Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-05-31

! hs Authoflly, but tue fine Tree man
Nerve Won the Old Warriors Heart-An
Incident Of 1869.
The scene is laid at Ship island in 1862,
on the occasion of the landing of the
big ship, Great Republic, with 1000
men and about 800 horses, after a 20
days sail from Portland. During the
voyage the boys had dieted on that IA
miliar epicurean army dish, "bean
swagen," and large amount of saved
rations had accumulated, which the Off
GERS of the regiment were anxious to see
safely housed.
The reglmental Quartermaster of the
Fifteenth Maine was Worthington S.
Locke. His assistant was the redoubtahle
down east embryo warrior. inveterate
wag and incarnation of Yankee assur-
ance and shrewdness, Lieutenant Sam
uel D. Leavitt. now General Leavitt,
recently chosen mayor of Eastport.
Locke and Leavitt were prancing about
on the wharf, the latter shouting to the
adjutant on the deck Of the vessel to
send him fatigue party to unload his
rations.
Sam was no red tape man. Indeed he
was so independent of any circumlocu-
ton Office that he went to the other ex-
IRENE and gave off his orders as if he
were the commandant of the post.
As might have been expected, the ON.
nipresent Butler was suddenly on hand,
and the assumption of authority by this
Eastport disciple of Mars well nigh dazed
him. He watched the performance
awhile, then stepping up to the offender
and focusing his peculiar eye upon him
grufiy demanded:
''Who are you, sirY'
Mr.. Leavitt coolly looked Butler
squarely ia the face, and as unconccrn-
edly as though the terrible car was
merely company orderly drawled out
in his peculiar tones:
WHO an I? I'm Lieutenant Leav-
itt."
''And who the - is Lieutenant
Leavittf" quoth the irate commander.
The pseudo commandant of Ship is
land Strengthened up to his full proper
tions, and in deliberate, well measured,
grandiloquent language drawled:
Lieutenant Samuel ID. Leavitt of
Eastport, Washington county, state of
Maine, and present assistant commissary
of subsistence, Fifteenth Maine volun-
teers.
and who, sir, made you assistant
commissary Of subsistencey' earnestly /
and excitedly, his voice fairly trembling
with rage.
This was a poser.
Leavitt, green as he was in military |
knowledge, well knew that no such rank
was recognized in volunteer regiments. /
The title was a reminiscent flash from |
hisschoolboy reading of the earlier Amer
lean war which had come to him with /
Buffers first interrogatory.
But he was ever fertile in expedients, /
and after a moments hesitation he au-
daciously replied:
General Taylor"
"And who the devil is this General
Taylor you so profoundly quote? haugh-
tily demanded the general.
But Sam Leavitt paled not.
The crisis had come, but he was equal
TO the occasion.
With mock heroic bow, Chesterfield
ian suavity and quiet impudence, he cool
ly responded:
"Ah, excuse me, general! forgot You
were a volunteer officer and not familiar
with the names of our regular army Off
GERS, but beg leave to inform you, sir,
that General Taylor has been commits
sary general of the United States army
for the last 20 years.
The climax was reached, and ON the
of Leavitt's comrades in
arms blank dismay was depicted. Major
Shorey remarked, They expected that
he would be marched off by squad of
men and summarily shot"
But Leavitt's impudence saved his
head Butler threatened him with dire
but the more he thought over
it the more it tickled his sense of the
ridiculous. and the humor of sunshine
soon pierced the clouds of executive
wrath. Sam was let off, with fatherly !
to go and sin no more, and
ever after Lieutenant Samuel d. Leavitt.
late assistant commissary of subsist- !
snce," was the recipient of favors at
Buffers headquarters when other officers /,
we're CURLY naturalization Globe.