The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-04
WHY EXCHANGED.

of morning and afternoon parades, Wis
iting the mems dinners and teas, and
other regular work. In addition to this
we had occasionally to mount guard and
to pass twenty-four hours in a sort of
half imprisonment.
1t Is one of the regulations of the
service that when officers or men are on
guard they should always be in state of
readiness to 4" fall In " on parade at a
moments notice. If you feel very
sleepy and desire rest you must take it
while you are buttoned up to the throat
and strapped down at the heels. A
lounge in an arm chair, or probably a
little horizontal refreshment upon a
sofa, is tine extent of rest which an Off
Ger on guard is supposed to indulge in.
Among my brother subal erns in gar
rison 1T was our usual practice to in
fringe upon the strict letter of the law,
| and when the principal part Ct our duty
had been accomplished, we used to in
dulge ourselves by divesting our limbs
| of their armor and seeking reirensh-
ment between the sheets of little camp
bed that was placed in the inner guard
rom.
1t was part of the duly of an officer
on guard to visit all the sentries during
| the night, the time for visiting them
being usually an hour or SO after the
| field officer had visited the guard the
| field officer being colonel or major who
was on duty for the day, and who came
once by day and once by night to see
the guards and to see that all was as it
| should be. There was no exact limit to
| the number of times that the field Off
Ger might visit the guards but it was
the usual thing, and had become almost
a custom, for him to come once by day
and once by night, so that after the last
visit the subaltern usually waited an
hour or so, walked round the limits of
his post, visited all his sentries, and
then turned into bed.
It was a bitter cold morning in Janu-
airy that my turn for guard came on. I
marched my men to the post, relieved
the old guard, and then, having gone
through the regular duty and dined,
endeavored to pass the time until the
held-officer had visited me. The pre-
vious evening had been at bali in
town, and in consequence was very
tired and sleepy, and looked with con-
siderable longing to the period when I
could refresh myself by unrobing and
enjoying a good snooze.
At length 1 heard the welcome chal-
lenge, "Who comes there ?" which was
answered by the response, Grand
rounds, and "Guard turn out % was a
signal which 1 willingly obeyed, for
knew that in an hour afterward I would
be in the arms of the god of sleep.
Slipping on my cloak and cap, and
grasping my sword, I placed myself in
front of the guard and received the field
officer, who briefly asked me if every
thing was correct, directed me to dis.
miss the guard, and rode off without
saying good night, a proceeding which
1 thought very formal.
Giving directions to the sergeant tC
call me IN an hour, for the purpose o.
visiting the sentries, I threw myselt
into my arm chair and tried to read {
novel. The time passed very quickly
, as had nap or two, and the sergeant
soon appeared with lantern to cOnduc
me round the sentries.
/. 1t was terrible night, the wind blow
, ing hard, whilst the snow and sleet wert
driving along before it. The thermom
, eter was several degrees below freezing
4 and / felt that / deserved much from
4 my country for performing so conscien
I tiously my arduous duties. The sen
5 tries were very much scattered, and
I had to walk two miles to visit them all
l I accomplished my task, however, an,
. returned to the guard room, where
3 treated myself to a stiff glass of groQ
!. and throwing off my regimentals
e jumped into bed, feeling that I reall
{ deserved the luxury.
; In few moments I was fast asleeL
It not even dreaming of any of my fai
e partners of the ball, but sound asleeI
n Suddenly 1 became conscious of a gres
s noise, which sounded like a drum bein
beaten.
At first I did not realize my position
;, and could not remember where I was
Z but at last it flashed across me that
= was on guard, and that something wa
! the matter. Jumping out of bed,
a called TO know who was there.
!, Tue sergeant answered in a greG
= hurry, saying:
= "Sir, the feld-of1icer of the day
. coming, and the guard is turning out.
rushed for my boots, pulled them o
: over my unstockinged feet; thrust 70
, sword-arm into my large regiments
> cloak, which I pulled over me jamme
: on my forage cap on my head, an
: grasping my sword, looked to the ou
: ward observer as though (" fit for pi
: rade."
was just in time to receive the field
. officer, who again asked me if my guar
! was correct. / answered, rather in
! tone of surprise, and said "Y s, sir
2 all correct"
could not imagine why my guar
should be visited twice, as such a pre-
ceeding was unusual, and perhaps m
tone seemed to imply that / was sun
prised. Whether it was that, or wheth
. er a treacherous gust of wind remove
! the folds of my cloak and exhibited tn
, slightest taste in life of the end of tn
/, niCht-shirt, know not but the field
turned his horses head in the opposit
{ direction, and said:
: Now, sir, want you to accompan
, me around the sentries."
: Had he told me that he wanted me {,
accompany him TO the region b low
l I should scarce have been more horror
, struck for already 1 had found tn
; change of temperature between a warn
( bed and o warm room, and the outsid
air-aHd TO walk two miles on a windy
frosty niaght, with no raiment beside
boots, night-shirt, and cloak, was reall,
suffering for ones country and no mis-
take. I dared not show the slightes
! hesitation, however, for fear the state o
my attire my % suspected, though
would have given a weeks pay to hav,
escaped for only five minutes. non
commissioned officer was ready with
lantern, and we started on our tour o.
inspection.
The field officer asked several ques
tions connected with the position and
duties of the sentries, to which / gave
answers as well as the chsttering of my
teeth would permit me. The most ner.
vous work, however, was passing the
gas lamps, which were placed at inter
walls of one and two hundred yards. The
wind was blowing so fresh that it wa
with difficulty could hold my cloak
, around me. Every now aud then an ex.
ira gust OF wind would come around d
corner, and quite defeat all the precau.
tions which I had adopted to encounter
; the heavy gale. I managed to dodge in
| the shade as much IS possible, and more
than once ran the risk of being kicked