The Young Dragoon: Every Day Life of a Soldier

Having explained how those of my young readers, who have no ambition to become either soldiers or volunteers, may improve their appearance, it now becomes our duty to put those whose intention is to become volunteers, or to enter the regular service, “through their facings.” In going through the facings, the left heel never quits the ground, the body must rather incline forward, and the knees be kept straight. On the command “to right face,” – 1st. Place the hollow of the right foot smartly against the left heel, keeping the shoulders square to the front. 2nd. Raise the toes, and turn smartly to the right on both heels. “To the left face,” – 1st. Place the right heel against the hollow of the left foot, keeping the shoulders square to the front. 2nd. Raise the toes, and turn to the left on both heels. “To the right-about face,” – 1st. Place the ball of the right toe against the left heel, keeping the shoulders square to the front. 2nd. Raise the toes, and turn completely round to the right-about (reversing the direction of the face) on both heels. 3rd. Bring the right foot smartly back in a line with the left. “To the left-about face,” – 1st. Place the right heel against the ball of the left toe, and keep the shoulders square to the front. 2nd. Raise the toes, and turn to the left-about on both heels. 3rd. Bring up to the right smartly in a line with the left. The greatest precision is observed in drilling of recruits to these facings, for if they are not exactly executed, a body of men, after being properly dressed in line, will lose their dressing, and cause the line to be crooked on every small movement of facing. It will be seen that by placing a number of men in line their execution of the command – “together, right face” – will instantly bring them from the line into Indian file (one behind the other), or the “right-about face” will as quickly reverse the front of their line; and supposing the command “march” to be given while the men are in Indian file, although so close together as to nearly touch each other’s backs with their chests, if they each step off at the same instant, with the left foot, the sound of their feet will enable them to keep step and time, and march about in this form, as directed by the instructor, to the leading file, “right turn” or “left turn,” without confusion. On the command “halt” being given, the step is finished at the last sound of the word; and at the command “front” each man faces to his left, as above directed, and they will then be in line as before.

In marching, the soldier must maintain, as much as possible, the position of the body as before directed. He must be well balanced on his limbs; his arms and hands must be kept steady by his sides; and he must not be allowed to stoop forward, still less to lean back. His body must be kept square to the front, and thrown rather more forward in marching than when standing still, so that it may accompany the movement of the leg and thigh, which movement must Spring from the haunch; the ham must be stretched, but without stiffening the knee; the toes a little pointed outwards, and kept near the ground, so that the boot-soles may not be visible to a person in front. The head should be kept well up, without stiffening the neck, and straight to the front, and the eyes not suffered on any account to be cast down; the foot, without being drawn back, must be placed flat on the ground. The length of each pace, from heel to heel, is thirty inches; and the recruit is taught to take seventy-five of these steps in a minute, without tottering and in perfect steadfastness. This is the ordinary step, being the pace on all occasions whatever for both infantry and cavalry, unless greater celerity be particularly ordered, which is called the “quick step,” and the “double,” or run. Each individual recruit is very carefully trained and thoroughly instructed in this part of his duty, as it is considered to form the basis of the proper deportment of the soldier.

In the regular army, where men are enlisted from all grades of society, it requires the most unremitting perseverance and accurate knowledge of the part each instructor has to teach, as also a clear and concise manner of conveying his instructions, allied to a firmness that will command from all classes of men a perfect attention to the directions he is giving them. He must allow for the weak capacity of the recruits, and exercise patience and good-temper, without rigour, where endeavour and good-will are evidently not wanting. Quickness in military drill is not at first required, because it is the result of much practice; but if officers and instructors are not critically exact in their commands, and in observing the execution of what is required from others, slovenliness must take place, labour will be ineffectual, and the end proposed will never be attained. The recruit must be carried through his drill progressively; he should comprehend one thing perfectly before he is required to learn another.

In the first lessons as to position, the instructor should carefully place the hands, arms, etc, of the recruit in the form desired. When he is more advanced, he should not be touched; but from the example shown, and the directions prescribed, be taught to correct himself when so admonished. Recruits are not kept too long at any particular part of their exercise, so as to fatigue or make them uneasy. Music is not used in the early stages of the recruit’s drill; and he is taught and confirmed by habit alone to the cadence of step which he is afterwards required to maintain in his march to the enemy, in spite of every variety of noise and circumstance that may tend to derange him.

