The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-04-11

n n1Shed In CAM
paign and battle
narratives. Stories from the ranks usu-
ally come after the writer has OVERLAND
his real experience with ripper knowl-
edge, and they lack spontaneity. In
writing his "reminiscences for a local
newspaper, Private Theodore Gerrish Of
the Twentieth Maine aimed to tell a
regimental story, and the result is a
matter of fact narrative of army life.
A sketch of that much misrepresented
feature bummers' foraging expedition
is given without gloss or other attempt
to make it more or less than the real
thing. "Foraging soon becomes a sci
ence in the soldiers life," says the
writer. "We had just entered the army
and did not understand it as well as
those who had been longer in service,
but we applied ourselves closely to the
work, and soon became quite expert.
We must always remember that customs
in the army vary from those in civil
life, and things which in the latter
would not be tolerated for a moment
would be commendable in the former.
Many laughable incidents occurred.
"While marching through Loudoun
valley our regiment encamped one night
at small village, and the following
day squad of us sailed forth, without
permission, to seek whom we might
devour Some few miles from camp,
in an outbuilding ON large plantation,
we found very large beehive, which
appeared to be well filed with honey.
Now, honey and hard tack made most
desirable diet, and we knew that we
had found a prize; but, as have already
intimated, foraging was new business
to us and we were a little timid, and
consequently concluded that the better
course for US to pursue was to return to
camp and then come out after dark and
secure it, We returned to camp highly
elated at the prospect Of course our
comrades of the regiment were to know
nothing about it. We held small coun-
Gil of war and arranged our plans Late
i'll the evening we passed through the
guard lines unnoticed by the sentinels
and quickly tramped over fences and
across fields until we reached the plan
tation, and, to our joy, found the hive
of honey as we had left it in the after
noon. 1t was huge, old fashioned af-
fair, some feet high and ~ wide,
and so heavy that it required our united
strength to carry it.
'We soon found that the way of the
transgressor is hard. We had just passed
from the building to the open yard when
smothered exclamation from our lead
er, Joe. which was half way between All
oath and yell, attracted our attention
We hurriedly dropped the hive, and Joe
began to make the most lively antics
around the yard We soon learned the
cause. He had placed his hand near the
opening, and the bees, aroused by their
removal, had crawled out and intrench-
ed themselves in a cluster ON his arm
underneath the sleeves.
Confound them, muttered the vic
tim, smarting under his first war
wounding, I'll fix them. Taking off
his overcoat, a new one just drawn from
the stores, he wrapped it around the
hive so as to completely cover the open
ing. We then lifted the burden and tug
ged away. We passed out into lane in
closed by a high fence and soon, to our
horror, heard party of men approach
ing. Here they arep cried one. leaping
upon the fence. Surrender, surrender
cried the newcomers. THE provost
guardP we exclaimed in chorus Now,
if there is anything in the world raw
soldier is afraid Of it is the provost
guard Guns ratified, and, dropping the
hive, overcoat and all, we sprang over
the fence and skedaddled, our pursuers
crying out that if we did not stop they
would shoot
AT breakneck speed we went across
broad field, cleared a wide ditch with
a most desperate leap and rushed Oh to
our camp. When we arrived there, we
lay down to talk over our narrow escape,
highly elated to think we had eluded
the grasp Of the dreaded provost guard.
If we had made charge upon the en-
envy and covered ourselves with honor,
we could not have felt much better than
at that time. We were SO excited that
we could not sleep.
In about an hour we heard COM
motion in an adjoining company. Some
men seemed to be carrying heavy bur-
den while others were convulsed with
joyous laughter they vainly tried to sup
press. We listened. They were talking.
Their whole company seemed to be gath
cred around them. AS we listened we
became disguised. They had got our
honey. They had overheard us i'll the
afternoon as we made our plans, and an
armed squad of them had followed US
up to make believe they were the pro-
vost guard, and they had succeeded. We
tried to induce Joe to ask for his coat,
but he declared he would rather freeze
| to death like a man"
The army hummer of the front line
takes deeper risks than arrest and petty
punishment by the provost guard. There
is spice of adventure i'll the hunt for
forbidden game and the habit springs as
| often from love of excitement as from
hunger.
Truthful chronicler that he is, Private
Gerrish stops at nothing in his task Of