling into volleys at the front
and the staff gallops fnriously past
and the word "doubie-quick "has
tens the regiment mp to the whirl
pool of slanghter-then their eye
look for him anxionsly, and thei
hearts grow stouter at the CLEAN
of his sword aud the vigor of hi
voice, and dine are the anathema
visited upon the head OF the lag
gard who ialters when Gap !
with ns. There is a thrilling ia
cident which half the historians {
Waterloo have omitted; the las
act OF the Old Guard, shattered
decimated, but not vanquished-
when IN tho cloeing h,,ni of tina
disastrous day thsy gathered stern
ly arouDh their Emperor, and i
the deadly nproar OF the Englis
cannon, sang together the oil
French air, ''Where can one bette
be than in the b som Of his FAM
lly n The incident illustrate
: iFnthfully the bond which the ha2
I. ards and tolls of military servic
create between the faithful Office
and his command and after ria
ting it here, there is no need 9
further preface TO this narrative G
experience with our volunteer in
fan'ry on a campaign.
More than half Of the probleu