A very useful movement for a civilian to learn is to “change step.” We frequently see two persons walking together (often arm-in-arm) in different steps, that is, while one is stepping forward with the left foot, the other has his right foot advanced, which causes them to roll and jostle each other in a very unseemly and awkward manner. To remedy this, without stopping, one of the parties should complete his pace with the advancing foot, and bring the toe of the other quickly up to the heel of the advanced one, which instantly makes another step forward, so that the cadence may not be lost, and both parties will then be found walking “in step,” each with the same foot in advance.

If any of my young readers will practise the movement according to the above directions, they will be surprised at its simplicity, and the rapidity with which it may be acquired, and it will be extremely useful in after life, especially while engaged in the pleasing duty of escorting their female friends, for nothing looks so ungainly as a gentleman walking in one step and a lady in another. The “back step” is a very useful movement in foot drill, by which the recruit is taught to move straight to the rear, preserving his shoulders square to the front, and his body erect. On the word “halt,” the foot in front must be brought back square with the other; only a few paces of the back step is, however, necessary at one time, in military tactics. After the cadence of the ordinary step has become perfectly habitual to the recruits, they are able to march and manoeuvre in small squads, and are taught to march in what is called quick time, which is 108 steps in the minute, each of 30 inches, making 270 feet, or 90 yards in a minute. The command “quick march” being given with a pause after the word “quick,” which is to be considered as a caution, the whole of the recruits must remain perfectly still and steady, until the word march is given, when they step off with the left feet foremost, keeping the body in the same posture, and the shoulders square to the front, the foot to be lifted off the ground, so that it may clear any stones or other impediments in the way, and to be thrown forward and placed firm, the whole of the sole to touch the ground, and not the heel alone; the knees are not to be bent, neither are they to be stiffened so as to occasion fatigue or constraint; the arms must hang with ease down the outside of the thigh, a very small motion to prevent constraint may be permitted, but not to swing to and fro, and thereby occasion the least unsteadiness or movement of the shoulder; the face is to be kept to the front, the body upright, and an easy, dignified demeanour preserved. As the being able to march straightforward is of the greatest consequence, he who commands at the drill should take great pains in making his squad do so, and for this purpose he should frequently go behind the squad or division, placing himself behind the flank file (the end-most soldier), by which the squad is ordered to move in marching, and taking a point or object exactly in front of that file, he will then give his command march, and remaining in his place, he will direct the advance of the squad, his object being to keep the flank file always in a line between himself and his object: it is also from behind that one soonest perceives the leaning back of the soldier, and the bringing forward or falling back of a shoulder – faults which ought instantly to be rectified, as it is productive of the worst consequences in a line, where one man, by bringing forward a shoulder, may change the direction of a march in such a manner as to break the line, or cause the wing of a battalion to run, in order to keep dressed in line. In short, it is impossible for the instructor to labour too much at his duty in making the soldier march straightforward, keeping always the same front as when he set off: this is effected by moving solely from his haunches, keeping the body steady, the shoulders square, and the head to the front, and will without difficulty be attained by my young friends, by a strict attention to the rules herewith given, with a careful observance of an equal length of step, and an equal cadence, or time of march. In a cavalry regiment, corporals and sergeants are appointed to instruct recruits in all the preliminary stages of foot drill, for which they are responsible to their superior officer (the regimental sergeant-major), the same as the corporal and sergeant-rough-riders are responsible to the riding-master for the recruit’s progress and efficiency in riding drills. For the first two or three months the recruit is subjected to the “manual exercise” as well as the drills above named; this exercise consists of a series of gymnastic movements of the arms, legs, and body; the object of which is to render the limbs supple, set the shoulders back, and expand the chest. If any recruit shows a disinclination to practise this manipulation of the body according to the prescribed rules, he is put through the “dumb bell” exercise, which, having to swing two heavy pieces of iron, one in each hand, over and around his head, while practising some rather novel contortions, is very hard work indeed, as compared to the ordinary “manual exercise.”

