Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-05-25

some curiosity to know just what that
expression in the order was intended to
mean; but, as most of them had been
in service moro than two months, their
first state of military greenness had
faded out, and they knew better than
to ask troublesome questions. Had
they asked an officer high enough in
rank, they probably would have been
told that it was none of their business
Now, of course, it a0as some of their
business; who else. pray, was more
deeply concerned in the question as to
where the soldier was to be taken than
the soldier himselfp But some of these
high officers did have dreadful impolite
ways, to be sure.
There never was any army regula-
ton or general order that sought to
prevent the independent American sol
der from exercising his constitutional
right of guessing. Guesses were
plenty. We guessed We were going up
the James; to Mobile: to Galveston;
to New Orleans. Time proved the lat
ter guess the correct one. But the way
was to be a long and tedious one to
some of us, and thick with the perils
OF the sea; and when, five minutes after
we had got up steam, the Atlantic,
Arago and Thames ran aground on q
bar, Joker who had thus far been ST.
lent, said he guessed we were going to
stay right there awhile.
We on the Thames stayed on the bar
about twenty-four hours. when noisy
little tug came along and took us into
deep water. The interval was dole
f,,1 II n,
day, the vessel was crowded (when was
there a government troop transport
that was not?), and we looked discon-
solately slloreward at the spires and
monuments of the pleasant city where
we had passed two delightful months,
drilling, guarding the hospitals, which
were filled to overfowing with the vic
tins OF the great Antietam battle, and
h wing good time in town. But
change is the rule of the soldiers life;
and fair Baltimore, full of very good
Union men and very bad secesh, most
of us were not to see again during tho
war; for when mustered out, in June,
1896, at Washington. we passed
through the city Of our first camps in
the night.
We steamed out into Chesapeake
Bay and down to Fortress Monroe.
Here were fourteen transports of all
sizes, from the great ocean steamers of
the Collins line down to our own in
Significant tub, that held three hundred
men with uncomfortable crowding, and
which, as bitter experience afterward
taught MS, was not fit to 20 out of sight
OF land. But the sight was brave
one! The great expanse of Hampton
Roads was calm and placid !; the weather
was fine, the air mild; on one side
were the vast and extended walls of
Fort Monroe, black with heavy guns;
opposite was the rugged fertilization OF
the Rip Raps: Craney Island and Sew
all's Point were in the distance, and
the nearer shore curved round to the
mouth of the James River; Norfolk
was out of sight beyond the point.
The feet, taken as whole, looked
stately enough; thousands of soldiers
in blue were on the de ks; inspiriting
music from brass and martial bands
was heard, and small steamers and tugs
from the fort were. darting about in
every direction, and making much
noise with their screaming whistles.
Now, I do not wish TO moralize; but
here is a good specimen of the way
things were often done in the army,
to the great and unnecessary suffering
of the soldiers; and something may be
said about it. Here were about ten
Thousand men. who. in conjunction
with as many more at New York, were
to be taken to Louisiana under Cen
reral N. P. Banks. Anybody would
say that a reasonable delay aboard
ship before the start was to be ex-
,pected, perhaps week-although it is
hard to see why good management,
with little brains in it, might not
have avoided that. But what will the
reader say when tell him that these
poor fellows were confined to the
steamers whole month before the ex-
petition started? The veteran will
probably smile, and say it WAS Just
MLat he should expect; the civilian