Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-08-28
THE oLD.TIME MUsTER-DA vs..
Their Familiar scenes and EvOIutIOns
Recalled.

FOR THE DENEF1r OF THE "BoYs" OF PITY
YEARS AGO.
from Lippincott's Magazine for september.l
Our present inquiry concerns the militia Of
New England during the fifty years from
1890 to 1910. In those days the military
duty" consisted OF two company trainings"
OF half day each in May and October, and
one general training" or "regimental mus
ter" OF one day in October. While no uni
forms we're required at the trainings, except
TO distinguish the officers, yet there were
usually enough ublospirited people in
every town TO furnish uniforms 10 the crack
company. The other company, the tatterde-
malions Of the town, was called 1.-THE flood
wood" The regiment consisted OF one COM
pany each Of artillery, grenadieTs, light in
fantry, and rihemen from adjoining towns, -
the cavalry being recruited wherever farm
house could be found which was able to
stand the shock Of war. Then came the
flood wood companies, outnumbering the
uniformed companies almost two TO one.
The cavalry--it was before the days of
Hackett and Poinsett and Mcclellan saddles
and Solingen sabres-appeared TO treasure
up the memory Of Light Horse Harry Lee"
and Major Winston of the Legionary cavalry
that helped Mad Anthony Wayne against the
Indians Of the West. They had not heard OF
the valor Of the elder Hampton or the dar-
ing rides of Major Davies, of Kentucky.
Tones Tactics" was unknown TO them. And
yet they we're admired in their black suits
faced and corded with red (the militia repu-
dated the colors Of the regular army, and
they we're q terror with their cutlasses and
holsters for the brace OF huge horse pistols
that they were required TO carry. The uni.
form Of the artillery and grenadiers differed
little from that Of the cavalry. The latter
we're topped of with helmets of red leather.
Upon the hats of the food-w wood, tin or sheet
iron plates showed the name Of the company
tho l.. l. standing for Light Infantry, ~
Just az you know the porter Of your hotel by
his badge. The rihemen wore gray spenoers
and gray pantaloons Their hats were stiff
black beavers, for the comfort Of a soft felt
hat had not yet been discovered. Most
gorgeous Of all we're the mon of the infantry,
in their white pantaloons and blue coats the
latter covered by cross belts OF white, 10
which printing. wires, brushes, and extra
Hints we're chained A cap of black leather,
sprung outward at the top, carried o black
feather tipped with red. The musiciana,
when there were any, followed the uniform
of the company which they attended, with
some slight differences, like turned-over
plates and tRsseled ends, TO show that they
were non-combatAnts. Altogether, a. one
looked at the fuss and feathers the broad
| lhItlh, anu lnt bOD-lhlltu Gurus, ne LlAKnk Nbl
recall Thoreau's description Of the manner in
which the salt cod are spread out on the fah-
fakes to dry They were everywhere lying
on their backs their collar bones standing
out like the lapels Of q man o'-war-man's
| jacket. H.you should wrap large
salt fish around q small boy, he would have
| coat Of such fashion a. l have seen many
one wear at muster" Or, il we wish 10 go
back still further, we might eXclaim, with
FalstafI, "You would think that had hun.
dred and fifty tattered prodigals, lately come
from ne-keeping, from eating drAG aud
husks No eye hath seen such scare
crows"
We are at the training In ''the fall Of the
| year, "a far more important occasion than
that in the spring, because the annual mus.
| ter" is only q week or ten days ahead. II IL q
| private show. The uniformed infantry and
| the flood wood have met at Walton Centre,
but they, and all the spectators too, are from
"our town." with its various outlying settle
ments. Let the other towns boast, let Stor-
mont show her grenadiers, Leicester her RI
| hemen, and Acton her artillery, but when
muster day" comes look out for Walton and
her infantry. The law requires every sol-
| dier 10 have q musket or rifle flint. lock OF
oourse-A bayonet, printing wire and brush,
a knapsack, cartridge-boX and two spare
tiIts. The lack OF any one Of these may
lead 10 a fine. The regular order OF the man
ual ia, open pan, tear cartridge, prime, shut
pan, ram down cartridge, ready, aim, fire.
| But cartridges are not often 10 be had, aud
TASKS must be used, with pause IN the man
uAl TO allow the measuring Of charge. The
lack of cartridges leads also to the carrying
of powder in bulk in the pantaloons pocket,
so that the soldier may move quickly
when the order Is given to ''load and fire "a
| tNnaafhla l.,
movements will the soldier be when, led on
by the excitement OF the hour, he becomes
careless of his pocket magazine and allows it
to explode, with a great vreckage Of hair,
whiskers and eye broWs, though no one was
ever known TO lose his life thereby.
But the "evolutions" OF the fall training
day make up its greatest worth. 1t is not
enough that squads OF ''our company" ad-
vance, fire and fall back, the drummer drum
ming his loudest all the while. 1t il mere
boys play to march in single and double
files or in platoons We are to meet the
companies from the other towns at the mus
ter, and they must be forced to admit our su-
periority in spite of themselves, or else our
town will not come out ahead. Now, IL there
is any one maneuvre on which the Walton
infantry prides itself, the "lock. step and sit
down" is that one. The company is marched
about in single file until q circle Ia formed,
care being taken that the captain shall be in
the inside and the musicians on the outside.
Gradually drawing toward the centre, the
circle contracts TO slow music, until the whole
company is in lock step, like q gang of oon-
victs At the word OF command, each man
seats himself in the lap OF the man behind
him, and the whole company il in the atti-
tude of frogs a. they are ready to leap. The
captain, raised aloft in the middle by some
convenient mackerel keg draws his sword,
and the tableau lasts while the music sounds
the three cheers"
Another Evolution" such as Darwin nev-
OF dreamed Of is begun by facing the com.
pany to the front in a single rank. The left
hand OF each man resting on his next
neighbOr's right shoulder, space is taken un,
til all the men are an arms length apart. Al
a given signal they all face 10 the right. The
captain, with drawn sword" followed by
the music the drum beating vigorously. runs
at double. quick time in and out OF the spaces,
like very undignided performance OF the
| Virginia Reel. As each man is passed, he
joins the rapidly increasing file, until the
whole line eXpends its anAke-like activity and
marches of In common time" on q straight
| course.
Both Of these revolutions" are calculated
to inspire the enemy with terror, but the lat.
ter especially 30. On beholding IT, the enc
| my chnnot help giving hpplhubei huu III hp
plRuding he must necessarily drop his arms
The Walton Light Infantry, equal TO any
emergency, may now show their superior
discipline by capturing the enemy before h'
can recover from his surprise and admira
tion. Even the very boys on training day
seek 10 terrorize the enemy with broom stick
and tin pans, until they become q nuisance L
the older folk and are sent of TO some field
to play baseball after the old method, th,
"Massaohusetts game" which allows the
"plunking" of batter when he Is not on hi
base. But the boys will claim their share o
the extra cards of gingerbread that have
been laid In at the stores, and they will be OF
hand to see the half days sport OF training
day end before early tea-time with the fash
ing of powder and the departure of the 80
jers" for their homes.
very different affair il the muster. day
of the early fall, before the cold days an(
nights have come 10 stay. The several Ad
joining towns, that furnish each its own oom
pRny or its quota of cavalry, take care of th'
regiment" by rotation, at such a time a
this. No matter how centrally located tn
town may be, the grenadiers must come
long way over the hills from StOFmont, and th
rihsmen must leave Acton soon after midnigh
Z in order 10 obey the signal of the seven
O'Clock gun, which demands the presence O
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