Chapter Twenty Two

Such the ungentle sport that oft invitesThe Spanish maid, and cheers the Spanish swain.Nurtured in blood betimes, his heart delightsIn vengeance gloating on another’s pain.Byron.

When I first joined the army, we had a drill sergeant who had been in the Queen of Spain’s service, a most intelligent and agreeable fellow, as I afterwards found out when I was myself promoted and allowed to associate with him; but, while I was a recruit, I would freely have given one of my ears, on one or two occasions, to have been fairly out of his clutches. We were sergeants together, and I, in common with the rest of my brother non-commissioned officers, have been often amused and interested by the relation of his experience in the Spanish service, which by his account is immeasurably inferior to our own; indeed, the treatment to which private soldiers in the Spanish army are subjected, would soon incite the British army to open mutiny. My friend was a commissioned officer in Spain, but I have frequently heard him say that he would much prefer to be a private dragoon in the British army. He was about thirty-five years of age when I enlisted, standing about 5 feet 9 inches high, with jet-black curly hair and an olive complexion set off by a handsome soldier-like figure. His word of command to young recruits was divested of that croaking harshness and fierce demeanour so predominant with drill-corporals, sergeants, and adjutants generally; still he was very severe and very exacting, for the slightest appearance of carelessness or inattention he would report a recruit and get him punished. This, however, arose from excessive zeal more than an unkindly disposition, and he never made an enemy who remained so for many hours. He never alluded to his family, and his name – which I forbear to mention – was generally understood to be assumed, but it was evident he was well bred and well educated. After my promotion to the rank of full sergeant, I was necessarily thrown more into his society, particularly at the sergeants’ mess (for sergeants have a mess and dine together as well as officers), where I have often listened with a great degree of interest to his stories of bull-fights in the amphitheatres of Madrid, which I do not particularly remember to repeat, but his relation of a fight between a full-grown Bengal tiger and three bulldogs at Havana I perfectly well remember. He said, “I took my seat in the amphitheatre, in front and within forty feet of the tiger, who was perfectly quiet in a cage about twenty-four feet long and fifteen feet wide, at times walking about, apparently indifferent to the noise which the multitude made around him. Some circus performances were first introduced, after which a couple of trained elephants went through some novel antics, one of them turning the handle of a barrel-organ, while the other danced to a lively Spanish air. These performances occupied about an hour; the three dogs matched to fight the tiger were then introduced, and the instant they caught the eye of the tiger he gave a loud roar, and lashed his tail angrily from side to side. The dogs were of the purest bull breed. One was a brindle, with his ears and tail cut, and of large size; the second dog had neither his ears nor tail trimmed, but he had a very ferocious look – he was all white, and looked as if ready to fight to the death; the third dog was black, with long tail and ears, but had nothing very striking in his appearance beyond a powerful frame and a set of blackguard-looking teeth, always visible through the shortness of his upper lip. I had anticipated seeing the large bloodhounds of the island, one of which weighs as much as all these three, and when I saw these I felt that the tiger would easily conquer them. Boards being placed through the bars of the cage as a partition, the dogs were put in one part, while the tiger was in the other.

“The moment the dogs were put in the cage, all the combatants became infuriate. The tiger, with the hair on his back bristling, rushed to the partition, and the dogs were anxious to get at him. While removing the boards to give them the satisfaction of meeting, the tiger thrust his paw under the board, which was at once seized by the white dog; the board was immediately withdrawn, all pitched in, and the fight grew fast and furious. The white dog was most active, and attacked his monster adversary with great pluck. The tiger vented his first act of anger upon him, giving him a bite in the back of the neck which injured him severely, but, pressing on with a courage which could not be exceeded, he received another wound which evidently touched his spine, and rendered him almost entirely hors de combat, as he could not do any further damage, but he was game to the last. While the blood was flowing from his neck, and he staggering and constantly falling from the injury to his spine, he still endeavoured to assist his brothers in the fray. At the time the white dog was engaging the attention of the tiger, the black had fastened his teeth in his flank, and the brindle was assailing him about the neck. He did not notice the black, but gave the brindle an ugly stroke with his paw. The tiger appeared surprised at such rough treatment, he leaped over all the dogs, and would have run off, if he could have got away; but the dogs followed him up, and now a regular ‘rough-and-tumble’ fight ensued, the black again fastening on the flank of the tiger. The fight had lasted about five minutes, and the tiger began to show signs of giving up. He lay down apparently exhausted, the white dog was disabled, but the black was busily engaged worrying the tiger’s flank, and the brindle was tearing away at his neck and shoulders, but presently he rallied, and gave the brindle a crushing blow with his paw, which, although it did not kill the dog outright, so disabled him that he had nothing more to do with the fight. Black was all this time worrying at the tiger’s flank and hind-legs.

