The National tribune., 1908-09-03
The Hardships of Marching.

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No civilian can form any conception
of the hardships endured by the men
in the field. Walking itself Is or1inari-
ly pleasurable automatic exercise; but
when after a long march the ambulatory
muscles have reached the limit of en-
durance. when one foot has to be driven
ahead of the other by sheer will power.
then the torture Is indescribable. Some
times the jaded soldiers wese spurred
on to still further exertion by the rub
a-dub-dub of the drum corps. What
agony the men of the Army of the Po
tomac endured while dragging their
weary limbs over the dusty roads of
Maryland, when going to the succor of
their comrades on the field of Gettys-
burgi Once on the Peninsula the writ
er saw, with tear-bedimmed eyes, a boy
soldier who had been tehderiy reared
at home. marching barefoOted across
the brier-coyered fields of Virginia, his
feet bleeding at every step. His ill-ft-
ting shoes had chafed his feet so badly
that he was compelled to throw them
away.
No one who belonged TO Gen. Peck g
command in southeastern Virginia can
ever forget the terrible ''Windsor"
march of '63, when, sinking in the mire
at every step, until the skirts of our
| overcoats trailed on the ground, after
plUuulHS oH lDOt tllTu Tic AL
and all night, in pelting rain. we final
ly staggered into our log huts in Suf-
| folk more dead than alive
On another occasion l remember gee
ing lost cavalry regiment coming in
on the plains of Manassas after a 100
mile ride, the troopers. with the ex-
ception of their commander, all sound
asleep and reeling in their saddles like
drunken men, - II
,.,hap aa ,yara
not at all troubled with insomnia. After
a long day-and-night march they sank
into slumber so profound that neither
a riyulet trickling under their backs
from aadownpourF0f rain nor the roar
of cannon over their heads disturbed
them in the slightest degree. They slept
the sleep of the just. 30
Sometimes we were required to stand
at arms all night long, without fire. in
the coldest weather. On such occasions
we had to beat a constant tattoo on the
ground with our feet to- keep them from
freezing. bn AMI
While we were in SUFFOLK, Va, one
poor fellow in my regiment, whose love
affairs had not prospered at home. pined
away and finally died of nostalgia. ~
Sometimes an infantrynian, after car
rying his overooat and blanket ali day.
would be so tagged out at night that he
had to abandon them just before reach
ing camp. Being too weak to prepare
his own meal, he would have to lie
down supperless and shivering. unless
some of his comrades came to his re-
lief. Often, late at night, l have seen
a kfnd-hearted Captain trudging along
with gun on each shoulder. which he
had taken away from two of his tired
out soldier boys.
ar7aIr 80 frr r1rsu9 81
Good Coffee. ...l--
The coffee furnished the army was
always good, and the whisky which had
passed Government inspection was free
from adulteration. Soldiers who had to
stand for long time in water in muddy
trenches during inclement weather were
served with a daily ration of whisky
and quinine, the latter being invaluable
as a preventive of maiarial diseases.
half a dozen officers spending an
evening together sociably could easily
dispose of an ambulance keg of whisky
without feeling any i'll effects the next
morning.
Young men, after undergoing the
hardshipS and priyations of army life
for few years, came to have better
appreciation of the blessings of. Proyi-
dence, understood better the full sig
nificance of that part of the Lords
Prayer which says, "Give us this day
our daily bread" and learned to eat
what was set before them without COM
plant or murmur.
Death itself must have been well
come release to the poor starved prison
ers at Andersonville. What happy
translation to that country where ''They
shall hunger no more" where God
shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes
The war over, I was impatient to re-
turn to civilization, and at the earliest
opportunity started North. l rode
horseback across the State of Virginia
alone, my good horse swimming or ford
ing the great rivers. Every one I met
who had been mixed up with the re-
bellion wanted either to be paroled or
to take the oath of allegiance.
On arriving in New York City / went
directly to the old Merchants Hotel, on
Courtlandt street. 1t was meal time,
and on taking a seat in the dining-room
darlSy waiter, dressed in immaculate
white, came to my table. and asked me
what / would have to eat. Imagine an
old soldier whose everyday fare for
three years had been hardtack and cof-
fee being confronted wities modern
bill of fare containing all the luxuries
of the season, / was sidumbfounded at
first, and couldn't answer but finally
summoned up courage, and told him Il
guessed--I keLsorne--perl1-
and-beans.-J. N. Flint. ogaptain, 1stI
N. Y. Dragons, u. S. Naval Office, San