The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-07-12

cant piece VI BiouHi oOiHS
blocks away from the White House,
where we sat on our knapsacks or
stretched at full length on the
ground, resting and awaiting the ar
rival of our tents and commissary.
During the waiting time the boys
all chattered away-liks boys in
camp will talk-but this talk was
not on the usual topics discussed
by young soldiers, but it was cen
tered on Lincoln and the dirty work
of the party engaged in the scurri'
lous cartooning of him whom every
man in the regiment was ready to
swear was the noblest man in the
country and would make the best
President. Since we had all seen
the President there were no more
mistrustings or doubts among the
boys. All expressed the fullest con-
fdence in his wisdom, judgment
and ability to guide and direct the
country during his term of office;
but, above all, the boys noticed
Mr.. Lincoln's thorough loyalty to
the Union, and his sincere, direct
and candid manner captured every
man in the regiment. And from
that time on they were devoted to
him to their last breath. We had
all looked into those wonderful eyes
and each one of us felt that Lincoln
had seen deeper into our selves than
any other living being, except 1t be
our mothers.
"Say, Sergeant" spoke up a
young fellow who was sitting on his
knapsack and bathing his feet in
cool water, "say, don't you know |
was one of those cussed fools who
mistrusted that mani | rea lily
thought he must be something just
awful or they wouldn't dare to pic
ture him out as they do. Why, |
saw on a board fence not more than
a block from the White House a
great picture in colors representing
Lincoln as a monstrous baboon car
rying a great club shaped something
like broad Lake! Why did the gov
ernment allow these bills to go up?
Tell me if you can" Of course,
the boys were all ready to march
over the city at once and pull down
those cartoons and capture every
relel flag that showed itself; and
this they did during the first few
days and nights after they got to
the city, though the othcers were
supposed to know nothing of these
secret raids. While the boys took
in many little rebel flags, the big
flag at the end of the bridge was
Haunting in our faces all day long,
and it required the greatest care on
the part of the officers of the resi-
ment to prevent the soldiers from
making some foolhardy attack In
the attempt to capture the boasting
rebel ensign.
The first few months of our SER
vice we were ready to cheer "any
old thing" almost, and sometimes
the boys would break out cheering
in the middle of the night, in spite
of the efforts of the guard to pre-
vent it. However, for few days
before we were ordered to Washing
ton the boys had been very quiet,
cheering but little; but after we had
seen the President we were ready to
cheer anything at the drop of the
hat. Mr.. Lincoln got ten cheers
where other men and things had to
be satisfied with one, and we were
all ready to admit we had been the
biggest fools in three counties to
ever for moment mistrust our
noble President. 81 thought" said
one of the boys, Gas the rebs poSed
their little reb rags at us while we
were marching up the avenue, that
Lincoln must be strange president
to allow such bold and open treason.
But | think l understand it now.
You see, there are traitors every
where, in the government even, and
the President don't know whom he
can trust, but he can put his trust
and his money on this bloody regi-
ment to our last shirts, and I'm 60
ing to tell him so the first chance l
get" Then we would all cheer for
Lincoln, the Union, our mothers
and sweethearts until we became so
hoarse we could hardly speak above
a whisper.
The arrival of the wagons with
our tents and commissary changed
the program for us in moment, for
it was now nearly night and we had
had not a bite to eat since O'Clock
that morning. when we were halted
for an hour to rest in the woods be-
fore resuming our forced march to
the city. After supper we we're
again drawn up in line and our guns
and ammunition Inspected, and then