Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-02
DAILY SHORT STORY
A DISCOUNTED VETERAN.
lOrigfnal.1

away w.El the boys in blue. No one
who has been born since those stormy
DAYS can realize the enthusiasm. the
patriotism, the war spirit that per-
vaded all classes When a regiment
departed for the front the streets were
lined with people. the windows were
filled with women waving adieus and
huZZas rolled on with the tramping
men like ocean pillows following a
ship.
Nevertheless these acclamatiOns had
little effect TO rouse me from certain
melancholy. / realized that when l got
into camp at the front they would be
replaced by the wind and rain, the bull
let, shot and shell and. worse than all
these, disease. Besides l was parting
from Ruth Halliwell, whom l had long
unsuccessfully cOurted, but who see
ing me an embryo soldier, had given
way to the enthusiasm Of the moment
and promised that when I returned
hero she would beStow her hand on me.
Well, | found the conditidRl at the
front as | had expected. We were not
Bull Run At the time 1t was fought
we were lying in camp. becoming very
tired of our Occupa ton. Then we ell
gagged in "a number OF petty skirmishes.
In some of which very large proper
ton of the force engaged we're killed,
but they made no. stir among our
friends al the north, for they were not
battles. | got sick and spent weeks in
hospital | recovered and was shot
while Oh picket and uursed my wound
for three months in hospital. Indeed,
during the whole wax | escaped every
one Of the great battles, lighting con
stantly in small affairs, in many of
which there was less chance Of my es-
Gaping alive than in battle. ! was
wounded seven times. had every fever
known I'm the south, including the
dreaded yellow fever. and at last was
discharged because the government did
not think it would pay to try to get me
well enough to fight again. But this
was only u few months before the close
of the war.
/ expected to be received in the
north with the same enthusiasm as
when had left. Instead l found that
discharged soldiers had been coming
from the front for four years and were
an old story. Indeed bounty jumping
had become so common that some per-
sons looked at me sskance, wondering
If were not In that line.
When | got near enough TO my home
to meet friends they began at once to
ask me TO tell my experiences, or. rath-
er, 10 ask me what great battles had
participated in. I was obliged to reply,
None" The look of disappointment
on their faces pierced me like a bayo-
net
What! In no battle at all:" was the
universal exclamation.
Not battle but was in hundreds
OF big fights and skirmishes, was often
wounded, had innumerable diseases
and after one campaign came very
near dying from the exposure I had
suffered
This enumeration OF hardshlps pro-
duced no effect whatever. For any
credit got for it l might as well have
stayed at home When l reached home
| walked up the street. mentally pic
turing the scene had witnessed at my
departure. Now every one was busy
with the ordinary affairs Of life. l
would not have known the country
was at war. When | met friends ]
met the same old question. What bat
ties were you in?' / was obliged to
make the negative reply, always call
ing forth an expression which seemed
to say, You're no soldier; you've
doubtless been all the while with the
provost guard at Washington" Then
they would turn TO discuss q horse race
or Il baseball game with great gustO.
But the cruelest blow was to find that
the girl I left behind me" had given
herself to another. She had been more
patriotic than the most Of them and
had chosen soldier. She had waited
in vain TO hear Of my distinguishing
myself ia some great battle and had
at last given me up AS very common
place soldier Then came q man who
had entered the army I'm January. 1852
been in the reserves at Shiloh and had
resigned to go home and run for the
Legislature. This rising young man
had supplanted me. and the wedding
had taken place few weeks prior TO
my return.
1t 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 to what
battles | fought Ia and on my reply
have received the same expression of
disappointment But l have been
somewhat Modified as to my own case.
for, though my best friend died In the
war Of camp fever. I find that even he
is not considered TO have been of any
especial service to his country or at
least to have done any thing heroic.
More than this, I'm these later days 1
have discovered that no man can have
been one Of the heroes OF the war to
the mass of unwarlike people who has
not participated i'm the one battle that
is now considered the decisive engage
ment of the waT-Gettysburg. No one
on learning that I am a veteran now
asks me what battle I participated in
but whether / was at the battle Of