Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-03-28

Some five years ago I was a subal
tern in a marching regiment, and
quartered in large garrison town in
England. Ny duties consisted of the
usual round of morning and afternoon
parades, visiting 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 sort of half imprison-
ment.
1t is one of the regulations of the
service that when officers or men are
on guard they should always be in a
state of readiness to 'fall in" on pa
rade in a moments notice. If you
feel very sleepy and desire rest, you
must take it whilst You are buttoned
to the throat and strapped down at
the heels; a lounge in an arm chair,
or probably little horizontal refresh
ment upon a sofa, is the extent of rest
which an officer on guard is supposed
to indulge in.
Among my brother subalterns in
garrison it was our usual practice to
infringe upon this strict letter of the
law; ard when the principal part of
our duty had been accomplished we
used to indulge ourselves by divest-
ing our limbs of their armor, and
seeking refreshment between the
sheets of a little camp bed that was
placed in the inner guard room.
1t was part of the duties of an Off
Ger on guard to visit all the sentries
during the night, the time for visiting
them being usually an hour or so be-
fore 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 1t should be. There
was no exact limit to the number of
times that the field officer 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 the sentries, and then
turned into bed.
1t was a bitter cold morning in
January that my turn for guard came
on. 1 marched my men to the post,
relieved the old guard, and then hay-
ing gone through the regular duty
and dined, endeavOred to pass the
time until the field officer had visited
me. The previous evening I had been
at q ball in town, and in consequence
was very tired and sleepy, and looked
with considerable longing to the peri
cd when I could refresh myself by
unrObing and enjoying a good snooze.
At length / heard the welcome chal-
lenge: "Who comes there?" which
was answered by the response
Grand rounds aud Guard turn
out." was a signal which I willingly
obeyed, for l knew that in an hour
afterwards should be in the embrace
of the god of sleep.
Slipping on my cloak and esp, and
grasping my sword, 1 placed myself
in front of the guard and receiving
the field officer, who briefly asked me
if everything was correct, directed
ME to dismiss my guard, and rode of
without saying "Good night" a pro-
ceeding that l thought rather for
NAL.
Giving directions to the sergeant to
call lie II du nOuE LOT the uIbOSC Ol
visiting the sentries, threw myself
into my arm chair and tried to read a
novel. The time passed very quickly,
as I had a nap or two. and the ser
geant soon appeared with a lantern to
conduct me round the sentries.
1t was q terrible night; the wind
blowing hard, whilst the snow and
sleet were driving aleng before it.
The thermometer was several degrees
below freezing, and 1 felt that de-
served much from my country fOr
performing so conscientiOusly my
arduous duties. The sentries were
very much scattered, and l had to
walk nearly two miles to visit them
all. 1 accomplished my task, how
ever, and returned to the guard-roOm,
where I treated myself to a stiff glass
of grog, and throwing of my regi-
mentals 1 jumped into bed, feeling
that I really deserved the luxury.