Year: 1871




From the Springfield Republican,


Seen through my boyhood's eyes, the
old days of militia trainings were very
grand occasions. When the warnings
had gone forth for the May inspection of
the trainers" anticipation was on tip
toe until the appointed day brought to-
gether the company, each man in his
neat uniform of blue turned up with
scarlet; his bright buttons and polished
musket; his white leather cross-bands
and handsome bear-skin cap, with its
side feather and front plate bearing the
gilded eagle and labelled: I'd Reg, I'd
Brig, 4th Div."-in all the pomp and
circumstance of mimic war. That
cabalistic inscription bore to my mind
some mysterious connection with Lex
ington and Bunker HILL and every man
seemed to me as brave and deserving OF
honor as the sturdy yeoman who, in
those eventful conflicts, looked the red
coats in the eye along their death-deal-
ing weapons. Then came the stirring
drum-call, the manual exercises, the
breaking into platoons, the imposing
wheel and march across the village
green, and, later in the day, the magnif-
cent firing To my childish imagination
no earthly portion was more enviable
than that of the stately captain, who
walked with military step behind the
musio with flashing sword, occasionally
turning to see that his men kept dress
and step, or to utter the curt command
for q fresh maneuver


Regularly, too, came the regimental
muster. On the mornings of those days
| was wakened by the tramp Of horses
and the clatter of wagons carrying
troops to the field, which was generally
one of the broad meadows at Cheapsde
(Deerfeld), whose level expanse per
mitted the largest freedom for military
evolutions. Forbidden by my careful
parents from gathering with the noisy
crowd on these occasions, / must needs
content myself with listening TO the dis
tant thunder of the cannon in the after
noon, and witnessing the return Of the
soldiers in the evening. Sometimes a
crowd of them would stop at the village
tavern to add to the already frequent
rotations of the day, when the fife and
drums would roll out some stirring march
upon the evening air, and the random
discharge of remaining cartridges signal
their final departure homeward. That
music, the commingling Of various uni
forms, the mock orders and merry
shouts thereat, the CLEAN of sabers and
bayonets dimly seen through the grow
| ing dusk, and the flash Of pistol and
musket shot, have left impressions on
NV memory which are inehaceable.
The young and thoughtless actors on
those iovial occasions are now aged and
totteriRg men, or have long since filled
their narrow beds beneath the clOds Of
the valley, and the military system of
the Commonwealth has been so changed
that their successors in kind will never
renew these scenes.


A memorable incident connected with
thsse old militia times in Franklin
county occurred when was ten or twelve
wears old. / do not remember the year,
but il was during the administration OF
Governor Lincoln, and was nearly the
last of the general trainings in that
section. Instead of the ordinary regi-
mental gathering, a muster Of the whole
brigade was summoned, and the Governor
and staff we're TO be present to review
the troops. 1t was the FIRST and | be
lieye the last occurrence Of the kind in
this country. This was permitted TO
attend. and the day formed an epoch in
my boyhood life. IL was a bright Sep
tember day, and the sun was scarcely
an hour above the horizon when myself
and. companions were on the ground
having driven ten miles to reach It..
Few days more thoroughly enjoyed live
in my recollection. The gathering Of
the various companies, squadrons and