The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-21
SQUIRE FEWELL'S LETTER.
Some "Reminiscences OF the War and the
Franks Played by Some OF the "Boys"
OF Company r., Hampton Legion.

Some "Reminiscences OF the War and the
Franks Played by Some OF the "Boys"
OF Company r., Hampton Legion.
fl were to undertake to narrate all
of the mischief and fun that our COM
rades INDUCED in during the war, it
would require large volume to hold
it, so I will relate only few which
will no doubt interest some Of your
readers.
It seems that the boys commenced
their fun pretty soon after they got
together in camp, for it was but very
short time after the Gist, Rifles went
into service until for some offence
against military rules ". L. Green,
William Roebuck, W. R. Rankin and
W. D. Maroney, were put on extra
duty. They were accordingly put in
charge of Sergeant j. q. Kohler "a
Dutchman belonging to the Company,
who proceeded to grade the streets
with his squad, but Henry found it a
hard job-they would not work. So
he calls out: ooh Bennett Smidt,
Oh Bennett Smidt (meaning Bennett
Smith) bring me here wope, (rope) l
want to tie Billie Geen, Billie Wobuck,
Bobhie Wankin and 'Orren MaWoney.
They won't work, ;" said he "and ar
going to tie en-" and that remained
by-word with the boys throug hout
the war.
But the joke the boys enjoyed most
was when they would exchange can
teen of water for whiskey. This they
did very often. They seemed to think
that to get whiskey in any way was
fair in war.
When the Legion was camped down
on the Occuquan Bay in the fall and
winter Of 1861, the officers were neces-
sarily very strict about whiskey being
brought into camp, and the vendors Of
the Chemically pure" would have
to take it "blind tiger" fashion like
some do now. They would have an
appointed time and place to be at with
jug full, and would retail it out in
some secluded place away from camp.
Some Of the boys made plan by
which to get three gallon jug full
one day without paying for it.
Two or three of them met the man in
the woods and was in the act Of meas
uring the whiskey out when, to their
astonishment, Jordan Green stepped
up in full uniform as officer Of the day.
(He was private and had borrowed
the uniform for the occasion). The
men who were pretending to buy the
liquor said to the man who was selling
it "that he had better get away,
and that quick, too, for yonder comes
the officer of the day, and we will all
be arrested" and they pretended to be
running from the officer (?) to get him,
(the blind tiger many, to run, and it
worked all right, for he was complete
ly frightened away, and was afraid to
come back any more, so the boys got
his whiskey, jug and all, and proceed
ed to get "unco fou on it.
In the spring Of '63, our Brigade
(Jenkins) was detached from the main
army and stationed on the Black
Water river, some sixty miles below
Petersburg, Va. In May, Gt might
have been the first day Of May), Gen.
jenkins concluded to have big time,
so everything was made ready for a
tournament and ball to take place at
South Quay, -on the river where the
Hampton Legion was stationed. Col
onel, afterwards Gen. Mart Gary, sent
over to Mr.. Reddicks, in North Car
olina, and "pressed" in barrel Of
apple brandy for medical (2) purposes,
and for the boys to have little to
make them feel good. Each man in
the regiment drew gill as his ration
and all he was to have, the barrel be.
ing put under guard at Headquar.
ters.' The barrel being put in a tent
and the guard stationed in front and
outside of the tent, it was an easy
matter for the boys to crawl under the
tent in tie rear and help themselves,
which they proceed to do with caution
and alacrity, so much so that it was
nearly all gone before Col. Gary dis,
covered the plot, and he barely saved
enough for his morning dram the next
day. But with his usual good dispo'
sition toward his men he seemed to
enjoy the joke as well as the boys did.
That was very pleasant occasion
one long to be remembered By a great
many of us. Lieutenant-Colonel
afterward Brig. Gen. 7. NJ. Logan,
"took the ring three times in the
tournament, and was therefore entitled
to crown the "Queen Of May which
he did with as much grace and as fine
little speech as I have ever witnessed
on such an occasion.
One of the funniest little tricks
played on any soldier was played on
| Garrison Timms at this same camp a
few days before this. Capt Barnham
had captured two small steam boats
belonging to the yankees down about
the Albermarle Sound, and was bring
ing them up the river inside our lines
Our regiment had been called up tt