Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-25
THE TROOPERS FAREWELL.
Alter the War Was Over Came the Parting
 of Comrades.

After the War Was over Came the fArting
 of Comrades
 After Lees surrender came the march to Washington and the grand review. Even as we rode through the streets of the capital a thousand clerks were busy making out the parchment discharges. Regiments wcre marched to the depot companies dissolved as if in air. The gov ernment had no further need of soldiers tse soldiers were anxious to get home
 All the way up from AppOmattox WIG of Custcr's Third division had been ncFving ourselves up for the double parting Thcrc were men who had shared each others blankets and pipe and hardtAck till the bond between thCnr was mOrc than broth erly. A few squads might return home in company, but peace would separate most of us forever. The old veterans those who had messed together. charged together and bound up each others wounds rode closer together than usual, and one missed the rOllicking songs and the rough jokes of the march The cams, the march and the battlefield welded men together as relationship could not. A handshake and careless ''gOOlby'' would not do at parting.
 After the rCvicw We had a day for the parting. We sIt down together to talk, but thcrr was little talking. The very first worJis called up a night of hardship "a long day of hunger and thirSt-a wild charEsc in which perhaps one fell and was hunted for when night came and careful ly removed from the battlefield 10 bc nurSsTi back to life. Some men tried to | appear carClcss or indifferent. but 1t was n | vain effort WhCn wc could not talk, We placed our hands on each others shoulders and sat and thought Lips quivcrc'l and tears came as We separated Sabsr cuts | and bullets had bccn treated with con tempt, but this was difFCrrpt.
 Our comrades Irst-Our hOrscs next | For two days we had bCcn turning them over to the quartCTlnastCr. We went out to the grounds alonc-hy twOs. by fours ito single out our horsCs and ssly s-'N-lhy. Not one man in all that Third division would have left Washington and a hcrsg bchind without n last word Yuu can E,'l to love n CumrGs!c, and you can E;,I tO have | n feeling akin tO love for the dumb brute | who has bCVn your sOlc COmQlni'sn ai mid night on piCkCt-who .stCUd il;O the flcrccnCss Of the charge with yoIl-vh" carriCSl you over hunlrCds nf mil,=S go. highway and never scrvcd you mCsls,ly- Did they know that the War was oVSE- that the smoke of hattie would never Ji late their nOsIrils again: Ii We had d friendship fur tllcIn, think you it was nUr rcturncd' Many and many n time wt had shared our crackers with thrnl- brought them a dole of water in our hat- taken hours from our sleep to cure thcil ailments
 There wcrc a few rough riders, but only few. The grcat majority wCrC kind ana mcrciful and patient. They got 10 know their horses as they knew their camI mates, and tO bear with them and humOl them, and to feel a rcal bond of friendship We found some of the stCCds munChiuE fhpfr nyrYF iF rsn that n1 wCrc uneasy and had that nervous lUOi | which comes to a horse as he waits fu I the battle to bcgin. We called tO Ton and Billy and Charley and JOc, and the! came and rubbed their nus,4s asairfst ou checks. We had n cracker Or a lump u sugar or an apple aS a parting gift W. struEcd their soft n,<tS-vv,' lsut our arm around their nccks-ySc '.Vn talked |, them as We had tO each uthC-. The war Wa over. Most of thu>c hurSI,s wen. veterans boaring tho scar of sabor or bu!3,'G- All hal at least carried their riders into the DOW der smoke of APpomattox. We wcrc L | go away-to rturn hOmC-tO leave then behind How would they bc carCd for To whom would they la sold: SCc tn scar of the wound rCcciVcd by the chest nut at kclly's Fupl: On the fOr'hCslsi q tho bay k the scar of II >sIlpCr cut prCCiVC, at Brandy StatiOn-a slash which w"ui have left the rider an the field to die Tha sOrrcl iS blind of an ,'vC-n hurt rsx1.ivu nt Winchester. Them a sCslr un the hi of the hlack-thc rake uf a s,raTs->h"t liH' the day sheridan made his famous ri..,.- ! YCS. We talk Ia them uf the raid RIA marches and Caupaigns and liIttlC>- nn they drnup their heads aS if li~tCnil8 | catch every word We lift their i,r-I :.-s clean them for the last timC We , them from ears tu tail with our ham
 We arc still with them when the bug!
 sound and tell us that the hour has con-,
 Discharge papers and Iay tuLlay-hOInc |, morrow. Then n thousand pairs of arm
 clasp the necks of tn" h"rSt-s, n thOu> 2: tongues whisper 'gOOdby." and then .,T but few eyes which dn n,'t GliStCn vii
 tears n. the stccIis EhimpCr and neigh ar | try to call us back NJ QUAp-