Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-19
PHASES OF SOLDIER LIFE
Incidents Of the Camp, the March, and
Battle.
TIE SERIOUS AND The COMIC.
4 Budget Of YeIy Interesting EI-
perienttS.
FRIGHTENED by THE OWLS

m
of Latane-Poetry.
G. ". b.. of Northumberland county
contributes the following 70 our Confede-
rate column:
A very serious feature Of camp lie 70
our volunteer soldiers was the lonely
treading of the sentlners beat. Pacing 10
and fro. or standing motioness out IN
der the stars listening and peerlnS LOT
the euemy's approach. while all the res
of the camp lay wrapped in noiseless
sleep. was a duty that often brought TO
the soldier time Of serious. anxious
thought. Then thought he of his absent
loved ones. his kindly, sheltering roof
and his warm, cosey bed. And the FOND
recoIloclions and sober musings In which
he would indulge were apt TO be rudeiy
distorted by any chance noise that might
b borne on the night breeze as of some
deadly foeman's stealthy approach.
A SENTINEL FRIGHTENED BY OWLS.
recall that as corporal Of tho guard
81 Hooc's Chapel, on the Potomac, in
June 1851. placed a soldier on guard tor
the first time. / know not In the stlll-
ness and loneliness Of the night into what
musings his spirit fell or what signs or q
hostile movement put him into a state OF
nervous suspense. But about the md
night hour 1 heard him call eXc.tedIy,
Corporal of the guard and fastened 10
find what the trouble was with him. On
reaching him he said with remarked
trepidation, pointing TO a body OF timber
1.-The enemy are Ia those woods. hear
mysterious voices calling and answering
each other" Listening a moment or two
there came from the swamp low muir
INJURED w-h-o-o, w-h-o-o, w-h-o-o, ana the
answer from another quarter w-h-o-o-'
v-h-o-o. and ] said: C, those are
nothing but owls" He replied, with
sense OF marked relief, Il was so scared
/ never once thought of owls" and ADDED,
please don't ten the company about
this"
FELL INTO AN ICE-HOUSE.
The spring following our company was
IN camp at "Ofhce Hail." in King George
county. the birthplace OF Governor h'&-
ira Billy" Smith. while there some Con-
federate saddles. brides, halters, &c,
were brought and placed by our quarter
master in storeroom in one corner OF
the spacious yard was directed TO an
nounce al roll-call the names OF twenty
Of the men and 10 take them 10 receive
their equipments We went TO the store
room and the door was opened, ana the
men stepped brisldy In and were gather
ing around the boxes. when 10! in an IN
slant, with great crash, men, boxes
floor. timbers. all were precipitated into
the bottom Of n deep ice-house. dense,
irnpene .rabie cloud OF dust, with mingled
cries and gT0ans, issued from the pit into
which the men had fallen. Happily only
two Of them-John j. Yeatman and Hans
ford Sutton--were injured 10y the fall, and
most OF them escaped without even a
Druise or scratch.
AS the dense dust settled, and II became
possible 10 see somewhat down into the
pit. there. first 70 be seen, was Comrade
BIZ Palmer (now of Mt. Holly. Val,
gcrambiing travely near the top and al
most out. with bleeding scratch on his
nose. emerging from his dusty burial and
having what seemed u yeritable resurrec-
ton. IL the great resurrection may he
como out as well, without even scratch,
and looking many degrees cleaner than
he did that day,
One OF tho unfortunates on this occa-
sion said he was often ordered in the war
70 keep cool. and knew he ought to keep
cool but ho'd be burned II he wanted TO
be put down In an ice-house that way 10
keep cool any more.
TOO MUCH PEPPER IN THE GOOSE
One Of the most serious considerations
that weighed on q soldier In camp was
that OF rations. 1t IS said a Chinaman can
live on next 10 nothing. Had John China
man, however been Confederate sol
der and Jared on our rations. he would
doubtless have often thought OF his ma
tive lana with It's cold rice and stewed
rats, and felt that II was indeed the
Celestial Empire.
remember that down in Dinwiddle
once when we had been on half ratons OF
bareback and mess pork for months. my
messnate and another soldier secured n
large, far goose. This relieved the serious
ness OF the situation greatly. IL made Us
smile. We all three agreed 10 take
hand IN the cooking OF the goose BY
turns We baked IL. sailed II, ana sprinkled
on the pepper. We had no black pepper
but several pods OF red pepper UnSrtu-
nately each one OF US had a hand in put
ting On the pepper. ard liberal hand at
that. The last man IN this cooking bust
ness. II seems. had q. sort of mania for
pepper. and he cast 1t into the boiling
kettle iavishly.
When the goose was done, and we
gathered about II for our dinner II looked
brown ana luscious; 1t smoked and Il
gave forth its odor most delightfully."-.
But when we tasted H. tho pepper: alasl
the pepper; II utterly oyercame us.
Tongue and stomach, lips and palate re-
volted before the burning power OF that
pepper. We misht have charged a
picket. a breastwork. a battery, bat that
hot goose We couldn't charge. Our looks
were serious. our feelings were solemn.
II any enc OF the four felt like smiling
II nus. surely have been the goose.
ROLL DOWN AN EMBANKMENT.
The soldiers marches were often mark
cd by incidents In which the serious was
blended with the humorous When our
army retired from Its lines az Antietanl
and, nn1er cover OF the night sought
10 rscrcss the Potomac, our march In the
dark vas full os the most anxious and
serious feelings. The line of march led
Ne among the field hospitals. where the
CLEANS OF lanterns and torches iit up
the faces and forms OF orr wounded End
dying men. whom We were leaving IN the
enerrys hands. Here and there might
DO seen small groups Of confedcrates