National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-26

chances, and the raw recruit who believes he
certainly must be killed.
But forced march Is terror to the best
Of troops, no matter however we'll they may
have been disciplined. What do the read.
ers OF this paper suppose that q forced
march mennsg IL means torture OF mind
and torture Of body: II means dull aching
Of every joint and bone and marrow Of the
bones; IL means not simply utter WEAKNESS
and pain, but almost complete prostra-
sion OF the physical powcrs II means that
one falls asleep for minute while mechdn-
ically plodding along and to awake with a
start while staggering to fall; It means,
when the ten minutes rest comes at every
two miles, to sink down in ones tracks like
an empty bag aud TO be asleep before you
touch the ground When the ten minutes
rest expires and the command, "Fall In ~
is given, one awakes and gets UP from mere
force OF habit and resumes the grinding
task, sitter and sorer, II possible, than be-
fore.
A FORTUNE FOR AZ HouR's REST.
II means, finally, that one would barter a
million cheerfully for an hours rest aud
sleep, and, while feeling bound to obey the
inexorable command "forward," one is In
such state OF mental and physical wretch
ednoss that he is ready almostto curse God
and die. And then, too, when the days
march is concluded sometimes far In the
night, what must he the condition Of those
detailed to guard their sleeping comrades2
Surely no galley slave was ever tor
tured like this. And such march
often occurs In the most Indictment
weather, whether the sun was blazing hot,
and the roads so dusty that one could not
see ten yards before him, or the air bitter
cold and the snow and slush foot deep on
the ground. | recollect that after the
second battle Of Bull Run, when Gen. Lee
made his forced march across the country
In order to ford the Potomac before his OPP
ponent could reach the opposite bank, the
day was so hot and dusty and the pace so
rapid that hundreds of the men who had
been enfeebled by week'suonstant march
ing and fighting fell (sunstruck) out of the
ranks by the wayside, and dozens of them
died, as the surgeons did not stop to pay
them any attention.
now A DEEP FORD WAS CROSSED.
After the battle Of Gettysburg Corse's
brigade of Pckctt's division, which had
been left behind to guard the line Of rail-
road between GordOnsville and Richmond,
was ordered to Winchester. We. made a
forced march over the mountains, and
when we got to the east branch OF the
Shenandoah we found 1t full and too deep
for small man to ford, so the six-footers
formed Gordon across the rushing stream
and pessed the shorter men along the line
until all were safely over. Then, without
stopping to dry clothes, we pushed ahead,
but the rain soon afterward came down In
torrents and every little valley In that billy
country soon became overrun with deep,
muddy stream through whichwe had to wade
breast high. When the command got to
Winchester the feet of the men, from the
constant rasping of the water and sand In
their shoes. were In terrible condition, and
their shoulders were CALLED like those OF
tow-path mule. Had the enemy's cavalry
come upon us next day. as was fully ex-
pccted, for they had advanced to Berryville,
the brigade could not possibly have ma
neuvred rapidly enough to give them q
still fight, unless by taking up positions
behind the stone fences and staying there.
THE LAST MARCH
The last march from Petersburg to Ap.
| pomattoX was the most terrible to the re-
treating army of any l have read
OF in history, except the French
retreat from Moscow. 1t is true that
the weather was generally mild during
| the seven days march, but there was only
| four hours of sleep and rest out of tho
twenty-four, and for four days we were en-
tirely out Of provisions don't see to this
day how the beaten army managed to sus-
tain any sort of organization under the
| frightful hardships they endured. And
never did the Cossack hordes pursue more
relentlessly the broken columns of Ma
poleon amid the Russian wastes and
SHOWS than did Sheridan the veteran army
of Lee after Amelia Court House was passed
The attacks upon the retreating column
were incessant day and night, and the noise
of rifle and cannon firing lulled the brave,
but exhausted men to sleep and greeted
their ears in reveille at daybreak. Oh II
was terrible time, but, thank God, those
who survived the fearful ordeal can now
look back at 1t as n troubled dream, and
without particle Of ill-will to those who
caused It.
But have got to the end of my space II
the attempt TO give some notion of one Of
the phases of soldiers life.
r. J. MURRAY.