The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-08-09
From the ST. Louis Daily Press
Campaign Recollections.
.DROwNING THE SHAMROCK

Campaign Recollections.
"DROwNING THR SHAMROCK"
Tattoo" over, and countersign OBJ
tained from the A. A. Gen., Jim K,
Joe / and my honorable self, started
forth, on March 18th, 1863, from Camp
near Little Rock" to that hard city, for
the laudable parpose of "drownding
the shamrock" and with firm resolve
to drown all care, all memory of hard
tack )" "blue beef" Holmes last "gener-
al ORDER" and Hindman's Scamp Regu-
latiOns' with it.
Joe has no objection to being an
Irishman for one night, provided we
fully observe that ancient and anti-am-
phibious Gus om-which glorious Gus
tom Jim X and my honorable self
have pledged ourselves to highly re-
spect in all its details.
After careful inspection of the con-
tents of our three pocketboOks, and no
less careful calculation of the quantity
of "pine top" the said contents could
purchase, at the rate of S75 per gallon,
we locked arms, and started the favOrite
operate air, of 30, bummers, won't you
meet me p Although We invited the
"bummers" TO meet MS "On Canaan's
happy Shore" our real destination was
MOrgan's, in the alley, which we reached,
only to find it guarded by stalwart
sentinel, who paced up and down at a
support arms" Now we know there
is barrel of the "crayther" inside, and
here we are-three as 'jolly hearts" as
ever chad cake and ale in virtuous
world''-aigh and dry outside. We're
in ~ nell of fix as old Captain Bill
s. would say. What's to be done
Come K, you're fellow of some
persuasive powers, anda commissioned
officer to boot-go up and talk to the
sentinel, whilst We fall back in the
shadow of this awning. x stepped
forward, and after a few preliminary
remarks which We couldn't hear, we saw
K put his hand on the sentiuers
shoulder. Then K counted all the
on-holes in the sentinefs jacket;
then he counted all the buttons, up one
row and down the Other-then he tug
ged at all of them; then he unbuttoned a
up again-and finally he struck the ten
der hearted sentinel goOd-naturedly on
the breast with the back Of the hand
that counted all the buttons and the
button holes, which brought the senti-
mel to an "order arms" Immediately
he called out, "all right boys call we
quickly responded to by springing to
his side. In the sentinel | recognized
an old campaign friend-Pat Fogerty.
We struck up the following colloquy:
Ego-"Why is it you Pat"
Pat-"An is it yourself, Mr.. Jingle"
Ego-"I say, Pat, has the Lieutenant
been blarneying you'"
Pat-"Oh. he's the divil at it's the
same chap"
Ego-"1 say, Pat, hope you hav'nt
forgotten this is St. Patrick's nightw
Pat-Is it forget it did you say 7
Throth an I'll forget my mothers son
firstw
Ego-"That's right, my boy! and
cold night it is too. Let me have your
canteen. Say, Pat, is there any chance
to open the door,
Pat-(With q, peculiar SMILEY ''Ah
then by gorrah, Mr.. Jingle !! it's your
self that's found the key. just howld
on till turn me back Musha! isn't it
blessing a man has his eyes before
him instead of behind him-throth I'm
glad I'm not an ogar any how.
Leaving Pat to finish his optical soil
loquy, (he had but one eye, having lost
the other in one of the early battles of
Missouri) we three bounded to the door
in the alley, whispered our desires
through the key hole to Morgan, and
in a second were in the midst of a few
congenial friends, who, no doubt, had
come up on the blind side of Pat.
My first act was to fill his canteen aud
pass it to him, with instructions for
himself and all "reliefs" coming after
him.
The cengenial crowd we found our
selves in was composed of the cap'n of
the guard and six other "bricks,' all
wading in to "drown the shamrock"
don't remember, (nor would any
other man if he was there, how often
Morgan went down in the cellar with
an empty demijohn and returned with
full one. But I do remember it was
long in the night when the said demi-
John and the bsoken glass took it into
their heads-there being nothing in
them-to march. and conntermarch all
round the room. We were not to be
outdone BY any such two old citizens,
nary time! So we called on the cap'n
of the guard to drill US in battalion
drill, and show these two old citizens
and Morgan what military movements
were. --~-~..--
The cap'nput us through every move
ment he was cursed through himself by
old Colonel Kelly. l flattered myself
| excelled all my companions in the
"wheelings"-andi i'll the intricate move
ment of "front to real" remember
was perfect, from the fact that, when
ever I started to get out of anyboay's
way, invariable turned round and
knocked up against them. Snch accur-
acy, in time and manner, thought
ought to meet with smile Of approval
from Morgan. But no; Morgan
wouldn't smile. / became indignant,
and coming up to him, / cried outin an
authoritative tone, "Damn me! Nor
gan, sir! but we are the Grand
Rounds,' rat which Morgan jumped up
and said, Damn me, sir but the Grand
Rounds. had better square up" The
impertinent remark reached the ears of
the Captain, who threatened Morgan
with a court martial next morning, and
then fled under the table. -. =.
His six boosy-um companions, who
never deserted their cap'n, filed after
him. Jim K, with an air of dignity,
filed into q big arm chair Joe with
an old air Of familiarity, filed on to q
bench in the corner, where stood the dc
mijohn and broken giass WitFan as