42 Ten Years of ony Life. 



service extremely difficult, the practical sense of the Americans 

 surmounted all difficulties, and soon after the commencement 

 of war things in the commissariat of the army went like clock- 

 work. The rich American people did not care if some hun- 

 dreds of millions were perhaps squandered ; trade in the North 

 States was as brisk as ever; nay, on the contrary, war, instead 

 of hindering, seemed to increase it. Money was circulating 

 more freel}^ than ever, and instead of suffering, the country, 

 and especially the cities, seemed to improve by the war. 



The soldiers lived well, for they were paid well. Everything 

 was furnished to them liberally by the Government ; nothing 

 was deducted from their pay, which amounted even for private 

 soldiers to fourteen dollars a month. Everything was done 

 for the soldiers of the nation by the National Government, 

 the utmost care taken to procure for them all possible commo- 

 dities, and private industry speculating in that direction was 

 never hindered except by the requirements of discipline. The 

 connection between the army and home was carefully consi 

 dered, and the postal arrangements were wonderfully regular, 

 notwithstanding the enormous distances. Virginia alone is as 

 large as all Germany, and the distance from the Mississippi to 

 New York as great as the whole length of Europe. 



It was indeed interesting to observe the wonderful celerity 

 with which the Americans proceeded. ' Adams's Express 

 Company ' and the telegraph were institutions which I might 

 say followed the skirmishers. At the same time, with the first 

 tent generally grew up a shanty with the firm of ' Adams's Ex- 

 press,' which conveyed parcels of every size to the army and 

 throughout the Union. In America it was thought desirable 

 that the soldiers should know what their comrades were doing 

 hundreds of miles off. One of the first things done was there- 

 fore the arrangement of a very regular newspaper service. 

 Stations were established between the camp and the next rail- 

 road or steamship landing, and newsboys on horseback, nearly 

 disappearing between papers, came in full gallop and brought 

 the welcome sheets to the soldiers, who bought thousands of 

 copies, paying with pleasure double prices and more. 



A department highly important for the comfort of the sol- 

 diers is that of the suders, and I frequently wondered how 

 miserably this branch was arranged in the German army, which 

 in other respects is so far superior to any other. I shall speak 



