The People's vindicator., 1878-07-13
An EXTINCT RACE.
The Private Soldier in the War OF
the Rebellion.
From the Burlington Hawkeye

AT the decoration Of the graves OF
the Union soldiers in the National
Cemetery at Gettysburg, Gen. B: r" I
Butler delivered an address on "The
Private Soldier in the War of the Re-
bellion." 1t was a tonching theme.
Thorc is always wonderful pathos
in a speech or play or story founded
on a life that has ceased to exist.
This is the charm Of "Cncle Toms
Cabin, this is the power in joaquin
Miller's "Danites !" this must have
lent tenderness and phathos to Gen.
Buffers address. i
> The "private soldier in the war of
;. the rebellion.' He is dead. Or lost'
{ Strayed or stolen, possibly. We DO
Z not know where lie is, but he is not
= here. He has gone away to some
" place. Perhaps he has ceased to be
necessary. Perhaps if he were here
" he would be :h the way. At any rate'
% "a he is not around. He does not 60 to
le the Legislature. We do not find h'm
10 in Congress. He is not eagerly sought
y after as a candidate for anything
l. Nobody seem to know anything about
s. 5: him. occasionally he appears on the
III pension list, with one leg, a wife aud
L. several children, and SO month. II
10. flour takes much of 'ise, he will not
'ss last much longer at this rate: and he
10 will soon be deprived even Of the oc'
oo casional glimpses We have Of HIM.
Il" 1t is asserted, and quite generally
q believed, that at one time he wa'
''n quite numerous, and was even con
OF sioered rather convenient, if not, in
lie deed, quite Indispensable. 1t wa
NJ found that upward Of 100 of him wer
49, necessary 10 order to secure mer
les line commissions for three eminen
tie and deserving men. When field com
a as missions were wanted for three eve
ne more eminent and great men, upwar
tue Of 1000 private soldiers were necet
lee sary. One thousand! 1t seems a
ON enormous number now, when by con
'w' sulting the Congressional director
rps We find there are none IN all I'd
OK, p,oud republic. But twelve or tiftee
ana !: years ago even that, incredible as
ing may appear to US to day, was cons
TED dered a small number. There wei
fol. priyate soldiers and private soldier
cult There were even hundreds Of thou
~, 70 anas of them. u, :,
this Aud they we're useful. They dt
lfu- I,.,,os tLuv constructed long lin(
lon' Of breast works, and then, when I
'on~ enemy came within sight, they c!im
at ed over them and went outside
and them to fight. They worked, al
yea. watched, and fought. Co-operatll
ash- with great and eminent men "
ave have since passed to their rewards
to one office and another, these prlva
soldiers sometime rendered very VI
nce' full service in winning great battl
d's' Oh, they were useful. Some hist
was rians have even gone so tar as
. to. maintain that without them the y
I'd of could hardly have been carried t
ex- successful termination. They W
was really quite useful.
'sion AID now they are gone. 1t see
the sad, looking back at the wal, ,!that NJ
New Lut the Generals, and Colonels, a
,ther Majors, and liue officers SHOULD III
tion. survived its dreadful ravages. Pr'
Lee idence, ever mindful Of the wants {
eed- great and growing nation undoubte
etter took special care Of these great m
ed to and 10 its great anxiety that the co {,
:ious. try should not suffer from a iac'
Tash. eminent men, kind Of forgot tn"
igton vate soldier and let them wan
lssin- away. And 50 they are all g
rs 10 Some of them got shot. Some
-Ste- them died. Some Of them marrleo
id to moved out Of the world, to settle q
'iered tracts Of government land, vi
man the Indians could get at them a
'r not easily. Some OF them went into l,
been ness. Some Of them are teac'
'eaten school. Some of them went a
ught:' aud did't leave their present ada
der 2, But all the same they are all
ar, af- aud it seems deadfully lonesome =
During ont them. There used to be 81 II
ia hat. g I,,ou,