round and said to the orderly sergeant, "Stop that red-headed cusses
mouth some way," and the orderly told me to dry up. Everybody was
laughing, I supposed, at the captain. Anyway, I felt hurt, and when we
got back to camp the boys of all the companies surrounded me to offer
congratulations, and I was called on for a speech. Not being in the
ranks, nobody could prevent me from speaking, so I got up on a
barrel, and said:

"Fellow Soldiers:--As I was about to remark, when interrupted by the
captain, on dress parade, this office has come to me entirely unsought.
It has not been my wish to wear the gilded trappings of office and
command men, but rather to fight in the ranks, a private soldier. I
enlisted as a private, and my ambition has been to remain in the ranks
to the end of the war. But circumstances over which I have no control
has taken me and placed me on the high pinnacle of Corporal, and I must
bow to the decree of fate. Of course, in my new position there must
necessarily be a certain gulf between us. I have noticed that there has
been a gulf between me and the officers, and I have thought it wrong. I
have thought that privates and officers should mingle together freely,
and share each others secrets, privations and rations. But since being
promoted I can readily see that such things cannot be. The private has
his position and the officer has his, and each must be separate. It is
not my intention to make any radical changes in the conduct of military
affairs at present, allowing things to go along about as they have, but
as soon as I have a chance to look about me, certain changes will be
made. All I ask is that you, my fellow soldiers, shall stand by me,
follow where I shall lead and--"

At this point in my address the head of the barrel on which I stood fell
in with a dull thud, and I found myself up to the neck in corned-beef
brine. The boys set up a shout, some fellow kicked over the barrel, and
they began to roll it around the camp with me in it.

[Illustration: Just promoted to the proud position of Corporal 141]

This was a pretty position for a man just promoted to the proud position
of Corporal. As they rolled me about and yelled like Indians, I could
see that an official position in that regiment was to be no sinecure.
All official positions have more or less care and responsibility, but
this one seemed to me to have too much. Finally they spilled me out of
the barrel, and I was a sight to behold. M