ans_ lock, stock, or barrel. Then he told us that we
were--called into the--service--of the--United States--for--three
months--to serve in the District--not to go beyond the District--under
any circumstances. Then he called the roll, so accurately (never having
seen it before) that nearly all of us recognized our names, and in
hardly more than two and three quarters the time it would have taken the
orderly sergeant to do it. Then we were told to hold up our right hands,
and a stout party, well known to all early volunteers, stepped forward
from wherever he had been before, and, introducing himself by
exclaiming, in solemn and cavernous tones, 'THE FOLLOWING IS THE OATH!'
swore us in. Then, after another short adjournment of half an hour, we
were marched to our barracks.

That was a queer organization, the 1st D.C. Vols., composed as it was of
a cloud of independent companies--thirty-five, or thereabout, in all, I
think--all made up of men from everywhere, largely in the tadpole stage
of Unionism, and all sworn in for service in the District, not to go
beyond the District. Early in May they were organized into eight
battalions of four or five companies each, commanded by
lieutenant-colonels, majors, or the senior captains. Nearly every
company occupied its own separate 'armory' or barracks, and all the
officers and men lived at home when not actually on guard or other duty!

It was an awful feeling that sandwiched the gaps of new-born exultation
at finding ourselves real soldiers--that feeling of a merged identity;
the individual Smith sold for glory at $11 per mensem, and lost, lost in
an aggregate: become only a cog in a little machine connected with a
larger machine that forms part of the great machine called an army. One
thing saved us the full horror of this discovery: we were not bothered
with corps, divisions, brigades, or even greatly with regiments, in
those days, and if individually we were ciphers or merely recurring
decimals, collectively 'our company' was of the first importance; and
this reflection stiffened the breasts of our gray frock coats, and
caused our scales (we wore scales!) to shine again.

_First night_. Everybody wants to be on guard! Think of that, old
soldiers, and grin. The captain details twice as many as are necessary,
to prevent clamor. Some of the more enthusiastic of the disappointed
ones offer to stay at the armory all night, to be on hand in case of
anything happening. We can never b