Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-07-10
An Extinct Race.
The Private Solder II ne War Of he
Rebellion"
burlington fiawkcyc. !

Huntington Hawkcyc.1
At the decoration of the graves of
the Union soldiers in the National
Cemetery at Gettysburg, Gen. B. +.
Butler delivered an address on
"Thc private soldier in the war of
the rebellion 1t was touching
theme. There is always a wonder.
full patlios in q speech or play or
story founded on life that has
ceased to exist. This is the charm
of"Uncle Toms Cabin;n this is the
power in Joaquin Millers "Danites:n
this must have lent tenderness and
pathos to Gen. Buffers address.
The "privatc soldier in the war of
the rebellion" He is dead. Orlost.
Strayed or stolen, possibly. We do
not know where he is, but he is not
here. lie has gone away to some
place. Perhaps he has ceased to be
necessary. Perhaps if he were hero
he would be in the way. At any
rate he is not around. Ifc does not
so to the Legislature. We do not
find him: in Congress. He is not
eagerly sought as o candidate for
anything. Nobody seems to know
anything about him. Occasionally
he appears at the pension list, with
one leg, a wife and seven children,
and % month. If -four takes
much of rise, he will not last much
longer at this rate, and We will soon
be deprived even of the occasional
glimpse VIC have of him.
1t is asserted, and quite generally
believed, that at one time he was
quite numerous, and was even con-
sidered rather convenient, if not in
deed quito indispensable. 1t was
found that upwards of 100 Of him
were necessary in order to secure
mere line commissions for three
eminent and deserving men. When
field commissions were wanted for
three even more eminent and great
men upwards of 1000 private soldiers
were necessary. One thousand! IL
seems an enormous number now,
when by consulting the congressiou-
al directory We find there are none
in oil this proud republic. But
twelve::or fifteen years ago even that,
incredible "a it may appear to us to.
day, was considered small number.
There were private soldiers and
private soldiers. There were even
hundreds Of thousands of them.
Aud they were useful. They dug
trenches; they constructed long lines
of breastworks, and then, when an
enemy 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
in one Office and another, these pri.
vatc soldiers sometimes rendered
, very useful service in winning great
l battles. Oh, they were useful.
Some historians have even gone so
A., far as to maintain that without
them the war could hardly have
been carried to q successful termina-
ton. They were really quite use
full.
And now they are all gone. 1t
seems sad, looking back at the war,
: that none but the generals and co.
:. lOncls and majors and line officers
should have survived its dreadful
ravages. Providence, ever mindful
. of the wants of q great and growing
: nation, undoubtedly took special
. . care of these great men, and in it,
% great anxiety that the country
. should not suffer from lack of emf
:, nent men, kind of forgot the private
q soldiers and let them wander away
;, - And so they fare all gone. Some
y = of them got married and moved on
y of the world, to settle upon tracts o
:. government land, where the IndianI
. could get at them more easily. Som'
- of them are teaching school. Some
y OF them are driving drays. Some
= of them went away and didn't leave
~ their present address. But all thu
u same, they are all gone and it seeml
~ dreadfully lonesome without them
u There used to be 80 many of them.
y MY success is owing to liberalit
IN in observation-disclosures.
N. The road to fortune is throug
printers ink.-P. T. Barnum.
Success depends upon a libers