The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1891-12-09
"LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF THE OLD
CAMP FIRES"
BY ONE OF THE GOLD WITS. y

fighting at Red River and remarked
"God bless you, Gcneral you have saved
the army from destruction" 81 hope he
will bless all of u.s." was the brave SOL
dier's terse and significant reply.
Commander-in-Chie Palmer, of the
Grand Army of the Republic, has opened
his batteries afresh on the flag of the late
confederacy as ga sinking old rag
The Commander is perfectly right. We
have but one flag in these United States
the glorious 'Stars and Stripes
A Sergeant brought private before the
Adjatant for some offence or other, and
the officer asked his character and what
sort of man he was generally. The Ser
geaut replied, "He is very troublesome
man, sir, and seems TO think he can do as
he pleases; he goes out when he likes
comes in when he likes gets drunk when
he likes; in fact, he behaves just as if he
were an officer"
The Northern soldiers sang "Dixie,"
and marched to "Dixie,n in the great
campaigns. Every Union Band used to
play 1t aud every Union soldier has light
ened the knapsack and accoutrements by
joining in the lively tune with his COM
rades. Besides this, "Dixie" is lovely
bit of music and in the opinion of eminent
composers, is superior to almost all the
national airs of the world
Sherman's victories and the fall of At
lanta were celebrated in true military
style in the army of General Grant, before
Petersburg. BY special order OF the Gen.
eral, thrtY-six shotted guns from each
battery were fired at midnight, directly
into the city or into the enemy's works,
while the bands at the rear played "Hail
Columbia, "Star-Spangled Banner and
cred, White and Blue" A pleasant and
soldierly way of celebrating victory, GER
tainly.
Chilly Wharton was telling me story
the other day. said comrade one hot
day last week, (which struck me as being
pretty good.
cit was way back in 81 or '62, and
Billy's regiment was in camp somewhere
in Virginia. William was a kid In those
days, and earned Uncle Sans money and
food by pounding sheepskn. But he was
ambitious, and when one Of the boys
would feel tired and kindly permit the
sheepskin puneher to do his trick of
guard duty, little Willie felt like soldier
and was happy.
'Only comparatively so, however, for
he had never been on picket duty, and
felt that life would be burden until he
had been in the front line. AT last his
opportunity came. One of the men on
picket was taken sick, and Billy volun-
teered to take his place. His offer was
accepted by the sergeant in charge, and
at midnight the bod drummer boy enter
ed upon his first tour of picket duty.
The gentleman who had held the post for
the previous two hours was OF Teutonic
extraction. and when William extended
his ear for the countersign he whispered
Long time
Long timer quered Billy, obviously.
"Yaw, dot vas righdt, SAID Dutchy.
Chilly stood his trick like little man,
without seeing rebel or a ghost, and
when his two hours were up he handed
over the couutersign to his successor and
went to sleep.
''In the morning as they were march
ing back to camp the sergeant asked
"Wel, Billy, how do you like picket
duty2'
ooh, faint much, replied the drum
mer boy, nonchalantly. But say, SER
gcant, that was queer countersign last
night. thought they always used the
name of somebody or some place for
connlcrsign p
q So they do. That eeuntcrsign last
night is The uame Of city in France.
4 never heard Of II city by the name
IT u ny Time, said Billy.
What areyou talking about p queried
the sergeant.
'Du'chy told me the countersien was
Long Time
"Du'chy was then called to the front
aud corIoborated Billy's STORY. 'Lang
time! Yaw, dot vas righdt, snid Dutchy.
ut then came out that the c0untersign
was Toulon 0oo long,, which the honest
German had twisted around to snit him
self.
"Thereafter Dnichy's only sppellation,
so far as the regiment was concerned was
'Dutchy Longtime