became infatuated with it—and so must everyone who comes under its spell. The game continued to gain in popularity among "the boys" as the war progressed, and almost every regiment, and many crews, had Base Ball teams; and, when occasion offered, games were fought out, in generous rivalry, on Southern fields.
No one seems to know just how Base Ball found its way into Confederate lines; but, as many Southern youths had been in attendance at Northern colleges before the war, it is conjectured that this may have been the avenue of its introduction. Whatever may have been the means by which it got there, no one denies that it was there in full glory before the end of the war.
Thus it will be seen that Base Ball has its patriotic side—thanks to the soldiers and sailors of the Civil War—and this, together with its distinctive American character and spirit and its peculiar adaptability to the American temperament, have caused it to go on from year to year, gaining in power and popularity, until to-day it is the leading field sport of the world.
