The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-04-11
ARMY MATTERs
Written OF interestingly by an Old
Army Surgeon,
Out Door Llfs--- An Army uheAl-'-folnlh
on Capital Punishment,

NON my return to Nashville, after The
Nz tho discharge Of tho last sad rltes
10 AN affeotlonate wife, | asked TO be
relieved from post duty that ! might
return 10 field service, ! wanted a
change, The great loss we sustained
In the several days fight at Stone llVef
kept tho army in camp atMnrfreeHboro
for q number Of months, In order 70
recruit In arms and material
In many respects camp life IL prefer
able 10 indoor quarters, especially inc
modern hot-house mods oflIying Out
door life ia more conducive to health
because you breathe u purer almoa'
phere, both night and day. tha most
important factor in tho enjoyment OF
good health, and thon you arc less llhple
10 be effected by sudden changes OF tue
weather, a prolific source OF trouble ~
civil life, Nor need you be no pArlen'
lar about your dTesa, except on review
or when officer OF the day Neither arc
YOU dlsturbed about tho appearance on
y0ur collar or your Gnlla Bul We
great a Vantage OF army life, especially
while campaigning, IL that you nave not
lhe ODpOrtunity OF injnring yourself ny
lndnlqlng ia the different kinds 0t indl'
pestI6le material served mp Aa FOOD IN
civil life, especially ~ parties The ~
ollnatlOn 10 indulge 10 exCeah ~ afu'
elea of food that are especially palhlable
s0on exoltea a disturbance Of the dlgeh.
tive organs, ana then follows 4 tram OF
troubleaome ailments that disturb thhl
comfortable feeling which IL our nalut.
al right of enjoyment, The diet Dthl
calculated 10 impart vigOr a1d health
of body and mind IN plain bread ana
meet and coffee, with an 0ooahlonhl dlsh
of pOlatOOs or onions, nothing more
I'll guarantee that any dyap0ptio suffer
Ing from indigestion ana hanging upon
ING ragged edge Of insanity, VINO WIN
sleep M a room with tho windows open,
and conlne himself 10 army ratl0na ava
take n sufficient amount 0i outdoor cA,
6rolse win be restored 10 health bull
am wandering from my subject d,
Ina letter received from u friend
goon after entering tho service, ] was
Informed that % number OF tho en-,
plOyes of G. Aultman 81 Co., who hhd
beGn parIahonerB OF Chaplain M0Cleary
of th6 10Th Ohio, had made for him ab a
present, q veiy convenient camp chest,
combining "A table, bed aud bedding,
cooking utensils and all tho parapher'
MALTA necessary 10 camp me- ! was
quito layOrably impressed win the
COntrlyanCe ~ described, ~ arc many
men with q new patent arrangement
ana when Informed that could have q
counterpart for twenty-five dollars did
moi hegitate TO order one In due time
ID came n hugh chest, twice aS large
a. an ordinary carpenters 0hest' ~
had a double lid-the inner was IN TWO
parts, hinged NJ one end the other attach
ed tOaelher with heavy duck, TINT whom
open made tho bod bottom something
| like A hammock. Upon this the bed
ding, which was carried IN the chest,
was 10 be spread. When the bod was
made.np II was 10 high that II required
Tho help of q stool 10 get In, ana when
In 1 couldn't sleep because the bed was
40 unateady. The bottom part OF tho
chest was parlltlOnod OF for storing
cooking utensils and provision. IL was
quite a multnm In pary0 and were II
not that an army has frequently 10
change its base Of operations tho con
Germ would have proven rather conyon'
lent, hut when ordered 10 move, which
ls quite frequent during hostilltieS,
then the chest Is something OF an ele
phant, as IL required six men 10 carry
IL In or out OF the wagons, ana Then
there was such an expenditure or pro-
family that thu surrounding atmosphere
becOno sulphurOua only had tho
cheat moved three or four
times, when / gave II TO a
confederate friend that no might
remember tho rebellion. Don't know
what became of Chaplain MoCleary's
but ~ no remained IN the service only
q few months | presume HIS also was
left south, as IL would hardly pay trans
porLatlOn home In contrast TO this
Kind of outfit at the beginning OF the
war must stats that | came ont carry
nV on horseback all that was necessa.
ry 10 supply my wants IN eating ana
sleeping. Beside my double blanket
which I carried atrapped behind my
saddle, / had a pair OF pill bags, the
same that / had carried in stark, rear.
ranged internally. On one side ! had
stored % toothbrush, B0np ana towel,
On the other, knife, fork and spoon and
such medicine as / would likely need
In an emergency while on q march. A
Btimulant, an anodyno and an astrin-
gent are all you want TO meet any case
likely 20 occur
The frst exhibition Of the signal ser.
vice that played such an important
part during tho war saw at Murfr0es-
b0r0. A station was fixed on the Gu
pola OF the court house by constructing
a platform from tho windows upon
which two men could stand, The one
who works the signal, which is a nag In
day time and & ilaming torch NJ night,
and the other who sends and receives
the messages. The operator 10 not pre-
sumed 70 know tho code, but swings
the dag or torch as lnatructet, 10 the
right OF left, up or down, In o circle or
half circle, all OF which 10 interproten
according TO q code translated hnd for
Warded 10 the general IN command for
whom IL is intended. Tho days nro or
different c lors, each color having a
special significance. Tho distance be-
tween stations depends entirely upon
the conformation Of the intervening
country Wherever there are promi.
nent elevations In the right directions,
whether five, ton or twenty miles apart
there n signal station can be erected.
II Ia said that In fair weuther signals
have been sent thirty miles,
upon water, presume, much farther.
kpropos to this branch OF the service
must relate an incident that came
under my observation, On the Allan.
tn campaign, whilO ohaseying around
Pine mountain In northern Georgia, j
noticed General Sherman passing leiB'
urely by ON horseback and an orderly
following carrying q spyglasB strapped
ar, htu uhaidaV uknnN Hua fanl InQn and