Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-08

A Il
| Brignoli. In the mild evenings, when we
would adjourn from the tent to sit around the
Weather In Wou n
| coaxing. sing 1.-THE Minstrel Knight" as have
/ never heard it sung since. The tender strain OF
the closing stanza. ~ fought and fell for liberty
| and fame remains In my memory almost as
| fresh as the marvellous voice ringing out from
| other of Johns favorites was a Quaint and dra-
| matte thing called "Tbe Old Muske.eer," in
| which survivor of the Old Guard is telling q
| child how the Emperor stood
| Ills cry. vive Ia France,
| Brave comrades advance"
Then turning suddenly from grave to gay, he
| would give Paddy Whack from Balny hack, .
with its rollicking chorus of
MY ruba-dub-dub,
Ny row-de-dOw-dow.
rs then dear girls IN charm ye.
And down yen come when bate the drum.
To see me in the army"
Then, as If transformed by the spirit of art
and song, he would go on In the most delightful
medley,-story, jest, banter aud song the most
pungent hits, the slyest crollery, touches of
poetry and pathOs, all addressed to no one in
particular and ending suddenly as a Pickering
flame shoots up and expires; the next minute
it was only quiet, sim pie John Blake lieutenant
In the Eghty-eighth Regiment. We all believed
tnat he had q history, and that, perhaps, he had
not been unknown to the stage. Whatever his
hearts Of his comrades and among those who
freely gave their lives to the land of their adop-
ton. He fell in the Wilderness. Roilicking
Gossin, gentle Blake, and true-hearted, kindly
Fat Kelly represented the genial side OF the Irish
nature, but there was plenty of salt and pepper,
too, in that brigade Frank Reynolds, with his
caustic, sneering wit and his splendid scholar
snip, was Infinitely amusing, but the amuse-
ment was generally at some ones expense, and
tnere was vein of tnsolence running through
his humor which was almost Intangible but
nevertheless perceptible aud felt keenly. He
eral Measher's visitors, especially If they hap
peded TO be plain men OF limited education,
which put them At an awkward disadvantage.
All this, together with English tastes and SYM
pathies, did not endear him TO the brigade
and finally q sarcastic criticism Of the Eighty.
eighth instantly and Pluckily taken up by
Major kdvanagh b, one OF the most gallant men
and one of the quickest to resent slight Fever
knew, led to challenge from the entire regi-
age was quite up to bis tongue. He reasonably
declined to fight the whole regiment, but did
Tight Pat Kelly, the dead-shot OF the brigade,
who only missed him by ahair's-breadth, put
ting bullet through his hat. Amid such
scenes and with such companions the winter of
o. passed quickly, and with enjoyment as real
and heartfelt as any L ever experienced
The 18th of March, dear to all true irish
hearts, was kept in real old country style. Two
the creased pole, and, most delightful of ali,
catching the soaped pig. General Meagher
came out as the typical Irish squireen,-green
cut-a-way, tall white hat with q deep band,
Bedford cords, and white hunting tops. A
heavy-handled. long-lashed hunting whip COM
pleted his costume. Gossin was determined
there should be no repetition of the Chicka.
hominy race, with its brush hurdles and shall
low bitches. The hurdles were of green pine
H.,
the bitches about nine feet wide, clean-cut and
newly dug, five honest feet in depth. He rode
gray of tn, the generals probably the sowest
SILK jacket and imported saddle, sent from
New York expressly for the day. Twenty-one
started. Three came in. Six went down in a
heap at the first hurdle. Two or three partially
filled the first ditch, and the others were gradri-
ally distributed along the course, which, with
really stiff one. Jack, riding with superb
Judgment, and waiting for the catalogue of
casualties to be filled. won hands down, and
came To the ladies' stand, for there were quite a
number visiting in the army, to be petted as he
deserved. The next race was won with absurd
ease by Count Won Butcher grandson of the old
hero, on an imported steepIechaser presented
by Lloyd Aspinwall to Baron Won Shaick colo
mel OF the Seventh New York volunteers.
