The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-17
MAKING AN ARMY.
Now Civilians Became vetersns--A Mob
Ssf Patriots- EARLY Mistakes and How
ThNv Were Raotifed.

1tTtVtFf-1AssNAy
They Were Roctiied.
Y. Tribune 1t required hard
and persistent work to create the
great and we'll disciplined army that
saved the Union. A recollection OF
mistakes that were mademay prevent
their being repeated in . future con-.
\ tingency At the beginning OF the war
d the army 81 the Union was practically
ching but crowd Of excited, patri-
otic citizens. 1t was an army ignor-
ant not Of war only but OF the COM
lnonest and most needful knowledge
i Of military life. The officers, as q rule
knew no more than the men over
i which they were to exercise command,
and In most cases, they were elected
to their Office by these very men. It
often seemed as ifcorpulence was The
/ sign Of fitness for commits
sion. The port,y fellows who had
been familiar loungers about the
doors OF the best hotels were unani-
mously chosen to be a Colonel, Lieu
tenant-C Colonel or Major, according to
their degrees Of good-living, while the
less polished specimens and the less
! rotund, who patronized the ordinary
saloons, or were ward politicians or
!!cre,nen OF volunteer fire companies,
were made Captains and Lieutenants.
Afew, but comparatively d very few,
of these elected officers remained in
the army after a years service. The
greater number succumbed to disease
! or were allowed to resign, or were dis
charged. remember an instance ola
fat fellow, formerly railroad contract
or, who had secured his election as
Captain by "setting up the drinks for
the boys. He struggled and waddled
manfuliy on the first march, over fif-
teen miles of stony mountain roads,
but gave way to the terrible fatigue
before the day was done and was sent
to . hospital to die within q month,
from the effects OF that march.
Except where a militia regiment
offered the nucleus of a regiment for
the field, the battalions OF infantry
were usually formed by bringing to-
gether indiscriminately ten of the inde-
V pendent companies Of volunteers just
\ recruited. Then began wire-pulling for
the choice OF the regin,ental field and
staff. There was considerable ill-feel-
ing, too, and jealousy as to the posi-
tions occupied by the companies in the
newly-forrned regiment. Every COM
pany wished to be right" if possible,
and if not then "left, or at least
= center, :" and the seven companies
that had to be disappointed were q
long time in getting over resentment.
Those regiments which were SO fortu-
nate as to get an officer of the regular
army for it's Colonel were, usually,
well organized from the beginning, but
in most of the Others the trickery
learned in political primary meetings
s counted for more than army regula-
tions
Generally speaking it required from
one to two years in the field, under
the real test ofexperience, to weed out
the more shrewd OF the incompetents
who had been elected or appointed for
all sorts of qualities and those essen.
tial to good military officers. The
\ first years service tested the qualities
of the rank and file. A few months
s exposure and hardship sent the ply.
sicaily incapable to hospital, to die OF
to be discharged for disability, while
In that time those who had the ply
sique but not the spirit OF soldiers
found means Of being detached from
their commands, and though still car
ried on the muster rolls, to be detail
ed as clerks in bureaus or headquar
ters, hospital nurses, or in some 9th
i er non-combatant capacity Those
soldiers who after years active ser.
vice were still in the field with their
commands were really the 'sarmy'
that fought the war. They were, phv.
sically at least, the flower Of the Amei !.
can people.
But who can describe the appear.
ance of the camps OF instruction dur.
ing May, June and July, 1861, where
thousands of men were encamped
N without arms or uniforms. Think oi
regiment maneuvering almost like
clock-work and yet having no two
men dressed alike! For many regiments
acquired considerable skill company
and battalion tactics before arms, ac
counterlments or clothing were issued
them. Though not soldiers, they
actually played soldier" and played
& it seriously. 1t was common to see
sentinel walking his beat with a corn
stalk at the support, /" and when the
officer OF the guard, with q wooder
s sword-ingeniously whitfield for hin
by one Of his men, perhaps-woulc
approach, the sentinel would bring hi.
cornstalk to the shoulder arms, "ant
the officer would return the sal,t,
with q flourish OF the wooden sword
& neither sentinel nor officer SO much a.
smiling for neither saw anything ridic
ulous in the situation. Most of th,
first troops were enlisted for thre,
months, and the Government wa.
naturally slow to equip regiments tina,
might never take the field, at a tim,
& when all its resources were taxed te
the utmost to find arms and uniform.
for troops likely soon to come into
contact with the enemy. The resul,
was that such OF the volunteers as die
not get fresh supplies from their owr
families tell into a sorry condition
They were out at elbows and knees
and elsewhere, very often-and almost
barefoot ted. As for the head-gear
8 that would be indescribable, for it wa.
before Derby" hats had come into
fashion to give euniformity to the head.
OF an American crowd. The nights il
the open air wereeool, if not cold, anc
forwant OF oyercoats it was usual fol
(: men on guard to wind the blankets
4. around the neck, across the breast
and then. about the waist, in the styl,
@ in which Scotch and Irish market
Woman wear their shaMls in rnnnl