New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-02
MAKING AN ARMY.
HOW CIVILIANS BECAME VETERANS.
MOB OF PATRIOTs-BARLY MISTAKES ANb HOW
THEY WERE RECTfIRD


| great and well disciplined army that saved the
| Union A recollection of tho mistakes that were
| made may prevent their being repeated IN future
| contingency. At the beginning OF the war the
army Of the Union was practically nothing but
| crowd Of excited, patriotic citizens. 1t was an
army ignorant not of war only but of the COM
| monest and most needful knowledge OF military ilfe
The officers as a rule knew no more than the men
over whom they were to exercise command ana IN
most cases they elected to their office by these
very men, 1t often seemed as if corpnlence were
| the sign of fitness for commission the portly
| fellows who had been familiar loungers about the
doors of the hest hotels were unanimously chosen to
| be colonel lieutenant colonel or major according
| TO their degrees of good-living, while the less
! polished specimens and the less round who pat
| rvnized the ordinary saloons, or were ward
nolitc,ans or foremen of volunteer fire companies
| were made captains and lioutenants few. but
| comparatively very few OF these elected officers
| remained in the army after years service. Inc
| greater number succuInbed to disease or were
allowed TO resign or were discharged. / remember
an instance of fat fellow. formerly railroad
contractor who had secured his election as captain
| by setting up tho drinks for the boys" he
struggled and wadded manfully on the first march,
over fifteen miles of stony mountain roads, but gave
way TO the terrible fatigue before tho day was
| done. and was sent to hospital 10 die within
month from the effects Of that march.
Except where a militia regiment offered the
nucleus of q regiment for the fed. The battaions oil
infantry were usually formed by bringing together
| unfortunately ten of tho independent com
, panIes of volunteers just recruited. Then began
wirc-pullng for the choice OF the reglmental held
and STAFF. There was considerable ill-fccng, too.
and jealousy as to the positions occupied by the
companies in the newly formed regiment. Every
conpany wished to be right" IL possible. and II
not then left" or at least centre aud the seven
companies that had to be disappointed were long
while getting their resentment Ihosc
regiments which were fortunate as to get an
officer of the regular army for It's colonel were.
usually. well-organzed from the beginning. bnt in
most of the Others the trckery learned in political
primary meetings counted for more than army
regulations.
Generally speaking It required from one to two
years in the field Ter the real test of experience,
to weed out the more shrewd Of the ncompetcnts
who had been elected or appointed for all sorts OF
analitie, but those essential to good military
officers The first years service tested the qualities
of tho rank and file. few months exposure and
hardship sont the physically Incapable to hospital
TO die or be discharged for disability. while in that
time those who had the physique but not tho spirit
of soldiers found means TO be detached from their
commands and though still carried on the muster
quarters. hospital nurses, in some other non
combatant capacity. Those soldiers who after
years active service were still in the field with
their commands were really the army" that
fought the war; They were, physically at least.
the flower OF the American people.
But who can describe the appearance OF the camps
of instruction during May June and July 1s6l
where thousands Of men were encamped without
arms or unIformsi Think of regiment
handwriting almost like clock-work and yet
having no two dressed alike! For many
regiments acquired considerable skill III company
and battalion tactics before arms. accoutromenis or
clothing were issued TO them. Though not soldiers
they actually aplaycd soldier" and played II
seriously 1t was common to sentinel walking
his beat with n cornstalk at the support; and
when the officer of the guard. with n wooden
sworl-ingeniou.ly whitfield for him by one OF his I
men. perhaps -would approach. the sentinel would
bring his cornstak to the shoulder arms and
the officer would the salute with flourish
of his wooden sword neither sentinel nor officer 80
much as smiling for neither saw anything ridden
lous in the situation. Most of tine first troops were
enlisted for three months and the Government WAS
naturally slow to equip regiment, that ght never
take the field, at time when all It's resources were
taxed 10 the utmost 10 find arms and uniforms for
troops likely to come into contact with the
enemy. The result waJ that sIch Of the volunteers
as did not get fresh supplies from their families
fell into n sorry condition. They were ont at
elbows and knecs-and elsewhere very oftcn-and
almost barefootcd As for the head gear that would
be lndescribable. for it before Derby " hats
had come INTO fashion to give uniformity 10 the
heads of an American crowd. The nights IN the
opcn air were coil, il not cold. and Tor want OF
oyercoats II usual for men guard TO wind the
blanket around the neck the breast and then
about the waist, III tho style in which Scotch and
irish market women wear their rllawls in rough
weather Blankets the first articles issued by
the Government. but 1t was some time before
enough could DO bought or manufactured to supply
the sudden and extraordinary demand In the
meantime blankets OF every size and weight ami
hue were donated by private persons and by
societies. and these were 5Snod to the volunteers
These blankets borrowed, lent or lost by the
soldiers without any heed whatever Many OF
them were worthless IL often happened that n |
blanket when being shaken in tho morning by a |
man at each end would part in the middle. The |
writer of this received 81 81 for his FIRST six |
months pay-as scrgcaut-instead Of SIO2, tho |
difference of S97 Ii having been stopped out Of the
pay for clothing oycrdrawn, one Of the items being |
nineteen blankets Of course he had not drawn that
many blankets. bad as they We're but great many
blankets had gone astray somehow aud the officers
had probably balanced their clothing accounts by
assessing tho deficit among all tho Yet these
blankets and some Of the articles of clothing
charged on the payrOlls against the soldiers Lad
not cost the Government a cent.
Very strong guards about tho camp OF each |
regiment were necessary TO prevent the men from
struggling oil TO tho next town, neglcctng their |
drill aud coming back. as frequently was the case |
with anything but tho cadence STOP" which
great mains were beng taken to teach them But if
once they DID get out Of camp and began to make
things lively" in town, 1t may be imagined what !
difticnlty the patrols sent ont to bring them back
h..tr. lad IN tniyn