Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-07

grinncd most offenSively end pOintcC
to the only horse that remained. J
Went into the stall to look Mt him. but
got ont again Just in time TO save my
self from a kick. There was no time
TO be lost. for most of the men had al
ready mounted and were being cursed
into some sort Of line in the company
street.
Fall In on the extreme leftw roarcd
the captain. | obcyed orders, being
near there already. A mounted ser.
geant was already there. but he was
not there moment later He went to
the hospital with compound fracture
of the lower leg. caused by the hoofs
OF my horse, and he never saw active
service again.
Az we sat there and were again
brought to some scmblance of line. the
captain remembered that he had not
yet appointed his full complement of
noncommissoncd officers. The compa.
ny was entitled to eight sergeants and
eight corpUrals. of whom only five ser.
geants had been designated, and one
of these had been sent to the rear by
my horse. OF corporals we had none.
"Who loaded those pistolsT' asked
the captain.
"Cloyne, Hamilton and Frost" re.
piled the first sergeant
And Brainard." said l from the left.
"Cloyne," said the captain, you will
act as sergeant; Hamilton, sergeant
and commissary; Frost
How did my jacket buttons succeed
in holding in my heart during that
glorious second of anticipation? for
got every annoyance and disappoint.
ment of the past. Military ability,
even If only displayed in loading re.
volvers. was to be recognized and re-.
warded. The captain was a splendid
fellow. wanted to order three cheers
for him at once but just then famil.
lar grating voice rose from the center
OF the line.
81 was promised to be sarjint mesilf
Didn't recruit sivinteen min"
$50 you did McTwyny," said the cap
tain. looking at nle ruttian a moment
before he spoke. well, you shall be
the remaining sergeant Frost. first
corporal; Hrainard, second corporal
The captain continued through the
list Of corporals, and my heart sank
Twas better to be corporal than pri
vate. but to have had my expected hon
or snatched from me by some one else
and that somebody Mick McTwyny-tc
have Mick for my official superior. Oh
1t put my spirits to fight. and some OF
my patriotism tried to go with them
Sergeant McTwyny to his post"
shouted the captain.
Down beside me came Mick McTwy.
ny. Oh, II he had but been there whcu
the other sergeant's had been broker
by my horse. Still he was there now
and so was my horse. | could hope.
From the parade ground, where the
colonel and adjutant sat mounted. q
bugle blew the ASSEMBLY" the sigma.
for forming line.
"Forward" blew the colonel's bugler
"FOurs right, march," shouted the
captain. "Io the left march,
We obeyed orders as well as we could
according to the tactics in which we
had been drilled on foot. Between the
top of the tents we could see the other
companies filing out of their respective
streets and forming column in the road
In front of camp. There was ~me
trouble and great deal of profanity,
which began to seem an army niece SSH.
~, as different captains endea vored 10
take place in column according to
seniority and We're hindered by other
captains whose lines of march crossed
their own. Some of the men In the
newer companies got dreadfully mixed
up and made lot of trouble before
they We're set to rights, for they were
not accustomed to horses, much less to
riding Finally, however the whole
force was in columns of fours in the
road, and when the adiutant, learning
this by gallopng down the tanks, sig.
nailed the colonel, the latter had his
bugler once more sound "Forwardw
"FOrwardw repeated the bugle of
each of the IL companies.
Forward" shouted each captain.
With confused trample Of horses
bines, jingle of spurs, tumble OF
"Whoa" "Git up" "G'longw and
"Durn ye" from the recruits and in a
great halo of dust the regiment was off.
And yet "a regiment two thirds
OF whose men had never seen their
horses until that morning and half OF
whose recruits had never before been
on horseback, who had to have their
pistols loaded for them and who had
never been drilled together nor taught
even the simplest company movements
on horseback
Well. twas the way with hundreds
OF other regiments during the earlier
years of the war, and twas nobody g
fault apparently. AS n nation we could
bring men together faster than we
could arm and drill them. Fortunately
for MS, our neighbors at the south were
having the same i'll luck.
CHAPTER VII.