The National tribune., 1895-11-28
WOOD LAKE LANDING.
A New Regiments First Night I'm the Enc
my's Country.

mys Country.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / notice
that the boys have fallen into the COM
mendable habit of telling, in the columns OF
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, of the battles In
which their respective regiments were en-
gagged, and have been inspired with desire
TO emulate them. Don't be alarmed; ] shall
not tell the story of any such commonplace,
everyday battles as Gettysburg, OF Chicka-
mauga or Atlanta. These have been written
about much better than j can do it. i
shall tell of battle not recorded in any
history / have seen, but in which was dis
played a peculiar herosm not often seen
during our late sangunary unpleasantness.
1t is the story of the first battle in which
my regiment was engaged. 1T has long been
my intention to write the history of that
bloody conflict, as i have feared that it
might be forgotten unless some one took the
trouble to notify the many chroniclers Of
the war that they were emitting one of its
most important incidents.
Our regiment was composed of forty
lar men," Most of us might have gone out
before 1862 but we didn't, and when we did go
out onr souls were grieved because the 1861
fellows were impolite enough to call us
forty dollar men," We each and all were
thoroughly convinced that our regiment
would he most remarkable and important
factor in the suppression of the rebellion.
We were confident that when the enemy
heard of our being ordered TO the front there
would be fear and trembling in his ranks.
Weren't we resolved to do or deP Weren't
we the heroes of hundred unfought battles?
And with such reputation among the girls
for eating our enemies alive, who could
stand before us? True, there was a very
material deficiency in our regiment, but we
were blissfully and profoundly ignorant of
it at the time. We didn't have a man in
the regiment from the gallant Colonel, upon
whose broad shoulders tapped the bird of
freedom, down TO the awkwardest private IN
the awkward squad, who knew the first
little thing about military affairs. We
could, however, boast of having a number
OF mighty warriors on wild ducks and
prairie chickens. There were even some of
whom we could proudly say they had slain
the antlered monarch of the forest; and it
was currently reported, but only partially
believed, that our Qurtermaster had once
upon time heroically deprived of its life a
black bear Butso far as we could learn, the
only ones in our regiment who had ever
slain human being were the Surgeons. We
didn't count them amongst our heroes, how
dangerous to ourselves than to the enemy.
In October 1862, orr regiment turned up
without arms at Benton Barracks, st. Louis,
Mo. There was issued to us a lot of
AUSTRIAN sMooTHBoRE MUsKETs.
We didn't like them. and most unani-
mously kicked. We thought, in arming such
prime regiment as ours the Government
ought TO give us the best rifles that could be
- L
little. We were told that the muskets would
do TO drill with, and that when we were
sent South we would be furnished with better
arms. We were inclined to be reasonable
and not bother the Government too much,
and therefore condescended to accept the old
muskets for drilling purposes.
About 10 days thereafter we were ordered
TO turn our muskets over to the Ordnance
Department, and the next day we were or
dered South, and at the same time informed
that we would receive our arms on the
steamboat That same afternoon, with our
enormous knapsacks strapped to our aching
shoulders, we boarded the steamboat Cont
mental. Shortly afterwards our arms
arrived, neatly concealed from our view in
blue packing-boxes. The boxes looked
amazingly like the boxes in which the
Austrian muslzets were packed when we
received them at Benton Barracks, and a
slight shadow of suspicion crept into some
of our minds, but still we couldn't imagine
that the Government would have the temer-
ity TO deceive a body Of men upon whose
cordial cooperation so much depended
The boxes were not opened until we were
below Cairo, when, 10! there broke upon our
startled gaze the same old Austrian muskets
we had regarded with such contempt at
Benton Barracks. Then it was our regi-
ment took its first practical drill in military
profanity, and, forgetting the Articles of
War and Sunday-school lessons, swore with
81 emphasis and heartiness much more