The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-06-01
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell Of
Whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonetar
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles
Camp Fire, Festive EuRs, Etc, Ete.

that the newspapers didn't give more
attention TO Field Marshal Oyama's
characterization of the modern Jap
hnese army. After explaining that
Under the old rule military service
was limited to the hereditary fighting
D. soldier class, the general pointed
TO the result OF breaking away from
the old rule and calling men of all
classes into the army. He insisted that
an army including all classes had a
finer national spirit and fought better
than the old army made up exclusive
~ Of professional fighters.
This interested me greatly, because
It called to mind experiences in the
Union army Of the civil war which IL
iustrated the processes by which the
average man of patriotic impulse was
transformed into a soldier. 1t is i'm
possible for the present generation to
understand how utterly ignorant the
men OF 1861 were of the simplest de-
tails of military service. There were
then very few military companies out
side Of the large cities, and the men,
bers OF the few carried themselves as
superior beings.
when Fort Sumter was fred on the
members of the military companies In
the country towns constituted a sort
Of fighting caste, and they became the
drill masters Of the thousands Of pa
trfotic young men, not one of whom
could come to an about face. l re-
member well when a hundred of our
best young men organized a military
company. They sent to Captain
Branch in the nearest city, asking
him TO send one of his crack company
out to drill us. A private in the COM
pany donned a lieutenant's uniform
and came out to act as instructor at So
an hour, and he lorded it over a hun
dred as earnest and intelligent men as
ever lived.
$50 anxious were we to learn, and
70 much respect had we for a man
who knew military things that we bore
with the autocratic impertinences OF
the drill master and conceded ali he
demanded in the way Of Difference to
himself. He seemed to us great man,
Although we discovered later that he
taught US very little. We went for
ward rapidly, however, after he left Us,
and were soon at the front, where we
learned in a few months more than
any crack holiday soldier could teach
Us. After several campaigns we were
with Buell's advance to Shiloh, and
as we climbed the bank of the river,
where thousands of stragglers were
gathered, heard a voice that knew.
"The men of the company had been
In service nearly a year. They con-
stituted the crack company Of a fight
Ing regiment They were going up the
river bank into battle, and they were
ready and eager to meet the enemy.
Imagine their surprise when they saw
their pompous little drill master Of the
previous April standing among the
stragglers declaiming to the newcom-
ers about the glory and death that
awaited them in front.
1.-The captain, who had been among
the humblest Of the learners, in April.
1861, and was in April, 1862, one Of
the most resourceful officers in the
regiment, looked at the declaimer in
wonder. The orderly, who had been
roundly abused because he could not
hold his hands still, said quietly to the
shouting straggler: If you want to
90 to the front and glory fall in at the
Fear Of the company Then came the
marching men, whose swing into line
and soldierly bearing silenced The man
who had lorded 1t over chem for So
IN hour less than year before. They
mad become fighting soldiers, while he
had stood still at $13 a month.
There had been surprises and dis
appointments in the company, Of
eourse. In the first forced march FIVE
Of the strongest and finest looking men
fell by the way, and three OF them did
not recover their health for several
years. Slender young fellows, given
three months to break down, stood
that march end all others well. Men
81 refinement and education had come
into close fellowship with men who
could not write their names, and the
hodcarrier had become the comra6e of
bis old employer. but the thinning out
and leveling processes had made de-
bendable soldiers Of ALL"
Il remember" said the captain, zone
nns looking fellow who enlisted after
We had started to the front. He
carried himself well In all things and
nj went well with him until he came
30 signing the pay roll, when he
baked and declined to sign. I saw
embarrassment in the fellows eyes
and cid not press the point. Later ]
called him to my tent and showed him
that several of the men had made their
marks, but IL he didn't want to make
his mark would teach him to write
bis name and wait until he could sigr
Tor himself. He said he couldn't ever
make pot hooks, but II would give
him three days he would write his OWL
name.
HE was the proudest man / evel
saw when three days later he wrote
his name. But he confided to me thai
be was in fresh trouble, as he couldn'-
read a blamed word Of the letters thai
eame to him from acquaintance, who
took 1t for granted that he could write
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