Popular orators always appealed to the volunteers; the regulars had no votes and there was no point in politicians thinking of them.

The chief activity shown by Congressmen about the army was in getting special army posts built in places where there was no need for them.

Even the work of the army in its campaigns against the Indians was of such a character that it was generally performed by small bodies of fifty or a hundred men.

Until a man ceased being a lieutenant he usually had plenty of professional work to attend to and was employed in the field, and, in short, had the same kind of practice that his brother in the navy had, and he did his work as well.

But once past this stage he had almost no opportunity to perform any work corresponding to his rank, and but little opportunity to do any military work whatsoever.