Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-05-26
MEXICO SOLDIERS TO THE FRONT
Thew Leave This Week For the South
All Are in Good Spirits.

Hundreds of friends and relatives
from Mexico are visiting them and
bidding the boys goodbye. The fol
lowing description of breaking camp
will be of interest to our readers al
| this time:
"Yes,the boys have struck tents and
| started for Chickamauga."
The little woman laughed as she
spoke. An elderly man standing neal
asked: "Did you have relatives in the
regiment7"
"No, SIR"
"I thought 3d."
The little woman stared at the old
man as he turned and walked away.
The little woman did not compre-
bend how much was meant by striking
tents and going closer to the enemy.
The old man did.
The little woman did moi NEAR to ap-
pear frivolous and thoughtless, and
the old man did not intend to be grufi
and rude. But the latter thought the
former frivolous and the former
thought the latter rude. Both were
misunderstood.
The old gentleman knew what such
a breaking camp meant. Ever since
he went out to q the regiment take
the train for Chickamauga he had
been thinking of scenes and incidents
with another camp "break-np,' when
a thousand young men, himself one of
them, marched out of tne gate and
climbed into cars and were whirled
away to the front.
Who can tell how much such a scene
as the little woman laughed over
meant to the old man?
Only those who have had his ex-
perience, their wives, mothers and
children.
More than half of the thousand he
went away with never came back,
Representatives of his regiment dice
on more than thirty battlefields. The
old man had been recalling some OF
these. He had looked into the blue
eyes of a brother who sleeps in Vir-
ginia; thought of two captains who
died cheering the company he was in;
of three tent mates who had fallen.
one at Antietan, one at Spottsylva-
mia and one at Gravelly Run. He had
been thinking Of the heart breaking
scenes at parting, when the order to
leave camp and go south came; of the
"God bless yous" of mothers, wives,
children and sweethearts, Of theil
tears and their agonized faces as the
train pulled out. He had witnessed
similar scenes yesterday when the
regiment for this war went away. II
was not a laughing matter with him
His cid heart had been very heavy
and several times, when he thought he
was alone, he had stood with a bowed
head while overfull tear fountains
sprinkled his cheeks.
Ali the world could not convince
him it is not a serious thing for a
regiment of men, fresh from happy
homes, to break camp and go out in
search of a chance to shoot and bt
shot at.
Troops are breaking camp in mos
of the states this week. Suppose We
look at such IN enterprise.
The order to move came suddenly
and the start must be made in a few
hours. But the telegraph and fas
trains made it possible for many Of
the relatives and friends of the sol
diers to reach camp before they left
AS I saw mothers, wives, sisters
children and sweethearts hurrying t.
camp the day the regiment left TO
Chickamauga, l thought of what on
old captain said nearly thirty-sevel
years ago, when a young fellow aske'
for a furlough to 60 home and o hi
dear ones once more before leavinI
the state.
"When the company left home
kissed my wife and babies and sail
goodbye. 1t was the hardest task
ever did to leave them. 1t was as har'
for them as it was for me. / am no
stout hearted enough to 60 througl
that ceremony again, and l guess the.
are not. If we ever meet again it viii
be when the var is ended. Young mar
follow my example. Stay in camp ant
tell your mother and sisters to re.
main at home. Paintings in times
like these are too heavy a tax on III
poor mortals to engage in more thai
once"
The young man took his advice. 4
little headstone on Arlington Height
marks his resting place.
The old captain kept his word
When he went home ia 1855 the who'll
town turned out to welcome ageneral
just as it had done four years befor
to cheer and wish a captain good for
tune.
The old captain, who trembled a
the thought of again meeting and part
ing from q sorrowful woman and fou
children, had courage enough to lea
his company, the regiment, and FINAL.
the brigade, into the very jaws of heI
to scale walls and to make daring
dangerous charges across torpedoe'
fields. That Is why he came bacI
battle SCARED, widely known, popular
with shoulders bestarred.
The cars are ready. Knapsacks ar
packed and haversaeks filed. Tn
final order has come. The bug
sounds. "Fall in!" lie the order hear
along the line. There is q mother wit
each arm encircling Q. boy and cover
ing their brown faces with mothe
kisses and mother tears. I heard he
say as she Strengthened up, brushe
away her tears and forced q smile
"My boys, be brave, hopeful an
prayerful as I am"
/ am glad her boys did not Q he
half an hour later, sitting on the gras
outside of the camp, crying as thong
her heart was breaking. 1t would hav
been harder for them to leave her.
). Yonder is a soldier parting with h
wife and baby. As he kisses them an
steps into line the little one reachs
81 it's fat banda toward him and crow