The daily Alaskan., 1905-08-14
A Di5Srunfied
 .Vcfera "a

AhAN NAN ANAAAAN AAHa hAAhAAAA patriotism, the war spirit that per vaded all classes. When regiment departed for the from, the streets w~e lined with people. tie windows wers hled with women waving adieus and huzzas rolled on with the tramplni men Ike ocean pillows following c shlp.
 Nevertheless these hcclamstions hsd little effect To rouse me from a certain melancholy. | realized that when ! got Into camp at the front they would bo replaced by the wind and rain. the bul- let. shot and shell and. worse t.u al these. dlscaSc. Resides was II-,.u- from Ruth dauiwcl, whom hal lals unsucccssfuny courtcd. but who. see inc me. an lldicr. hnd given way 'r oauu ssm Of the momsli n- rru.als,E tIat when . returned a her. .,.o vorb l1stDw her hand on me.
 Well. f1aal tho condition at the f.n4t al. | hId expected We were n0t ,ecu near thc first great battlefield Bul Run. At tha time lt was fought we we've lying in camp becoming very tlr1d of our occupation. Then we en- gagui Iu 70 number of petty skirmlshes. In some of whiah very large propor- tion or ihc force engaged were Killed. br. they ma5c uo stir among our Friends 8i tho north. for they were nos h. le. [ got sie' and spent weeks iu hosp. [ rrrovo.ad and was shot while on piyayt and Hu-sed my wound for three months iu Ernital ludeei, during the whole Nj. ] 0arITod every one of the great bafg,. fighting con stantly iu small aGlrr. .f nanny 0f which there was less ,. n. ug fs capiug alive than in a battt. s- wounded seven times. had every fever known In thc south. including the dreaded yellow fever. and nt last was discharged because tbc government did not think lt would pay Co try Co get mo we'll enough Co fight again. But this was only a few months before the close of the war.
 I expected Co be received In tbe north with the same enthusiasm as when had lcft Instead found that discharged soldiers had been coming from tSe front for four years and were an old story. Indeed bounty Jumping hnd become so common that some per. sons looked at mc askgnco, wondering lf | were not iu that line
 When | got near enough Co my home Co meet friends they began st onoc Co ask me to tell my experiences, Or. rath- CT. Co ask me what great battles bad participated In. ! was obliged Co reply, "Nonc." Tho look of disappointment on their fsccs ricrccd me Ike hayo net.
 What In no battle st allF' was the universal exclamation
 Not battle but was ln hundreds of hlg fights and skIrmishcs. vas often wounded had lunumcrahle diseases and after one campaign came very near dying from Che exposure had suffered"
 This enumeration of hardships pro. duced no effect whatever. Tor any credit got for lt might as well have stayed at home When [ reached home [ walked up the street. mentally pic. turing the scene had witnessed at my departure. Now every one was busy with Che ordinary affairs of life [ would not have known the country was a' w1-. Vim ! met friends I met thc -1me o1 Hrc.'I1n What bat. ties were you uf' ! wus obliged Co make the negative reply. always call ing forth on expression whioh seemel to say. "YoirC DO soldier. you've doubtless been all Che while with the provost ruari at Washington" Then they would turn to liscusS horse race or a baseball game with great rusto.
 Rut the cruclcst blow was Co fni that 'thc girl | Icft behind mc" had given herself Co another She had been more patriotic than thc most of them and had chosen soldier She had waited In vain Co hear of my distinguishing myself in some great battle and had at last given me up ss a very common plnCc soldier. Then came man whS had entered thc army in January. iSi2 been In tho reserves at shiloh and had resigned Co % home and run for the legislature. This rising young man had supplantcd me and the wedding had taken place a few weeks prior Co my return.
 It is now forty years since that re turn. and [ have lived those forty years without exciting the slightest en- thuslasm as a soldier. [ have answer. ed thousands of questions as Co what battles [ fought in and on my reply have received the same expression og disappointment Rut have been somewhat moulhcl as to my own case for. though my best friend died in the war Of camp fever. [ fnd that even he Is not considered Co have bccu Of any especial service Co hts country or at least to have done anything heroic
 More than this, ln these later days [ have discovered that no man can have been one Of the heroes of the war Co the mass of unwarlike people who has not participated In the one battle that