en,
a gentleman as well as a soldier. Others might be named. Meritorious
men, but kept in the background while the place-men, cumberers of the
service, refused by Jeff. Davis when making his selections from among
our regular officers, as too cheap an article, are kept in position at
such enormous sacrifices of men, money, and time. I have heard it said,
upon good authority, that there is a nest of these old place-men in
Washington, who keep their heads above water in the service, through the
studied intimacy of their families with families of Members of the
Cabinet--a toadyism that often elevates them to the depression of more
meritorious men, and always at the expense of the country,--but--

'Dark shall be light.'

Keep up your spirits, boys."

"Keep up your spirits," echoed Birdy; "that is what they are doing all
the time at Division Head-Quarters,--by pouring spirits down, Jim,"
continued he, turning suddenly to a comrade, who lounged lazily
alongside of him, holding, at the same time at the end of a stick, a tin
cup with a wire handle, over the fire, "tell the crowd about that
whisky barrel."

Some of the crowd had heard the story, from the manner in which they
welcomed the suggestion, and insisted upon its reproduction.

"Can't, till I cook my coffee," retorted Jim, pointing to the black,
greasy liquid in the cup, simmering slowly over the half-smothered fire.
Jim's cup had evidently been upon duty but a short time previously as a
soup-kettle. "But it is about done," said he, lifting it carefully off,
"and I might as well tell it while it cools."

"About one week ago I happened to be detailed as a Head-Quarter guard,
and about four o'clock in the afternoon was pacing up and down the beat
in front of the General's Head-Quarters. It was a pleasant sun-shiny
spring day,--when gadflies like to try their wings, and the ground seems
to smoke in all directions,--and the General sat back composedly in the
corner of his tent on a camp stool, with his elbow on his knee and his
head hanging rather heavily upon his hand. The flaps were tied aside to
the fly-ropes. I had a fair view of him as I walked up and down, and I
came to the conclusion from his looks that Pigey had either a good load
on, or was in a brown study. While I was thinking about it up comes a
fellow of the 2--th, that I used to meet often while we were upon
picket. He is usually trim, tidy-looking, and is an intelligent fellow,
but on that day