Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-06-09
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
SLEEPING STANDING UP.
A Soldiers Rcagh Experience on Rainy



A soldiers Roagh Experience on Rainy
Night.
Soldiers who saw service at the front
have no difficulty in bringing to mind
recollections of long, weary marches and
OF sleepless nights, but from among
them all there are many which we can
recollect as being worse and more try
ing than others. The night of Nav 4.
1862, impresses itself upon my memory
as being about as bad as any saw.
May is supposed TO be warm month in
the south, but after marching all day in
steady rain, and being drenched to
the skin. l found the temperature un.
comfortable. McClellans army was
then close to Williamsburg. The con-
federates had halted, and the next day
battle was fought. 1t was of course
ont of the question to think OF the army
going into camp. Consequently we had
to stand around: artillery horses re-
manned hitehed to the guns, and the
drivers We're hitched to the horses. or
had to be on hand so close that the bu-
gle would call US to mount in a mo-
ment. My rank at that time was lead
driver on the second gun. Our battery
was standing in line in an open field
We could not unron our blankets or put
up our tents and had no opportunity to
make coffee because of the lack of fuel
and no one dared to go far enough
away to find il for fear we would be
ordered to move. and let me say that it
still rained as it had been doing for
thirty-siX hours, and it was no Michi-
gan or Indianan rain, either 1t was
the genuine old Virginia rain that
soaked through your clothing, through
your flesh and into the marrow of your
bones. Boys, you have been there
many of you who read this around your
comfortable fires. 1t is hard to realize
it, but it is a fact just the same. No
other rain ever felt as wet to me as the
article they gave US in Virginia, but l
started to tell you of the rest | got on
that rainy night of May f. got along
very well and kept awake by
walking until perhaps twelve o'clock
With all my wits at work l had not yet
found any way or place to sleep except
by standing up A nail or peg to hang
myself up on was not at hand. The
ground was too wet. After exhausting
every idea and finding no relief, it oc-
Cured to me that by standing between
my horses and throwing an arm over
the neck of each, that with the support
thus afforded would be able to remain
in an upright position, and if l did fall
asleep / would not fall over in the mud
and get my new clothes all soiled. Well,
/ tried my plan and it worked, but |
found that for one to sleep, while being
hung up by the arms, was not the most
comfortable way, but l slept and hung
on, too. got tired, woke up, got the
numbness out of my arms and slept
again, and in that way | passed the
night 1t rained continually, and in the
morning ! pulled off my boots and
emptied the rain water that had
filtered through my clothes into
them. To the present generation
this may seem like an old sol
dier's yarn" but to those of us who
were there, it was but the experience
of thousands of other men, and is mild
in comparison to many they had. Why
the memories of that night should cling
to me so closely ! can't say, unless be-
cause they were among the first | had
had of the kind and more strongly i'm
pressed my mind. l often ask myself
the question: Would you do it all over
again under the same circumstances"
And | usually answer, Il guess l would.
We get wild some times because we
think our services are not fully appre-
ciated. but we can appreciate them our
selves and the satisfaction of knowing
we did our duty affords us solid COM
fort. even though we are OBLIGED to me-
ander down the shady side of the jour
ney of life upon a wooden LEG. II.
Gates, in National Tribune