ran about and shouted in his childish
glee, so affected the men that it was almost impossible to preserve a
steady line and secure prompt obedience to orders. Men whom I had seldom
or never before seen exhibit any emotion were moved to tears by the sight
and the remembrance of dear ones at home, and many of them were heard to
say that they would willingly part with a month's pay just to take the
little fellow in their arms for a moment, while a Pawtucket man, who had a
wife but no children, said he would give all his bounty money and throw
the "cow" in, just to kiss the little fellow's mother--_for his wife's
sake_. The order to "march off your companies" cut short other equally
complimentary expressions concerning the mother and her darling boy.

One of the most ludicrous events which occurred in our regiment was on a
very dark night when the "long roll" sounded for the first time. We were
at once ordered under arms, it being whispered among the "knowing ones"
that we were likely to have a brush with the enemy before daylight, while
the officers knew it was only to "break in" the men, to see how they would
behave in the time of actual service. There was a hurrying to and fro of
officers of all grades; signal lights were swung here and there in
response to similar signals which could be seen quite a distance away; the
surgeons were overhauling and sharpening their instruments and filing
their saws and getting out large quantities of lint and bandages; all
orders were given in a whisper, and everything betokened speedy and
decisive action, the time having come for our men to cover themselves with
glory--or shame.

In Company B there was an Irishman named Mike Cassidy. He was an old man,
and when he got into line it was evident that he was sleeping soundly when
the order fell upon his ears to "turn out," and that he had not been able
in the darkness to find his entire wardrobe, or if he found it, that he
did not have time to get properly inside of it. But he had his old and
trusty musket, with which he had often declared he could alone whip the
whole Southern Confederacy if they would only give him time. Time was
what Mike most needed. He always had time enough, but it was "behind
time," save when the order was given to "fall in for rations." But it
happened on that particular night some member of his "mess" whose musket
was without a tube or nipple upon which to put a cap, had appropriated
Cassidy's to his own use. I see