Willard's, Aug. 4, 1863, P. M.
For two days I have been seeing a good deal of the officers
of ——. On the whole, I am well satisfied with them, though I must say I should
like a little bit more enthusiasm. I am not much of an enthusiast, you know,
but I have done what I could to discourage sneering, and to encourage a ready
recognition of good intention. I am getting to hate that narrow spirit which
sees nothing good outside its own beaten routine and which requires a man to be
well up in a certain kind of “shop” talk before he is fit to associate with. I
shall have to take it out of some of my First Battalion officers, I'm afraid. I
have not seen the letters in the California papers and do not think I care to.
Reed is a very good officer, takes the greatest pride in his company, and, since
that trouble, has done well by them; his fellows have been under fire since
those letters were written, and I feel sure that now the feeling is changed. I
think the men in all the battalions are beginning to feel that their officers
know more than the officers of any regiments they are thrown with; and this
feeling, of course, has a healthy effect on their morale. You must never
allow anything you see in the papers to disturb you, — I have seen enough to
convince me that all reports which go through Washington are systematically
falsified. Of course this does not apply to letters like those you have, but
remember that one man who has been roughed and feels aggrieved can easily
profess to express the feeling of a company.
Do you suppose I object to your telling me not to be rash? —
I think not; but you don't want me not to be rash, if I think it necessary.
SOURCE: Edward Waldo Emerson, Life and Letters of
Charles Russell Lowell, p. 290-1
No comments:
Post a Comment