The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-22
Written for the Sunday Sentinel.
THE SOLDIER.
By AN Ex SOLDIER.

whom you would bow down, II you knew
their history? The gentleman who habitu-
ally mixes my modest To-day was q Major
on Sedwicks staff, my pet lawyer was q
Brigadier, my doctor was q very dashing
Colonel, my editor was not very high up
he was Qusrtermaster Sergeant Ny car
penter, the other day, astonished me by de
failing his experience in the Libby. Fo-
twenty years be mas been mending my back
fence, and, until a few days ago, 1 never
knew he was a hero in disguise. Why, even
the preachers surprise you. Orce at a re-
union I went over the list of the men who,
when Sumter was fred on, sprang to arms.
By some oratorical misfortune, l left out the
preachers. After the speech was over was
coolly presented to some preachers ca the
platform, each one of whom had carried a
musket on the Union side. I shall never
leave out the preachers again. Were ever men
o modest as the Indiana soldiers? You may
live with them for years without knowing
that they ever gaily marched to the lannon's
mouth as if on dress parade; that they
cha ged the forts NJ Vicksburg and were left
for DEAD on the slope; that night after night
they lay in the trenches In the snow aud
mud. Office has occasionally sough. them,
but one hundred thousand OF them are pc.
liticsl privstes as they were priyates in ths
army. For my brethren and myself l do
not complain Of the condition of things. l
do not repine that Office, houors. wealth,
have passed Us by-glory is still left US
glory enough. In our magnificent inds-
pondence we can afford to trust 10 history.
Proudly We take care of the sick and the
widows We give of our pittances to our
brethren in want with gladness that adds
q holiness to our blessed charity. | said
these men were heroes. Fresh from the high
school, the college, the university, young
men or women, can you name me q deed of
heroism embalmed in Roman, Greek. or
modern history, that / can not parallel from
our own war? Try It'll Tell me of the Ro.
man who, armed, equipped, and mounted.
spIang into the chssm that Rome might be
saved; point yo1 to Sheridan
men who held the bridge, one of whom re-
msired until bis comrades cut 1t away bs.
hind him. and then splang into the tawny
Tiber" aud swan across. point you TO
Core ct Altoona Pass with one ear shot
away, and otherwise wounded holding the
Fort against enormous Odds while Sherman
signals Hold the Fort sm coming"
Tel me OF XeI ophon's march TO the sea.
20 ou to grander and more glorious
oDe-oa' mans march to the sea.
Tell Il. ( Hannibal crossing the Alps. /
point 70 lockers battle above the clouds
at Lookout Mountain. Tell me of Pan
Jones iashing the Ben Homme Richard to
the Serepis, aud fghting his own ship unt'l
she sank, and then boa ding and capturing
the Scraps point you Curtis. with in
slant death upon him, dasning his torpedo
boat against the Merrimsc, and blowing her
| to pieces.
Tell me of Nelson, at the battle of the Nile.
| putting his Spy glass to his blind eye and
saying, II can not see the signal 10 stop dr.
| ing"
| point you to Farragut, dashed to the
| mast, amid storm OF shot and she'll, ia
Mobile Bay. Tell me OF Wellington, utter
ing the memorable expression at Waterloo,
up eUerf, and a. EN-" l point to our
WelliDlt n-Grsnt-ssyingi nthe Richmond
cams aigr, cpl fight it out on this line If ii
| takes all summer"
Tell me of Napoleon AT Lodi, Selling a
standard and leading brigade across the
bridge. j point to Lee with battle flag in
his hand, leading a charge at Chancellors.
vile. Tell me of the charge OF the Light
| Brigade at Balaclava, of which Tennyson
sang:
Cannon to right OF them
Cannon to left of them
Cannon In front OF them
| Volleyed and Numbered.
Into the valley OF death
Rode the six hundred.
Can l furnish fellow to this immortal
| deed?
Major Peter Keeneu, of the eigh til
Pennsylvania Cavalry, / believe, was ordered
| by Pleasontop at Charlottesville, to charge
with four hundred men Stonewall Jackson 5
Corps of ten thousand. With a proud smile
| lighting up his face, be answered, 81 will do
| it." and he and his men were literally i'm
paled on the bay onets of the enemy.
Sherman had forgotten this when he Of.
fered $500 reward for the body OF dead cav
alryman. Are there any more great
deeds known of all men? Bring them forth
and | will guarantee to cite another, per-
formed by American soldiers. as great and
| glorious.
| But, am little too serious. In writing
! for the Sentinel the three or four humorou
articles which it has kindly published.
stipulated that they should De in the nom
sense vein. But, seriously, does anybody
know-n0w that twenty years have elapsed
| what the South was fighting for? | asked
"reper once. captured in Alabama. what
he was lighting for. His answer was "for
| number one" This was the nearest / ever
| came TO q solution of this vexed question
The curious history is that Sumter was fired
on the 18th day of April. 1861. Before tnat
| day Colorado, Dakota, and Nevada were al
mittsd as Territories, and not one word in
| the bills admitting them was on the subject
| OF slavery. The long battle in Congress mad
been fought and won by Douglas before the
| actual fighting commenced. And now
must sadly leave the humor out OF this c)m.
mrnication. Camp life with it's fun and
froiic, the custard pie of the s1tler. the drills
with their ludicrious mistakes must all be
| unmentioned j got on the wrong story at
| the beginning and now / am done with he
| r0ism forever.
PREsIDENr POLK's WIDOW