The National tribune., 1904-06-16

foundries, coal-mines and factories of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and
New England: cabin boys from river
steamers and ocean ships; willful wander
ing urchins from country towns. infiamed
with the spirit of war, and smuggled to
the front by some regiment passing
through where they lived.
The men Of the regiments had adopted
them. petted them, protected them, and
taught them whatever deviltry they had
not yet mastered.
Far more care and attention. were law
ished upon teaching them to box and ham
die themselves in a fracas than upon all
else.
Every regiment was boastful of the
fighting abilities of it's drummers and
buglers. and ready to back one or all of
them against anything another regiment
could produce.
And the young tooters and rattlers were
far more jealous of the fame of their regi-
ments, brigades, divisions and corps than
the men themselves. The superior fame
of their particular unit of the army was
proclaimed, in season and out of season,
i'm shrillest tones. which had no quaver
Of uncertainty. There could be no doubt
in any boys mind that this regiment was
the best that ever took arms" that the
brigade excelled all others, and that all
the other corps ate their hearts out in
gnawing envy when his went into action.
They were instantly ready to maintain this
loudly-asserted opinion with all the power
Of their arms, and it never could be pound
ed out of them, no matter how badly they
were licked.
A few days before, the Second Corps,
marching from Appomattox. had swept
through Richmond in all its magnificent
war strength, rushing on over the battle
ground of fierce years, to take part in the
glorious final pageant Of the war-the
Grand Review at Washington.
For some reason the drummers and
buglers of brigade had been detached
and left behind at Richmond, to come on
with some property by boat. These felt
it incumbent on them to maintain and as
sert all the greatness and glory Of the
grand old Second Corps.
Their leader was Skinny Mclaughlin.
the champion featherweight of the bri-
gade, a raw-boned hobbledehoy, who had
been a mule-boy in a Pennsylvania coal
mine before he followed regiment to
the front. He had black, curly hair, large
hands and feet, and a big mouth, which
still did not seem big enough for all that
issued from it. When he was not blow
ing the bugle. he was giving his views in
strident, reaching tones on all that had
happened, was happening, or likely to hap
pen, in which biting sarcasm, slang and
profanity were about equally mixed.
Even the Generals were far more afraid
than they cared to admit of his blistering
tongue, for he voiced the public opinion
Of the regiment and the whole corps. and
he was relentless as to their defects and
failures. He could not be restrained, for
he was too young to buck and gag or tie
up
It was he whom Pete had run up
against in the acrimonious discussion as
to the respective merits of the Army Of
the Potomac and Sherman'S Army.
To nd fad ha
coming Of the Western troops into what
they considered their proper bailiwick.
precisely as they had at home resented
the coming Of a strange boy into their al
ley.
"Hello, kid" he had supercilously sa-
lnted Pete. He was not three months
older than Pete, nor a quarter of an inch
taller. where are you tOddlers from"
Were from Sherman's Army" an
swered Pete. BEST army in the country.
We ended the war"
Pete had bristled up. His army should
lose nothing by his assertion.
Skinny Mclaughlin gave him the hoarse
derisiye hoot.
ENDED the war? Like the man kept
tavern in Indiana. Hear the chump
OOdle."
'If you say anything agin Injianny, I'll
bust your gourd," said Pete. firing up.
Ended the WARP" chortied Skinny.
a single battle than Sherman's Army ever
saw"
1.-THE Second Corps?' sneered Pete
whats that? A hundred days outfit?
The Fourteenth, Twentieth and Twenty
first Corps fought the battle of Chicka-
mauga. and the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Corps came up to us after
they'd taken Vicksburg, and the Twenty.
third Corps came down from East Ten
nessee, but never heard of no Second
Corps. Where was it while we were doing
all the fighting and putting down the re-
bellion"
Hi, vi, stag de hay-seed kinch."
'Git on to de hoop-pOle, chump"
'My, what tough liar.''
Sonny, where've you been hoein' corn
all through the WARP"
"Pipe de egg-spcker."