In alluding to the Citizen Soldier I desire it to be distinctly understood that I make no reference to that organization of Home Guards once formed in Kansas, where the commanding officer tried to pose as one of the last surviving heroes of the Algerine War, when he had never drawn a sword but once and that was in a raffle, and where his men had determined to emulate the immortal example of Lord Nelson.  The last thing that Nelson did was to die for his country, and this was the last thing they ever intended to do. [Laughter.]

I allude to that Citizen Soldier who breathed the spirit of old Miles Standish, but had the additional advantage of always being able to speak for himself; who came down to the front with hair close cropped, clean shaven, newly baptized, freshly vaccinated, pocket in his shirt, musket on his shoulder, ready to do anything, from squirrel hunting up to manslaughter in the first degree.  He felt that with a single rush he could carry away two spans of barbed-wire fence without scratching himself.  If too short-sighted to see the enemy, he would go nearer; if lame, he would make this an excuse to disobey an order to retreat; if he had but one stocking, he would take it off his foot in wet weather and wrap it around the lock of his gun; and as to marching, he would keep on the march as long as he had upper garments enough left to wad a gun or nether garments enough to flag a train with. [Laughter.] He was the last man in a retreat, the first man in an enemy’s smoke-house.  When he wanted fuel he took only the top rail of the fence, and kept on taking the top rail till there was none of that fence left standing.  The New England soldier knew everything that was between the covers of books, from light infantry tactics to the new version of the Scriptures.  One day, on a forced march in Virginia, a New England man was lagging behind, when his colonel began stirring him up and telling him he ought to make better time.  He at once started to argue the case with the colonel, and said:  “See here, colonel, I’ve studied the tactics and hev learned from ’em how to form double column at half distance, but I hev never yet learned how to perform double distance on half rations.” [Laughter.]

But, Mr. President, this is a subject which should receive a few serious words from me before I sit down.  It was not until the black war cloud of rebellion broke upon us that we really appreciated the Citizen Soldier at his full worth.  But when the country was struck we saw, pouring down from the hill tops, and surging up from the valleys, that magnificent army of citizen soldiery, at the sight of which all Christendom stood amazed.  They gathered until the streets of every hamlet in the land were lighted by the glitter of their steel and resounded to the tread of their marching columns.  It seemed that the middle wall of partition was broken down between all classes, that we were living once more in the heroic ages, that there had returned to us the brave