Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-01-28

but little instruction in the rudi-
ments of the military art, but was
required by law to meet on the first
Tuesday in June and on the occasion
to which the readers attention has
been called, they had met pursu-
ant to the statute in such case made
and provided that their officers
might instruct them in drill and dis
cipline." The two companies COM
manded by Captains Tossum and
Bowbent were duly ordered to
assemble at Maplewood. The men
came in from the hillsides and inter-
wales in double wagonoads, or on
foot, each wearing aWkwardly
fitting uniform of dark blue suit
with white facings, high bell
topped leathern cap, not unlike the
shake of earlier times, from the
crown of which projected plume
or pompon of black feathers with a
tip at the top of white ones. The
coat was the short tailed dress coat
with white facings and white cotton
chevrons for the non-commissioned
officers. while the decorations of the
captains and others of higher rank
glistened in gold tinsel as resplen-
dant as sunfowers in full bloom.
Old Major Piumstone was the
commander of this battalion. He
had in his later boyhood seen little
service as one of the raw volunteers
who went over to Plattsburg in
1914 to resist the invasion by the
British under Provost. Bravely par
ticipating in one Of the skirmishes
that took place while the guns of
Macdonough and Downie were thun-
dering in the lake, the major
learned to think himself a favored
child of Mars, and his talk was
mainly of military affairs, of which
his misinformation and ignorance
were equalled only by the dogmatic
certainty of his assertions. All the
events of his life happened either
before or after the eventful days,
When | was over to Plattsburg
with Macomb." No fact, however
irrelevant, bat reminded him of
something said or done when was
over to Plattshurg with Macomb. y
He was tall, raWboned, with great
shaggy eyebrows that had d way of
swapping and jerking, as if to give
emphasis to every utterance, and
even to the play of his thoughts.
by the dogs o'war !! " he was wont
to say, The Caucasian race turns
out the best fightin' men in the
world. OF all the Caucasian race
the Anglo-Saxons is the best; and of
all the Anglo-SaxUns the 'Nited
States prodooses the best, and of all
the 'Nited States, the Green Noun
tain boys is leetIe ahead of 'em all
for soldiers n fghtin' D." This strong
assertion of the valor and military
efficiency of the sons of his own
state was made with vehement de-
fiant manner so full of challenge
that no one. at least no Vermonter
was ever known to gainsay it; and
few who ever conversed with him
had not heard this declaration. He
sat his horse with stateliness that
would have been graceful were it
not that there was a stiffness about
it, as if some straight Jacket held up
' his body as the wide leather stock
held up his neck. He had brought
from his early experience two prom
inent ideas-one, that the officer is
very important parsonage; the
other, that rank confers not only
; knowledge and judgment of military
S matters, bat also an infallible wis
: dom of matters in general. He was
great sticker for discipline with
: the accent on the cip.O The salutes
of the officers he returned with a
vigorous raise of the hand done in
time and motions with the jerky
y snap of the drill sergeant at the
!, manual of arms. The companies
we're at length formed; roll was
ooJloJ ooJ apcuarad in oil cnrto "a