IL was larcical to see this trained and high
bred animal cantering over the obstacles that
were formidable to the army horse. l got a
longing 10 General Hancock but i'm the SECOND
he calmly declined TO take a ditch, and as the
race was finished before our argument l told
MN, Never mind: Well settle 1t some other
time"
The mule-race was enormously funny. being
also steeple-chase over the same course and
L imagine the only one that ever took place A
mule properly persuaded jumps a moderate
fence like goat, and Colonel Jim Kolby with
ms p saDre-polnt was the ''perwailin argument"
as Petroleum V. Nasty has 1t. The brigade
newsboys and strikers rode the long-eared
steeds, stimulated by the assurance Of q sub
stantial greenback. But neither Colonel Jim's
sabre nor the prospective shekels could get
those mules to face the bitches. They were
forced into them at the swords point, and I
saw one ditch perfectly full of mules protest.
Ing with the eioquence of their race against the
idea OF coming out; but, finally, superhuman
applications OF Colonel Jim's moral persuader
caused two OF the most amenable to shin up
the opposite bank, and amid the widest en-.
thusiasm one, Neddy, ambled in shaking his
head ana braying vigorously. That greenback
despair of giving any idea of the chase of
the soaped pig; but try to imagine large luna
as 4 m nSUllrl
Evarts shortest sentences, and you can form n
faint conception. Even when the pig was
nnaliy caught Il claim OF foul was made on the
ground that the winner had ashes On his hands,
did not hear the referees decision but it was
probably that he would eat the pig himself.
With the battle of Charlottesville nv per-
sOnal intercourse with the brigade almost
ceased. was promoted to a horse battery and
from that time only met them at long intervals
But wherever met them and whenever [
heard OF them it was always the same lighting
gailantly, marching uncOmpainingly dying
~,iingiy ior country which was to most only
were such that Major Byron commanded the
brigade, captains and ieutenants commanded
regiments, and sergeants companies There was
story current in the Second Corps that at one
Sunday inspection, at the command, ITO the
rear open order. march, the first sergeant said,
ny the civil don't yeZ step back?' immedi-
ately adding, stand fast; bedad there's only
one OF yez."
have endeavored to give a sketch of the
brigade, not to write its history. That mas
been written in imperishable characters by
lnnuineraDle deeds OF herOism, I would ONLY
say that In absolute pluck and cheerful en-
DURANGO this organization had no superior
they were not, Us j rule, good shots, nor was
their temperament favorable to the develop
ment OF diminishing shapshOOting. They
were utterly deficient in u knowledge OF
woodcraIt, in which the Western regiments
were SO strong. Recognizing these traits. the
authorities in the earlier part of the war
wisely armed them with the old smooth-bore
muSket, carrying what known as buck
and ball, being one bullet and three buckshot
done up together. In the hands of men not
especially good shots, but who never Thought
they were close enough to the enemy, this was
"a terrible weapon, scattering like shotgun,
and wound1ng probably three times the mum.
Der that rifles would have done at such close
quarters. One Of their distinctive features was
the total absence OF stragglers after they cot
under fre. They would slraggle outrageOusly
on the march, never being able to resist the
temptation TO sit down and take "A ..dhrav at
the dudeen; and IL you found some sturdy
beggar trudging along cheerily miles behind
the command, ten to one IL was one OF the brig
abe. But alter the first shot was fired no Irish
man ever came To the rear who was able to
raise his musket. A coward simply could not
i've In the brigade, and lost time in getting
out OF 1t. Another trait which they possessed
countrymen in America, was their intense
patriotism In the sense of loving a country
which was not their own. Much OF this is due
To the rigor OF life In their native land and the
comparative kindness Of their reception here
The contrast with any other nationality il
great The German Is an excellent citizen in
every way, but the first generation is German
before oil else, while the IriShman, even In the
hrst generation, seems to have opened his