It is not, however, to be
wondered at that, for every recruit who is accepted, on the
average thirty-four are rejected, and that, of course, the
men who present themselves to the recruiting officer already
represent a physical 'elite'; but it was very pleasant to
see and be assured, as I was at Tampa, by the evidences of
my own eyes and the tape measure, that there is not a guard
regiment of either the Russian, German or English army, of
whose remarkable physique we have heard so much, that can
compare physically, not with the best of our men, but simply
with the average of the men of our regular army."--Bonsal.
FOOTNOTES:
[9] The army has been reorganized since. See Register.
[10] "My experience in this direction since the war is beyond that of
any officer of my rank in the army. For ten years I had the honor of
being lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Cavalry, and during most of that
service I commanded garrisons composed in part of the Ninth Cavalry
and other organizations of cavalry and infantry. I have always found
the colored race represented in the army obedient, intelligent and
zealous in the discharge of duty, brave in battle, easily disciplined,
and most efficient in the care of their horses, arms and equipments.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155