The National tribune., 1894-09-06
SERENADING SIBLEYS.
A Melodious Quartet, and How It Won
Favor with Gen. Meade.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I have
read with great deal of interest for long
time your interesting and reliable paper
Recently l was unusually stirred up when
on opening the paper, Immediately recog-
nized the once-familiar features of my old
commander, Gen. d. f. Sickles (our first
Colonel commanding brigade; Farnum, our
first Major; Dwight, first Lieutenant-C Colonel
and Drillmaster. How we used to curse the
last, not loud, but deep, in the Fall of '61,
when he made us drill with packed KNAPP
sacks and with what we then thought use
less severity, but for which, after our first
fight at Williamsburg, Va the following
Spring, we thanked him from our hearts
over and over again. / must say, knowing
the above officers personally and well, l
never saw better or as good newspaper like
nesses, and my comrades will corroborate me.
l have never observed anything about
vocal music connected with the war, 80 /
thought / would give you brief account of
our exploits in that line. Our quartet had
the honor of serenading successfully two of
the commanders of the Army of the Poto-
mac at different times, viz, Gems. Meade
and Hooker.
Our company (from Pittsburg, Pa.) was
mustered in June %, 1861, on Staten Island,
N. Y, taking the right of the first regiment
of the brigade in consequence Of our superior
marching. While the battle of first Bull
Run was in progress we were hustled On
board cars for Washington City, arriving
there safely, and camped couple days on
w. W. Corcoran's farm Our services on the
field were not required at that time, so we
were marched across the Eastern Branch of
the Potomac into Maryland two miles from
the city, where we established our first camp,
Good Hope" and were drilled all that
Summer and Fall by our Little Napoleon
Dwight.
One evening Joe Deniston, our First-Lieu-
tenant, said to me:
"John, why don't you pick out three or
four comrades with good voices, drill them,
and have some music?"
l did So A. K. Gluckesen, of my own
mess, for air; "Peg" Mcfarland (now Hos
pital Steward in the Regular Army for alto;
Tom Taber, 10th Mass, in our brigade, for
tenor; myself for basso profundo. Neither
one of them could read music, so had to
teach each one his part. We enjoyed our
selves very much, and soon attracted the
attention of our officers, who would get us
to sing for them. Our reputation spread
rapidly through the division and corps,
until finally we got so "stuck up" that we
serenade from anything lower than a
Brigadier.
One evening when we lay at Falmouth,
Va, our company had been detailed as Head
quarters guard at the Fitz- Hugh Lee house,
two miles from Fredericksburg. Gen. French
was in command of our corps (the Third) In
the absence of Gen. Sckles. ! said:
"Boys, suppose we 90 over this evening
and serenade Gen. Meade, (who wasin COM
mand of the Army of the Potomac then
ooh, no; we'll be sent back under guard"
etc.
"Come on, boys; I'll fix it,"
So we started for Army Headquarters,
getting there about dusk. 1t was amongst
lot of pines and cedars-two rows of Sibley
tents and a big flagstaff opposite Gen.
Meade's tent My quartet all hid them
selves while / approached one of the SEN
tinels, who halted me, demanding the cOun-
tersign, which / gave him. He called his
Corporal, and while we were talking an
officer approached, whom 1 knew by his
shoulder-straps to be Lieutenant-Colonel.
He took US TO the Generals tent. He was
busy writing, but throwing down his pen
gave orders for US to begin.
We took our position around the flagstaff
and opened with Come where my loves
lies dreaming" the pitch of which 1 for
tunately struck right. The General was
evidently pleased so for the second song we
gave him Rally round the flag, boys"
which was new then, and in the rendering
of which we excelled ourselves.
Everything was safe now. The staff Off
GERS could not keep away. 1 whispered:
"We'll close now with Silence, silence,
make no noise or STIR"
At its close we moved as if retiring, when
the General ordered us back, asked where
we were from, etc, and pointing to the cook
tent in rear of his Sibley, ordered us TO in
vestigate it, which you may be sure we did
with alacrity, surprising the darky cooks
with our appettes.
After that was over the Lieutenant-COlOnel
I spoke of took charge of us and would not
let us off until we had serenaded every Sib
ley in the rows. In fact, we ran out of tunes,
and had to sing number over again. We
did not get back to our own camp until
reyeille Before guard mount we reported to
Capt Van B. Bates, (our first Captain, Isaac
Brunn, having been killed at Williamsburg
who was so much pleased with our success
in the music line with Gen. Meade that he
excused us from duty that day; and much
we needed it, as you may we'll imagine
JOHN G. LEA, Co. f, 10th N. Y, Excelsior
IL A 1rio Do