Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-16
A Day with the Chiclxasavvs.

were those which arose from the
Beecher scandal.
A Day with the Chickasaws.
Last week we received an invita-
ton to join the mess of the Chicka-
saw Guards at dinner. The invita-
ton was a joint one fromthe officers
of the company and Capt. Crusman,
who had furnished tie delicacies
for the occasion. Now we thought |
fourteen years ago that we had had
quite enough of camp life to last us
the rest of our days, and the very
thoughts of a tent had become an |
offence to US second only to the idea
of a winter campaign without any
tents. But time works wonders,
and when the card of the Chicks
arrived we found that we had quite
fancy for the canvass homes and
quite an appetite for the camp
cuisine. In short, we were keen for
field duty and gladly accepted. The
carriage which conveyed US to the
camp contained Capt. J. j. Crus-
man, the founder of the feast, Capt.
F. P. Gracey, DIR. T. D. Johnson
and ourselves. We soon arrived at
headquarters, where we received
soldiers welcome from Capt. Carnes
and the officers of the company.
Our arrival was shortly followed by
that of another carriage containing
Major Henry and his son Mr.. Pat
rick Henry, Senator Bailey and our
Representative in Congress, Col.
House. This with the officers and
men of the Chickasaw Guards con-
stituted the party, though we were
near emitting Mr.. Rufus n. Rhodes,
who appeared at the table with one
of his young friends of the company.
A short time interviewed between
our arrival and the announcement
of dinner, which served for getting
better acquainted with our hosts.
] We find that the Chickasaw Guards
are like the Mousquetaires of the
kings guard in the days of Louis
XIV.-every man, from the captain
TO the private, is gentleman. Suf-
flee it to say that for genial hOspi-
tality and high-bred courtesy no
mansion in Memphis or GAINESVILLE
could have surpassed the reception
we had from our military friends
a continuous flow of pleasantly and
repartee was untainted with coarse
ness or disoourtesy, and the happy
informality of camp life was in no
instance extended to a breach of
good breeding.
Difiner was soon announced. We
gods and little fishes! call that a
camp dinner? a long table piled
up with everything the human APP
petite desires we will not de-
scribe it, but by way of contrast
will describe a dinner such as we
would have set before our friends on
Lookout Mountain, say in the late
autumn of 1864. No tent few
scrawny trees such as grow on
mOuutain-tOps the only shelter
from the November blasts which
play merrily around; the wet grass
our seat, a single camp chest our
table, on which is piled the feast of
which we now give the menu, First
large tin plate piled up with
chunks of the orthodox B. b, b.
All, young friends, you don't know
what that is; interpreted it is simply
boiled bull beef, and you are not
fully initiated into camp life until
you are able to welcome it as lux
ury, the only drawback being that
there is not enough of it. The only
other gastronomic luxury is Il cart
wheel. This is a vast cake of corn
bread, the size Of the largest skillet
in camp, in which it was baked. 1t
is made of unbOlted corn meal, and
kltG SEIASlIlOiA vi anu W ms IL 10
that of the deglutitIon of gravel,
Several canteens of water pictur-
esquely disposed around this Apt
cean feast complete the supply.
Earlier in the war these might have
contained buttermilk, but where
10000 troops have occupied a poor
country for several months, butter
milk Is unknown, and as for coffee,
the railroads did not come near
enough to Lookout Mountain in
those days for any such luXuries to
be found in camp. After this you
may pick your teeth with your bay
onet and be thankful. Such would
| have been the feast rendered to our
friends In 1864, but such was not
that which they rendered us in
August, 1879.
After dinner, cigars and more
conversation then the splendid
drill of the Chickasaw Guards, in
which, for the first time, the Clarks-
vile Guards participated; the dress
parade of the two companies, with
Capt. Howard as acting field officer
and the Lieutenant of the Bluff City
| Grays as adjutant. A prettier mill
tary spectacle could nowhere be
produced with the snme number of
troops. At shutdown we again
shook hands with our hosts and
returned to town, having spent a
more enjoyable day than we have
fallen in with for a long time, Long
live the ChickasaWs.
YESTERDAY Gen. Chalmers, of
Mississippi, delivered his long
/ promised address before the South