The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-07-03

N cordlng TO law, met twice q Year
a their respective headquarters for
% days drill and instruction. The re
"a iment was assembled once a yea
: usually in the month of May, at Il
= county town, where il was mane
4 vered and instructed rather aft.
. Dryden's system than either OF thoi
. prescribed by Congress.
. Preparatory and for three days ID
4 media,ely preceding the gener
!. muster, the officers OF all arms wei
= assembled and drilled together as
light infantry company. commando
a by their feld-oilieers. They were il
> structed il the manual of arms, con-
? pany tactics, regimental maneuvre:
|, and wound up by eeremonious re
bearsal Of the part they were t
!. play in the grand review next day
. Although this company represent
, ed the elite of our regimental splen
, dors, glittering with tinsel and daunt
ing with feathers, more heteroge
nious and unsoldiery parade coul
scarcely be imagined. There wert
, the elect from the mountains, VIII,
sometimes marched to the rendez
yous barefoot, carrying their boot
and soldier clothes in a bundle-th,
ambitious cobblers, ta;lors, anC
ploughboys from eross-road hamletl
and rural districts, short, tall, fat
skinny, bow-legged, sbeep-shanked
cock-eyed, hnmp-shouldered, ant
way-backed-equipped by art a:
economically, awkwardly, and va
riously as they were endowed by ma
ture, uniformed in contempt of all
uniformity, armed with old flint
lock muskets,. horsemen's car
bines, long squirrel rifles, double
barrelled shot-guns, bell muzzled
blunderbusses, with side arms of as
many different pat;ers, from the old
dragoon sabre that had belonged to
Harry Lees Legion, to the slim
basket-hilted rapier which had prob.
ably graced the thigh of some of our
French allies in the Revolution.
The officers Of the volunteer compa-
MES, on the other hand, were gener-
ally selected tor their handsome ap-
pearance and martial bearing, and
shone with a certain elegance OF
equipment, each in the uniform per-
tanning to his company. There was
also a sprinkling of veterans of 1872,
recognized by a certain martinez pre-
cision in their department, and
shadow of contempt for their crude
comrades, but quick to resent any ex-
traneous commen. derogatory to the
service A city dandy who under
took to ridicule the old-fasbioned
way in which some officers carried
their swords, was silenced by the
snappish reply: young man. I've
seen the best troops in Great Britail
beaten by men who carried their
swords in that way
This harlequinade Of equipment,
costume, and character was duly pa
rsded twice day, marched through
the streets and put through its ma
neuvres on the green common ad-
joining our village, much 20 the salts
faction OF all emancipated school.
boys, negroes, ragamuffins, idlers,
tavern. keepers, and cake and beer
vendors, and somewhat, perhaps, to
the WEAKNESS of our Quaker element,
industrious mechanics, who bad ap-
prentices to manage, and busy house
wives who depended upon little ne
groes for help. Then came the great
day of days, when all vulgar indus
try was for the time suspended, and
all hopes of domestic industry de-
ferred. Even the law students were
constrained to close their commenta-
ries on Blackston, and when they
met at the "bar" would learnedly OBJ
serve (be.ween a glass of whisky
and a quid of tobacco), ''Inter arma
silent leges."
But how we school-boys leaped at
the first tap of the reveille, eager for
the realization of our golden dreams!
How hopefully We scanned the east.
ern horizon for assurance of clear
day. With what miserly delight
we counted over our stock of cop
pers, boarded for the occasion, and |
calculated.their equivalent in cakes,
beer and sticks of taffyl How
doubtfully we considered the worn
effigy of "Georgius Rex" on q coin
we had found in dirt pile, and won
dered if we could pass it on Muir
quart for a "gunger !" Then how
we watched the dusty roads as the
wild moun,sineers came trooping in
to swell the buzzing swarms already |
gathered around the taverns, grocer
les, and street cornersl And with |
what sublime emotion we mingled |
with the crowd, saw the plumed he
roes hurrying TO and fro, as with
ceaseless Notwithstanding, sound of
bugles, waving of banners. flashing
of swords, with the thunder of the
captains and the shouting" this inco-
herent and refractory mob was at
lenght marshalled into some SEM
blance of a lire of battle Then
The march afeld, with its exciting iu-
several hours of tactical ma
nGvres, such as we might imagine
Sitting Bull and staff would execute
with herd of buffaloes. Then the
return of dusty, thirsty veterans of
he days campaign, and the final res
olution of martial organization into
\ storm of drunken, anarchy and
isticuff fights. For besides the pre-
;cribe1 military duties, it was well
understood that general muster day,
being reckoned among the dies non
IN civil law, offording the people
opportunity for settling
Ill the standing accounts, jealousies,
quarrels, horse trades and
swindles Of the current year, after
heir own fashion; and the solution of
bese difficulties by whisky and judi
,ial combat was considered quite as
satisfactory as o resort to lawyers,
md far more economical For, oil
n all. it was day worthy of six
months eager anticipation and six
months of pleasant remembrance
PORTE CRAYoN. in Harper's Na9a-
,ine for July.
Hints For Anglers.
Never fish in troubled waters un.
csc vou ara nertniu that thare are