Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-04-12
WAR SKETCHES.
BEING ANECDOTES AND EXPERIENCES VI
WEST VIRGINIA WARRIORS
On the Field and in Camp-Recolsctions Of Army
Life BY an Ex-Msmber Of the Wheeling
"Foraging' and What
Follows Sometimes
Foraging.

Foraging.
Foraging seems to be the natural lnsIlhc.
of the average soldier. IL was ho1 cVI4i i ~
IN either army. one was about as PAD as
the other: nor was it confined to tune or
place: from friend or enemy, II was all the
same The only circumstance under whlch
time was taken into consideration was
when il was necessary to 90 at night.
The English soldiers of late years nave
begun TO call foraging by new naIhe'
"loot :, ostensibly word gathered up IN
India. and marked as of HindOo origin, out
really an old English word of common use
Go to any brick yard near the city ana ask
the workmen what is the name OF that I'M
plement by which they scrape away the
trash and level up the ground before the
bricks are turned out OF the mods, ana
they will tell you it's loot. w hcn an
English soldier says, I'VE looted their
camp.n he means the same thing that we
did. when we talked about foraging. Some
people have another name for II, and more
than half the time that's the proper name.
Generally speaking, we had plenty 10 eat
Our officers. some of them, IN the Deglh-
ming made an effort, an honest one, to sup
press this work. Our captain read the
articles of war respecting the penalty LOT
forcing a safe guard because Corporal
Casey and several others appropriated
few water melons found in 4 passing wagon,
as a deaf man drove blind horse ntcheu
To little wagon loaded with these escu-
lants across Wheeling Island.
| was halted by Captain Carhn whIe IN
hot pursuit of a lOng-legged rooster lie
told me some plain truths. was very
sorry. not at what he said, but because !
lost my little rooster.
heard three of our officers, Capt Car
lin, Lieuts Chalfant and Richards, express
themselves at different times on this suo-
iect. Lieut.. Richards said if he were ever
separated from the remainder of the battery
sohe would be in command Ofhis section, and
could do as he pleased in the matter, he
would not be very hard on the boys about
foraging, is he believed ii was right to live
on the enemy.
We had marched through Dead Mans
Gan early in the year of "a. We were
camped near Col NJ. Neill's, whose smoke
house mad helped to loot carrying of
two big hams and some potatoes. Our
officers servants not having come up, as the
baggage wagons were in the rear with the
wagon train, our section invited Chaliant
and Carlin TO dine with US.
| was not very far from the Captain when
the cook dished up his dinner. We had NO
plates and the dinner consisted OF large
Slice of ham sandwiched between two large
crackers. The crackers were about hve
| inches square. each weighing nearly a
Quarter of pound and as large as the
crackers was the big broad thick slice OF
| ham that like fringe stuck out ABOUT an
| inch on all sides of the crackers.
The Captain looked upon the hams, and
am sure his mouth watered as he said,
Lieutenant, this will hardly pay for the
wagon train we lost here about year ago. ~
| Capt. Mcneil had bounced down upon
Milroy's wagon train as he passed through
| late in the fall of 'G2 and cut out the horses
from three or four wagons. knew VINO
got the hams. Do you know what thought
"A poor excuse is better than none we
had plenty of meat, such as it was. Uncle
| Sam would not be any the richer Tor tue
hams taken, and he was poorer for the
horses taken. Besides, that poor little
rooster which had chased 50 hard would
have helped to pay for the wagon train
which we were going TO lose. The Lieu
tenant said nothing, but ate his ham with
| evident relish.
had heard Chalfant express himself
over year before, on the same subject.
The second morning of our march tC
| Petersburg, w. Va, we were up before
daylight. and after a hearty breakfast OF
fresh. iucv. grass-fed beef Chalfant made
q little speech to us Just before we broke
ranks after roll call. Among other things
he said II know the beef we ate Tor break
fast this morning was never issued by Uncle
Sam" He then cautioned us 10 be very
careful and not rob the poor, waste anything
or injure crops. If we must have ralls Iol
fire wood. ito take only the top rail" We
| all liked
Chalfant, but we soon found the top was
the bottom rail, and there was no use leaV
ing that.
The ugliest load ! ever carried In my HE
was two old ganders. We were campec
near Buckhanuon. a couple of us were ou
some distance from camp, seeing what we
could see. We stopped at farm hous'
and the people were very kind to US. Wher
we left. flock Of geese, in spite OF all We
could do. kept waddling in front, until We
we're out of sight of the house Just as tht
| flock had reached the bottom OF gully,
made dive and managed TO grab gandei
| in each hand. | was so elated with my
prizes that ! did not take into consider
alton the three mile tramp over mountain
! TO camp, or the necessity OF resting my ach
ing arms in making the trip.
The ganders were the first to recover
their presence of mind, and they both die
something for which had not bargained
Each of them reached down and took my
blue brooches in their bills, and while
held their legs it was a caution how they
drummed on my shanks with their wings
Once [ meditated cutting their threats
but | had no knife and my comrade was IL
the same perdicament | registered vow
on that trip that in all my stealings
would never steal goose, or, at least, no
| two geese.
The bows on the trip to Monterey made
song. one couplet of which ran as fol
lows: