The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-04-30
You Remember.
A FEW FAMILIAR OLD STORIES FOR THE SOL
DIERS.

A FEW FAMILIAR OLD STORIES FOR THE SOL
| DIERS.
You remember, old soldier, when tht
summons came to you to volunteer, says
a veteran in the Indianapolis Sentinel
| They were raising a regiment at the
county seat. The county was aglow witt
patriotism. Those colors of the sky haC
been fired on. You stood at the garder
gate and exchanged daguerreotypes with
your sweet heart Before you got back
the one YOU carried was wet with youl
blood. Did the girl keep the other?
hope she did.
There were a thousand and forty o1
you in camp. Lank, .ean, ungraceful
they were. The officers, as a genera
thing, were not superior to the men
| The backwoods furnished the larger quo
ta The most of the men could "wing'
a squirrel with a rifle How would they
shoot the Enfield | tried them once.
selected 90 crack shots, each one of whom
with the ordinary rifle could have hit a
squirrel in the head in the highest tree
in Indiana. The mark was huge regu-
atiOn target. To see the effect of the
shooting, | sat on fence 50 feet to one
side of the target. One ball struck the
fence near where | sat then | changed
my position
We had everything to learn. 1t IS the
romance of history how these gawky
countrymen shortly afterWard formed
square on the double quick, or, to the
call OF the bugle. spread cut like tan in
the skirmish drill laid themselves down,
got up advanced, rallied or retreated.
Before this result was obtained, an in
spector came "a regular army officer.
/ He reported that one of our regiments
was "a herd of wild animals" Possibly
the enemy found that out shortly after be
did.
How popular the sutler was at the be
ginning The quantities of custard pie,
bologna sausage, sardines, that he dis
posed of on credit was fabulous. But af
ter the first pay day, when these dainties
had to be paid for, nobody was sorry
that John Morgan had captured his
mules and wagons. There was singu-
lar fascination for carrying things. KNAPP
sacks protruded with pictures and keep
sakes, albums and books. On the first
march these things grew heavy
At the beginning regiment was like
a circus. There was a wagon to each
company, two for headquarters, one for
the band, four for the quartermaster. 1t
happened shortly after that we got down
to no wagon at all. Every sixth man
carried skillet and a coffee pot.
1t was rather curious that we got along
about as we'll in that condition as when
we were running a circus. The men had
passion for boots The first march cur
ed them OF that prediction. The army
shoe, which does not iritate the ankle,
soon proved its superiority.
Every rider fancied that he must have
fine horse. a few rides on a prancy
steed, which kept the rider and himself
in lather, demolished that theory. The
horse that would and could walk as slowly
as man was soon at a premium. There
were many devices to get cut of camp
One man gravely assured me that bis
motherln law had come from Indiana to
visit him, and he wanted pass. pro
nounced that false ON its face History
has made no record of such fOndness on
the part OF a mother law.
In the camp the rapidity with which
men made themselves comfortable was
marvellous. The tent would have walls
and chimney in few hours. The fra
grant possum would bake before the
fire, and the chicken hang dangling and
turning on string.
How little it takes to amuse a body of
men, deprived Of their natural protec-
tors, women, | have seen d rabbit des-
troy the gravity and disipline of regi-
ment on dress parade.
once said to captain, who had fac
ed his regiment the wrong way. and was
marching away from the balance, "to re
port when he got to New Orleans.' The
JOKE was so uprOariously received that |
repented, and never ioked again. In a
regiment that shall be nameless the sen
tlnel in front of the colonel's tent was
to be called at o'clock and to transmit
that order to his successor. The sentinel
noticed that hanging on the hilt of the
colonels sword was a canteen, which
looked to be pretty full. Soon it was ap-
parent that the colonel was asleep The
sentinel then went in and took a good pull.
When he was relieved, he communicated
the order and the information be had
acquired. There We're four sentlnels dur
ing the night The last one finished the
canteen and called the colonel The col
onel took the canteen, and sadly laid it
down with the remark that that BANKED
lleutenant-c colonel had been there and
drunk up all his whiskey