Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-10-19

regiment that went from home, and
the first to return after our two years
was up.
We went out 750 strong and only
about 800 got back. But we brought
back our old flags all the same, and
don't you forget it, if they did look
like they had been run through q rib
bon factory.
[ shall never forget the speech of
Gen. Martindale at EImira the day the
ladies of Rochester presented the col
ors to our regiment,
Bring back your colors, boys,
though tattered and torn with shot,
shell, and leaden hail. Bring them
backP Dog my cats if we didn't do
it, too, but we left many color bearer
on Virginia soil.
But as was going on for to say as
it were, on our way home we had
large fat time, especially when we got
into our own state, the boys just let
loose. After we left Elmira, OF every
station the train would slow up and we
would get off and food the saloons
and restaurants, call for this, that, and
the other, and we would all manage to
have something in our hands when the
whistle blew and the conductor cried,
Gall aboard" Some would have
box of cigars or dish of baked beans,
decanter of brandy, mince pie, a
bottle of wine, or whatever they hap
pened to get hold of, and as the train
would start off kinder slow we would
make rush and get on board, taking
all spoils with us. When the train ran
into the depot at Rochester every wood
box in the train was filled with empty
cigar boxes, decanters, bottles, and
dishes. Most of the men felt like they
could clean up the entire Confederacy
if they were turned loose that after
noon. That was the first and only
time during the career of the Thir-
teenth New York that the regiment
was surrounded and had to surrender
think there were about 50,000,000
people in and around the depot, all
looking for some one. They blockaded
the car doors and tried to crowd in the
windows, and every one tried to get in
first, and the noise, good Lord bands
playing, cannon firing, the crowd
cheering, and the women and children
trying to "whoop her up, Eliza jane"
but among it all'you could hear sort
of double-back-action roaring. But
we could see things, and some things
never wish to see again. Women with
little children looking for husband
and father, mothers looking for son,
sisters looking for brothers. Where is
my boy? Where is my husband?
Lord bless you, we left him in Vir-
ginia. Some Of them tore into finder
atoms, but this we did not tell them.
remember of one Mrs. Rooney, o
daughter of the Emerald Isle" hold
ing up her three-year-old boy and call.
ing for mike Rooney, me darlint, phar
are yees, Mike? Byes, plat have yees
done wild me Mike?" Lord bless your
honest soul, Mike was killed at Fred
ericksburg, a shell exploded three feet
in front Of him, and there wasn't
enough left of him to bury, not even
shoe-string.
We finally got into line and marched
to the City Hall and had big supper,
or, as the modern tramp would call it,
"a tremendous hand out, but we were
not very hungry, as we had got out
side of large quantity Of commissary
supplies on the route. But that sup
per, collation. they call it at the present
stage of the game, was not half as good
as hard tack, SOW belly, and black cof-
fee after hard days march through
Virginia mud in February. 1 never
have had any coffee since the war that
was equal to the coffee we used to boil
in an empty peach can over q fire of
Shenandoah rails, when the mud was
forty feet deep and still raining and
dark as Egypt. That was what was
known after the war as "old govern
ment coffee" and we made it black, or
as an Englishman in our company ex-
pressed it, "has black has the Earl of
Ellis monument" And then, think of
the hard tack after they had lain out
in the rain all night and got softened
and swelled up, then mixed with SOW
belly and onions and fried, or as we
called it, "Lobscause," now that was
eating worth talking about. Talk
about colations, "G'way dar, niggah, l
fling dis mule frew yer. American
Tribune.