commanding officer in front of
his regiment. He was probably, too, the only man in military history,
certainly the only one whom I have found in a somewhat extensive
reading, who was disabled as to the military service and lost to the
defence of his country because he could not "draw up his bowels."
Other heroes, notably in the recent Spanish war, have failed to confer
luster on the American arms and to secure immortal fame for themselves
simply from lack of opportunity. It was reserved to Simps alone to
miss the shining mark by reason of stomachic distortion.

This particular lesson, however, was not lost upon the regiment, and
the enforcement of it was subsequently made easier when in the field,
by reason of material change in the rations. For some days, however,
instruction mixed with similar emphatic exhortations continued, and
the regiment continued to learn military drill and a new vocabulary at
the same time.

The regiment had been in camp about a week when, on the 29th day of
August, it was mustered into the service of the United States, and
soon thereafter was ordered to the front, greatly to the relief of
all, and especially of those slowest to learn.

After these trials by fire, so to speak, the Government in its wisdom
proceeded to give a further seasoning by water, and this regiment with
another (2,000 men in all) were shipped, packed like so many sardines,
in one vessel, from Boston to Alexandria. This process was perhaps a
process of artificial aging as of liquor, and served well to assist in
the process of drawing up the bowels to the regimental standard.

While the men, packed in the hold of the ship, on this voyage, were
taking care of themselves as best they could, the company officers,
under the tutoring of the Colonel, were cramming themselves with
Casey's Tactics.

In due time they passed Alexandria, and, as a cheerful introduction to
the service, saw on the decks of the river steamboats the crowds of
wounded from the field of the Second Bull Run and heard of the
disastrous result of that battle. Landed at the Arsenal the regiment
passed the first night in an adjacent open lot, on a downy bed of dead
cats, bricks and broken bottles; the next day they were supplied with
arms and equipments, and on the hot September evening of that day
marched without a halt, seven miles, and joined the brigade to which
the regiment had been assigned.

It is a striking illustration of the pressure of the emer