The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-09-11

D
however lowly it may be, il tiu.ed with
/ the luster Of q nobility that N skies poverty
and humble birth eeem only accidents not
worth minding The eyes of the fair Des-
demona could not see the tawuy skin of
Othello when he told her OF his msrches
and his siegss:
passed,
And ne loved her tina: she did pity them
| There Ii probably not q veteran here to-
day who could not relate Q story of per
sonal adventure more thrilling than novel
list ever invented, more romantic than poet
ever conceived, more humorous than tie
funniest imsginings Of Mark Twain, and
all absolutely true. In war time events
happen very fast, especially in . retreat,
and men witness in a single hour scenes
that would fill 10 overfoWing the hum
drum eJ i.tence of . Meihuselah 10 time of
peace. And this il one reason Why they
like to come to gather in these glad re-un-
ions. We live again the stirring life Of
the old days when our elbows touched, ard
our feet kept time, and our hearts we're full
that Joy which only soldiers knew.
II, when We come TO gather, We boast a
little overmuch of what We cav and heard,
Of the victories we Won, and the rebsls We
sleT, OF our intimate acquaintance with all
the leading generals Of the war, and the
the numerous staff positions We might have
had if we hadn't positively refused; if We
persist in repeating as original for the
twentieth time those old stories which cir
culated freely in every csmp from the
Potomac TO the Rio Grsrde; if We persist
in singing those old songs. such a. ''Johny,
fill up the bowl" with little too much
stress on the upper notes, who shall COM
plain
Something must be pardoned 10 consid
GRAFTON Of tine fact that neither wars nor
soldiers reunions occur very often.
The carping critic who grnmbIes because,
when we get together, We talk Of tactics
and strategy and logistics as if we had for
gotten more than Jomini and Turenne and
Nsubau ever knew, is incapable of appre-
ciating the feelings and emotions Of q dis
banded volunteer.
The man who has never been in the
service Of his country, but who on the con-
trsry has always eaten soft bread, IN ~ he a
good and patriotic citizen, but he can
never know what deligh, it is for old
march to the sea, or CIR ants seven days
battle in the wilderness.
1t is now fourteen years since we we're
mustered out of service; some Of US who
were but striplings when the first rumbl-
ings of the war we're heard in the spring oil
1861, are now getting along towards that
sedate and sober period, called middle age
We shall never march again az lightly az
in those early days when We stepped for
ward briskly at the word Of command, wher
the mystery Of the manual Of arms was e1.
planned to US, and We were given to under
stand that the rebellion could never be
suppressed unless We maintained in march.
ing, the absolute distance OF thirteen inches
from breast to back. We can never forge
those days when we first learned the dis
tinctions of rank; when it was first made
clear to US that Providence had wisely
made corporals of differant clay from pri.
Yates, and had separated sergeants from
40 on, through all the gradations of single
ard double breasted rank to the sublime
aid imposing grandeur of the brigsdiel
general. Nor can We forget the trials and
tribulations of the first days when we vert
learning the meaning of the word eds
cipline;" when the despotic requirements o.
the army regulations were revealed in al
their hIdeous detslis; when reveille and
tattoo and guard mount, and the innumer
able and unreasonable list of roll call:
we're laid upon our young and innocen
backs like burdens which we must bear oil
) suffer unheard OF penalties. All thess
! things We had to learn. In those days alst
We learned lessons in the culinary ar: no,
laid down in the books. We drew rationi
: regularly or otherwise, and constructed
dishes that would tempt the palate Of ar
epicure Is there a soldier who has for
gotten haru-tack fried in bacon grease? Il
/ remem Der right the rule required it to
be fried for the brief period of two hours; il
fried too long it was liable to criticism on
the ground of toughness. No friend of hi:
country will speak i'll of hard tack; it had
} its faults, as who of US has not, but in tn,
) great cause of human liberty, it was firm Al
the everlasting rocks.
forbear to speak Of the other delicscies
, snch as dessicated potatoes, condensed mill
!; and concentrated vegetables; they ar,
gone, buried forever in the bosom OF th'
past. Looking back to the years that ar,
gone, the war which was 90 full of sterl
reality when We we're engaged in it seem
now like some dream full of pleasure apt
of pain, of joyous exultation and unutter
able woe. Ii had its bright side and it
dark, and it was our fortune to witnes
both.
The muse of history will tell the s.or,
some day and set down to the honor of tn,
American soldier that he fought through
victory and defeat for q cause which Wa
and always must be, right. Under all tn
glamour and pageantry there was con
viction of duty, a settled purpose that thi:
nation should not be destroyed, an uncon
querable faith that the nineteenth century
could not be whipped. Under the soldier
gay exterior, under all his Jokes Ant
pranks, there was the ,nsciousness that tn
, war had serious meaning that the end o
, all his gsyety might be to give up hi
, young life for the cause, to wait in a sol
. dier's humble grave the coming Of the res.
: direction and the life.
: The average American colder did no
7 fight for glory; he felt the beauty of tina
: sentiment which Thackeray somewhere e1
, presses: Not honors, but honor should b,
, the soldiers aim" For that high ideal b,
lived and died, believing in his wise sim,
plici,y that it was inflaitely better that b,
should die than that be should not do hi
pliers may differ az to what constitute
duty, and it is indeed a question tbs
isht disturb us all, how much ought VI
to do or suffer? But when the critical mo
ment comes, when the fires begin to blsz
and the winds to rise, the common, simple
minded. unpretending citizen steps FORWARD
and says: 81 will solve this problem; an
ready, come life or come death, to stand TO
L.. u -, L. L. .. AZ
who makes it possible for justice and trutl
to get foothold in this rough world. Yol
will bear me witness that it was Of sucf
material that our army was largely com
posed. have no desire to glorify the mer
or the cause, but it is my belief that neithe
we're eyer surpassed in the history Of tn,
, world.
We have it seems 10 me, q right to in
dulge in a little self-praise; not in th,
spirit of personal egotism, but pardonabl'
pride in the deeds of men with whom it va
our good fortune to be connected.
The good soldier lives for his regiment
his corps, his army, and above all hi
} country. As your thoughts 90 back to-day
, to the old times, you remember Thousand
: incidents which are woven into the texture
! of your memories, 50 that they will never
be forgotten; you remember the old tent
mate who was your inseparable companion
you call to mind the different men in ths
. company, their peculiarities, their traits O
character, their forms and faces as they ap
peared in the "lopg ago." You remember
the battles and marches, the wound, the
prison, the hospital, the days and nights o.
wostching; you remember the various
movements of the corps to which you were