The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-06-25
4 VETERANS "REMINISCENCES,
Civil War Experiences With Tents Of
Various Kinds and With None.

Civil War Experiences With Tents of
Various Kinds and With None.
"When we started out" said a civil
war veteran, sour regiment had tents
furnished by the state, just as many
other equipments besides were in
those days at the outset to volunteer
regiments, and as I suppose they will
be now. Those tents were made to
hold ten men each. We had five of
them on each side of the company
street. They had ridge pole sup
ported by centre pole, forming
sort of great T. The tent was drawn
over the ridge pole from which it
sloped down all around to the ground,
where it was pegged down. The guns
were stacked around the centre pole.
In these tents the men slept, lying
like the spokes of wheel, with their
feet toward the centre, though in cold
weather they would often lie closer to-
gether, spoon fashion, to keep warm.
With ten men in tent there was no
room to spare. They were made to
hold that number and no more, but
there was likely to be somebody out
on guard duty or away for one reason
and another, and so these tents were
not always crowded. There was some
times little spare space. It was a
mighty little, but as compared with
nothing it was room. This spare
space when it did exist was variously
utilized. In the tent that I was in,
with one or two men out, we used the
space for stove which we built of
bricks and some pieces of iron that
we got from a dismantled building
near where our camp was located, with
chimney Of tomato cans, which for
some reason we couldn't get to draw.
"When those first big tents were
worn out, as they were in few months,
they were not renewed. From the
time of leaving the state we had
ceased to draw supplies from the state.
We had become actually part of the
army and we drew army supplies.
When we needed tents we drew from
the quartermaster's department the
regulation A tents, wedge shaped, and
about seven feet square at the base,
and made to hold four men, or five Oh
a pinch. I remember very we'll the
first camp we had with our new tents.
We made a new camp ground at lit
tie distance from the old, and pitched
the tents there. They were brand
new, of a uniform whiteness, and they
certainly did look slick and handsome
and businesslike.
ave liked these tents better than
the old ones. With four men in
tent, in settled camp, it was possible
to build raised hunks for two men
each, bunk on each side of the tent,
with little gangway between, where
you could stand, or put your feet if
you were sitting on the edge of the
bunk. Sometimes with four in tent
the men build separate hunks, one on
each side, and two hunks one above
the other in the middle. Then there
were two narrow gangways and each
man had separate bed, The beds
were narrow, of course, but any sort
of bed was great thing, and an A
tent was as good as a house.
''There were times when all we had
were shelter tents, half OF a shelter
tent being piece of cotton cloth about
six feet in length by three or four
feet in width. Two pieces fastened
together made tent, or rather a shell
ter for two men. Sometimes man
preferred to sleep alone under his own
single piece, rugged up the best way
he could fix it, so that he could crawl
under it. He had to lie straight and
quiet to keep underit. And then there
were times when men had no tents at
all, or no chance to pitch them, and when
they just simply lay down without
shelter and were glad of the chance,
but whatever man might have or be
without, he always hung on to his rub
Der blanket. New York Sun.
e. II