The National tribune., 1901-05-23

at last and participate in the Grand Re-
view, where quarter million men,
bronzed by Southern sun, battle-scarred,
marched down Pennsylvania avenue, past
the White House and are reviewed by the
President.
The great struggle is ended, and l 60
home TO my native village, to receive hap
py greeting from a people whose hearts
are filled with love for returned soldiers.
My long tramp over the Confederacy is
ended. Reclining in my chair | see pic
tUred before me panorama, and as 1t
passes behold many an amusing incidents
of the war, a number of them grOteSque
and laughable, others stern and cruel, call
ing for pity rather than mirth.
War at all times, and under all circum-
stances, is relentless and cruel, and yet
il is tempered with many pleasantries,
which leayen the loaf, the sweets that are
always with the bitter.
To an old soldier his fOraging exper-
fences are his pleasant recollections. He
thinks about them, and he talks about
them, and while to others his oft-repeated
stories may become stale, to him their re-
membrance goes far toward knocking off
the hard places and rounding the corners
of his army experiences. The ready
tact with which he adapted himself
20 circumstances, and the willingness he
displayed in coming to the relief of the
Commissary when that individual failed to
supply the sinew of war, was truly Won
derfHl. Gen. Sherman understood these
qualifications and issued his orders ac-
cordingly.
Now as to my recollections of foraging.
My friends sometimes accuse me of be-
longing to the Sazarac Lying Club. 1t is
ah invidious prostitution of the truth by
small-minded people who are jealous of
my reputation as a truthful man. | must,
however, own to allowing my name to be
proposed for membership, but / was black
balled. The friend who handed in my
name gave as an excuse for my rejection
that the club thought it not right to elect
a man of my weIl-known standing to MEM
bership in the club. OF course, l thanked
the club through my friend for their
thoughtful consideration of my good name,
while at the same time | felt the true rea-
son was they We're afraid / would carry
off all the prizes at their annual lying
carnival, which takes place each year at
the close of the fishing season.
CONFEDERATE NOTES.
However, as there is nothing partieu-
fairly mean about me, j sent the club q
present of 81, 600 Confederate money. You
needn't smile. Confederate notes had their
purchasing power at one time. Why. |
remember being Of a party Of 10 down in
Tennessee who were asked to take a
smile" and repeat the dose, and when
the Knight of the Jug-there is where
he kept twas asked the damage, he
counted UP the number of drinks on the
tips of his fingers, and said, Two thou
sand dollars" The amount was pro-
duced from an old oil-clOth carpetbag,
that sat on the floor between our friends
legs, and paid with the sang froid of a
man who had been in the habit all his
life of paying $500 drink for his whis-
ky.
Perhaps it will be just as well to state
that these Confederate notes were made
in Chicago and sent to Uncle Sans sol
diers in $1,0OG packages at 80 cents a
package. 1t was very much superior to
the genuine Confederate money. being
printed on better paper and the engrav-
ings were better. They We're taken by
the people in preference TO their own film
sy rag money, that wore to pieces with a
little handling. The Chicago people
either became rich and retired, or the
Government stopped the printing as the
supply was cut off in about three months
after its Introduction.
FoRAGER
Mr.. Webster, in his definition of a for
ager, says: "One who fOrages." Now,
that is certainly a plain statement OF
facts; and yet were you to ask any old
veteran what a forager was, as he under
stood the term. he would tell you a for
ager was soldier who had been on quar-
ter rations for month, and had decided
to draw upon the enemy for the sup
plies. He will tell you about starting out
in the morning, picking his way through
the mud, now and then thrusting his
hand into the bottom Of the greasy haver-
sack by his side bringing out a handful
of crumbs remaining from the ration of
hsrdtack issued to him some days before
picking out the broken bits of crackers
from among the dirt and festive insects
which had found their way into his bread
basket, and eating them, while his coun-
tenance assumes an expression not unsI
like that which Pilgrim must have had
&ben he struck the slough of despond.