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How Conscripts Are Received

How Conscripts Are Received image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
September
Year
1863
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A letter frora the Army of the Potoniac gives the following liighly amusing description of the manner in which the advance specimen of our national defenders whoni the draft and a lack of the three hundred dollars to substitute, added to thoir unbounded patriotism, have induced to eator the service, aro received: The old soldiers seein to oonsider the dcw corners legitímate prey, and the way they enlighten the conscripta upon the matter of the appearance, size, and domestic habits of the war elephaot, is vastly more exciting than agreeable to the victiins, and considerably more eutertainiug to the old thanto the new soldiers. The conscripta, of course, come iuto their new service very much as our new militiit regiments used to go to the field - piovided with immaculate clothing and new outfits complete, to which they have added the pin cusbions needle-cages, and innunierable etceteras, which their anxious wives and sisters and sweethearts had bestowed with loving hands upon ttiem. They do, indeed, look nice in their new toggery when compared with the soedylooking veterans all around and about them, and are the objects of uudoubted jealousy on the part of their new found comrailes. But somehow they do not long rtain tlioir new clothes, and blankets, and haversacks, and havelocks, and dear home mementoes; for after the first two or three days' marching and drilling, huugry because they cannot crunch the "hard tack,"' aud thirsty because their stomachs will not bear the vapid, insipid, stagnant, mud-sweetened element fiere called water, they soundly Bleep away not only the dark hours of night, but long iuto the morning, after their ex perienccd tent mates have arisen. Then they fiad to their sorrow they they are minus tha beautiful blue uniforma of which they were the undoubted possessors the night previous, whose places ïave been supplied with tatteyed garments, bearing the unimpeachable marka of uiany a tedious march, and indubitable jroofs that soap is ecarce in the army. - Jocoplaint woud be useless, but the ex iletives used by the conscripta when they iiseover the fraud, betoken that the renetnbraneo of their youthful Sabbath School precepts bas passeoV away with their losses, and they take their revenga u highly uuchristiau comments upon the morality aud honest? of the Army of the Potomae. But this exchanging of clothing is ouly one way the old soldisrs have of extractng amusement frora tha new corners. - After the duties of the morning are over, au enterprising observer might discover a crowd of veterans escortmg a party ol recruits to some secluded place near camp, whero " inspeetion " ia to take slace. Now it must not be supposed that ihifl " Dspecüon " is that inspeetion re'erred to iu the army regulatious, but is a sort of rude ritual improvised for the ocectnon. The party, as they pass out of üamp, are generally under the charge of a non-cotnmissioued officer, selected for his humor and liability to créate the most profound impression upon those who are to be " iuspected." Arriving at a point in some field where perhaps are ensconeed the commissioned officers of the regiment, within the thick foliage of the bazel or blackberry, the candidates are ordered to divest themselves of their clothing and fall into line. If the da}' be one of those intensely hot ones, such as aifected us for a few days past, the deluded patriota are uot kept facing the sun over half an hour at a time, when they are allowed to "aboutface" and go through the manual of arnis until cooked upon eac-h side alike Whou the culinary process is completed, the ' mspected " re allowed to don their habilinients, when they are told that such must be gone through with in order to harden them to the service If a rain comea up during the day, some high private who does not mind getting wet, parades the green sol diera for squad drill ut) til the shower is over, to the no small annoyance of all concerned. Of course none of the officers know anyhing of the jocular indignities practised by their subordinates, or of oourse none of them vou!d allow " such things to be carried on ; " but I notice they uever as yet have been able to ascertain who, if any, of their commauders are the guilty parties. Another thing I notice is the f'act that after the new corners learnthe f'sell" they are the first to avail themselves of the opportunity to inspeot the next batch that arrivés. Every man bus bis turn aud every dog his day " is the motto with all alike.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus