Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1890-06-12

WOrlu XIII, human nature was pretty
much the same in those days, whether
the heart beat beneath a uniform coat
or blouse. and when there was moth
ing morally wrong done or attempted,
the effort to Tighten up the seventies
of orders and rules and regulations
cannot be regarded as serious offense.
When there was something funny about
it, and the affair came to be talked
over in the camps, it was really felt
that the perpetrator had done some
thing like public service in furnishing
material for laugh.
Two of these venial offenses that oc-
cur to me, have jotted down in this
sketch.
Up the Red River two men of the
One Hundred and Fourteenth New
York were caught by the provost mar
shall of the corps, killing a calf
Among soldiers in the rebellion.
where there were calves to be killed
and eaten, this was always regarded
as a proper and necessary thing to do.
Fresh meat rations were irregular and
uncertain, and soldiers could not be
made to understand that the live stock
in Confederate meadows and barn
yards must be respected by them.
The officer then in command of the
Nineteenth Corps was a regular. a
strict disciplinarian, and had a severe
eve for these breaches of orders. As
he is still living, will not name him,
though l will express the hope that the
mellowing influence of time and age
have brought him to look back with
more lenient eye upon much of the con-
duct of the volunteers that then ex-
cited his ire. His provost marshal
was Captain I, now long departed,
q brisk, active, jealous little fellow,
full of the spirit of executing orders to
the letter, and eager to enforce the
prohibition against individual foraging.
Catching these two soldiers in the
very act of killing the calf, Captain
/ put them both under guard,
compelled them to shoulder their spoil
and march with it to corps headquar-
tiers. The time was just at the close
of long days march, night was COM
ing on, and headquarters tents were up.
The headquarters company at that
time was from the One Hundred and
Sixteenth New York, which had been
brigaded with the regiment of the
transgressors. Between these regi-
ments there was sincere attachment
The headquarters company had built
large fire In the rear, and those not on
guard were cooking soup in a great
kettle.
"These two men," said the Provost
Marshal to the Captain, @are to carry
the carcass of that calf around that
fire all night, relieving each other each
hour. I charge you to see that it is
done, and shall hold you responsible
"1es, SIR said the Captain. He
gave the necessary orders to the SER
geant of the guard, and the proceed
ings began.
Captain / was tired with the IA
tigues aud vexations of the day, but
his determination that his orders
should be obeyed kept him wakeful.
At intervals through the night voice
was heard from the rear of his hut.
and colloquy like this would ensue:
Sergeant of the guard!'
"Yes, sir"
Are those men carrying that calf?"
"They are, sir.
Indeed, Captain L could see
soldier making the circuit of the fire,
in and out of the smoke, appearing to
be heavy laden. while the guards faith
fully walked their beats, and other
soldiers sat or lay around.
In the morning Captain L or
dered the cu1prits to return to their
regiment. Sometime later it occurred
to him to ask what had become OF the
calf.
Nobody knew. He had given no
orders on that subject, and all the
headquarters company were profoundly
ignorant about it.
The Provost Marshal suspected that