St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-12-31

foiiIhced ullllcully III carryln!
out his instructions. Amongst the diff
ferent depots of regiments stationed !,
bengal, 1t was with the greatest difficult,
he could make up the requisite number
oi two hundred. Many of the men o
these regiments were the rawest of raw
recruits, some of whom had not ioinel
the depot more than a fortnight or thrc,
weeks, whilst Others had not vet receives
their reglmcntal clothing. As regard.
officers, |, 4 lad who hardly knew nv
right hand from my left, was the only
one available; and therefore, two 9th
crS, Il captain and subaltern senior TO
me, had to be selected from the dcpots OF
regiments serving in other parts of the
East, and sent to do duty with the de
tachment. Never had Il more unsuldicr-
ike detachment left Chatham. The two
hundred men Were made up from about
slX different regiments then serving in
India. OF these, at least sixty had, the
very morning we marched to GravcScnd.
been served out with their rceimental
clothing Most of the recruits were
Irish, and had a hungry, woliish look
about them. They were good, wcll-ln-
tcntioncd lads, but had no more idea of
what discipline or order meant, than a
llmdou has oi skating. But there were
amongst them some fifty or sixty who
had come from that worst of all schools
for SOldier,-the service of Spain, the
cX-Spani>h lr.,On. At the time write
OF. There were few, if any, Euglishmcn
who were not violently in favor uf one
or the other side of those who fought for
the crown in Spain. The campaign had
been cong on for two years in the Pc
mls.sula, and had Just been ended The
Spanish legion had been disbandrd. and
many of the men who had served under
General Evan. had, after Il season of the
lowest dcbauchcrv IL london, or others
ut our large towns, during which they
had, ct course. rot rid OF al! their ar
rears or pay, enlisted i'll English rcgi-
mcmtS. IN muny-in mo>t-ot the corps
stationed in England, the legion men
were not taken aS recruits, for they had
10y no means a rood name a> regards that
inst of AL duties d. Il soldier, obedience
u Suttrlols hut regiments IN lndIa, or
at any rate, those who recruited tor impSc
regiments, Were glad to Get any men
they could lay their hands cn, ami - a
number "i IL" legion men, as they
Wert called, ;o'i'd their way INTO corps
stationed III the East.
y, -4Id before, "nr detachment OF
Nv" !'u'"'red men Wa made "p oi re
'IH.l- rom some l'e "i SIN regiments. y!
'ieHt' There were mol twenty men vino
i''H been SIN months III the service; and
i"lly one h'ii had served IN the Spanish
lv@ioll' Al the last moment, two OLD
soldiers. vino were returning 10 their reg
lment- III Bengal, were told oil TO 20 on
board the Farmland, 10 serve a. acting
SerG'"niN nnIlng the voyage Ihe "ilI-
Gers ""'' - l s"'" oe'oi'' were ohIE
''!''t III '!'''ii''>' '"P,"'II' 9uoal'cth
ol some io"r Gals '''hail9' alln myself.
a mere nE-hhrw hoIiilhS OF the men
whom thtN would nave 10 command dur
~ mat I"''3 ANA TEDIOUS voyage round
'H' N"i't ANA tI.t iiic'' Mic" ho'"ll'@ oI
'''''' o''''''T' "cir was "" po"lu no
means o' Pu''''''''3 t''r refractory ana,
lhu''d' no power ol h"'ulhe Il court mar
',''' 10 DO "i't" '''cle must be at least
'''''I o''''ei' 10 co''i pose '''' court all! u
''''' 't' " 'll'O'' VI ~ Pt"''e'''''-' Al
''-'''ie'' '"vie op"'' ''''t"'H A''Ne oe'i' i
more u'l'oI'i'ol'''" lo"N-uut io' Noy-
Il u. ana Tue result lGtIk proved tl.lt
were NOT ili-lounded.
the 7i'P H'e'' was Il 200" one ana
WtLl ionhd III every respect ihe captain
'''i' o'''''iS o' '"e r'''i','.'u pc'i9 S"'u
r.tliorS anu Dcht upon MahllS ille voyage