[180] although too young to vote. He passed the summer at Staten Island, studying under the guidance of Mr. Barlow (since Major-General Barlow), and entered Harvard College at the opening of the term in August.
Cambridge, September 5, 1856.Last Monday we had our six annual football games; Freshmen kicking against Sophomores. In the last three games, the Juniors help the Freshmen, and the Seniors help the Sophomores. We beat the third game, alone, a thing which has happened only three times since the University was founded. The Sophomores generally beat all six games, because they know the ground, and know each other. As I think a description of the whole affair would amuse you, I will give it to you. At half past 6 we went to the “Delta,” and in a few minutes the whole Sophomore Class streamed into the field at one end, and about as large a class of Freshmen into the other, and stood opposite each other about a hundred yards apart, like two hostile armies. There we stood cheering and getting up our courage until the ball was brought. It was received with great cheering and hurrahing, and handed over to the Sophomores, who have the first kick by rights. After they had kicked once, they waited until our champion, Crowninshield, had one kick, and then rushed in. They knew that we were a large Class and had a good many big fellows, so they determined to frighten us by hard fighting; and if anything was calculated to frighten fellows not used to it, it was the way in which they came upon us. They rushed down in a body, and, hardly looking for the ball, the greater part of them turned their attention to knocking down as many as they could, and kicked the ball when they happened to come across it. It was a regular battle, with fifty to seventy men on each side. It resembled more my idea of the hand-to-hand fighting in the battles of the ancients, than anything else. After the first game, few had their own hats on, few a whole shirt. In the beginning I rushed into the middle with the crowd, but after that I kept among fellows of my own size on the outskirts. My experience in the middle was this: before I had been there more than a second, I had got three fearful raps on the head and was knocked down, and they all ran over me after the ball, which had been kicked to another part of the field. Then I picked myself up, as did a great many other fellows lying about me, and looked for my hat among about twenty others and a good many rags. I found it some time afterwards serving as football to a
