was permitted than would be the case in a regular army; that officers
were not treated with the same respect; and that tact, rather than
the strict enforcement of the regulations, was the key-note of
command. Nevertheless, taken as a whole, the Confederate soldiers
were exceedingly well-conducted. The good elements in the ranks were
too strong for those who were inclined to resist authority, and the
amount of misbehaviour was wonderfully small. There was little
neglect of duty. Whatever the intelligence of the men told them was
necessary for success, for safety, or for efficiency, was done
without reluctance. The outposts were seldom caught napping. Digging
and tree-felling--for the men had learned the value of making
fortifications and good roads--were taken as a matter of course. Nor
was the Southern soldier a grumbler. He accepted half-rations and
muddy camping-grounds without remonstrance; if his boots wore out he
made shift to march without them; and when his uniform fell to pieces
he waited for the next victory to supply himself with a new outfit.
He was enough of a philosopher to know that it is better to meet
misery with a smile than with a scowl. Mark Tapley had many
prototypes in the Confederate ranks, and the men were never more
facetious than when things were at their worst. "The very intensity
of their sufferings became a source of merriment. Instead of growling
and deserting, they laughed at their own bare feet, ragged clothes,
and pinched faces; and weak, hungry, cold, wet and dirty, with no
hope of reward or rest, they marched cheerfully to meet the warmly
clad and well-fed hosts of the enemy."* (* Soldier Life in the Army
of Northern Virginia.) Indomitable indeed were the hearts that beat
beneath the grey jackets, and a spirit rising superior to all
misfortune,

That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine,

was a marked characteristic of the Confederate soldier. Nor was it
only in camp or on the march that the temper of the troops betrayed
itself in reckless gaiety.* (* General Longstreet relates an amusing
story: "One of the soldiers, during the investment of Suffolk (April
1863), carefully constructed and equipped a full-sized man, dressed
in a new suit of improved "butternut" clothing; and christening him
Julius Caesar took him to a signal platform which overlooked the
works, adjusted him to a graceful position, and made him secure to
the framework by strong cords. A little a