The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-07-21

discipline is running down at an awful
| rate, said the military Harry Joslyn. 'All
| the white regiments around here know that
the war is over, and you can't get them to
take any interest in military things. The
best-drilied colored regiments are being
| rushed off to Texas and tie Rio Grande as
fast as they can get transportation for
| them. In most of the camps are only odds
| and ends of regiments. They are all un-
der the command of some Captain or First
Lieutenant, sent here to give him something
| to do, and put in the time, and who don't
Same with the hospitals, said ALT Rus
| sell. Il want to get to Washington, where
| they are doing things up to date"
At dress parade, Maj. Bowersox spoke
| to the regiment:
MEN, tomorrow morning at o'clock
we start on what l believe to be our last
| marches in an enemy's country. Washing
40 miles directly north. We're going there
as fast as~your legs will carry you. We
| are going over the ground that our COM
| rades OF the Army of the Potomac fought
| over for four long years, where they fought
| more battles and lost many thousand more
men than we did. We are going directly
| over the backgrounds of the" -
(Tha Adjutant prompted him)-
"Over the backgrounds of Hanover
Courthouse, Spotsylvania The Wilderness
Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and Bull
| Run. AS the war is now over, and the
| country is at peace, you must refrain from
| habits acquired on the march through
| the people as friends. and respect their
property. They are all peaeeable, well-Is-
posed and inclined to be friendly. I shall
punish severely any depredations. and shall
| hold every officer strictly responsible for
the good conduct of the men under his COM
mand. We have before us the pleasantes
marches we have ever made I'm glad to
say. Adjutant, dismiss the parade"
| Twon't be, no trick at all to march
| 40 miles over such country as this, -
remarked Monty Scruggs, as after supper
they were prepa ring for the morrow "As
the Major says. it'll be picnic"
Eyes, it amt much like the mountains
from Chattanooga to Atlanta" agreed Har-
ry Joslyn
| Cor the swamps of South Carolina in
Winter time" added ALI Russell.
Its the Spring, the best part of the
year, too," said Gid Mackall. It'll be
more like the march through Georgia. ex-
cept that there won't be no Wheeler's
Cavalry to stir things up occasionally .
stand why those Eastern fellows make such
fuss about campaigning in such coun-
try as this
81 should say So" echoed Harry Joslyn
''They never saw Mission Ridge or Kene-
saw"
Six o'clock the next morning did not
| come any too soon for the eager boys. They
were waiting for the bugle, and sprang into
line at once. The column was formed and
moved out with the prOmptnesS of the very
best days of the 2OOth Ind, when it felt
| itself the smartest regiment in the corps.
| They took the road leading little east
Of north, passed under the guns of a now
| 70 nd fort 0f
and on a mile further through Lighter
| line Of works encircling the whole city.
''Well, here's the famous Chickahominy,
said the Adjutant to the Major, as they
| refined their horses up on the edge of the
crest and looked across the wide, shallow
| valley. Heres the barrier that many
times defed the might of the Army of the
Potomac and cost unnumbered lives. Over
| there, some miles to the right, is Gaines's
Mills, which was the extreme right of the
Army of the Potomac, under Gen. McClel-
Ian, and where Fitz John Porter defeated
! Stonewall Jackson. Not so far to the right
is Shady Grove Church. which was the ex-
| farther to the right is Cold Harbor, where
Gen. Grant made an attempt to break
| through the barrier and take Richmond at
one blow, and lost 10000 men in 20 min
utes. Great Scott! it would have been a
big thing if he had succeeded. He would
have had Lees army and Richmond, and
ended the war before the sun set
Don't seem such terrible obstacle"
replied the Major, surveying the shallow
| valley. Its bad, of course, but we have
gone over worse than that"
"Mebbe SO, and mebbe not" answered
the Adjutant. You haven't seen il yet.
Wait till you get across it. Then, too, we
never had to buck up against Lees army
$1,000 to 100000 strong, standing OH the
other bank.
"Bragg's men and Johnston's men were
just as good as Lees" persisted the Major
when LOngstreet came out West he didn't
run over us, as he expected. He didn't do
any better fighting than those other fell
lows. He wasn't bit harder to handle"
Eyes and no, Longstreet certainly gave us
10 pretty bad hour that Sunday afternoon on