The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-08-17
The Character Of the Soldier.

all the varied, Kaleidoscope character
Of our population, and whether or not
MS general rule they become worse
morally in consequence OF their army
experience Is not easy to determine.
Men who get the mining fever and con-
gregate in large numbers, separate from
home, wives, children, and refining So
ciety, are apt to present no very com
torting phases of human nature. The
hunters, the fishermen, the seamen, the
iumbermen, and all men drawn togeth-
er away from the society and influence
Of ladies brome comparatively rough
in manners, habits and language, Sim
liar effects do we find in the army, but
there is in the service a Counteracting
discipline, Wrong-doing is discouraged
and punished, while good conduct is en-
couraged, good deeds. commended and
conspicuous acts rewarded. From per-
sonal knowledge can testify that many
men become better ] remember Nc
Donald, of the Fourth Rhode Island
always faithful to his soldier duties
He abandoned drinking and profanity
in the army. | cannot forget his last
words to me: GLOW glad | am, Gener-
al, that | am wounded, and not you"
! recall Harry Stinson, of the Fifth
Maine, who learned to look more and
more to his Heavenly Father for strength
while prisoner Of war. He was after
ward promoted by several grades to
Lieutenant Colonelcy, and till his death,
some years after, exhibited all the
graces Of pure, constant and self-de-
nying life.
A visitor to an army hospital speaks
of a soldier of the Sixth Corps who lost
his right arm close TO the shoulder.
ebay by day | found him CHEEKY and
accomplishing AT first he was over
flowing with fun all the time, but at last
the terrible heat and strain upon his
system so much reduced his strength
that there was only Il mere twinkle in
his eye when ! came in, and word of
cordial greeting. When he
dropped his muSket and reached round
TO take his useless arm tenderly in his
left hand and walk of the field under u
shower of balls, it was his first time of
duty, after thirteen battles, since he en-
tered the service. Low spirits
or complaint seemed impossible to
him.
The Hon. +. p. Smith, once Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs, is responsible
for the following. wish he had given
the soldiers name. Take this as a type
of our soldiers loyalty TO the cOuntry's
flag and of unselIish devotion to the
very end. During the charge up the
Ridge missionary four soldiers were
seen bearing back II comrade on blank
ct When they laid down their burden
knelt down by him and said; Ser
geant, where did they lit your Most
up the ridge, sir 4 mean, Sergeant,
where did the ball strike you" With
in twenty ards of the top almost upn
No, no, Sergeant, think of yourself for
a moment, tell me where You are
wounded. And throwing back the
blanket, found his upper arm and
shoulder smashed and mangled with a
shell. Turning his eye to look for the
first time upon his wound, the Sergeant
said That is what did it, was hug
| ging the standard to my blouse and
making for the top. | was almost up
when that ugly shell Knocked me over.
If they had let me alone little longer
two minutes longerI should have
planted the colors on the top Almost
up, almost up. His own reg
iment. rallying under the colors that
had dropped from his shattered arm,
was Chem shouting the victory for
which the poor Sergeant had given his
life, but Of which he was dying without
the sight"
could multiply instances, but these
few are sufficient to suggest that in this
country we may find morality and re-
ligion in the army; that soldier is not
depraved to a proverbs that virtue and
piety are not so rare rs to be simply
subjects of ridicule; that prohigacy,
libertineiSm, and nfdelity are not by
any means a necessary part of soldier $
uniforms that profanity, drunkenness,
infdelity, and dueling are not the spec
ial characteristics of our army. These
crimes. it is owned with ShamS and sor-
row, prevail in our land. and more or
less ullllNl anu CURSE Tue DcSl T'pUlUlcu
company but the army is not conspicu-
Gus in this or any other vileness The
Grand Army can easily furnish the rec
ord proof of soldiers, who like Thomas,
Candy, Fisk, Mitchell, Chamberlain,
Scwall, WhiItIesey, and host OF 9th
ers, have been conspicuous in deeds OF
justice and henelicencc, securing and
advancing human happiness; of soldiers
who, like Grcble, Camp, and Stinson,
have carried comfort TO wrctchedness
and dried the tears of SORROW OF sol
diers who, like Miles, Tillson, Saxton,
Swayne, Spraguc, and Griffin. "haye
relieved the unfortunate, fed the hun
cry. clothed the naked, dealt justly,and
enlightened the Ignorant of soldiers
who, like Grant, Hancock Rosecraus,
Palmer, Sherman, Sheridan, Pope,
Meade, jameson, Butler, and multi
tude Of others, 'unfastened the fctters
of the slave, and let the captiyego free
From gen. q. q. HoW0rd $ Decoration