When The Skeleton Of A State Militia Only Was Required,
Such An Arrangement Was Popular And Not Essentially Injurious; But
Now That War Had Become A Reality, And That Volunteers Were Required
To Obey Discipline, Some Other Mode Of Promotion Was Found
Necessary.
As far as I could understand, the appointments were in
the hands of the State Governor, who however was
Expected, in the
selection of the superior officers, to be guided by the expressed
wishes of the regiment, when no objection existed to such a choice.
In the present instance the Governor's course was very thorny.
Certain unfinished regiments were in the act of being amalgamated -
two perfect regiments being made up from perhaps five imperfect
regiments, and so on. But though the privates had not been
forthcoming to the full number for each expected regiment, there had
been no such dearth of officers, and consequently the present
operation consisted in reducing their number.
* The army at this time consisted nominally of 660,000 men, of whom
only 20,000 were regulars.
Nothing can be much uglier than the State House at Harrisburg, but
it commands a magnificent view of one of the valleys into which the
Alleghany Mountains is broken. Harrisburg is immediately under the
range, probably at its finest point, and the railway running west
from the town to Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and Chicago, passes right
over the chain. The line has been magnificently engineered, and the
scenery is very grand. I went over the Alleghanies in midwinter,
when they were covered with snow, but even when so seen they were
very fine. The view down the valley from Altoona, a point near the
summit, must in summer be excessively lovely. I stopped at Altoona
one night, with the object of getting about among the hills and
making the best of the winter view but I found it impossible to
walk. The snow had become frozen and was like glass. I could not
progress a mile in any way. With infinite labor I climbed to the
top of one little hill, and when there became aware that the descent
would be very much more difficult. I did get down, but should not
choose to describe the manner in which I accomplished the descent.
In running down the mountains to Pittsburg an accident occurred
which in any other country would have thrown the engine off the
line, and have reduced the carriages behind the engine to a heap of
ruins. But here it had no other effect than that of delaying us for
three or four hours. The tire of one of the heavy driving wheels
flew off, and in the shock the body of the wheel itself was broken,
one spoke and a portion of the circumference of the wheel was
carried away, and the steam-chamber was ripped open. Nevertheless
the train was pulled up, neither the engine nor any of the carriages
got off the line, and the men in charge of the train seemed to think
very lightly of the matter. I was amused to see how little was made
of the affair by any of the passengers. In England a delay of three
hours would in itself produce a great amount of grumbling, or at
least many signs of discomfort and temporary unhappiness. But here
no one said a word. Some of the younger men got out and looked at
the ruined wheel; but the most of the passengers kept their seats,
chewed their tobacco, and went to sleep. In all such matters an
American is much more patient than an Englishman. To sit quiet,
without speech, and ruminate in some contorted position of body
comes to him by nature. On this occasion I did not hear a word of
complaint - nor yet a word of surprise or thankfulness that the
accident had been attended with no serious result. "I have got a
furlough for ten days," one soldier said to me, "and I have missed
every connection all through from Washington here. I shall have
just time to turn round and go back when I get home." But he did
not seem to be in any way dissatisfied. He had not referred to his
relatives when he spoke of "missing his connections," but to his
want of good fortune as regarded railway traveling. He had reached
Baltimore too late for the train on to Harrisburg, and Harrisburg
too late for the train on to Pittsburg. Now he must again reach
Pittsburg too late for his further journey. But nevertheless he
seemed to be well pleased with his position.
Pittsburg is the Merthyr-Tydvil of Pennsylvania - or perhaps I should
better describe it as an amalgamation of Swansea, Merthyr-Tydvil,
and South Shields. It is, without exception, the blackest place
which I ever saw. The three English towns which I have named are
very dirty, but all their combined soot and grease and dinginess do
not equal that of Pittsburg. As regards scenery it is beautifully
situated, being at the foot of the Alleghany Mountains, and at the
juncture of the two rivers Monongahela and Alleghany. Here, at the
town, they come together, and form the River Ohio. Nothing can be
more picturesque than the site, for the spurs of the mountains come
down close round the town, and the rivers are broad and swift, and
can be seen for miles from heights which may be reached in a short
walk. Even the filth and wondrous blackness of the place are
picturesque when looked down upon from above. The tops of the
churches are visible, and some of the larger buildings may be
partially traced through the thick, brown, settled smoke. But the
city itself is buried in a dense cloud. The atmosphere was
especially heavy when I was there, and the effect was probably
increased by the general darkness of the weather. The Monongahela
is crossed by a fine bridge, and on the other side the ground rises
at once, almost with the rapidity of a precipice; so that a
commanding view is obtained down upon the town and the two rivers
and the different bridges, from a height immediately above them.
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