The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-29
FEEDING VERSUS FIGHTING.


rTh.; n Means TO Keep tho ARMS Ii--
t.cpso stomach Fiued-Thc Glory.
There is one feature m active military
operations said an old Union veteran iu
the cours. Of a long war remiuiscence.
"inat the general IN Of people httle
lva.ize. ami that is what it means 10 feef
en- army and especially an army pushed
ftr ~ advance ~ Us base 0f supplies AZ
army IS a terrible creature 10 feed IL
Eghts occasionally: n feeds all the time
II is an immense stomach with thousands
Of mouths always crying for more Il
can't BE- put OF or ordered not % be
hungry With 10000 Or 80 600 men in a
thinly settled. mountainous count-y-aI
enemys country at that and with that
enemy ii possession OF a part Of the only
ric,,ety railroad running through IT, and
his cavalry glliiyanting around, you know
not exactly where. between YOU and the
place you draw your tons Of supplies
from, your only means of getting these
tons on tons Of bread and salt beef or
pori, and other things is TO have them
hauled over this halt made mountain road
which a man bre GIT up in a finished
country would hardly dare to travel on
anyway.
You have creeks 70 cross or rickety
bridges, or you find the bridges destroyed.
You have small rivers 10 ford. liable TO
be swollen at any time in a few hours by
rain. Xou have only a single wagon
track to travel on, running up aud down
hills and mountains, or alcsg their sides,
not kept in repair, and if a wagon breaks
down your whole procession OF vehicles
is stopped until it can be got out Of tho
way. You don't know at what moment
in this country, new and strange to you,
a squad OF guerrillas. 10 whom every road
and pass has beey familiar from their
youth, viii swoop down or fire from an
ambuscade upon some portion OF your
long drawn out, struggling train Of
wagons. all Of which. from the narrow
ness Of the road, It is impossible fully to
guard. You must drive along also, pos
sibly. q herd of half wild. half starved
cattle, who will dash off or stray of in
the woods through which they are pass
ing at every chance they can get.
You have sixty or eighty miles Of this
sort OF country to pass through before
you can reach the 10000 hungry men, lis.
Ing now o. q cracker per day You may
twenty IOu may make only five. Dis
tances in an up and down country like this
are very uncertain You cant go at a
gallOp with 4 wagon train And YOu are
the officer in charge Of this slow. lumber
ing, long drawn out, clumsy procession.
You ere responsible for its safe delivery
10 the hungry army. You've got Your
hands full and your head full. and when /
you've bOssed road repairs. built bridges, I
pushed everybody and everything to keep I.
them moving and then, half worn out /
and half dead through care and the strain I.
Of the responsibility. you get your train I
through in safety, and for few days /.
moro feed this collective stomach which |
otherwise would have starved, how much /
glory awaits your
well. search our pictorial military an /
mails and SEQ how much OF the p9mp cir /
curstancc and sensation Of war YOU ind /
Illustrated about wagon train. But I
society would tumble 10 pieces today /
without cooks, kitchens and beef cutting /
men with white frock3 and clcayers. and /
all tho cpaulctted figures on horseback /
about an army dwindle down, man and /
beast. 10 very poor critters in very few /
hours if they've no crackers to nibble on /
OF hay to chew tell You. war means |
feeding as well as 6ghting, and there's . /
great deal Of unrecorded glory due the /
quartermasters and scrgeants who had TO |
look after the bread and beef which gives /
men strength 10 stand on their legs and /
pull triggers. "-Prentice Milford IN New /
York Star