The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-04-18
In THE ARMY.
A Soldiers Life on the Frontier Far
From Idle.


IN THE ARMY.
A Soldiers Ltre ON the Frontier Far
From Idle.
What do we do from morning until night
every day In the ArmyY Lots Of things; and
II you think 1t is dull and idle to he at
frontier post, just come out and let me put
you on duty for day or two. Take pri.
vate soldier in the Army, subject to all the
rules and regulations of military post.
Just at daybreak and when lie wants most
to sleep the earth seems to be split open by
mighty boom from the great gun on the
battle-ground, and the bugles call out mer-
rily, "Ge, up, soldier get up, soldier and
get up he must, and be lively about it,, too,
or the sergeant will help him out of bed.
1t is not yet o'clock, and to give him a
good appetite for his breakfast the sergeant
will drill him for an hour. AT 6:3O comes
the regular assembly, when you fall in and
answer to your name at roll-call At G:35
sick call will go, and If you feel very bad
and wish yourself at home with your mother
you can go up to the hospital and the doctor
will give you pill. After that you can get
some breakfast. AT 7:45 fatigue call will be-
sounded, and you will be turned out to work.
At $3.50 there is guard mounting. If you
are not for guard you can keep on working
until 11:45, when recall will sound and you
can then come to dinner. One hour and
fifteen minutes is allowedfor dinner and rest.
All p. NJ. fatigue-call will he sounded again,
and you will go out for the afternoons work, IL
you are not for drill. AT recall will go,
and If you are cavalry man you must 60
down to the stables and feed and groom your
horse for an hour. AT 6 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 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 its pleasures
until 8, when tattoo will sound and you will
be turned out for another roll-call. AT $3.50
taps will sound, and you must then be in
bed, whether you are sleepy or not. Not a
| light is allowed in quarters after taps, and
no talking or moving about. II you are not
sleepy you can count over in your mind
1000 two or three times until you fall
asleep, or you may reflect silently on the
greatness of your Government. Next morn.
ing you will be awakened suddenly out of
your sleep by the great gun, to 60 through
the same thing as the day before.
The variations in your life will be when
you are detailed in the quartermaster's de-
partment to drive a team of six unruly
mules all day long and take care of them
after night. No matter if you do not know
anything about driving team; you must
learn 1t. By-and-bye you will be detailed
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 making.
If you are handy with an AK you will be sent
out to cut saw-lOgs, or wood, or attend at
the saw mill. Should you have an aptness
for tools, the quartermaster will have you
detailed as carpenter, and you must build
houses, stables, lay sidewalks, mend wagons,
aud do whatever you are set to do.
If you do not do IL we'll, or grumble, they
will arrest you, put you in the guard house,
prefer charges against you for conduct to the
prejudice of good order and military discip.
line, and court-martial will sit on you,
stop your pay for a mouth, and order you tC
be worked under guard for month or two
II you are very efficient, in year or tive
you may get to be a corporal, and the last
year of your five years enlistment a sergeant
but this will not help you much, for You will
have all the more to do and the captain will
be after you constantly.
But the oficers-I hear you say-they
have good, easy time of it, with nothing tc
do but draw their pay. An officer Is con
stantly on duty with his men, and that i.
sufficient answer. l have officers who e
out as soon as they get their breakfast ant
are on the 60 all day long. They have
hardly time to eat their meals. Take, fol
example, the target-range officer. Shooting
begins as soon as 1t is light enough to see
bulls eye at 100 yards, and continues unit
night shuts out the bulls eye from sight
The range officer is on duty all day, aud
company officer for each company. AS Their
| n,l,v nRa md off.
only one, for duty with the company, yor
can readily see they have no sinecure. The.
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 tn,
go. All hay, wood, oats, and stores are re-
ceived at posts by boards of officers.
have been school teacher, farmer, law
yer, editor, and various other things in m
time, and can say sincerely never worked
as hard as have had to in the Army. Whel
one gets up to be a field officer II is not 81
hard, but even then there is good deal i
do, and for the captains, lieutenants, ant
prvates the work of soldiers life is smpl,
prOdigOus. Promotion is very slow, and O
all the young men who enter the Army a
officers only about one in ten ever becomes
field officer. OF the enlisted men only one II
seven or eight becomes q corporal or ser
: geant.
When the days work is done aud til
: evening comes on, the men can gather Oh
; the broad porches of their quarters and laugl
, or chat or play games. They can 60, too
to the post traders and drink beer and pla,
pool or billiards. They have also their day
: off duty, when they can 60 on pass to tn
neighboring village and have a good time
They can get hunting passes and 60 on
hunting and fishing for whole week
. they choose. They have base ball clubs an,
are allowed to play ball Sunday. Saturda.
!, afternoon is given TO the soldiers to clean n
for Sunday morning inspection, and, as tn
cleaning necessary only takes an hour or SO
they have most of the afternoon to them
, selves. They have theatrical troupes, ball
. and parties, and are allowed to be out @
: quarters until IL at night evenings whel
there are plays, dances, etc, at the post.
The officers have their weekly hops at tn
larger posts, municipalities, social games a
cards, pcnics, and private theatrioals. The
, spend n good deal of their time evening
at the officers club room, at the post-trader'
establishment, and play cards, billiards, O
!, drink beer. There used to be a great dea
of gambling and drinking in the Army, bu
that is now pretty much done away Will
aud il would be hard to find steadier @
!, more quiet set of men than our Army officer
at frontier posts.