The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-06-07
SARGE PLUNKETT
AMONG THE VOLUNTARY SOLDIERY
OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA.
The Memories of CT arc Revived, and the
Fathers and Grandfathers of These
Young Volunteers Brought to Mind.
Written for The Constitution.

| Written for The Constitution.
l have been to Griffin and to the camp
provided for the instruction of Georgia s
| young military.
Forty years ago I went to show IN
! Griffin and fellow by the name OF BOD
| Ridley sang a verse like this:
The city of Griffin it am mighty fine one.
For beauty and for location 1T ain't behind
'em;
| The ladies' all look so sweet and giddy, -.
| It's wonder they don't fall In love with oio
| Bob Ridley.
I am sure that the word "giddy' was
| used by the singer to rhyme with Ridley,
| for ladies do not like to be called gddy,
| but | agree that there are many sweet
| ladies in the pace-more than IN any place
| of it's size / ever seed. I have stood upon
| the corners of streets in Atlanta and watch
| ed the pretty girls trip across on tiptoe to
| keep out of the mud made by the sprinklers,
| and I thought that they were the sweetest
| and had the cutest way of lifting their
| skirts up and down to one side so as to
show I'D in the most trimmed shape pos
| sible, but 1t was college commencement
| week In Griffin and the city was full or
| beauty and fashion that shaped up with
anything l have seed since they got these
| cling-to-you skirts.
1t done me proud to see the young soldiers
| on dress parade and to see them step so
proud to the tap of the drum i'll the drills
/ have seed soldiers in camps of instruc-
ton at Griffin before but then it was al
ready war and camp life had not so mucn
of novelty as now.
Wouldn't it tickle these young soldiers.
so supple and SO trained, to see dress pa.
rade or field drill of the last addition OF
Gcorgia's militia to the confederate cause!
From sixteen TO sixty was the last rake
and folks were naturally older in war times
than in peace, and rheurnatics didn't ex.
empt. Our regiment, Brown swears, OF
these old war militiameu were so old and
warped that they had to begin failing
in Immediately after dinner In order to
be In line at 5 O'Clock p. N. 1t took ser
geant with strong lungs to call the roll in
this regiment, for being deaf did not ex-
empt. 1t was tickling 70 see u1e olncets
step up to these old fellows and howl III
their ears:
Fall in! Fall inn
1t was more tickling to watch the ex-
precision on the officers face when the
old mlitiaman would slowly turn with MS
hand to his ear and ask:
"What you want?"
"FaIl in!'' the officer would howl.
"Sir?"
"Fal in for dress parade"
X eS, L guess IL VIII, lue CEopS heco !"
mighty bad, too
This young generatioi may think this
great exaggeration, but it is not so much
amiss as you may think. But these old men
had sent brave sons to the front long be-
fore the emergency demanded they. TOO.
should go. All the towns in the south had
companies of military and they were form
ed into regiments and rushed to the front.
Griffin boosted of her Light Guards and
company of minute men was formed
and took the name of Spaiding Grays.
Such drilled and equipped companies made
the nucleus around which were formed the
confederate armies, and demonstrated the
wisdom in having ready an organized mill
tary. for great emGrsennes:
But it did not take much training to
make good fighters. Some of the men who
will go down in history as great and heroic,
were backed by soldiers who had no mill
tary lraiuing. The town boys were the
best trained when the war broke out, put
they performed no better service than the
country boys, though we all agree that
soldiers life did not hurt a town man like
it did countryman. L think this was
owing TO the habits. A town boy has no
fixed hours for sleep nor eating and it help
ed him to stand army life-this might sug-
gest Il treatment to harden the young men
at Camp Northen.
After all there is nothing that can teach
q
young men look we'll in their bright uniforms
and are the sons and grandsons of the he
roeS who wore the gray and would no doubt
be as faithful as their fathers i'll an
emergency, but it takes war, real war, to
try souls and teach the folly OF show IN
military life.
A days march with Jackson would teach
that a small blanket rolled into a tight roll,
the ends brought together and tied, max
lug it collar shaped and convenient for
hauling over the shoulder, is all the KNAPP
sack needed. You don't need any pistols,
nor knives and, to tell you what | think,
the bayonet is a fraud and should be done
away with You might practice sleeping
on three rails instead of on straw IN your
tents every three or four nights, and oc-
casionally it would be well to 20 out and
fatigue yourselves till you can sleep walk
lug along, then lay down on tho bare
ground and let the rain beat in Your face
while a little branch runs into your collar
and zig-zags along your spinal column
All such things as this are part of war,
and nightly little of what you
see at your camps is part of war.
But / am not grumbling, for | think 1t
right to have our military organizations
and to encourage the youths on this line.
Griffin is also the home of the agricultur-
nj farm. This farm is to do much good for
the farming interest of Georgia. As yet
the common farmer does not reap the bene-
fits he should from the experiments upon
this farm, owing, | think, to the manner
taken by the department to reach that
class. The newspaper is the channel
through which to reach the people Money
spent in furnishing these experiments
through newspapers would prove the most
economical and with better results among
the masses, is my notion.
SARGE PLUNKKTr.
WILL IT PAYp
A Question of Vital Importance to the
People of this Country.
This Is IN age noted for its quick percep