The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-23
AN ExrHSCT RACE.
The Private Soldier I'm the War of the
Rebellion.
burlington aawkevel

burlington Hawkeye.l
At the decoration Of the graves of the
Union soldiers In the National Cemetery at
Gettysburg Gen. b. +. Butler delivered an adj
dress ON The Private Soldier in the War OF
the Rebellion" 1t was q touching theme.
or play or story founded on a life that ceases
to exist This is the charm of "Uncle Tom g
Cabin" this is the power In Joaquin Miller
"Danites," this must have lent tenderness
and pathos to Gen. Buffers address. A.,
bellion." He ts dead. Or lost Strayed or
stolen, possibly We do not know where he
Is, but he Is not here. He has gone away TO
some place. Perhaps he has ceased to be
necessary. Perhaps IL he were here he would
be in the way. At any rate he Is not around.
He does not go to the Legislature. We do not
find him In Congress. He is not eagerly
sought as candidate for anything. Nobody
seems to know anything about him. Occa-
sionally he appears on the pension list, with
one Lex, wife and seven children, and So a
month. III -four takes much OF a rise he will
not last much longer at this rate, and we shall
soon be deprived even OF the occasional
glimpse we have of him.
It Is asserted, and quite'generally believed,
that at one time he was quite numerous, and
was even considered rather convenient, IL not
indeed quite indispensable. It was found that
upwards of one hundred OF him we're neces-
sary In order to secure mere line commissions
field commissions were wanted for three even
more eminent and great men upwards of one
thousand private soldiers were necessary
One thousand It seems an enormous mum.
Der now, when by consulting the Congressional
Directory we find there are none In all this
proud Republic But twelve or fifteen years
ago even that, incredible as it may appear
to us to-day, was considered small number
There were private soldiers and private sold
iers. There we're even hundreds OF thousands
OF them.
And they were useful. They dug trenches
they constructed long lines OF bTeastworks
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-
yate soldiers sometimes rendered very useful
service in winning great battles Oh, they
were useful Some historians have even gone
so far as to maintain that without them the
war could hardly have been carried to q sue
cessful termination. They were really quite
useful.
looking back at the war, that none but the
generals and colonies and majors and line
officers should have survived it's dreadful
ravages. Providence, ever mindful Of the
wants Of great and growing nation, I'm.
doubleday took special care OF these great
men, and In great anxiety that the country
should not suffer from q lack OF eminent men
kind of forgot the private soldiers and lei
them wander away. And SO they are all
gone Some OF them got shot. Some Of them
got married and moved out of the world to
Settle upon tracts of government land, where
the Indians could get at them more easily
Some of them went into business. Some 0i
them are teaching school. Some of them are
driving drays. Some of them went away and
didn't leave their present address. But all
the same, they are all gone, and it seems
dreadfully lonesome without them. There
used to be SO many of them.