“At length the tiger sprang into a corner of the cage, when the dog caught him by the under jaw and gave him a severe bite, but the tiger shut down his upper jaw upon the dog’s head, and gave him a severe wound. At this time active hostilities ceased. The tiger was evidently willing for an armistice, and quietly lay down in a corner of the cage to lick his wounds; the dogs, however, disabled as they were, staggered up to him and vainly attempted to renew the contest, but the tiger after a snap or blow of his paw ran to another part of the cage.

“There was much excitement evinced by the owner of the dogs, who claimed the victory on the ground that the tiger had run and would not continue the fight. True, he had run, and would probably have run away soon after the fight commenced, could he have done so, but he was not beaten – he was still in good condition, while all the dogs were more or less disabled.

“The nature of all the cat species is to run away, and fight on the defensive; they will spring upon an enemy, fight, run off, and steal back again to spring, fight, and run away. The bulldog has no such traits – he knows only to stand up and fight, to conquer or die. It was decided a drawn battle by the referee.

“The dogs were taken out of the cage, the brindle and the white being carried out of the amphitheatre on a litter, the tiger never taking his eyes off them all the time. The black dog was able to walk away, though sadly mangled. The tiger, after the departure of his visitors, walked about his cage in his ordinary way, as though nothing had happened to him, although he must certainly have felt sore about the flanks and hind-quarters. The fight lasted altogether about twenty minutes.”

Chapter Twenty Three

There through the piny forest half absorbed,Rough tenant of these shades, the shapeless bear… stalks forlorn;Slow-paced and sourer as the storms increase,He makes his bed beneath the inclement drift,And with stern patience scorning weak complaintsHardens his heart against the assailing storms.Thomson.

My friend the sergeant had, at some period prior to his enlistment into our corps, been to the gold diggings in California, probably from Mexico, where I believe he was born of English parents, though nothing could be ascertained in regard to his origin. The stories he told at various times would have filled a tolerable sized volume, and, had I ever thought of writing these pages, I would have preserved notes of his most interesting adventures, which he was ever ready to relate to us, either in barrack, camp, or on the line of march.

One particular story, in reference to trapping a grizzly bear, I have heard him relate so often that I can repeat it in almost his own words.

My readers should first be informed that the grizzly bear is the largest and most powerful wild beast that ranges the wilds of North America. The early pioneers of the route across the Rocky Mountains to Oregon and California, told of the wondrous size of these animals, and their reports were looked upon as fables until later research confirmed their truth.

The grizzly is found throughout the whole range of the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to British Columbia, but he attains the largest size in New Mexico and Upper California. Unlike most other bears, the grizzly cannot climb a tree; the method of hunting him is mostly with dogs trained for the purpose – a pack, consisting of a dozen small terriers and four large mastiffs or bull-dogs, being best suited for the sport, if sport it can be called, which involves so great a risk of life. This bear, being a heavy limbed and sluggish brute, seldom travels far from his wonted haunts, although he can go very fast when pressed or in pursuit of his prey, of which he is not very particular in the selection. Buffalo, wild horses, deer, or man, are alike acceptable to him. He will crush in the head of the largest buffalo with a single stroke of his paw, and, throwing it across his back, carry it for miles to his lair.

