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Show back upon our line. These works were not over 200 feet apart and the Brock road lay between them. Tho rebels planted thole colors on the first line. ' AVe were ordered to charge over our works. . and did so. Tho troops there rallied, and together we drove the rebels buck ut the point of the bayonet, hardly giving them timo to get their colors. An attempt was made tn capture them, but the rebels got them and rotreated. Tho works to the left of us were on fire at tho time, but not in our front When tho old Third Corps gave way in confusion confu-sion it was time for Carroll's or any other troops to be looking for a line of retreat. Our men that fell on that afternoon are buried on the east side of the Brock road near the plank road. W'o held this position until we marched to the left to Todd's Tavern, and I think the history made by Hancock's Han-cock's nnd Sickle's old corps, united under one command, was us brilliant nnd full of fight as that scored by any other organization of tho Army of the Potomac. I remained with tho boys until severely se-verely wounded tit the charge on Taylor's Bridge at tho crossing of the North Anna, and though the old division di-vision with the red diamond was budly used up by that time it was still in the ring when I left to go home on a stretcher 1". K. Doak. in Nat. Tribune. Mora Tliun Two Thousand Deixrtem. In his message tho Secretary of W ar says: Tho number of desertions from the army for the twelve months onding September 'M were "J.ONli, us against 2,761 for tho same period last your, a decrease of '2i per cent. This result is due to such improvements in tho service as could be accomplished under existing legislation. Although desertions tiro already greatly reduced, re-duced, so long as they continue in any considerable numbers they must, havo a bud effect upon tho morale of tho army and entail a largo aud needless expense. Tho practical solution ot this somewhat vexed question assumes throo phases: First, bow to make the service more desirable; second, how to remove the artificial restraints which, by binding a man inllexibly to a long service which has become distasteful dis-tasteful to him, naturally drives him to desperate means; third, how to make the puuishmont for the crime so certain Unit if more worthy motives fail men, may bo warned by its fear. As to the second and third thore is legislation onough, at least with our present experience. With respect to tho fiist thore is, I think, need of more. A I'anMon IWIilon. Assistant Secretary Bussey has ren- THE CAMP FIRE. EXPERIENCES OP SOLDIERS DURING TilE LATE REBELLION. Vaterans Heeommg Inana Wirat In tha AruivTha Wilrinrnas Again hhort Item, Ktc. The Milwaukee National Homo contains con-tains at this writing probably 2,500 members, all of whom, with very fow exceptions, were pronounced sane men by the examining surgeon when admitted. As tho years rolled by more and more became insane. Most are harmless, but some are vicious. Every year a batch of these unfortunates unfortu-nates are sent to the asylum at Washington, Wash-ington, in order to make room here, and for better treatment at the capital. cap-ital. Still, they multiply at an alarming alarm-ing rate, till the number of so-called cranks" is something fearful to understand, un-derstand, even by a close observor. The causes are said to bo broken health, broken hearts, broken fortunes, for-tunes, family troubles and failure fail-ure in obtaining pensions. For the benefit of, and as a well-meant, well-meant, timely warning to all comrades, com-rades, and wives, sons and daughters of veterans who are now inmates of this or any other Home, I wish to give my own reason for this inereaso of insanity in-sanity among the old soldiers. In a majority of cases I honestly believe that the cause can plainly bo traced to an entirely different source than the above mentioned reason. Friends, you have neglected the veteran by considering that ho has already been well provided for by a grateful people, peo-ple, and consequently you have almost al-most entirely forgotten him you never (or hardly ever) correspond, never send him his local newspupers; you do not cheer liim up, and never throw a ray of sunshine sun-shine across his lonely, wearisome way. Days, weeks, months and years pass by, but he never receives a sin-gie sin-gie token of love, or reinembrunco. Day after day our feeble old friend of former happy days wanders to his postotli.ie, nnd calls for letters that never come. Week after week ho Bonds messages to loved ones, or friends of his schoolboy days, but nover receives tin answer. Slowly, with feeble steps and bowed head, he walks about the Home grounds; his comrades that pass by he never knows. Life is a drudge, and hope is gone, and how it ends you can well imagine. Somo day his roommates room-mates read his funeral notice on the "bulletin board" In the main halls, or are informed that he has been sent over to the "crazy" ward. Tho governor gov-ernor of tho Homo is n kind and just man. The surgeons do all thoy can to ease the old sufferer, but, alas! they cannot return youth to them; they cannot replace friends, wives,, sons and daughters, and above nil, the National Na-tional Home is not the "Homo, Sweet Home," that the soldier dreamed and Wi sang of during and before tho war. , " FJoase remember your old friends at low. th Bawa.