Dogs ran out, and barked,
and snapped for joy. The crowd pressed forward to look at him, and
policemen, for once, had enough to do. Fair women waived
handkerchiefs and threw him kisses. And many were they who marvelled
that so great a soldier had remained so long undiscovered. You see,
my son, we are a people much given to excitement, and when we get to
heaping honors on a man we do it without mercy. Hence it pleased us
much when we saw Pope come to town amidst the beating of drums and
the blowing of horns. That was the way he came.
I have spoken of this great general's modesty, my son. It will also
be necessary for me to inform you that he introduced a new idea in
war, one worthy of being added to the regulations, and that was that
every general should be his own trumpeter, as well as keep a number
of trumpeters in his employ.
Then Pope went out to see and have a talk with his army. He also
published a grand order to his soldiers, which will stand as a great
curiosity in our war literature, as long as the history of the
rebellion, for its wisdom astonished the people. He told them the
war had been carried on after a strange fashion, which he intended
should be changed.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66