News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-03-13
HOW THEY WENT SOJERING
ACCOUNT OF TIE POlIP AND DISPLAY
OF THE COLORED sOLDIERY.
Inc CoIored People of Florida nnd Their
New Military Organizations.

of THE COLORED SOLDIERY.
NHe CoIored People of Florida and Their
New Military ORGANIZATIONS.
One OF the early Florida carpet bag
gers tells us, in letter to the New York
Sun, OF the military organizations in the
Land of Flowers. After mentioning the
army OF Major and Brigadier Generals,
he saws:
There were hundreds of Colonies, one
at least to every ten privates, and other
commissioned officers in proportion. 1t
was IKE filling huge pepper box with
commissions, and scattering them over
the State.
There were plenty of regiments of cav
airy and infantry, but no artillery. The
men didn't care to pull heavy guns
through the deep sand, and money to
buy horses was mighty skase." Be-
sides that, cannon made too much noise
when discharged, and the report would
be very apt to fnghten the staff officers.
The childish delight shown by the re-
c1pients of these commissions was laugh
able. One Colonel. an intelligent law.
yer of Northern birth and education,
wore his uniform at Long Branch one
summer season, and strutted up and
down the brilliantly lighted corridors
like turkey gobbler. Like evidences of
martial ardor were to be seen ON all sides.
j suppose there is hardly an album in
the East but what contains the resplen-
dent photograph of some Florida
Colonel who was never under fire, save
the popping of champagne corks.
By the laws of the State the militia
comprised all able bodied male citizens
between the ages of Is and As years,
without regard to race, color, or pre-
vious condition of servitude. They were
sworn never to leave the State, except
In case of an invasion The great body
of militia was composed of delighted
negroes, who would march and counter
march all day through the hottest sun,
eager as little children for a new play
thing. Captains commissions were
plentifully distributed among the leading
local politicians, and dusky companies
were speedily organized. Hardee's tao
tics were regarded as superfiuous, and a
new text book was adopted, invented,
and copyrighted in the martial mind
of the negro Captain. In the uniform
also there was a cheerful disregard of
old-established forms. From a race
only lately in the most abject slavery was
evolved a soldiery that would have aston
ished Rome in its palmiest days-or
Kalamazoo either. Once a year there
was grand parade of the militia and
review at the Capitol. With an unus-
ual regard for time ON the part of the
African brother, Emancipation Day was
taken for the grand display and drill,
which was a sight worth travelling miles
to see. Early in the morning, by the
bright light, the roads leading into Tai
labassee were thronged with black and
sweaiy soldiery and their attendant
friends and families. and noisy with roll
ing drum and screaming fife, while high
above, in the startled air, sounded the
lugubrious appeal of venerable tin horns
doing duty as bugles. There were all
sorts of uniforms, all kinds of weapons,
aud all styles of marching. Here came
company, a hundred strong-numeri-
cally / mean, of cOurse-the officers well
in front, and officers and men each
marching to different tune, apparently
played by some internal mechanism of
their own. The Sunday trousers were
decorated down the outer seams with the
reddest of all red tape. redder ribbon
was wound around the Sunday hat, car
rage fringe did duty for shoulder straps
and chevrons. and happy was the officer
whose toil-worn hand cautiously grasped
a rusty sabre of the ancient days. The
privates were dressed in every magma
bic cloth and color, and were armed with
lubs. broomsticks, hoe handles, old
muskets, and crippled shotguns. The
castetry differed only in being mounted;
some on horseback, some on muleback,
and some on the backs of steers. One
old darkey with a Majors uniform, |
a world too wide for his shrunken ana
tony, bestrode an aged OK, and was
greeted with a round of most enthusiasts
tic applause as he rode up in front of the |
Capitol, halted majestically, and looked |
around for his battalion, which had
hailed way back IN the rear. There
were women IN the ranks, too, marching
as proudly and holding themselves erect
the Steiner element They were I
bronzed amazons of the cotton field,
ready for deeds of daring-stalwart
wenches, bright in scarlet headdress,
steadily with the men, to the
great disgust of some of the officers.
Some of the faces wore a look of
serene coDtentment, some of childlike
happiness, and some of grim determine
ton. All we've sublimely ignorant Of
the fact that the few white bystanders
were regarding them with half pity and
half contemptuous amusement At the
Capitol they listened to harangue from
some adventurer, then loafed in
the sun, drank lemonade, ate cakes, can
dies, and pickles, slept along the streets,
and at night struggled YEARLY home,
feverish and tired with the glory and
romance of the day. They were like lit
tie children, fond of the pomp and gilt
ter and parade of their new condition.