INSPECTION.

FROM A WAR-TIME SKETCH.

CAMPAIGNING TO NO PURPOSE

RECOLLECTIONS OF A PRIVATE.—II. BY WARREN LEE GOSS.

HILE we were in camp at Washington in February, 1862, we were

' ' drilled to an extent which to the raw “thinking soldier” seemed unnec-essary. Our colonel was a strict disciplinarian. His efforts to drill out ofus the methods of action and thought common to citizens, and to substitutein place thereof blind, unquestioning obedience to military rules, were notalways appreciated at their true value. In my company there was an olddrill-sergeant (let us call him Sergeant Hackett) who was in sympatheticaccord with the colonel. He had occasion to reprove me often, and, finally,to inflict a blast of profanity at which my self-respect rebelled. Knowing thatswearing was a breach of discipline, I waited confidently upon the colonel,with the manner of one gentleman calling upon another. After the usual

salute, I opened complaint by saying: “ Colonel, Mr. Hackett has-” The

colonel interrupted me angrily, and, with fire in his eye, exclaimed: “ Mister fThere are no misters in the army.” “ I thought, sir-” I began apologet-

ically. “Think? think?” he cried. “ What right have yon to think ? /do thethinking for this regiment! Gfo to your quarters ! ”

I did not tarry. There seemed to be no common ground on which he and1 could argue questions of personal etiquette. But I should do injustice tohis character as a commander if I failed to illustrate another manner ofreproof which he sometimes applied.

One day, noticing a corporal in soiled gloves, he said: “ Corporal, you seta bad example to the men -with your soiled gloves. Why do you ? ”

“I’ve had no pay, sir, since entering the service, and can’t afford to hirewashing.”