The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-07-11
IN -EXTINCT EIiCE.
The Private Soldier in tho War Of tho
Rebellion.


The Private Soldier in tho War Of tho
Rebellion.
From The Darlington HdukeW,]
At the decoration OF the graves OF
the Union soldiers in the National
Cemetery at Gettysburg, Gen. b. II.
Butler delivered an address on ''rhe
Private Soldier in the War OF the
Rebellion" 1t WAS touching
theme. There is always wonder.
ful pathos in Il speech or play or
story founded on life that had
ceased to oxist. This is the charm
of Uncle Toms Cabin : this is the
power Of Joaquin Aliller's "Danites,
this must have lent tenderness and
pathos to General Baticrs address.
"Tho "Private soldier in the War
Of the Rebellion uo is dead. Or
lost. Strayed or stolen, possibly
We do not know where he is, but
ho is not hero. HIo has gone away
to some place. Perhaps he has
ceased to bo necessary. Perhaps
if he were here, he would be in tAc
way AT any rate, he is not around.
Ho docs not go to the Lcgislature.
We do not find him in Congress-
lie is not eagerly sought as Il can
,lidatc for anything. Nobody ap-
pears to know anything about him
Occasionally he appcarsat the pens
sion list, with one leg, IL wifo and
seven children, and eight dollars Il
month. II flour takes much Of Il
rise, he will not last mnch longer ut
this rate and We will soon be de-
privcd even of the occasional
glimpse VIC have Of him.
1t is assorted, and quito generally
believed, that at ono time he w, 8
quite humorous, and was oven con
sidcrcd rather convenient, if not,
indeed, quite Indispensable. 1t was
found that upwards Of ono hundrcl
Of him wero necessary i'll order to
secure mere line commissions for
threo eminent and deserving men {:
whom field commissions for three
even moro eminent and grcNt mon,
upwards of Il thousand private sol
dlers were necessary. One thous~
md ! 1t seems an enormous num-
Der now, when by consulting The
Congressional Directory we find
thore are mono in all this proud rc-
public. But twelve or fifteen Years
ago even that, incredible as it may
appear to us to-day, was considered
Il small number. Thcro were pri~
vatc soldiers, and private soldiers.
There wero oven hundreds Of
thousands Of them.
And thoy were useful. They dag
trenches, they constructed long
lines Of broastworks, and then, when
an encmy came within sight, they
climbed over them and went outside
of them to fight. They worked and
watched and fought. Cooperating
with great and eminent men who
have since passed. to their rewards
III ono Office and another, these
private soldiers sometimes rendered
worry useful service in winning great
battles. Oh, they were useful.
Historians have even gone 50 far as
TO maintain that without them the
war could hardly have bocn carried
to q successful termination They
were really quite useful
And now they arc all gone. It
seems sad, looking back ut tho war,
that none but tho Generals and
Colonols and Majors and line oni-
cors should have survived it's dread
ful ravages. royidencc, ever mind.
ful OF tho wants Of IL great and
growing nation, undoubtedly took
special caro- of those great men, and
in it's great anxiety thnt the country
should not suffer from q lack Of
eminent mon, kind of forgot the
private soldiers and let them wan.
der away. And SO they arc all gone.
Some of them got shot. Some of
them died. Some Of them got
married and moved out of tho world
to settle upon tracts Of government
land, where tho Indians could get at
them more easily. Somo of them
went into business. Some of then,
are teaching school. Some of them
are driving drays. Some of them
won't away and didn't loavo thor
address. R"t all the same, they are
all gone, anu it socms dreadfullv
lonesome without them. There
used TO beI so many of them. y