River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-04-29
A NEvER.To BE FORGOTTEN PIcURE.


That sharp work was expected on the
"Pawnee" on the return trip from the
navy yard was plain to be seen. After
all the details had got on board mo-
ment was not wasted in getting under
way. The Third Massachusetts was
ordered below, and it was given out
among the men that if the "Pawnee"
was fred hot shot would be sent into
Norfolk. The shot were ready for
such an emergency. The desire to wit
ness the grand scene that was to follow
when the fire and powder trains at the
navy yard begun to do their devastating
the regiment was filing down the hatch
way. crept beneath a boat and subse-
quently mixed among the marines for
ward, where fine view of the progress
of tine work of destruction could be had.
And it was terrifcally grand. A thous-
and tongues of fame leaped from spar
to spar and from rope to rope upon the
valuable war vessels that were being
licked out of existence by the devour-
ing element; the explosions in the yard ;
the reflection and dancing red light up
on thousands of windows-ah! it was a
picture never to be forgotten, and, it is
proper to hope, may never be repeated.
il is an exceptional campaign, or eX
petition, thst has not somewhere sand
wiched in among its serious features
some incident of an amusing character,
and this expedition has many such cling
ing to its history. One of these incl
dents illustrates as forcibly as Cetawayo,
the Zulu king, has done since his cap
ture, the tendency of the untutored-
as well as the educated mind-to run to
dress, especially when sudden or I'M
expected opportunity presents. As has
been stated herein that up
on the upward journey of the ''Pawnee"
the cum bersome MALTA hats of the
Third Massachusetts Regiment were
slowed away like nests of boxes after
the regiment had been ordered below
on the return trip, every one or those
hats was pitched into the Elizabeth
river. AS our fair friends would say.
"they were too awful for anything" and
their unCouthness was all the more
apparent when they were compared
with the neat trim hats worn by the reg
ulars. After being thrown into the river
they floated off on the eddying tide like
ducks, and subse quent inquiries for
them were not pressing enough to be
annoying. After General Butler as
sumed command at Fortress Monroe
and had applied the term (which some
say he invented in this respect) econ
trabdnd" to the negro escapes VINO az
rived within our lines, the negroes were
"corralled outside the fortress, and
utilized as much as possible in doing the
rougher kind of work. The General
puzzled his brains cons iderbly in en-
deavoring to fsthom the mystery why
these not half-clad, escaped slaves were
aole to come into camp with Massa-
chusetts militia hats pulled down to
their ears, while the blazing metal sun,
with its large figure 49," glistened in
unison with the CLEAN Of their teeth
and eyes. The sight of them was
sufficient to excite merriment in the
most sedate of canal mules. The fact
was that the darkies had seized upon
these hats as they were deposited by
the tide along the shores TO. miles
around and doubtless viewed them as
the harbingers ofliberty, and themselves
when arrayed in them, as the gloss OF
fashion and the mould of form"