Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1861-10-30


ING relatives and friends in the army, Oh
ther here or elsewhere, it occurs to me
that some account of the every day life of
soldier will be read with interest.
You, therefore, being the present me-
dunn of communication between your
readers and their said relatives and
| friends, will please accompany mo on
tour Of observation early this morning
through the encampment Of the stald
and sober 9Th Wis. Reg. Volunteers.
See those tents, ten ia q row, and
twenty Of those rows running parallel
with each other; twenty of those tents
contain your readers nearest and Gear
est; we will therefore confine our obser-
vations for the present to these twenty
! tents You observe that twenty foot
street running between those two paraI-
el rows Of tents that is known as company
| BIS street.
There goes the roll of the morning
! drum; it is rcveile arousing the soldier
to bis days work Let us walk down
this street and glance at these canvass
houses and their inhabitants; here this
one will do: look ut those six men IN
there see them rub their eyes, hear them
growl, and the truth must he told, they
do swear some; see them slip on their
shoes, put OH their hats; now they arc
dressed; hear the order $ Company B.,
fall in for roll call" ring out on the
morning air See these men join their
comrades in the company street, and
form into two rank, and hear them an
swer "here" as their names a. called.
Now while these men are "out in the
cold" answering to their names, let me
conduct You to the Interior of their cnn-
vass house. as it is fine sample of all
the thousands now occupied by oar
troops. AS you app oach you notice
trench foot wide and six inches deep is
dug around its four sides to carry off The
rain inside and Immediately opposite
the entrance you see six Springfield rifle
muskets placed in q primitive rack, OF If
it suits you better, in rack Of primo
tive formation. These guns you will see
are as bright as rotten stone, oil and e!-
bow grease can make them. Your eye
then falls upon six knapsacks ranged IN
n row, six oil cloth blankets spread on
the ground, six wooden blankets Of yari-
Gus hues--red, white, blue and grey
These knapsacks are the pillows, these
oil cloth Blankets the mattresses, these
wooden blankets the bed clothes for the
six men who are sout there in the cold"
bawlinr - here, here" In one corner OF
the tent YOU see rule box or barrel head
with bread in or on it. plate with from
one to three pounds of sugar on it, tin
cup or glass bottle half full of molasses,
tin cups with the coffee grounds left from
fast gifts supper. bottles of various 81
yes and colors containing sweet oil, whale
oil. spirits of turpentne, vinegar and
mustard, backing brushes and backing,
shoes, newspapers. divers and numerous
pipes and papers of tobacco. Suspended
in mid air. extending from one to the
other of the upright tent poles, you sec a
rope upon which hang cartridge boxes,
oyercoats, twowsers, shirts, havcrsacks,
and everything else that aal hang ex-
| cept jeff. Davis.
Roll call is now over and thse six men
come in out of the cold, and the overcoats
arc rolled up compactIy inside of the oil
cloth blankets and strapped on top OF the
knapsack; the wooden blankets are well
shaken and then neatly folded and pack
ed in the fly of the knaps4ck; the boots
or shoes of the men are backened or
creased, the clothes brushed, and after
considerable boisterons debating, one of
these six men SEXES broom OF homo
made stock and sweeps out the teht.-
Everything in the tent is put into perfect
order, and the dirt in and around the
tent is swept in pile in the middle Of
the company street. But what is the
matter with our knight of the broom
He drops it as though he were shot,
makes n break for the tent, SEXES tin
Gun and rushes for the coffee kettle; but
woe be unto him if he have quart cup
instead of the regulation pint cup, for he
will be cursed deaf, dumb, blue and blind
! if be dare to profane the coffee kettle
by Introducing his quart cup, but the cry
If meat, meat" is raised, and the poor
devil in the uproar escapes to his tent
with. if he has filed his quart cut, dou-
! bile allowance of coffee.
Well, the breakfast is over and the
drum summons those men whose names
were called out last night for guard to-
day. to fall into ranks with their arms,
accoutrements, clothing. etc. in good or
der, and they are marched off for a tour
of twenty four hours guard duty.
The company police, consisting of five
men, in the mean time sweep the com
pany street. and the dirt swept out of the
tents is carried off some distance from
the encampment.
Those men not on guard or police duty
are now busily engaged in cleaning their
guns, polishing the brass plates on their
accoutremcnts and getting ready for IN
spection, which comes off daily at nine
o'clock. After inspection comes company
drill, (which is dispensed with in wet
weather. lasting nearly till noon. Then
comes dinner, and then if we have bean
or pea soup. tho quart cups are again
mathematical, and those individuals who
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