The National tribune., 1902-09-25

on the shoulders and others simply pin
nlng bars to indicate rank on the collar
of the shirt. 1t was joke among the
officers that rank was simply a matter
OF safety pins. The man who had the
most pins gave himself the highest rank
Though we stripped down pretty well
before we started, we had not been in
the field week before we found other
things that might be dispensed with, the
men discovering that their bayonets were
an lncumbrance as well as their tents and
blankets. The Springfield bayonet is a
long, slender object, and hangs loosely in
a scabbard at the left side. With a full
haversack, and especially with one load
ed with ammunition and weighing heavily
against the side, the bayonet is made to
stand out at an angle and becomes gen.
eral nuisance. 1t is in the way when the
ar lie down, and when one plumps down
4. as is frequently necessary, it
es gets between him and the
md gives him punch in the
stc~ Within a week there were not
bayoS 6ugh left IN my company to
serve for 'dlesticks, about the only real
service they ever performed. The men
could see no use in packing these incum-
brances when they could not get near
enough to the enemy to even shoot him
with any accuracy. When we charged
trenches, if tre ,Filipinos had remained
to meet US WI : bayonets we should have
been at a disadvantage; but that is some
thing we did not expect, and never hap
pened. The bayonet of the Krag is
shorter, wider and more generally useful
implement, and is worn at the back, where
1t is out Of the way, and therefore is not
thrown away. l had to lose in action
nearly my entire responsibility for bayo-
nets in making my final ordnance return.
1t took the Regulars some time to adopt
the extremely practical and businesslike
view Of fighting held by the volunteers.
They exhibited the same lack of adapt
ability and ,resopfcefulness as compared
with the volunteers in this matter as in
other things. 1t was hard for them to
give up some of their ideas and traditions,
but they had to come to it in the end
Such old Indian fighters as Lawton were
with the volunteers in this matter from
the beginning, but the younger Regulars,
VINO had not been on actual campaigns,
where every extra pound or incumbrance
had to be dispensed with and where for
malities and show were at q discount,
were not SO ready.
remember q newly arrived Regular
regiment coming out to join us, its col
ors flying to the breeze, it's men loaded
down with impedimenta, and all wearing
blouses over their blue shirts, and its of
fcers wearing both blouse and sword.
talked with an officer with whom l be-
came acquainted, very companionable
and sensible man, who declared that he
never would command troops without his
sword, SO strong did custom and military
tradition have its grip upon him, yet
month later that same officer was -four
lshlng stick in the place of a sword as
vigorously as any volunteer in the SER
vice.
The Oregon regimental colors came
home almost as bright and whole as when
they were presented to the regiment.
They were only used on parade and for
NAL occasions, or when the regiment rsoy-
ed from place to place before the cam
paign. Some Of the other regiments
which had headquarters a little distance
out Of Manila kept their colors with them,
ana they became more or less soiled and
torn by the wind and bamboo thorns. As
one returning regiment marched through
the streets of San Francisco with such q
flag, a friend to whom had told our Gus
tom about the flags, was standing by the
side Of man who was going into rhap-
sodies about that "battled-scarred banner"
and yentured to remark to him that Il
was not battle Scared at all. He was
almost mobbed by the crowd for SANDER
ing the returning heroes. Only our genu-
inc regard for the sanctity Of the flag
prevented us from dragging our own col.
ors over barbed wire fence to make II
tle-scarred also, when we discovered
that the people at home were going to
determine the amount of fighting a regi-
ment did by the dilapidated appearance Of
its flag.
I relate this to show how intensely
practical the volunteer is in war and how
little he is swayed by tradition and how
little heed he pays to mere custom. The
game OF war Is not what it was It is
no longer gay banners set in martial ar
Tray, but men with long-range rifles which