The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-06

The rolling rock leaves its scratches
on the mountain: the river. It's channel
In the soil: the animal. It's bones in the.
stratum: the fern and leaf. their mod
est epltaph In the coal The falling
drop makes Its sculpture IN the sand or
the stonp.''
Yes. all things are engaged In writ
Ing their history, but what or our Row.
o%lntionnry Diplomats2 Let the answer
be the motto OF this aocletyi "Exegl
morunientum nerc p%crcnnius."
-
MIR TALL1rAN's RESPONSE.
The next toast on the programme was
THE Virginia Troops In the Heyoiu-
tior." the response t0which was by Mr.
a. i. Teilman. OF Wheeling. Mr.. Tall
,iaii sald;4
To speak. at length. or the Virginia
troops In the revolution would he TO
lel the stoyyt OF the revolution itself.
That l shall not attempt, even In u cur
cory or re%ierentiai way, but shall con-
tent myself and, ] trust, you also, with
pointing out G. few OF the salient. OBJ
lrusive characteristics OF their service
IN that cause, followed by special ref
erehce TO two or three OF the intrepid
men who shed a halo or nov about
their own names and added u lustre to
American arms: The student OF the
general history OF that period gets lit
tle else from Ito pages than the dry de-
tahs OF the niasslHg and marching OF
columns OF troops. The personnel OF
me continental soldier Is hidden away
IN books oil Individual memoir. written
generations ago, now out OF print and
IN GONE degree constituting the priced
volumes on the shelves OF the curious
and apprccIative %bibliopolist. There
are, however, keen side lights. reflected
IN the innss OF general orders from
headquarters and In the usually very
dry details OF court-martial, with
which. at times, was begulledl the shiv-
eting leisure OF those days when the
army lay In Its long winter crcamp-
ments. We now and then. In the pass
ins phrase, catch n glimpse OF the hui
NOR that makes lis all akin. The con-
tirsental soldier OF history seems 10 us
Il man OF stern and serious mould, all
over whose tense co~uEtcnance are writ
ten the hard lines OF fierce struggle for
prtnciple-for liberty.
But when We note the commanding
generals orders. threatening with dire
penalties soldiers who raid the orchards
aiong the line, OF march and approprl-
ate the farmers fence rails for n fire.
rs q scheme far ahead OF telling n tree.
we then begin 10 feel. the glow OF hu-
man touch. When Captain Blank at
tempts to tighten the rigors OF d win
ter's night ut Valley Forge by drinking
tea ana perhaps something else. In his
nut, with private soldiers Of his COM
mand and Is reqrimanded by General
washington, and Captain This or That
tS RnINFf M rtHntal Hf-- nIr- -
sunday morning. OF late spring, coat off,
In front OF his tent, shaving a private
soldier. We realize some old familiar
reflections from other and later camp
Tires and recognize the continental SOL
der as the, same erio-humorous fellow
that fought the later battles Of the re-
public. On the other hand, when we sec
the exalted commander the victim OF a
cao1l Of designing men OF env!ous tenn
per ana INSCRIPTIONS ambitions, when.
Tor instance, good Quartermaster Gem
eral Greene Is charged with REGULATION
In office and Is obliged with much eff
fort to Show congress that his hands
are Indeed clean. and Richard Henry
Lee. 10 select one OF many, u great and
pure statesman OF that day, becomes
the victim OF charges FULL OF sting and
slarder; when we note the paralyzins
ShSNN VI StGklUI!dI p~4tJuulCt, TIE insane
and unreasoElaG jealousy of anything
remotely suggestive of Capitalization.
We recall the echoes OF. 4 later day and
are all the more convinced ofkthc truth
OF an observation made by SOME one in
the lorS ago, who. travelling far and
wide and seeing many nations and
things, said, after eli. there are but two
kinds OF people In the ~world-men and
women.
There were two active forces in the
patriot army. the militia or minute
men, and the regular enlisted soldier. or
what was called THE Continental Es-
sabllshment,' the former being the peo-
PIE at large, who came at call and the
emergency over. went back home us
rapidly. They were not n proper army,
but they checked forays, served as
temporary g%arrisons and in many In
stances took brave part in hard fought
battles and skirTtsheg. But the effect
i've regular continental! service only
took shape ate: the repeated protests
and warnings of Washington aga!ns.
a condition of things military. in which
little responsibility was recognized, in
which strict discipline did not exist
ana mllitar? efficiency was not only
impaired but almost regatlved by short
enilstments. by the reluctance OF states
to waive leadership and by an extreme
Jealousy OF q standing army, On the
part Of men otherwise broad minded
and quick 10 grasp advantage. There
was q total Of recorded enlistments
curing the war of 23S,1Il men, hut at
no time during the struggle did 1.-The
army quite equal 3 $4,000. Thus q soldier
who served during the entire war
counted as seven in the total aggregate,
This feature of short enllstments was
the bane of the army, almost destroy
ing its efficiency. until the beginning of
the year III. To Illustrate. The force
under Washington's command August,
lie was 5000. In November following
Loco. When Washington crossed the
Delaware he took over 1000 men. the
term OF service OF $500 of whom eX-
plred In one week from that date. The
patriot aust at this juncture was at
Its low water mark and it would no
doubt nave proved 4 lost cause but for
the act OF congress, just then passed,
making thenceforth al! erfistments in
the continental army for the war;"
The law so enacted provided for forty
regiments. The colony OF Virginia was
TO raise fifteen OF these, including six
already in the field. Massachusetts
likewise fifteen. To stimulate enlist
ments u bounty OF twenty dollars. after
wards raised TO eighty, including one
hundred acres Of land, was promised
by congress 20 each private solder
FOR the war;"
The colony of Virginia afterwards
supplemented this. in case. of It's own
soldiers Of the hnc. by two hundred
acres additional land, ard two years
later voted to every Virginia soldier
for the war or who might thereafter
so enlist. "a healthy. sound negro, be-
tween the ages OF ten and thirty, or in
lieu thereof. sixty pounds in gold or
silver. at his option. and moreover,
three hundred acres of land." My M.