Stories of Dixie

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1915. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII THE STORY OF EVENTS OF THE WAR Minor Incidents Many things occur in wars of which history makes no mention. As a rule, it tells of the greater and not of the smaller events. Yet the latter are the happenings that young people like most to hear about. Stories of little incidents of the camp, the march, and the battle not only make pleasant reading, but give one a good idea of the temper of the soldiers and the kind of men they were. The idea of war which one gets from history is that it is a series of severe ills and toils. This is true, and probably no soldiers ever realized it more keenly than the Confederates during the War between the States. Yet old soldiers say they had as many hearty laughs during that war as they ever had in any other four years of their lives. So war must have something of an amusing as well as a serious side. Fortunate is the soldier who has the "saving grace of humor" through and by which this funny side is discernible. Few armies have had a greater number of wits than the Confederate. However tired, hungry, and thirsty the men might be, however long the march, or hard the battle, or gloomy the outlook, some one would see the "funny side" of it, and so express it as to put the others to smiling if not laughing. No doubt this reviving and stimulating of the spirits and morale of the men went far to supply the want of food and medicine. Indeed, it is believed that this merriment had much to do in making the Dixie boys the splendid soldiers they were--enabling them to prolong the struggle against such great odds and with such scanty means. A regiment was once passing through a small village. The men had been marching and fighting, more or less, for several days. They were not only tired, thirsty, and hungry, but their backs were c...