The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-03-28
THE ARMY GALOOT.
why the Boys Torgave Him His Idiosyl
crasies.

was on the right or on the left, in the front
or rear rank, but always there, even in the
crack regiment of each State. His clothes
gave him away at the first glance. His cap
was stuck on the back of his head, with top
pushed heavenward; his pants and dress
coat never matched for size and seldom
fitted. If the coat was large the pants
would be too small, or vice versa. Some
times he would hop-skip into step, but more
often he would only succeed in doing so
after he had deranged the step of all the
men in his rear.
He was also prone to step on his file
leaders heels, or, if carrying his gun at a
right-shoulder, to prick the eyes out of the
fellow in his rear. He always forgot half
his duffeI, and wanted to 60 back after he
had been on march an hour or more. He
never could order arms without knocking
off all the toes of the man on his right.
The other fellows always stole his blankets
and d.faulted on the tobacco they borrowed
of him; ditto postage stamps. Generally
speaking, he was always out of luck, and
pretty often homesick and lousy.
Our regiment had a shining example of
this kind He probably received more
damning the first six months after his en-
listment than any President who ever vetoed
pension bills. Poor devil, how / used to
| pity him. The officers had to take him out
of the ranks and put him in the cook-house,
for fear of mutiny. There it was worse, for
he hadn't been there two days before he put
sugar in the bean-soup and salt in the coffee.
Then he upset the camp-kettle on the Com
missary-Sergeant and scalded him so badly
that he was absent in hospital for three
months. After that he was sent back to the
company for duty.
| OF course he wasn't safe to put in any
place except on some fatigue duty, and
there he was left-handed, and never could
tell whether thing was anywhere near
plumb, square, or level by looking at it.
Hake was corker, and, az the boys used
to say, "born in the wrong of the moon"
Or course he had malaria and shakes camp
distemper, itch fleas, and all that sort of
thing. You never knew any thing of that
kind to skip the galoot
At first / used to study him as one of the
seven wonders of the world. Then, as his
traits began to show themselves as some
thing peculiarly and wonderfully different
from everything else in nature, began to
admire him. He was unique. But after
while I found out another popularity.
was all right not the least doubt about
that
Well, we kept him along with us in some
way or other, not daring TO let him 20 into
any kind of fight for fear he would break
every thing all up in some unaccountable
way, until we had the Deep Bottom fight in
August, 1864. When we were along near
Crows Nest, someone from the ranks sung
out: e5fh
"Worden, by the; Lord Harry, I've for
gotten my cartridge-box! !"
it was Hake; and there he was, expecting
to be in fight any mipute, and not a cart
ridge to his name. Itswas against orders,
but | skurried back 10 the baggage wagOn
and got him a cariEidge7box with so rounds,
and just got back and banded them to him
as the Johnnies letloase.
Well, you may haye heard, if you were not
there to see for yourself that on that 18th
day Of August there was quite n dance. /
was Orderly for one Of the brigade staff, and
for the greater part of the day didn't realZe
whether / was In York State or Virginia :;
but that is neither competent nor material,
as they say in court.
Along about noon / heard il whispered
that the left were getting hot balls. That
where cur regiment was. Pretty soon the
General came over and gave me an order for
Col. Strong. / couldn't say for my life if
that horse touched the ground while / was
getting there. l couldn't see anybody for
the smoke. When l found anyb body TO talk
to | asked for Strong
LEG shot off and gone to the rear half an
hour ago." and the man was gone before
could ask for Maj. Prince or the rest OF them.
j began to hunt around for somebody who
seemed TO be in command, for the boys were
fighting on their own hooks, every man for
himself.
Just then the wind gave puff, and when
the smoke cleared little | saw our c0lors
go down. / tried to get my horse through,
but there was terrible mix-up. Most of
the fellows had their coats and hats off and
were black in the face with the smoke, and
it was hard telling the Jobnnes from our
own folks. When 1 came closer up l saw
that the rebels had our colors and were try
ling to get away with them. First one aud
then the other would be ahead, but gradu-
ally the c0lor5 seemed to be getting away
from US. Every man who came near them
seemed to take his medicine aud drop, yet
more kept coming.
Then fellow without any shirt or hat
who looked as though he had been hauled
through coal-pit got hold OF the staff and
tired 10 work his way back. Men caught
hold of it at the other end and tried to wrest
it from him; others hit him over the head,
hands, and arms, but still be hung on and
worked bis way back. A big Johnny came
at him with cavalry saber, and could hear
the blow he got on the head above the tur-
MOL. Then big Merrick, of Co. +, stuck a
bayonet through the rebel and tossed him
over his head as a farmer would f0rkful of
hay. Still the colors kept creeping back.
Whoever that fellow without the shirt
was he was holy terror, and had 10 lives.
The air was full of pieces of shell, balls, and
smoke. Now he was holding the flag in
his right hand while he was fighting off
couple of men with a musket which he was
using with his left. All the while he was
working his way back over the dead men.
1t might have been 10 seconds it may
have been 10 hours. Serg't-Maj Nate Will
Der closed the boys up and ordered rally,
and with something like cheer they drove
the Jobnnics back. Then they fell back
around the coloTs ito find who it was had
saved them. rUl
When lie had wiped away the thick mud
from his face, who should it be but Hake
the galoot! Just the same, he never could
learn to come down with his left foot on the
time-beat instead iof his. right. But the
boys never laid that up against him after
wards.-GEoRGE ii. WORDEN, 10th N. Y.
Art, Prospect, N. Y.
------r-Sr-- s---------------
Was ssIn It."
p. Raft, Lieutenant, Co. D, 9th KY,
SeIs icIs Eup Mt 70,