The National tribune., 1897-07-29
Bliss DRUM HND SMOKED BACON.
How Suffering Patriots Were Relieved by
Comrades Thoughtfulness.

How Suffering Patriots Were Relieved by
Comrades Thoughtfulness.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: "Sweet
Is u in the Summer of '64 found me q WELL
seasoned soldier boy, with bright Springfield
rifle across my shoulder, following the Old
Flag ON the Atlanta campaign, under Sher-
man.
Onesultry June evening Of that memorable
year | CHANGED to be on cOmmissary duty,
pacing to aud fro in front of several car
loads of smoked bacon, stored in the rail-
way depot at Allatoona Pass, Ga
When detailed for the duty l thought
| had secured specially soft snap, for a
scorching day, as compared with the next
comrade on the roll, who had been detailed
for railroad patrol.
However, prior to being relieved the fol-
lowing morning, discovered that the pesky
provender possessed perniciOus propensity
OF sliding off of the pile aud slipping out of
doors in company with the privates.
This perplexlng performance upon the
part of the pork may be partially explained
by the fact that at the Pass that Sumner
bacon was legal tender for G. S. A. buckle
berry pie, and the berries at the time being
ripe on the mountains made bacon in great
demand by the boys to barter to the native
y.
much so, indeed, that one of the more EN- ter-
prising, when discovering that would not
permit him to pilfer, but instead proffered
him prod the price of pork ii he did
not keep his fingers off the pile, went
even so far as to attempt to bride me with
a huge, juicy huckleberry pie.
| And, be said to my discredit, on that try
ing occasion the tempting sight and smell
or this bad boys deNclous pantry ornament
| so completely collapsed both my conscience
and interior haversack, that it was only the
| fear of having to digest the delcacy in the
| guardhouse That prevented me from accept
ing the tOothsome bride However, By the
! friendly assistance of Uncle Sans soldier
cooler | escaped the disgrace and think sue
cessiully protected his bacon pile while on
duty.
Just at dusk that day very tired and
dusty infantry regiment came through the
Pass from the north on hard forced march
for the 'front.' and were halted for a few
minutes on the road in front of the depot,
| for their Colonel to receive some instruc-
tions concerning bivouac for the night.
| While thus halted their band treated us
| to some excellent music. However, these
travel-stained musicians dscOnrsed but Que
or two short pieces outside the building be-
fore they broke ranks and came inside the
depot, where lot of officers and soldiers
were congregated.
Here, after shaking their thirst with warm
water out of the water barrel, they pro-
ceeded with the music, and also to encroach
most alarmingly upon my beat. | warned
them off repeatedly and became impatient
at their impertnent persistence in crowding
up into close proximity to Uncle Sans meat
pile.
Finally, all of a sudden something seemed
to become seriously wrong with the bass
drum, and the big six-footer who was car
rying it stopped playing, unslung it, and
squatting down on the floor close beside my
beat, began examining one of the heads.
AS l tramped past he inquired if l had a
string. | halted, felt in my pockets, and re-
piled no. Then he added with q sly wink
! and patronizing tone: