The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-03-05
DISCIPLINE IN THE NICK OF TIME.
A War Story With Moral For the Sew
enth New York Heavy Artillery.

DISCIPLINE I'M The NICK OF TIME.
a War Story With n Moral For the Sew
enth New York Heavy Artillery.
1t was the major turn to make
a talk. He bit at the end of his
mustache for few minutes while
the assembled company mpatiently
murmured. Come, major" cried
one of the younger officers. "Some-
thing about the war that came under
your own experience.
We were lying before Deep Bot
tom, and the rain was falling in
torrents, I" said the major, in
all my campaigning experience I
never saw the equal of that down
pour. And, what was the worst of it,
there was no way of avoiding or
lodging it. We had to stand out in
the open and take it. Some of the
command, however, had procured in
the manner known only to veteran
troops several shelter tents and had
rugged them in position by sticking
their muskets in the ground for
poles. was then detached from the
regiment and was acting as assistant
adjutant general on the staff Of the
brigade commander. l happened to
pass just about the time when the
troops were making themselves
comfortable. The enemy was pretty
near us, and we at headquarters
were looking for brush, so l made
bold to direct the attention of the
regiment commander to this serious
breach of discipline.
:" 1t will never do to permit those
guns to remain in that position, I
said. If the Johnnies make dash,
they will gobblo us ALL"
" But, observed the colonel,
there will be the devil to pay if I
order those guns taken up.
"'It is in violation of regulations
TO permit them TO remain where
they are, observed.
You are right declared the
colonel. He gave the command for
the regiment to fall in-taking posi-
ton behind an old breastworks, a
little to our left and front. The
drenohing rain was heavy enough,
but it was gentle compared with the
food of profanity that broke loose
as soon as the troops heard the colo
nel's order. AS they were forming I
went up to the men of my old CON-
pany and said that they ought to be
ashamed of themselves, that they
did not know how soon they would
be summoned before their Maker,
that they know perfectly we'll they
were violating regulations, and that
they were in the presence of the
enemy.
well, gentlemen, my words of
reprobation were hardly out of my
mouth when we heard q few scatter
ing shots directly in our front from
our piokets, and then, before the
to load could be given, we
got as lively volley from q Confed-
crate regiment as ever l heard. The
Johnnies had expected that the rain
would drive us to shelter, and had
this dash across an open
ield~immediately in our front in the
of catching us mapping.
The forming of our regiment at
his most opportune time, however,
upset their calculations, for before
hey could get away we fired two
volleys into them, which |
rove them back faster than they |
anne.
Had tho muskets of the regi-
1ent been stuck in the ground when
he Johnnies made their dash the
ntire command would have been
and captured. AS it turned
ut no casualties occurred, as our
roops were protected by the breast
works.. But the lesson was not lost
n the regiment. 1t carried a whole
ONE moral, for I seldom after that
card profanity from the Seventh
Jew York Heavy artillery. New
Z rk Sun.