-'RBf. "-ftr. giro me If I havo . spoken rashly or wrong. Fred ttozgc, SSth Ohio Inft., in Toledo Blado. Wl in tla Army. In the army, as elsewhere, tho man who squanders his money will bo always al-ways poor and wretched. On the contrary, if he is industrious and thrifty there is no walk of life in which an ignorant, unlettered man. lucking the education necessary to enable him to aspire to anything better than daily labor for daily bread, can do. hotter. Though only officers are now per- mitted to. have their wives with them. yet when I becume a soldier in 18 12 and for many years afterward a certain cer-tain number of women wero allowed to each company in a regiment as laundresses. laun-dresses. These women werethowives of the private soldiers, and as I was so fortuuato as to secure one of these positions for my wife I was able to have her with mo until tho breaking out of the late civil war. This practice prac-tice is still obsorved In all the armies of Croat Britain aud her colonies, and I think our government made a great mistake in abandoning it. Married irnen with wife and children by .their thde make the best soldiers. The presence of those dear ones restrains re-strains a man and tends to make and keep him ever sober, faithful and brave in the discharge of his duty. In time of battle he has a more direct interest in-terest in winning the fight than tho single man, or he whose wife and children chil-dren are in perfect safety hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles away. He feels that he is battling for a personal slake, and accordingly puts forth his highest, best efforts. In this respect a British soldier has a marked advantage advant-age over the American, though in ev-ory ev-ory other way the condition of the , (former is not so good as that of the latter. The British soldier is not so t)-- well paid nor so well fed, and his ' chances for promotion are not nearly so good, but to be allowed to have wife and children with hiin moro than compensates him for all his other dis- i advantages James Whalen, in Chi- cngo News. Tha Wildorne, Ward's Brigade, of Bir-ney's Bir-ney's Division, Second Corps, formerly former-ly First Division, Third Corps (tho old .Phil. Kearny Division), of which our regiment, the 4th Me., was a part, held the second line of low breastworks breast-works along the Brock road, with our right on the Plank road, at tho time, p. m., May 6, 18S4. Tho assault was made by Longstreot on our front line of works. These works wore low :and composed of logs, dirt, brush .anything wo could find handy to pile up as a cover. Tho front liuo was held by the Second Division Divis-ion of the old Third Corps, then a part of the Second, under Hancock. The -0th Ind.. which is mentioned, was a part of that command. The rebels drove them from the first line the mother of Lorenzo G. JSabcock. late of Co. E, 12oth N. Y., which involves in-volves tho question of line of duty. It appears from the record that Babcoek served in the army from August, 1MG2, until May,., 1801. and was regarded ufc' I an efficient and faUhful soldier. Dur-I Dur-I ing thostrnggle in tho wilderness, early in May, 1864, he underwent extraordinary extraor-dinary fatigue, prolongod exposure to fire, arduous exertions, and loss of steep. After several days of service of this character, he committed suicide by shooting himself through the breast 'lhe department is convincbd from the testimony that he had become be-come mentally deranged, and that tho whole aberration of mind was developed devel-oped in the servieo long after enlistment. enlist-ment. Tho-department therefore reverses re-verses the former decision of tho Commissioner Com-missioner of Pensions, and accepts it as a fact that this man, through no possiblo fault of his own, was irresponsible irre-sponsible for the fatal act, and died in line of duty. Not Accordlns to Upton. In the oarly days of the war a certain cer-tain Maine regiment on its way to the seat of war held a dross parade in Union Square, New York. This parade was preliminary to a Hag presentation pre-sentation by citizens of Maine residing resid-ing in New York City. The men looked their best. Everything Every-thing moved along as merry as you please till our Colonel desired to give an order of Borne nature to our Adjutant. Where Adjutant Fille'1 was just ut tho moment, never mind. Old "Jack" couldn't find him. Here was a dilemma, and the clarion yes, somewhat voice of the Colonel was heard, thusly: "Jim! Ho, Jim! Ye-oh, Jim!" It is needless to say "Jim" soon appeared, and saluting the Colonel received his orders sotto voce, and "Attention, st Maine!" etc. We were soon by company front on our way down Broadway, but "Jim! Ho, Jim!" resounds in our ears to-day ns we think of those days of yore when grim-visaged war held sway. F. Preseott, in Chicago Ledger. |