National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-10-04

| they appeared, though they sometimes
paid dearly for thoir temority, Il short
shrift and u rope over tho nearest branch
being their fate when captured.
The question has been often asked I:
"How do soldiers feel when in battle ~
and it is one difficult to answer. A long
experience among veterans in tho ranks
leads the writer to believe that the emo
ton experienced in going under FIRE is
much the same with oil men. To tho
raw recruit the crash of small arms and
the roar of cannon were simply appalling;
he felt that he was going forward to GER
tain death. With palo cheeks and
clenchod teeth he held his place, deter
mined to do his duty as best he might.
If very much excited he loaded his mus
kct and, forgetting to put on the neces-
tho motion of firing, only to
ram fresh cartridge on tho top
of the first one, when, for tho first
time using cap. ho WAS incontinontly
knocked down by the tremendous rccoil
of his gun, and believed he was badly
wounded. Instances arc known whore
muskets havo boon found on baltic fields
containing six or seven cartridges.
Finally the green soldier discovers that
he is not hurt, and that everybody does
not get killed in an engagement, SO he
regains confidence and passes successfully
through his baptism of fire.
To the veteran it is far different. He
knows too we'll that every battle reduces
the average chance of his escape, yet so
Infatuated as he become to rattling
fusillades and desperate charges, he
scarcely needs tho danger surrounding
him. Tho shrek of the shells over his
head, the buzz of the bullets past his car
are now familiar Sounds and, trusting to
the chances of war, tho inlantryman fires
rapidly with his muskot, or the artillery
man calmly rams home another charge of
grape and canister as his battery opens at
close range on an advancing body of the
enemy. All men arc naturally afraid of
DEATH but the trained and experienced
soldier learns to keep down that fear. and
nonchalantly do whatever is required Of
him.
Many humorous incidents occurred on
battlo-helds. A confederate colonel ran
ahead of his regiment at Malvern Hill,
and discovering that the men were not
following him as closely rs he wished,
uttered fierce oath, and exclaimed:
Como on Do you want to live for
everp
"rhe appeal was irresistible, and many
poor fellow who had laughed at tho
coloncl's queer exhortation laid down his
life soon after,
A shell struck the wheel of federal
field piece toward the close Of the engage
mcnt at Fair Oaks, and, shivering the
spokes, dismantled the cannon.
WE'LL isn't it lucky that didn't happen
before we used up all our ammunition"
remarked ono OF tho artillorists. as he
crawled from beneath the gun.
Whom Gen. Pope was falling back before
Lees advance in the Virginia valley his
own soldiers thought his bulletins and
orders somewhat strained in their rhet-
ORIG. At one of the numerous running
engagements that marked that disastrous
campaign private in one of the western
regiments was MORALLY wounded by q
shell. Seeing the mans condition, q
chaplain knott beside him, and opening
his Bible at random read about Samson's
slaughter of the Philistines with the jaw
bone of an ass. He had not quito finished
when, as tho story runs, the poor fellow
interrupted tho reading by saying:
Hold on, chaplain. Don't deceive
dying man. Isn't the name of John Pope
signed to that p
As the army was crossing South Noun
tain the day before the battle of An
tietam Con. Mcclellan rode along the Size
OF the moving column. Overtaking q
favorite zouave regiment, he exclaimed, ,
! with his natural bonhOmie:
"Well, and how is the Old Fifth this
EVENING""
First rate, general" replied one of the
zouaves. But we'd be better OF If we
weren't living so much on superstition"
"Supposition?" said the general, in a
puzzled tone. what do you mean by
that?"
"Its easily explained, sir. You SEQ we
expected to get our rations yesterday. but
as we didn't, we're living on the SUPPOSE
tion that we did"
"Ah, understand; you shall have your
rations, Zou Zous, tonight" replied the
general, putting spurs to his horse to
escape tho cheers of tho regiment. And
he kept his promise.
1t was after the Antietam campaign
that President Lincoln visited tho army
and made running sort of review,
each regiment standing to arms at his
own camp to receive him. This Same
zouave regiment had suffered terribly,
and tho president spoke to Gen.
Mcclellan about the slender appearance
of the battalion.
"Oh, the ZOu Zous arc all right" re.
marked the general. They can whip
the devil round stump any time"
" 1t would BIO very small stump,
then" replied tho president, "or the
devil would soon get away from them"
Toward the close Of tho siege Of Peters,
burg a very largo number of the men
composing Gen. Finnegan's Florida
brigade deserted from Lees lines. The
fact became SO noticeable that the federal
piciets took it up, and used to shout
across the line:
Say, Johnny, send Gen. Finnegan over
here. We want him badly"
l,,N ~ a..
confederate soldier one day, on hearing
tho absurd request for the first time.
"What for! Why, to take command of
his brigade, to DO sure. It's nearly all
over here now"
Every general of prominence had
nickname bestowed upon him by his
troops, Some of these names were of a
sarcastic nature, but usually they indi-
Gated the confidence of the men in their
leaders or their admiration for them.
Gen. Grant was commonly known over
the watch-hres in the Army of the Poto-
mac as odd United States" from the in
itials>of his name, but sometimes he was
called "Old Three Stars" that number
indicating his rank as lieutenant general.
Mcclellan was endeared to his army as
Little Mac" Meade, who wore specta-
cles was delighted to learn that tho
soldiers had named him "Four-eyed
George" for he knew ii was not intended
us reproach. Burnside, the colonel Of
the First Rhode Island regiment, rose to
the digny Of "Rhody" when he became
a general. Hooker never liked the So
briquet of Fighting joe" though he al
ways lived up to it during his career in
the field. Popo was saddled with the
title of "Saddlc.bag John" in memory of
his famous order about headquarters being
on horseback. His men used to say that
their headquarters moved pretty rapidly
at times. Sigcl, the German general, was
known in the other corps as "Dutchy."
Hancock won the brevet of superb" from
o remark made by Gen. Meade at Gettys-
burg when the I'd corps repulsed Long