The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-07-08

companies were once in ranks no more time
was wasted The leading company was
marched by its captain straight to the road
we were to follow. in tours Tor, as we then
called it, "by the flank'1 and the other COM
panies struck into is wake, in order, by the
shortest line and without wasting a yard of
travel The regiments swung into column
in the same easy and informal wav, the lead
ing regiment picking up the others without
hitch and with no fuss.
But to-day we had not quite dropped our
camp manners, and as we stood there in line
we were fair specimen Of an American
regiment We stool about 800, rank and
file. Few regiments had anything like the
nominal strength which a regiment should
have. We were a very sun burned, hearty
| looking set of fellows; we looked as if we
could eat square meal whenever we got
one. In fact. we were set of boys The
ages of our company averaged "a, and
probably there were more men about %
than of any other age. We were not pune
tilious about the regulations as to dress.
Our regimental uniforms OF semi-zouave
pattern had been turned in before Chan
celorsville, and we had frock coats, blouses
or jackets, Just as it happen0ls anything
blue would do. In hats and caps there was
also much variety-the hideous regular
army cloth cap with slanting peak, which
some turned up and some turned down
each way it looked worse; or the more
hobby French shane, with straight visor.
or the Mcclellan cap, with top falling fol-
ward; these had been sent on from home or
purchased when on furlough; or the army
black felt, which was generally worn with
the crown depressed in the center; or other
| va of hats xuhiOb
worn in spite of regulations. But everyone
had on his cap or hat a red Maltese cross,
the badge of our division.
Some had leggings, some had not; some
old hands were in favor of stuffing the
trousers into the stockings and tying them
there with strings. The broad shoes given
cut by the government and usually styled
"gunboats" were the most fashionable foot
wear; this was the only part of the uniform
which private enterprise did not much i'm
prove upon Only one thing about our
get-up would have pleased military critic:
our guns were clean and bright. The loads
carried on our shoulders also varied, and
suited each mans ideL of comfort at the
expense of exertion Some chung to their
knapsacks-I think only one of these got to
Gettysburg in our company some kept their
overcoats, but these were soon adjoining the
roadsides during that hot summer, and the
darlzies have been wearing them ever since.
| The canteen, haversack and tin cup, it was
difficult to dispense with; then there was
difficulty in knowing which to throw away.
| the rubber blanket, the wooden blanket on
the piece of shelter tent. These last, through
some accidental confusion, we called pom
chos" most of us kept as many as two
out of the last group of articles, and l
rather think the rubber was the most
popular.
The Confederates greatly envied the
yankee gum blankets" and their officers
could always get them to charge very will
| ingly if there were any likely to be had.
Some few frying pans were retained, not a
handy thing to carry, but a mighty handy
implement to have at night. l know one
man who stuck to his pan, but never had
the trouble to carry it himself. Tom would
carry it till noon every day for the privilege
of frying next after the owner at night; Dick
and Harry would take the burden the rest
of the day for a similar concession. So the
owner of the frying pan reveed in its enjoy
ment in the sweat of other fellows brows.
A perfect capitalist, but he had had the
nerve to go in on the ground floor and de-
velop the enterprise n
In our own little partnership Eugene car
ried the most of the grub and l most of the
shelter, and wo seldom separated. Other
syndicates were formed of three, four or five
men on similar terms.
We had forty rounds of cartridges be-
| sides, and these we never used to throw
away. A man always kept his cartridges,
somehow. They were of paper, and though
the tactics told us to bite them, we always
| broke them with our fingers at the muzzle
and poured in the powder. The days of
breech leaders had not yet fully come, and
we used the clumsy ramrod. But if we felt
the ball slide down easily, we knew that
smart bang of the butt on the ground would
do the ramming just as we'll
When cur colonel had called us to atten-
ton, he sat on his horse a moment perfectly
still, but with his eyes gravely scrutinizing
our ranks from right to left; then, quickly
bracing himself, rang out in his clear tenor
voice the few commands which put us in
motion on journey Of which no one knew
tie end.
And now we swing along the rough Vir-
gina roads in route step. There is very
little nonsense, talk or skylarking. We
have long since got beyond that stage of our
education and don't waste any strength in
those ways. We keep approximately in our
tours, but very loosely. Our gums" slant
over our right or left shoulder. We might
sling them by the leather strap, but
have seldom seen that done. Apparently
the weight is easiest carried on the shoulder,
where a slight shifting eases the muscles.
The officers interfere very little with us and
command as little as possible. They want
their breath, too, for other purposes and I'M
derstand that too much fussy meddling
won't go down with us. Not that we should
openly 'kick," but the officer would find
that he was thus losing his hold on the
men.
Today our regiment leads the brigade and
oul brigade leads the division. Tomorrow
we drop back to the rear, and then grad
ually work up to the head again. This alter.
nation equalizas the difficulties of marching.
The head of the column has the easiest time
of it. When the roads are bad the column
gets ''strung out" The head Of the column
is halted and enjoys square rest of fifteen
minutes, while the rest are getting closed up
and ii e last regiment just gets to its proper
dstance in time to start again.
One of the lessons of the march is to lie
down at every chance. The green soldier
will stand in his tracks because he thinks the
stoppags is merely a "jam" and that it
| won't ha worth yyhile IN 0at down apd erat