Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-02-24

Forever to mingle and praise. NJ.
t Army Legerdemain, or Trick
|, of the sOldiery.
! Correspondence of the New York Commercial Ad
vertiser.l
T ARMY OF THE PoToNAc, Dec. 81.
A voluminous book might be written OF
army legerdemain and jugglery. One o
the first things a soldier learns 70 do is II
J avoid duty. He tires of the daily drill
picket labor, &C., and seeks, through plea
OF sickness, to escape them. It would
puzzle DR.. Lieber himself to make out
some of the complaints which are put in
at the morning call of the regimental sur.
geon, by the soldiers; knowing that the
doctor relies mainly for his judgment of
the case upon the condition of the nulse.
they not unfrequently render it unsteady
and violent by rapping the elbow severe
ly just before entering his tent The ap-
pearance of the tongue is also criterion
of condition. A surgeon of New York
regiment in Gen. pavidson's brigade was
much puzzled during the winter of 1861,
to account for SO many of the men hav-
ing coated tongues. 1t was almost dis
temper in the regiment. After much dill
igent inquiry he discovered that among
the privates was druggist who furnished
for a trihe his comrades with a white
mixture, which they applied to their
tongues whenever desirous Of getting off
from duty. The discovery was not made,
however, until after nearly the whele reg
iment had deceived him at one time and
another.
The stringent regulations against the
use of ardent spirits lead to many ruses
for obtaining it. When the troops were
encamped near Washington, at the COM
mencement of the war they were found
to have liquor constantly, notwithstsnd-
ing the strenuous efforts to keep it from
them. After several weeks they were de-
tected smuggling it into camp in their
gun-barrels. An amusing incident trans
plred last winter at Falmouth. General
Burnside ordered several hundred bar
rels of commisssry whisky to besen down |
from Washington to Aqua Creek before |
his move in the mud. Lisutenant--,l
S9th New York, acting brigade commits |
sary in Getty's division, sent repeatedly |
to the creek for supply, but every bar
rel that was furnished him would disap- |
pear from the cars before reaching Fal- |
mouth, rumor having it that the roguish
Hawkins Zouayes 'gobbled" them. At
length, despairing of obtaining any of the
stuff by order, he proceeded personally to
Aqua Creek for supply. He obtained
one barrel, and standing it up in the car,
seated himself upon the top, confident
that no one could get that away from him.
What was his dismsy, on springing down
10 the platform at Falmouth, to find the
barrel coming with him empty. Some in
yenious soldier had bored hole through
the bottom of the car, while the train
aalted at Potomac Creek or Bur ke Sta
ion, tapped his barrel, and drained it to
he dregs,
Believing that rebels have no rights
which soldier is bound to respect, they
practice all sorts of tricks upon the Vir-
,inians. I;
When the army marched down through
he State from Pleasant Valley in Novem- :
'er 1862, many of the troops 'confscated'
he hogs, sheep and poultry on the route,
declaring to the rebel owners that they I
Tere the identical animals which Stuart
ad taken from their relatives in Ma I
yland during his great raid few weeks !
efore. When we arrived in the vicinity {
T Warrenton, Charley, belonging to a I
'ew York regiment, who took care of e
ur horses, started out for the purpose, he a
aid, OF bringing back some Thanksgiving v
1rkeys. After riding about mile he 3
eined up at pleasant looking farm "
ouse, on the Gainesville turnpike, and C
lquired for the owner. A surly looking
ebel appeared, and on being asked if he {
'ould sell some of his poultry, replied L
rufiy that the "Yank" could buy moth t
lg from him, "But," said Charley. '.if o
on do not sell your chickens and tur- C
eys, my boys will surely steal them after P
ark" This reasoning had the desired "
feet, and the farmer consented to dispose p
part of his poultry. After Charley C
ad loaded down two other hostlers who b
him, with fowls, he drew 81
nth huge roll of counterfeit Confeder- Fl
-e bills to pay for them. But the own q
: objected to taking this on the plea that fl
onfederate currency would not circulate, q
ow that we were in possession of the 81
,untry. -- n
Very well, /" replied Charley. who was 81
ever ut loss for reply, 81 have no "
with me now; but here Is an II
der on my quartermaster. Go and pre- in
mt il to hirn at the regiment"-point- sc
g to the camp of the 10th PennsyIvan-
-"and he will cssh it for you at once" K
MS was satisfactory to the owner, and W
harley returned 20 the regiment with N
lough poultry to last US week. We "
,ver could learn that the quartermaste- W
the Pennsylvania regiment cashed the IIs
aft. The resder may question such II
node of procedure" but after making Nj
reed marches for q week on hard tack,
ldiers cannot be expected to follow the sp
lue course of law" in obtaining delica- al
ss from the enemy. 1t is astonishing If
g amount of counterfeit Confederate ",
oney circulating in our armies. There We
a regular trafc in it, venders selling the MS
LIS at the rate of FIVE dollars hundred. FRI
le troops consider it perfectly lawful to III
'pose of all the stuff they can, believing VIC
1g since at Chicago, that they are using ma
Ultimate means for breaking down the
oellion. by distributing all they can of M,
is bogus currency within the rebel lines. pl,
at it has had considerable to do with St,
; depreciation of the rebel currency, no iro
e can doubt. Perhaps if one regiment thl
Joys more reputation than another for col
S mode of f"fghting" therebels, it is the of
h Brooklyn. A recent writer, in speak ror
! of their first appearance on the Rap sid
lsnock, says: ''They brought with them me
ne bundles of Confederate notes, and inc
n became excellent customers at the ch,
sdericksburg shops. On entering, they pei
lally accosted the proprietor as follows; aft
DO you take this Confederate stuff of
'ei We don't think it good for any mo
ng, but if you choose to receive it, We del
] make sems purchase" lbe