Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-03-23
a,aisrellausGus.
HT7W-TT-C--
The Campfire.
From the Grand Army Jourr

q -aaH -
The Campfire.
From the Grand Army Journslj
.sSteclemint," of 1'Ours," was au fail
on yarn-spinnIng, OF which the follow
ing Is a Iair 5peclinen: "Weil, boys,
wnen LISBON, IA Loo, was fsyaitowed
up Dy an eafJhq quake, it!waS declared q
'dispensation vi ProvIdence;;' when the
poor Widow. III Che Sunday school story
was praying fer Dread, anu pdsser-Dy, I,
over-hearingnerp petition, Supplied tins
desired ;a1icies, even befOre she got
through, tiie accswas deemed a sdispen-
sation OF Providence, SO that l can
give the mendacious -incident1 now re-
late no other name than a adispensatiOn
of Provifience:'h- 4 y ~ 4 p +
''On Monday morning, May 8, 1863,
the tide of battle was surging fiercely to
and fro on the field of.ClancellorSville.
The Secoui cDivisi0l, Corps, which
had opened the bah 'were in reserve,
and We're suffering severely for want
of food, having lost all their rations in
fOrding the Rapidan meek deep at ii p.
M, some four days previously. Hung
er and exhaustion had almost deprived
them of interest in the. exciting contest
waging around them; and when orders
came to fall in quickly it was with
every appearance of, lethargy and mac
tivity that our brave and gallant Divis-
ion formed into column and followed
the track made by the constant and re-
peated traversing of the artillery back
ward and forward during the night.
They had not proceeded Tar when an
unexpected, miraculous, and thrice wei
come scene met their view the cOntin-
ued friction of the artillery and caisson-
wheels in large pond before them had
caused the water to boil, and its deni-
zens, the frogs, all nicely cooked, We're
floating around in thousands on its sur,
face, as if Waiting for the half-starved
men, who quickly seized, skinned, and
devoured them. Then with muttere0
thanks to the Providence who had sc
bountifully supplied such a wonderful
meal, the invincible -, invigorate0
by the repast, debouched on the enemy
with such shout of defiance and vol
ley of musketry as to cause them a
once to- reel and fly; and believe me
boys, if all the Army could have hae
a breakfast ,of. boiled frogs that Sunday
morning, the Army of the Potoma'
would have hoped into Richmond
and put an end to the war, instead o
hopping back just where we started
from a week before. .,su.r-
Steclemint started out of camp ont
day for whisky, having heard ther,
was some at WeldOn's, the brigade suit
fer's of the Seventeenth Regulars; o
course the only way to get it was to OBJ
tain an order from an officer; this h
disdained, for, as he said, "If l cam
get it myself, on my own merits,
don't want it." He accordingly ap
piled to the suffers and was abruptly
received On entering the rear tent wit
the information, ssYou have no busi
ness here; this tent is reserved especial,
for officers" There were present SUI
geon Ramsey, Eleventh , Infantry
Lieutenant Elder, Fourteenth Infant
ry; Major R. s.. Smith, Twelfth In
fantry, and several other regular Off
GERS. 81 s .SB.s{fB &tstszslstI y =
Steclemiut-ssI know that d-dwel
and if had not been and officer,
should not have come here"
Ramsey-"YOu an officer? Of what
'Steclemint-"A debating society j
New York, and President at that, b
thunder" esa.. .iu.s sssal 81
TRANSPORTATION, give him all b
wants; but first he takes drink wit
me-" a4h- a-'s-.-- - .-.,
When, at midnight, Stec. reached h
quarters, he was more than "thrt
sheets in the wind"