uillotine in other lands; it was now
before me in my own.

As I passed into the highway again, and riding through narrow passages,
grazing officers' knees, turning vicious battery horses, winding in and
out of woods, making detours through pasture fields, leaping ditches,
and so making perilous progress, I passed many friends who hailed me
cheerfully,--here a brigadier-general who waved his hand, or a colonel
who saluted, or a staff officer who rode out and exchanged inquiries or
greetings, or a sergeant who winked and laughed. These were some of the
men whose bodies I was to stir to-morrow with my foot, when the eyes
that shone upon me now would be swollen and ghastly.

Some of the privates seeing me in plain clothes, as I had joined the
army merely as a visitor and with no idea of seeing immediate service
there, mistook me for a newspaper correspondent, which in one sense I
was; and I was greeted with such cries as--

"Our Special Artist!"

"Our Own Correspondent!"

"Give our Captain a setting up, you sir!"

"Puff our Colonel!"

"Give me a good obituary!"

"Where's your pass, bub?"

"Halloo! Jenkins. Three cheers for Jenkins!"

I shall not soon forget one fellow, who planted himself in my path (his
regiment had halted), and leaning upon his musket looked steadily into
my eyes.

"Ef I had a warrant for the devil," he said, "I'd arrest that feller."

Many of the soldiers were pensive and thoughtful; but the mass were
marching to their funerals with boyish outcries, apparently anxious to
forget the responsibilities of the time.

"Let's sing, boys." "Oh! Get out, or I'll belt you over the snout."
"Halloo! Pardner, is there water over there?" "Three groans for old
Jeff!" "Hip-hip--hoo-roar! Hi! Hi!"

A continual explosion of small arms, in the shape of epithets, jests,
imitations of the cries of sheep, cows, mules, and roosters, and
snatches of songs, enlivened the march. If something interposed, or a
halt was ordered, the men would throw themselves in the dust, wipe their
foreheads, drink from their canteens, gossip, grin, and shout
confusedly, and some sought opportunities to straggle off, so that the
regiments were materially decimated before they reached the field. The
leading officers maintained a dignity and a reserve, and reined their
horses together in places, to confer. At one time, a private soldier
came out to me, presenting a scrap of paper, and asked me to scrawl him
a line, which he would d