The National tribune., 1884-12-18
"BOSE." i"
A Sheen that Was not PslatabIe.

| A Sheep that Was not Palatable.
To THE EDITOR: We were camped on the
| Fair Grounds at Hagerstown, Md, after the
battle of Antetam. Ragged and battle worn,
| the bows looked little like the bright, clear,
body of men who had left their rugged hillside
| farms a year or more before; but what we had
lost in good looks we had gained in soldierly
bearing, and every man, though his shoes were
sOleless and his trousers several inches short OF
regulation length, was every inch a soldier.
We were five regiments, all from the old Green
| Mountain State, and, beside the strong love for
| the old flag, we were bound together by a
stronger tie, in the fact that members of the
same family were enlisted in the several regi-
ments of the brigade, making it seem like one
| large family, and the old war horse, Gen. w.
T. II. Brooks. was father to US all. The rumor
was current in camp that our depleted brigade
was to be strengthened by the addition of one
| of the nine months regiments, then raising in
the North, and many were the wishes that we
might have regiment from the old Mountain
State, SO that We were not very pleasantly sur
| prsed when the - New Jersey, 900 strong,
| filed into the Fair Grounds one morning and
announced that they had come to stay. They
| were q e-lOoking body of men, and their
State had fitted them out with everything nee
essary land some things Unnecessary for SOL
dier's outfit. Their tents, OvercOats, blankets,
| and knapsacks (the last luxury not owned or
| longed for by the old brigade) )-everything
new; and their cooking arrangements well,
| to u.s. whose entire establishment consisted of
| q half-canteen on the end of split stick
| seemed to rival Delmonico. However, the boys
| soon fraternized, and were fighting the Penin-
| sular campaign and Antietam over again.
The Jersey boys had gone into camp short
distance from the rest Of the brigade, and their
clean, white tents formed strong contrast to
our old weather-beaten ones, looking, with
their many patches, like Joseph's coat of many
colors; but when the reveille sounded the next
morning, what change! The Jersey boys
came out to roll-call in shreds and patches,
barefooted and coatless. Our boys had put in
| q requisition for their effects, and the requis-
tion had been filed. The atmosphere was
"blue" with Jersey Oaths, and their Colonel
was the maddest of thousand mad men. Be-
fore guard-mount he had had an interview
with "Old War Horse" and the result soon
appeared in an order to the entire brigade to
parade for inspection at IL m, for the purpose
Of ascertaining what had become of the prop
erty of the New Jersey regiment. The inspec-
tiOn was held, and Falstaf's ragged army could
not have looked any worse than did the old
brigade-not single new article Of clothing or
equipment appeared and the inspection proved
Ito the satisfaction of the old brigade and its
commander, at least) that the Vermont boys
were innocent OF the charge that had been
made against them. The Jersey men were dis
comfted, and said little, but they were evil
IDENTIFY thinking much. In few days the
excitement was over. The boys Haternized
like old soldiers and the whole affair was for
gotten or, if mentioned at all, was only c0nsid-
cred as good joke. The Jerseymen wore their
"odds and ends" contentedly, and never even
cast longing eye toward the new clothes
which the Vermont boys had unaccountably
become possessed Of They were rapidly get
ting into drill, and bid fair to become welcome
addition to our ranks. But gradually suspicious
were aroused among the boys that the Jersey
men were light-fngered, and the suspicion soon
deepened to a certainty. Everything disap
peared. If VermOnter was washing his own
shirt at the brook and lay down on his blanket
for nap while drying it on the bushes, when
he opened his eyes his shirt was sure to be gone; !;
and did he step six feet from his blanket, think
ing perhaps his shirt had blown to the ground
he was out a blanket, too. Canteens haver-
sacks, camp kettles - everything portable
seemed to take wings and fly; but the greatest
trouble was with the cook house. Rations dis
appeared like magic, and nothing was safe un-
less kept under guard Meantime, the Jersey
men persued the even tenor of their way, and
there was the utmost fellowship between
them and the Fermonters Many were the
traps laid to catch them, but they were too
wary, and had indeed learned the first lesson
in campaigning taught them by the Vermont
that before many weeks the Jerseymen were
again in full feather, and our boys as badly off
as ever,-in fact worse, for the JerseyMen had
taken ample interest and had "stolen US poor"
At last forbearance ceased to be virtue, and
council of war" was held, at which it was
voted that "Bose" must be sacrificed. Bose"
was a large Newfoundland dog, the pet of Co. B,
but of late had not looked in irst-class order.
The heat of the previous Summer had caused
the loss Of nearly all his hair, giving him a
NANCY appearance. With much secrecy COM
mittee of three was appointed to take Bose"
outside the grounds, kill and dress him off like
sheep. This was done, and the carcass hung
up in Co. BIS cook house. The executioners re-
turned to their quarters with the proud con-
sciousness that the Vermonters would soon be
even with Jersey.
Nor were they mistaken. After taps had
sounded and everything was quiet, bright
light was seen over in the Jersey camp, and a
number of Co. B boys sauntered over. The
Jerseymen were all busily engaged around their
camp-fres, each man with his fryingpan or
halfcanteen. The salutaton Halloo. Nut
ton! Got any to spare?" was met by the re-
ply: "No, we've only got one sheep, and that
don't 60 great way with whole company. 1t
amt very good, any way; but it's change from
army beef and salt horse, you know" No more
was said on the mutton question, but the Yer
monters watched the burial of poor Bose"
Win rs much cOmplacency as could be expected
under the circumstances, and listened to re-
marks such as, Ram, lamb, sheep, mutton"
the old ram that went into the ark with
Noah" until the supply was about exhausted,
when one of the boys informed the Jerseymen
that they had played trick on Buck (GeneraD
NeilPs New Workers that night which would
teach them to keep out of their cook house, for
a while at least. The Jerseymen asked how it
had been done. "Well," said Tom, "you all
know BOse;' he was nice dog and we thought
heaps of him, but he lost nearly all his hair,
and what little he had left got full of feas so
we thought we would stop Neill's fellers from
coming over to our cook house every night and
swooping' our rations by killing Bose and
hanging him up in the cook house for a sheep,
and we did it to night, and" But Tom never
finished his explanation of how we had played
it on the 10th N. Y, for with one yell the Jer-
seymen broke for the bush and commenced
casting up accounts
The o. New Jersey served their time with the
brigade, made splendid soldiers and did their
whole duty, but from that night to mention
Bose" to Jerseyman was like waving red
flag at bull.-CHAs. s. Brooks, 4th Vt, New
York.
WHIT"
The Only Mounted Man In the Battle Of James
Island-Where He Got His Horse.