The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-08-13

cinnati Enquirer:
Our camp was located in Virgin
la during the whole rebellion, or, 4
be more explicit, from the com
mencement Of 1862 to the close o
the war. 1t was q movable camp
snd was pitched in many places
but where it went its dogs went, ant
it was never settled twenty-foul
hours In any new place without re
cruits coming in to our barking lie
gion, The dog is never happ,
without a companionship Of man
He is a domestic animal, and is yer,
miserable when he is abandoned t
himself. The farmers used to hur
~ away with their families wher
our armies advanced, and their dog
left behind by them, made friends
with the Yankees" whom tae,
were too innocent tn fear.
! 1t has often struck me since that |
their masters had got to know ou
good qualities as early as their aban
doned brutes, the war would hav'
ended before it did and a grea
deal of bloodshed would have beer
spared.
/ made the acquaintance of my
first dog ofwar while was on pick
ct duty on the peninsula. | had 9
lonely spot, and the country wa.
said to be full OF bushwhackers. Il
was a dark night, wet and cold, anC
| heard a strange tinkling and rus
Ting in the bushes. l challenged
with my heart in my mouth, l car
assure you
-"Who comes there?"
NY reply was a sharp, ioyou:
bark, and a little, hairy object came
fawning about my feet.
1t was beautiful Skye terrier
though its silky coat was mattec
with burrs and its feet cut but By
thorns and stones.
THERE WAS A BLUE RIBBON
wet and muddy around his neck
and on the ribbon hung the bell
had heard tinkling. gave the lit
tie fellow some bread I had in my
pocket, which it ate greedily. Then
/ buttoned it in the breast of my
overcoat, where it went to sleep.
took it into camp with me, and it wal
my bedsellow during two years il
the field.
A couple of days later 1 fount
where little Trip belonged. | wa!
out with skirmishing party. anc
We came to a fine old plantation
house. 1t was abandoned, and il
the parlor hung large painting ir
water colors of pretty little CIR
with Skye, errier in her lap. Or
the drawing was written. Manic
and Trip" That is how | came t,
know Trips name.
All of our dogs of war we're no
of such aristocratic quality, through
Indeed, they make a strangely mix
ed battalion Virginia is a grea
hunting country and the planter
and farmers had fine dogs, whicl
they used IN there field sports. Ma
nv ofthese joined US such as pointer
settlers, fox-hounds, beagles, and ol
one occasion a noble Irish stag
hound This last was killed in bat
tie. He attached himself to a bray
captain in our regiment, and neve
parted from him night or day
He slept at his tent door, and march
ed beside him sat where he coul'
watch him on parade, and when w
went into a fight ran at his side
The pair seemed to understand on
another like old friends. The do
was wounded several times, not yer,
seriously, however. Each time hi
master cared for him like a child.
Another captain in the regimen
was big, bullying German, who's
capacity for absorbing whisky wa
only equalled by his opinion of him
self. This man one day, having I
dislike to its master, beat the dol
severely with the scabbard of hi
sword. That evening when he wa
sitting over the bottle with a coupl
ofhis friends in his tent the cap
tain walked in unannounced. H,
went straight to the table,
GRABBED OLD sAUERKRoUT
by the collar, and gave him such ;
beating with fresh hickory that
thought he would kill him. Nc
one interferred with the stag-hound
after that, you may be sure.
The dog had, with a few trivial
wounds, survived half a dozen skir.
mishes, when, after great battle in
the forest, we found him dead on
his dead friends breast, as if he
had crept there to bid him good
by.
One peculiarly of the majority
of our dogs was their fancy for al
ways being IN human companion
ship. They would hang around
the camp till taps. and when every
one there had gone to he'd would
stink off to keep the men on the
picket line company. The chief o
our picket dogs was Madagascar
He ehad been brought from New York
by Captain j., of our regiment. He
was a large reddish-brown fellow
very fat and good-natured. He de-
rived his name from having beer
sent to the captain from the island
of Madagascar. where he was
born.
After we had been in camp while
Madagascar seemed to have forgot
ten his master and adopted him
self to the regiment. He would
spend day in the officers quar-.
tiers of one company after another,
but he never visited another regi-
ment. He slept most of the day
away, but at night he was on th'
alert.
When night fell he would go to I
certain picket post which was helc
by men of our regiment. He knew
the post. and even when it wal
changed would find it out. There
he would lie at the mems feet. silent
and motionless. The slightest
sound would rouse him, for he ecoult
hear better than the sharpest-earet
man. and he would