St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-08-01
The Soldiers at Rutland.

The reunion of the soldiers ut Rut
land next week has already been thor
oughly advertised. The following racy
semi autobiography, we find in the
Montpelier Freeman. 1t is good read
ing for persons who were never sol
diers:
The gathering at Rutland week after
next is already an assured success.
Eight years of peace in which war has
been learned no more. and the hand
has been busy with the plough-Sharc OF
pruning hook. literal or figurative. are
enough to give zest to the memories of
the camp and stricken field. For the
first time there is to he a meeting of the
rank and file as we'll as of the officers.
and on a larger scale and with more
regularity OF management than has been
seen outside the State. This meeting
will be the first of IA long line of similar
ones, no doubt, not only in Vermont.
but throughout the Union.
1t is true that our neighbors in Little
Rhody have led Oft with a meeting
somewhat similar in character. and
were reviewed hy that '.braw Scot
and brave man, Ambrose Burnside. hut
they never can have Il regular reunion
down there for there isn't room for them
to he fairly separated unless they g"
outside the State lines. So we claim
| the lead in this matter; Rhode Island
may claim that she had the deal.
Nor has any State II better right to
have rousing reunion than our OWN.
OF course. self-praise is Il shameful
thing, but look at what it has done for
the old Bay State. Not one of her cit =
liens but goes around repeating to him
self the words of the great Daniel.
Massachusetts look at her" Why Il
young fellow went down there to teach
school and he said the only way he
could get through the winter was.
whenever the subject became too Suifo-
eating, to invite his friends ont doors.
point to Mount MOnadnock. there for
tunately i'll sight. and say there is one
thing that isn't in Massachusetts,
This suggestive remark was observed
to perpleX the mind to the manor born
and to cause Il confusion like that once
made by the same person in the army
Being then. like Trim, n corporal. il
. was thought best to trim the company
upon him, and to his discomfort he
was made to act us left guide. Now
the second sergeant received Il com.
pensation greater than the corporal's
| which made it yet more aggravating t.
the latter to do duty properly pertain
ing to the former. But the captain in
sisted and the duty was gone through
with for a day. though the company
: spent most of its time in changing step
the left guide stumbling at times lill,
ha ntst, - ,,,rI,t
; on the corporal was told to look up tn,
duties of left guide. and this he pro
ceeded to do. At the drill next da,
, never was company so guided. Ho
garths lines of beauty and grace an,
the lines of care on the captains brow
were all surpassed by the waving lin,
5 of men. The captain finding "Gujd
. Iett" brought no relief. thought h,
would go for the left guide. The brie
cOlloquy which ensued was the occa
sion of the return of the second ser
, geant to his regular place. and the cor
, poral was no longer an eXemplar to hi
fellow-men. Corporal. are You guild
ing this company ?" "Yes. sir" .'Hov
are you guiding it p by the rule
: What is the rule ," $50 guide by on,
| point distant and one intermediate.
. Wv hat are your points ~ cone is tina
stub and the other that crow flying he
yond; see him p
: We were speaking in depreciation o
self praise: but the fact is, it is no
I among the possibilities to write dis
course with heads and points to it. tin
way the boys used to have to lie in TIN
I early days of "A" tents. on the suhjec
| of the soldiers's reunion at Rutland, fo
one naturally begins to think of tn
good time there will be, and who of tn
boys will be there, and lots of things no
! thought of for Years, come troOpin
+ along and confuse things. The matte
p of self-praise. however. we propose t.
have our say about. There will he H.
such thing at Rutland not a hit of il
Il But there will he the knowledge tina
o there was one corps, the best; and on
= division, you know and the Old Brig
= AIDE. Some will remember the ccstac
of the old German staff officer as he be
held the onward sweep of the line i
= one of the charges in the Shenandoah
: Valley, when he exclaimed, beside him
self with delight, 'Look at the secon
r, division, the second division cannot b
! beat :" There will he, too, the me
: who, brigaded with brethren from 9th
o er States, found brave comredes, an