The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-15
GEN. BuELL's ONLY LAUGH.
The Result of an Unexpected In
spection at the Military Academy.

spection at the Military Academy.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Gen. Don Carlos Buell.. who by a timely
arrival with 2oo)o troops turned the tide
OF battle at shiloh and made federal vic
tory possible. was known as the man who
never laughed. All through his West Point
course and through his Mexican war ser
vice the best joke of quarters or mess
would fail TO send a smile over his grave
face. He may have enjoyed things in
wardly. bat 81 he did he could mask his
feelings as well as old Gen. Tidball could
mask a battery
Buell. did laugh once. though. and that
laugh saved one West Point cadet from
FORGETTING part of his furloush and another
from confinement TO camp during the
jolly hop season. and both from an un-
known number Of hours of extra guard
duty. 1t was a timely laugh, that one OF
the grave general.
IL was June 1851 and the examinations
at the academy were In progress. The
''plebs" had reported, and in order to make
room for them in barracks, ID company
had been turned out TO seek quarters for
the few days prior 10 going into camp
in the rooms of the other companies. This
arrangement threw a 'yearling and a
second-class man who were great friends
together in one room. Each had finished
his examination and did not expect to be
called out 1t was hot. so hot that the
guard had been ordered into duck clothing
and allowed TO seek the shade. A scorch-
ing breath had been coming over the Fort
Putnam road FOR two days. The cavalry
plain was baked and the cannon at Tro-
ply Point burned the hand at the touch
In barracks 1t was hard work TO breathe
Cadets were Obliged 10 remain In full
dress when in quarters until II O'Clock IN
the morning. Then they We're allowed to
change the dress coat for shell jacket
but to change nothing else. Smoking was
not allowed in quarters except during re.
lease hours. The bedding was TO be piled
at the head of the bunk at all times. eX-
cept at night
The "yoarling" and his roommate came
TO the conclusion that examination being
on there would be no inspection of quar-
tiers, and having finished the years WORK
themselves they thought they would take
il easy II was just 10 o'clock. and after
trying TO get a breath at the window with
out success each threw his bedding on the
floor stripped of every stitch of clothes
he had on and loaded and lighted his
pipe. II was deliciously cool on the floor
A draught blew in through the big crack
under the door. refreshed the smokers
and lifted the smoke until il hung In great
clouds at the ceiling.
Good thing for us there are no inspec-
tons of quarters during examinations,
said the second-class man. who is now an
officer of the Second artillery.
you make no mistake" said the yearl-
ing. who is now civilian.
So they smoked and talked. Footsteps
were heard in the hall.
Fellows getting back" said the yearl-
ing.
There was a tap at the door. that un-
mistakable military tap which means
stand attention. I'm coming"
The door opened and in walked. not the
ordinary inspecting officer, but the Com
mandant OF Cadets, Col. Henry NJ SazellS
and Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell., L. s. A.
Force of habit and discipline sent both
cadets to their feet In the position of AT
tention." The little fingers we're where th'
seams of their trousers ought 70 have
been. Their feet were turned out at an an
gle of sixty degrees, their chests were
thrown out. their chins In, and their eye!
were straight ahead. one Of the delin
quents had one sock on. He was better
dressed than the other. The pipes con
tents were slowly burning holes In the
bedding. which smelled to heaven.
The commandant was furious. He hac
counted on finding the barracks in perfect
order and the cadets In perfect discipline
during the season when the board OF
visitors was present. He started a rep
rmand which would doubtless have wound
up by an order placing both culprits In
close arrest, but Gen. Buell. had been look
ing at the stripping soldiers standing there
gravely and rgidly at q" Attention, and
as naked as were Privates Mulvaney and
Ortheris at the memorable storming. The
ludcrous side of the thing struck him
and smiles began running over his face
Then he laughed lightly. In jumping "a
attention one Of the cadets had put his
toe perilously too near the burning tobac-
CO. The IRE had reached him and even
cadet discipline could not stand that. lie
lifted his leg with a smothered snort
Then Buell. broke out. All the laughs
that he ought to have laughed during all
the years gone by came out. He fairly
doubled up. He laughed, chuckled, laugh
ed again, and finally laughed and cried to-
gether. The commandant was disguised.
He knew Buell. as all officers knew him,
for a strict disciplnarian. The command
ant was a discipiinaran himself. 1t was
his own baiiiwick and he did not like TO
have his rule interfered with. But that
laugh killed everything. They left the
room. Buell. saying that he had inspected
enough for one day. The last thing the
cadets heard was the generals laugh as
he entered headquarters beyond the bar
racks.
The next night when the delinquency list
was read the names of the two cadets
who had so offended. instead of leading
all the rest" did not appear at all. The
laugh of the general had saved them.