National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-20

Did you think oil II, salu ne, tnHb 10
is twenty-five years ago this month since
the fredericksburg campaign Twenty
two years2 Holy smoke, how time flies
What dreadful thing that campaign was,
now that we think it over.
early in the morning. before day-of
Dec. IL, 1862, Newton's, Of the old 9th
corps, broke camp, and took up the line
of march for tho Rappahonnock, some
four miles away, The weather was mild,
and n dense fog had settled down so that
you couldn't see from one gun to another
of battery but as the day opened the
fog rolled mp, and by the time the sun
was fully mp, and before we could wink
good morning at It, one gun fred away
of to the right, as if it were the morning
gun.
I'm less than minute the guns opened
along the whole line, four miles in ex-
tent, with tho worse racket | ever heard
in my life. For an hour it beat Malvern
Hill out Of sight, and all the rest of the
day, until at least o'clock in the AFTER
noon, the exhibition was fully up to the
wonderful artillery work that July after
noon on the James river. The troops
were safely disposed of along the ravines
and hills, Just back of the river bluffs,
and waited-that is, our force on the left,
Franklin's grand division.
From where Cochrane's brigade was, to
which l then belonged, the whole scene
was like u broad panorama, except that
we could not see the fighting at the bridge
laying in front of fredericksburg. While
it was grand sight, every man there
knew that there was work ahead for
every one, yet no one ofall the thousands
dreamed of how desperate and bloody.
and God help us all, how fruitIcss the
work was to be.
"All the forenoon and until fully 9
o'clock. as nearly as can remember now,
those 400 guns of the army of tho Poto-
mac and army of Northern Virginia
Numbered out a mighty song of war and
death that would have made those that
'thundered TO right of them" &C., Mt
Balaklava, like the serenade in I'll Trova-
tore" In comparison with Gillmore's Bos-
ton jubilee concert.
lit was hell ahead to watch and liston.
1t was the war song of the gods of war
before the deadly grspple, but it was
beautiful to see, If ono could only not
think of what was to come. AS the
rapidly-served guns belched out their
volumes of bolt aud flame, tho smoke
settled in great woody mass about the
hill, then creeping over the crest settled
in the low strip near the river below,
until q horseman called there, looked as
though riding down into the depths of
calm sea of gray and blue color.
About o'clock our brigade was moved
down on the lower plateau of the river
and the engineers, with their pontoons,
made disciplined rush, and in a little
time, with only q little skirmish, the
bridge was laid and blue line of Skin
,,aka al IN han
OF the river the gray pickets that were
there but little while before, Fifteen
minutes later the brigade was across and
formed in the open ground and in the
orchard of DR.. Bernard's house. and very
soon after Ayres's brigade, from Brooks's
division, crossed on another bridge thrown
across some distance below, nearer the
stone Bernard house. A strong line of
QUARTER or Rmfie away, Dey5hd the road,
tho TANKS connected. and the troops
began to settle down for the night. The
Rentlemanly 'Johnnies had very oblig-
ely given way to our line without
much apparent ill.feeling, and all seemed
we'll.
"You know how destructive soldier is.
l mean the soldier Of the rebellion. 1t
seemed that the moment q man left
court room, library, store, counting
house, workshop, or farm and donned
the army blue though before he might
have been the daintiest, mildest-man-
nered man Of all his little world, he met
amorphosed into rollicking, mischiev-
Gus. destructive cuss as widely different
from the self at home as tho worm from
the gaudy caterpiller. Pve seen him ex-
tremely gaudy at times, too. He would
run guard just because guards were set !;
he would steal green corn and leaf to-
IL \ L L.. 1 l.
general orders) to forage he robbed
spring houses because they were locked ;
he would occasionally get his neck rather
full mot so often, however, because no
didn't like the headache with no soda
water handy because 1t was heinous
crime against discipline; he would rip
the lid or legs from piano because he had
no earthly use for the articles. and break
them up afterward because he couldn't
get them into his knapsack or rolled
pouches; and he would go into &C.
ton and fight like devil incarnato be-
cause he didn't like it at oil after his
first experience in action, yet his train
ing made him ashamed to run,
and his will-power forced him to face
with grand horoism what he knew to be
as fierce hell as any there can be here
after, at least to him. The soldier of
1915 was the perfection OF hcroism. Ifan
outwork was to be taken. he rushed across
and carried it, though he might know bet
ter, even better than the general who or
dcred him, that thousands of torpodoes
and twice that many armed veterans were
In his path; he climbed mountain ranges
and crossed deep mountain torrents in
midwinter in obedience TO duty, even
when loving hearts and comfortable
home waited for him. The ranks of both
armies were crowded in 1864 with mon
fully competent by education, skill, dar-
ing, and experience to command at a mo.
ment's notice, II necessary, company
regiment, brigade or division, and even a
corps or separate army.
But he didn't like discipline. II chafed
him, and only the qualities that made
him the great soldier that he was, made
him submit loosely to Ii because he know
himself that 1t was necessity unwel.
come and hated, but still, necessity, and
he submitted; though often with ssde.
cidcdly bad grace that chafed the soul OF
tho professional soldier, who knew hi;
command as only so many swords, sabors
rifles, and guns. The difference was thai
he was an American soldier; he was not
nor could anything less than generations
of kicking cutting, guard house, early
and late drills, or discipline, ever make
him tho "Iommy Atkins OF tho British
service.
Officers visiting orr armies, and even
eur own officers of foreign birth, bred Ia
che manners of foreign armies, could moi
understand him, for he had many phases
Tho men who proved to have the great
ost powers of endurance under tho vlcis
situdes of field life were not tho strong
limbed men bred to hard labor, nor thu
man of giant build and physical power
The thin-legged, lean youngster whC
dropped u pom or yardstiok for tho sabre
or rle, or sponge staff, would be found
hurrying into line at the first tap OF the
drum or tho first notes Of the assembly
q h a L