The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-06-06
A Fly-bIown freshman Of the Engineers.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: After the
battle of Charlottesville, in the Spring of
1863 and while encamped at White Oak Church.
on the Peninsula formed by the Potomac and
Rappahannock Rivers, the most laughable Incl
dent took place that was ever my good fortune
to witness. The weather was warm, and we
had made ourselves as comfortable as we could
in our dog-tents, by building brush arbors in
front of them and making rude benches to sit
upon. / was member of an Engineer Corps
belonging to the First Corps Headquarters
This organization was made up of men from
various regiments of the First Corps, and our
duty was to build railroad bridges. We were
first formed at Fredericksburg in the Spring of
1862, and were disbanded and sent to our regi-
ments at Gettysburg. There was an Irishman
who was from some New York regiment, that
one warm day, after feasting on bareback,
stretched himself out on one of the benches
for nap. He had taken off his shoes and COW
cred his face with his hat, and was dreaming
of the Green Isle or some girl in New York, all
unconscious of the swarms of flies that buzzed
around him. Some of us, whose bareback did
not sit so easy on that organ called the stomach,
and who would have liked to use part of the
bench that Pat was holding down, CHANGING to
pass by his feet saw that the flies that could not
get to his nose to tickle it, had put in their
work by sticking their eggs on the bottoms of
his feet in spots about the size of half dollar
one on each foot. An inquest was at once called
and there were more professional embalmers
sections and resuscitationsts to the square foot
than ever was seen together before Some were
for at once covering him with a lotion that they
had after years of labor and study brought to
perfection, and that was sure to keep him
sweet and sound, Notwithstanding the flies as
long as Rip Van Wrinkle slept. Others were
for digging grave on the spot, having no con-
fdence i'll anything to arrest decay, believing
that the case had advanced too far. Others
had a restorative that would wake even fiy-
blown Irishman. The peals of laughter awoke
Pat, and he peeped out from under his hat to
see what was going on. Whether it was be.
cause we all were overjoyed to see Pat show
signs of life or some other cause, the reader
must judge. But certain it is shat wild Joy
took possession of everyone that found express
sion in tears, laughter, shouting and grcaning
while some rolled on the ground in commissions
of mirth, all joining in one theatrical concert
never TO be forgotten. All this seemed to have
a resuscitating effect on Pat, who now came to a
sitting posture. His face had look that seemed
to say, Am living or dead? Has my spirit,
in company with that last commissary spirits,
gore to hades, or To-" IL don't think he
took US for angels.) "Or have only got the Jim
jams, and are these fellows trying to sympa-
rhize with me?" Poor Pat, there he sat, the
picture Of distress and despair. He could not
catch on to the racket. His appealing look,
his sly glance for some way to escape only
added to the expression of our sympathies.
Till at last some one, who had breath and
strength enough left to speak, told him to look
at his feet-that he was fly blown. One timid,
hestating look at his feet gave Pat the use of
his voice and limbs. ST. Patrick's anathemas
on the snakes was no more severe or pronounced
than Pats on the flies. There was a sudden
gathering up of shoes, falling back of the
CIV, not /, :t,6 - T.
use Pat would make of them. But amid a
shout that proclaimed victory, Pat fell back
to the seclusion of his dog tent and the pro-
fessionals went in search of another case. To
this day enjoy quiet laugh when l think
of Pat and the flies. l would like to know if
Pat is living. If he is, and reads this, would be
glad to have him write to me- or any otherand
all of the boys who belonged to this Engineer
Corps. often think of you and wonder what
has become of you all, and how you all get
along. Write and let me know.-B. II. TRIP,
Co. +, 18th Wis, Clyde, Neb