The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-12-17
UNCLE SAM,SiSOLDIERS.
Glimpse Of Life in the Regular Army.


General James S. Brisbin. in comman
at Fort Niebrara, Nebraska, says in tn
course of q long letter to the Chlcag
Tribune:
What do we do from morning unit
night every day in the army? Lots
things; and if you think it is dull an
idle to be at frontier post just come an
let me put you on duty for a day or two
Take private soldier in the army, sub
iect to all the rules and regulations of
military post. Just at day break an.
when he wants most to sleep the eartl
seems to be split open by mighty boon
from the great gun on the parade ground
and the buglcs call out merely, "Get up
soldier; get up, soldier" )" and get up b.
must, and be lively about it, too, or tn
sergeant will help him out of bed. 1t il
not yet o'clock, aud to give him a gooe
appetite for his breakfast the sergean
will drill him for an hour. At 6.3(
comes the regular assembly, when yol
fall in and answer to your name at rol
call. At 6.35 sick call will go, and i
you feel very bad and wish yourself al
home with your mother you can SO up tc
the hospital and the doctor will give yor
pill. After that you can get some
breakfast. At 7.45 fatigue call will be
sounded, and you will be turned out tc
work. AtS50 there is guard. mounting
If you are not for guard you can keep
on working until II As, when recall vii!
sound and you can then come in to din
ncr. One hour and fifteen minutes is
allowed for dinner and rest. At P. m
fatigue call will sound again, and you
will 20 out for an afternoons work, ii
YOU are not for drills. at 5 recall will
go, and if you are a cayslryman you
must go down to the stable and feed and
groom your horse for an hour. At
you will get your supper. At sunset you
will fall in for retreat and answer roll.
call again. You will probably be drilled
for half an hour at the manual of arms,
or attend a dress parade and be run
about to try your wind. After that you
can attend school for half an hour to an
hour, and then reflect on home and all its
pleasures until 9, when tattoo will sound
and you will be turned out for another
roll. call. At $50 taps will sound, and
you must then be in bed, whether you
are sleepy or not. Not light is allowed
in quarters after taps, and no talking or
moving about. If you are not sleepy
you can count over in your mind 1000
two or three times until you fall fast
asleep, or you may reflect silently on the
greatness of your government. Next
morning you will again be awaked sud-
denly out of your sleep by the great gun,
to go through the same thing as the day
before.
The variations in your life will be
when you are detained in the quarter.
masters department to drive team of
six unruly mules after night. No matter
if you do not know anything about
driving team you must learn it. By
and.by you will be detained as company
cook and made to cook for fifty or sixty
men; then you will be put in the bake.
house and made to learn bread d.making.
If you are handy with an Ak you will be
sent out to cut saw logs or wood, or attend
at the sawmill. Should you have an
aptness for tools, the quarter-master will
have you detained as carpenter, and
you must-build houses, stables, lay side.
walks; mend wagons, and do whatever
you are set to do. II you do not 90 it
we'll, or grumble, they will arrest you,
put you in the guard house, prefer charg.
es against you for conduct TO the preju.
dice of good order and military discip
line, and court-martial will sit on you,
stop your pay for month, and order you
to be worked under guard for month or
two. If you are very efficient, in year
or two you may get 10 be corporal, and
the last year Of your five years enlist
ment sergeant, but this will not help
you much, for you have all the more to
do and the captain will be after you
constantly. You will have to be con.
stantly on the alert and efficient by day
and by night, or you will be reduced to
the ranks.
But the ofEicers-I hear you say-they
have good easy time of it, with nothing
TO do but draw their pay. An officer is
constantly on duty with bis men, and that
is sufficient answer. l have officers that
go out as soon as they get their breakfasts
and are on the go all day long. They
have hardly time to eat their meals
Take, for example, the target-range
officer. Shooting begins as soon as it is
light enough to see o bull's-eye at q
hundred yards, and continues until night
shuts out the BULBS eye from sight. The
range officer is on duty all day, and a
company officer for each company. As
there are generally only two officers, and
often only one, for duty with the compa-
ny, you can readily see they have nc
sinecure. They must attend all drills,
stables, roll-calls and parades. Add to
this boards of survey, courts martial
officer OF the day, and other duties, and
they are kept constantly on the 60. All
hay, wood, oats and stores are received at
posts by boards Of officers.
know very generally citizens think
soldiers have an easy time of it in the
army, but this arises from an ignorance
of the service and its duties. have
been a school teacher, farmer, lawyer
editor and various other things in time
md l can say sincerely l neve,
worked so hard as | have bad to do in the
army. When one gets up to be field
officer it is not 80 nard, but even then
there is great deal to do, aud for the
captains, lieutenants and privates the
work of soldiers life is simply prodig
ious. Promotion is very slow, and of all
the young men who enter the army as
officers only one in ten ever becomes 8
field officer. Of the enlisted men only
one in seven or eight becomes corporal
or sergeant.
And is there no light to this dark
picture of army life? l hear you say
Yes; army life is not wholly without its
pleasures. When the days work is done
and the evening comes on, the men
gather on the broad porches of their
quarters and laugh and chat or play
games. They can 60, too, to the post
traders and drink beer and play pool OF
billiards. They have also their days of
duty, when they can 60 on pass to the
neighboring village and have good
time. They can get hunting passes and
20 out hunting and fishing for q whole
week if they choose. They have base
ball clubs, and are allowed to play bal
Sundays. Saturday afternoon is giycr
to the soldiers to clean up for Sunday
morning inspection, and as the cleaning
necessary only takes an hour or so, they
have most of the afternoon 10 themselves
They have theatrical tronres, balls ant