s, cotton mills, paper mills, flax mills, sugar
mills and tobacco factories. No exceptions are made from service; all
must serve. Both boys and girls are dressed in military uniform and are
drilled two hours in rifle practice, firing ten shots at an imitation
enemy in a military suit, stuffed with straw, in different positions,
from one hundred to one thousand yards distance, every Sunday weather
permitting and in actual war one brigade of girls is assigned to every
division of the army to carry off the wounded and nurse them and to
assist in the defense whenever it is necessary, and also to garrison
and hold the lines of communication and their presence in the field has
been so inspiring to our boys that they never have turned their backs
to the enemy."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

My next trip was to the War Department, where I was shown the Rules and
Regulations governing the army, and navy.

The army was organized in twenty-five corps of eighty thousand men
each, besides the ladies' army corps of an equal number; each corps
composed of three divisions of foot infantry and one division of
mounted infantry. Each division was composed of three brigades of
infantry, one regiment of sharpshooters and one regiment of artillery;
each brigade of three regiments and each regiment of twelve companies,
one hundred and fifty men each. The company was divided into three
sergeants' commands and those into three corporal squads. Each company
consisted of one hundred and thirty-five privates, nine corporals,
three sergeants, one company clerk, one lieutenant and a captain. Four
companies composed a battalion, commanded by a major, and the regiment
by a colonel. There were no lieutenant colonels; the senior major
taking charge of the regiment in case of death or disability of the
colonel until the regiment elected an officer to fill the vacancy. All
vacancies above the rank of colonel were filled by the corps commander,
all vacancies up to and including that of colonel by the votes of the
men, but the colonel had to be chosen from the majors, a major from the
captains of his battalion. The lieutenant succeeded to the captaincy
without a vote-but the lieutenant had to be chosen from the sergeants
and company clerk and the sergeant from the corporals of his command.
The corporals were elected by the privates of the squads, so that any
soldier could rise from the ranks through merit to high command.

The corps command