Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-06-08
CRANDALL'S MARCH.


a martinet-hardly popular among the
members of his own company.
When orders were issued to have the
men thoroughly drilled, Orderly Tom
obeyed most literally. From reveille to
tattoo it was drill, drill, drill for the
boys Of Company I till they would have
welcomed marching orders for the north
pole as release from the manual of
arms and evolutions.
Nothing less than a surgeons order
would serve with Orderly Tom as an e1-
cuse from drill.
One afternoon, when the company had
fallen in, the roll call revealed the alb
sence Of Thomas Higgins and William
Stapleton. A rigid examination of the
company quarters failed to discover the
delinquents, and with "absent without
leave' against them in the orderly book
and big black mark in Tom s memory
the company marched to the drill ground
without them.
The quarters of the men were the
stables Of Sneidiker's hotel. With 10
full companies to drill, the stable yard,
which was the only parade ground with
in the regimental lines, was totally in
adequate; hence all drills in company
movements were conducted in a field
outside the guard lines.
Sentinels were duly instructed to per-
NIT all squads or companies i'll charge
of noncommissioned officers to pass out,
but under 10 other circumstances to al
low an enlisted man to leave the camp
without pass, though all soldiers
might enter unquestioned.
Tom marched his company about a
hundred feet from the lines and had
just changed direction by the right flank
when his quick eye detected the two
skulkers stealthily emerging from the
quarters of Company H.
Company, halt!'' instantly shouted
Tom. 'EYou, Higgins and Stapleton, get
your equipments and fall in for drill!
Do you hear??''
Evidently they did hear, but instead
Of obeying both started on the double
quick toward the cookhouse.
''In place, rest!'' shouted Tom to his
company. ''Halt, therer' to the skulk-
ers But they quickened their pace.
Dropping his rife into the hands Of a
corporal, Tom started in pursuit. Across
,the guard lines he sped to the cook
house, into which the two fugitives had
disappeared, and into which he also
quickly vanished
Now, a large portion of the members
of xr,oro vo,1y,c ~ fn11oxxrc raDc-
ing from II to 23 years Of age, little
used to military restraints, while. the
depriyations and dullness which they
We're experiencing made them peculiar
1y eager for some sort of fun.
It can be easily conceived that Order
.ly Tom unexpected deviation from irk
some drill was hailed by the boys of the
waiting company with delight. They
hoped the race would last long, and that
the fugitiyes would escape.
So they did After an absence of some
10 minutes Tom reissued from the cook
house alone, and with an ominous frown
upon his brow approached his COM
mand. At the same time the two fugi-
tives were seen far down the road, MAX
ing their way rapidly toward the town,
having left the cookhouse by some way
Of which Tom knew not.
The almost simultaneous appearance
of the defeated orderly and the victori-
Gus skulkers was greeted by the boys of
the company with first a shout of jeer-
ing laughter and then a ringing cheer.
Attention, company!' shouted the
orderly sergeant. But the only attention
paid him was another shout Of laughter
that deepened his frown.
-"Stop that laughing in the ranks!"
again commanded the orderly.
''Halt!" cried the sentinel, bringing
his piece to a charge and confronting
Orderly Tom, who had now reached the
guard line. ''You can't pass here. -
ST cannot pass'' gasped the aston
ished orderly. ''Why not?''
. Orders CURLY replied the sentry. =
"Orders! Well, what are your Or
ders?''
"Oh, you know the orders well
enough, - answered the sentry-"to let
no enlisted man pass out Of the camp
without a pass except noncommissioned
officers in charge of squads for drills.
SWELL" exclaimed Tom triumphant
1y, IT am a noncommissioned officer in
command of a, company out for drill,
and there is my company, as you well
know. ~
Don't know nothin about that COM
pany. It's outside the lines, and you re
inside Don t look much like a company
anyhow"
Indeed the sentinel's sarcastic allu-
sion to the company was justified, as
Rugged one another to see the difficulty
into which their stern sergeant had fall
en-. He made no further attempt to cross
the lines, but turned and strobe swiftly
toward headquarters, followed by fresh
burst of derisive laughter from his in
subordinate command,
In short time he reappeared, and
exhibiting a pass to the sentinel adj
yanced toward his demoralized COM
pa.'y, and resuming his rife uttered the
single word, s'Attention!" ~.
Every face instantly sobered, for ev-
cry man felt that not only was Tom
deeply offended, but that retribution
was close at hand. Very quietly he
gave the order: ''By the right flank!
Right face, company! Forward, march,"
and retribution began
It was December. Snow had fal!tn
some days before, then rain, followed by
a day or two Of pnseasonably warm
weather. The country roads, tramped
by troops Of drilling cavalry and plowed
by teams and loaded wagons, were all
slush, water and very tenacious, deep
mud.
Straight to this abo1ninable highway
Tom marched Company l. Directly into
the middle Of the road, where the mud
was thickest and the water deepest, the
bows wheeled in obedience to his stern
command Then. as unconcernealy as
though Oh the most perfect parade
ground in the world, he issued his Or
ders:
"By company, into platooss! Left in
to line, wheel! On right, by file into
liner' and through all the evolutions
At one moment Company l charged
bayonets down that fearful road at dou-
BILE quick, at another wheeled in circle
through slush, while Tom noted defects
and corrected them as nonchalantly as