Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-02-20

human use except the primeval forest
that densely covered it and the streams
of water that flowed by and through
it. But Washington, himself we'll
skilled in woodcraft, commanded sol
diers most of whom had built or inhab-
tied log cabins. When he told them
that log huts could. be quickly made
warm and dry, he said what they all
knew to be true. He also knew pre-
cisely what was necessary for the con-
struction Of the huts, what tools were
needed and what materials. His Or
der OF December Is, -1777 transformed
the whole army into cabin building
host. Every man had his place and
duty, from me major generals to the
drummers. All the tools were fairly
divided; each regiment had its ground
assigned 1t: the streets and intervals
were marked out, and when the work
was begun the valley was alive with
L sy builders.
Each colonel divided his regiment
into parties of twelve, gave them their
share of axes and shovels, and let them
know that they were building a home
for themselves. A cabin waste be oc-
cupied by twelve men. Gen. Washing
ton added the Stimulant of reward to
the party that should build the best
hut. An order of the day had this in
teresting passage:
AS an encouragement to industry
and art, the general promises to reward
the party in each regiment which fin@
ishes it's hut in the quickest and most
workmanlike manner with twelve dol
lars. And as there is reason to believe
that boards for covering the huts may
be found scarce and difficult to be got,
he offers one hundred dollars to any
officer or soldier who, in the opinion
of three gentlemen that he shall ap-
point as judges, shall substitute some
other covering that may be cheaper
and more quickly made, and will in
every respect answer the end
The hutS were fourteen feet by six
teen, and six and a half feet high. The
officers hutS were ranged in a line be-
hind those of the soldiers and only
generals were accorded the conyen-
fence of having whole house to them
selves. Gen. Washington inhabited a
cabin of one room until later in the
season, when a second was added for
the accommodation of Mrs Washing
day, that 1.-The general himself will
share in the hardships and partake of
every inconvenience"
1t does not appear that any one in
vented a better roofing than slabs, nor
has airy one recorded what company of
soldie won the twelve-dollar prize.
We only know that the cabin building
was begun early in the morning of De-
cember 10, and that most of the army
would have eaten their Christmas din
ner in their cabins if there had been
any Christmas dinner to eat 1t was
Just then that the worst of the starry
ing time began. While the men were
building their cabin city they lived
chiefly upon cakes made of -four and
water, and there was a lamentable
scarcity of all the most necessary sup
plies-shoes, clothes, blankets and
straw. Nothing saved the army from
dissolution but the fiery remonstrances
and energetic action of til commander
in-chief There is preserved at Phila-
delphia a hand-bill issued by him while
the army was building its huts. In
this he notified the farmers to thrash
out their grain with all convenient
speed, on pain OF having the sheayes
seized by the eommissaries and paid
for at the price of straw. The conduct
OF tie couamspder during these agoniz-