The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-07-05
THE WAR rs IT WAS.
A Touching Picture of the Life of a
Private Soldier.
From ths Memorial Day Address Of Colonel John r.
Bradley, Usage City, Kan.l

VIC 5Uith, d5 We RaIuEE mere CO-Qay, OF now
the companies and regiments were formed in
1861. The flies and drums were playing in
every village. patriotic songs and speeches were
the order of the day, and all was excitement
and enthusiasm. Men and boys wearing Mill
tary uniforms. or wearing rosettes upon their
citizen clothes, to show that they had just en-
listed, were met upon every hand. They came
from the loom and the forge, the plow and the
anvil, the mine and the workshop, the farm
and the factory, the store and the Office, from
prairie and forest, from mountain and valley,
and, as they were enrolled by the officer of
their respective States, they were sent into
camp, and then, having passed the necessary
examination by the surgeon, they were sworn
into the service of the United States for three
years or during the war. Then came short
period at the State camp-awkward and un-
skilled officers attempting to teach these new
troops the science of war. There was the man.
ual OF arms, squad drill, platoon drill company
drill, battalion drill, and last but not least the
everlasting awkward-squad drill. Then there
was guard mounting and dress parade. with
martial music playing here and brass bands
playing there, and saluting and presenting
arms TO the flag, and all the pomp and eircum-
stance of war.
Then regiment after regiment and battery
after battery of these raw troops, with but a
few weeks perhaps but few days of such
schooling-perhaps without any such camp ex-
perienee-Were hurried South TO face great
armies in the field in actual war
When we look back now at this early period
in our soldier life, it is Iaughable to think of
the pride each man had in the particular or
ganization of which he was member. Every
soldier thought his company or regiment in
vinclble and incomparably superior to any
other organization in the field, and after we
had been IN the service few weeks, we looked
upon ouselyes as veterans, and looked down
with contempt upon new comers as raw re-
cruits, who were wholly unskilled i'll the great
science of war.
With what miserable old smooth-bore guns
the Government first armed us-things that
Were evidently made to kill, judging by the
enormous bullets and quantity of powder and
buckshot they carried They would kill at
both ends: but each and every one of you felt
better satisfied and Drawer with one of those
old muskets than you would now feel with a
whole cannon.
HOW THE BOYS WENT SOUTH.
The boys went South in their new uniforms
Each one had his heavy musket, his knapsack,
his haversack, his canteen and his aceouter-
ments, containing forty rounds of heavy am
muniti0n. How much worry there was about
that knapsack. How carefully it was packed
and repacked. It was horrid thing, made
out of poor oil-eioth and shapeless; but each
soldier figured upon the comfort it would con-
tain, so essential and necessary TO a life in
camp. There was his change of underclothing
towels, toilet set, writing material, dress coat
overcoat, army blanket, rubber blanket or pom
cho and other things innumerable to be packed
in or fastened upon that knapsack. And these
knapsacks were very cumbersome and loaded
down the trains and steamers that carried the
troops South.
The camp was at last established upon South
ern soil and in the enemys country and the
l,-@l u Il
dlerS went out on picket guard with loaded
guns, and sometimes dead men were carried in
from THAT picket line on stretehers.
Then came the first regular march Of twelve
miles more in the enemy's country, and,
long before camp was reached at night, there
was not knapsack in the entire command
The heavy loads, too much for q Christian to
carry, were scattered along the line Of march
for miles. The boys kept their arms and ae-
coaternents as their best and truest friends.
They kept their haversaeks and canteens.
They wrapped the change of underelothing in
the blanket and twisted it up in the shape of a.
coil in the rubber poncho tied both ends of the
coil together, aud they were the coil over one
shoulder and under one arm, but the knapsack,
the oyercoats, the dress coats and all the other
things innumerable we're scattered along the
road. Whenever halt was ordered and the
troops stopped a moment to rest you would see
the boys sitting along the roadside engaged in
mending the rents and rips in the shoddy
clothing furnished them by the Government.
Stragglers would fall out here and there in this
short march, tired, footsore, and worn out, and
they would drag their weary limbs into camp
in charge OF the rear guard.
GOING INTO CAMP.
When camp was reached, always near water,
the companies would stack arms in parallel
lines, the men would break ranks, fling down
their loads, and the messes would group to-
gether and agree upon division of labor
Then the company wagons came numbering In
and were unloaded they carried company
tents and cooking utensils). Some of the boys
set up the tents in parallel lines corresponding
with the stacks of arms, others make raids
upon the nearest fence rails and build great
camp-fres, and others-the least tired and most
yentursome-have already slipped outside the
camp lines to eOnfiseate chickens, sweet pota-
toes, and anything else that is eatable and
available in the neighborhood. In short time
the boys get supper. This meal is composed of
hard and black coffee, and is, perhaps,
seasoned by some daintjeS eonhseated bv the
foragers. Then at nine o'clock in the evening
the tattoo beats, the lights are put out, and
silence settles over the camp; but all night
long sleepless sentinels, at some distance from
the camp and on every side, keep watch and
ward over their sleeping comrades.
The relief guards pass around every two hours,
the grand rounds inspect the seutries after mid
night, and so the night passes away. At dawn
of day the reveille is played by the fifers and
drumIners upon the parade ground. Softly and
slowly the music commences to the tune of
I" You old fool You blind fool Aud can't YOU
ever Sees And this music grows wilder and
wilder, faster and faster, winding up with :. Yam
kee Doodle" in double quick time and ending
with crash, and every man must be in the
ranks before the last note is played. How the
boys would jump into their clothes and rush
into their places in the company lines, every
all being numbered off according to height.
THE DAILY ROUTINE.
Then the orderly sergeant would call the
ROLL commencing with the sergeants according
to rank, then calling the corporaIs, and then
calling the privates names in alphabetical
order The men being all present or accounted
for, the companies break ranks and the messes
get their breakfast. In little while the musie
plays again; this time il is the sick call - and
sergeant IN each company gathers the sick
together and takes them To the surgeons quar-
ters. Here they are examined and given pre-
scriptions upon the hospital steward for nsedi-
cine, and, if very Ill, they are excused from
duty. Soon the music plays again; this time
it is guard mounting and policing the camp.
A new guard consisting of details of men from
each company, forms upon the parade ground,
and, after considerable maneuyering, ma-ch-
ing, countermarching, presenting arms, and
inspection of arms and cartridge boxes, goes
out to relieve the old guard and to watch the
camp for another twenty y-four hours Then in
a short time eOmea eOYaDaysv drill and SLfr