The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-22
EX-soLDIERs' BANQUET.
Continued from Page 5.


tai surnounled by tile fi=ure of Con
iederate soldier Ia bGoa5-. p%fpetuate- the
| Maine aud deeds Of traifo-s, scarcely a
| stones throw from tie spot where Els
worth breathed his last.
AS the war spirit grew in intensity OF
bitterness, and fierce battles ragged all
| along the line leaving gaps not only in the
ranks but in the roster of the officers OF
each regiment by death, disability, incom-
potency and designations, the vacant
rosters, as rule were filled by men who
came up from the ranks through genuine
merit. Unless this gave them the big
head, there were but few petty jealousies
or sore hearts to heal. fail to remember
| a single instance of a private or non-com-
missioned officer, who had earned promo
ton by strict adherence to duty's demands
and unfaltering courage in the crucial
test of battle, who was unpopular with his
comrades on account of his promotion.
There were exceptions, however, in the
! promotion Of commissioned officers.
| recall an instance where second lieuten-
| ant of one regiment was commissioned
adjutant of another. He proved
| to be an officer of sterling
worth of methodical business like habits,
! but withal somewhat of martinez.
| Egotism was written in every line of bis
| features. and his sudden promotion from
| second lieutenant of scalawag company,
III TegllneuG VIII n Suduy EepuIdtlOn, ~
| adjutancy of a crack regiment simply in
| tensifieo his vanity and LAID him wide
! open TO the shafts of the malicious, the
ignorant or the practical joker.
He had been in the regiment but few
days when | CHANGED to oyertake him on
horseback travelling in the direction of a
| neighboring camp. Passing through a
neck of woods outside of the lines, a
private soldier accompanied by damsel;
with yvhnrf1 bjc mind intensely
cupied as TO fail in giving the customary
military salute in meeting n commits
stoned officer-strode along totally ignor
ing the presence of either of US. The
dignity of the little man which had been
so grossly insuted, was up in arms on the
instant. refining up his horse so suddenly
as to throw him on his launches, he
demanded in as severe manner rs he
could assume, the name and company OF
the offender, which the soldier very de-
cidedly declined to furnish. AT his rr-
fusal to give himself away, the new hedged
adj utant waxed wrath and standing up IN
his stirrups with the assumption OF the
power of the czar of all the Russias, de-
picted in his features, exploded with the
enquiry, Perhaps you don't know who
ann" The soldier not in the least lntlml-
dated by the pomposity of his manner,
looked at him fiYedly for moment and
then nonchantly replied: Mister, / don't
know YOU are, and what is more, | don't
care dam either" Then he lodged into
the bushes and the adjutaut rode away
sadder, if not a wiser man.
| have heard it said and am firm be-
lever in the truth of the statement that
regiment is but the reflex of its command
ing officer. Ii the colonel is fighting
man the regiment will be tigers, for he
will tolerate no towards among bis sub
ordinates. If the colonel is a strict dis
ciplinarian every officer and MN will
show it in his department.
| have in remembrance a regiment or
ganized in 'Gl, whose officers were wholly
and thoroughly set of incompetents.
They were easy, good natured fellows.
who, in piping times of peace" might
have been eminent in the political field,
but in red handed war they were simply
an abortion. The regiment was
run in the ''go as you please
plan, Every man for: himself and
the devil take tine hindmost.' They were
not brigaded for more than two years and
hence were not under the immediate
supervision of general officer. There
was no uniformity OF dress, and the first
time | saw them | was reminded of Sir
John Falstafs description of his command:
''Fo eye hath seen such scare crows
There's but a shirt aud half in all my
company, and the half shirt is two
napkins tackled together and thrown over
the sholder like heralds coat without
sleeves; and the shirt, to say the truth,
stolen from my host at St. Adams, or the
red nosed inn-keeper at Dalntry. But
that's all one, they'll find linen in every
hedge" l have heard them sneeringly
alluded to as the bloodless Goth. and again
and again characterized rs 1.-THE rag-tag
and bob-tail of the army.
The officers and privafes addressed each
hn ht-t hnIr fret
an officers mess in the whole regiment.
The officers ate of the mess rations and in
the simplicity of their backwOods hearts
thought they had perfect right to them.
But bye and bye Il change Came stealing
DER the spirit of their dreams. One day
the official axe fell and chopped off the
heads of the head men. An experienced
officer who cussed blue streak every
time he opened his mouth, was placed in
command CT the Goth. He had been the
fighting major of another regiment and
when he hollered il was law" He took
command on Sunday morning, and on
Monday the fur began to fly. That easy
sense of familiarity that had existed be-
tween officers and men was ruthlessly
torn asunder. Officers messcs with
coiored cooks were established and
at least ten huge bonfres were lighted
simultaneously, where went up in smoke
the blue Jeans and butterEut suits toCeth-
er with the coonskin cap and hat of all de-
signs There was company drill before
breakfast and squad drill after guard
mount, battalion drill in the afternoon,
dress parade in the evening and school for
officers and non-commissioned officers at
night. This rigid routine lasted from fall
until early spring. when the regiment was
ordered into active service. What is the
sequel In the very first engagement they
won imperishable hOnors. When the battle |
opened they were held in reserve; when
the carnage grew great and defeat stared |
Crook in the face. he ordered up the
Twentieth, and they proved equal 10 the
AS they closed up the gap left |
by two retreatlng regiments, not |
a man nor an officer skulked |
or faltered. You who have stood in the !
front rank of battle. and have sprung to !
the charge at the WORD OF command, need |
no word painting to bring again before |
your minds the lecture or this regiment as |
upon its best behavior on battalion drill, |
torn with bullet and shell, great gaps left |
here and there in the ranks, men dropping !
at every step but every step forward and |
none to the rear, these gallant fellows I'M |
der an officer who was the epitome of con-
densed bravery, never faltered until ths |
battle was won. The blocdes Twentieth /
became the bloody Twentieth and in the |
archives of its state it has the proud dis /
JUNCTION Vi having iose .loIe heh III odtt4e |
under its new regime than any other regi- |
ment organized IN the state.
When Crook had his headquarters at /
Md, and our worthy ex |
President Rutherford B. Hays was in COM !
mand of brigade camped in the outskirts /
of the city Colonel W. Z. Brown who I
a regiment in Hayes brigade, !
and myself were sountering up the Main (
street of that ancient town one dav in the /
winter of Ca and Go, when we mechau- /
lcaily hauled up in front of large restaur- |
ant, where all the yiands Of that favored /
region were temptingly and artistically /