The sergeant stated that the Indians talk of bears of this species that have inhabited the same region for many years, and, as they live in deadly fear of the monsters, the advent of a party of grizzly-hunters is most welcome to them, and they willingly render all the service in their power in the hunt, but retire in fear when the game is brought to a stand. When pressed by hunters, the bear generally takes refuge in a thicket of bushes among the rocks, where it is hardly possible to get a shot at him; and, indeed, it is of little use shooting at this stage of the hunt, for, unless you can hit him in the eye, his skull will turn an ounce bullet as if it were a putty-ball. The skin is so thick, and so well covered with hair and fur, that it is almost impenetrable, and, unless you can hit him just beneath and behind the shoulder, you might as well spare your powder.

When his retreat is discovered, the large dogs are held fast and the little terriers turned into the thicket; they yelp, snap at his heels, then fall back to avoid the strokes of his paws. Thus they worry and tease him for hours. Meanwhile his roars of anger, loud as thunder, seem to shake the very earth; sometimes the small dogs approach too near his head, and receive the penalty of their temerity in the form of a stroke which leaves them a mangled and lifeless mass, bearing little resemblance to the canine species. When the bear becomes completely tired, he seats himself upon his haunches, and turns this way and that, so as to always keep his face to the dogs. Now a hunter creeps stealthily up and endeavours to plant a ball in a vulnerable spot. If he succeeds in getting a clear sight of the bear, he generally wounds him, and he then breaks cover. The large dogs are now loosed, and fasten on him in the rear; the riflemen drop their shot at him, taking care to miss the dogs.

It often requires hours to overcome the monster, whose tenacity of life is most wonderful. This is accounted for by the fact that the heart of the bear is thickly covered with fat, which prevents its bleeding; there is also a coat of fat just beneath the skin, which closes after the passage of the ball and prevents the blood flowing.

The sergeant used to commence his story as follows: —

“In the autumn of the year 1846 (being then only seventeen years old), I was encamped with a party of gold-diggers upon the head of the Sacramento River, at the western base of the California range of mountains. Our party consisted of a dozen men, myself being about the youngest; we were living in a small cabin constructed of poles and logs, and a happy, merry lot we were. All were engaged in washing the glittering gold-dust from the bed of the river, save a friend and myself, who were assigned the duty of victualling the camp with game and fish, now and then making a trip of four or five days’ duration to a trading port about sixty miles down the river, for tea, sugar, ammunition, etc. My friend, a young Irishman, generally went with me; we rode a couple of mustangs (horses bred in a wild state), and led or drove two pack-mules.

“The ‘Emeralder’ and myself had formed a project to secure a menagerie of wild native animals, and adjoining our lodge we had a large cage, in the compartments of which were wolves, foxes, California lions, pumas, panthers, and a host of smaller fry, including birds. These we had, for the most part, secured when very young. We had long been most anxious to get a specimen of the ‘grizzly,’ but all our efforts in that way had failed. One morning, while we were at breakfast, a Mexican hide-dealer, who lived in a cabin a few miles from us, and from whom we had purchased several animals, called on us accompanied by four or five half-naked Indians, and told us that a large ‘grizzly,’ called by the natives ‘Mountain Thunder,’ had come down from the hills during the night and made a supper of a fat ox belonging to the Mexican. The Indians we had met in our hunting excursions had frequently told us of this monster. According to their reports he must have been near one hundred years of age, and of a size that a bear had never before attained. Their fathers had known that he lived years before they were born. This was not unlikely, for bears live to a great age; even in captivity they have been known to live a hundred years. We set out for the cabin of the Mexican. Near the house was the cattle-yard, the scene of the last night’s affair. The yard covered an area of about an acre, surrounded by a stout fence formed of large poles or stakes driven into the ground, and about ten feet high; within this the stock were all driven at night to preserve them from the attacks of bears, wolves, etc. On the side of the yard farthest from the dwelling, Bruin had made his entrance and left full proof of his strength behind him. Three or four large posts, about twelve inches in diameter, were torn from the earth in which they had been firmly planted to the depth of four feet; one had been broken at the surface of the ground, apparently by a stroke of the bear’s paw, as the indentures of his claws were an inch deep in the solid timber.