The clothing was
of good quality and well cared for. The food was excellent, abundant
in quantity and well prepared. The beef was fresh and sweet, for it
had not been "embalmed." The men were not obliged to get their fresh
meat by picking maggots out of dried apples and dried peaches as has
been the case sometimes in the past on our "Wild West Frontier." There
were potatoes, Irish and sweet, navy beans, onions, meat, stacks of
light bread, canned salmon, canned tomatoes, etc. These were not all
served at one meal, but all these articles and others go to make up
the army ration list.
The spirit and discipline of officers and men was admirable, and
reflected great credit upon the Old North State. There was an
enthusiastic spirit and buoyancy that made their discipline and
evolutions well nigh perfect. The secret of it all was confidence in
their leader. They believe in their colonel, and the colonel in turn
believes in his men. Col. James H. Young possesses in a marked degree
a quality of leadership as important as it is rare. He probably knows
by name at least three-quarters of his regiment, and is on pleasant
terms with his staff and the men in the ranks, and yet maintains a
proper dignity, such as befits his official rank.
[Illustration: PROF. CHARLES F. MESERVE, OF SHAW UNIVERSITY, RALEIGH,
N.C. (Who investigated and made report on the Third N.C. Volunteers.)]
On the last afternoon of my visit of inspection Col.
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