Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-24
FUN ~ The RANKS.
An Old Veteran Tells How the Priva.es { 81
Their Share

4 element OF the army which did not leave
their states. that the officers had all Of
the good times, all of the fun. and that
Il the privates had all of the hardshps
dangers. gloom and trouble. a greater
mistake could not be made j. A. Wat
II rous writing for the Chicago Times Her
ana says: ! have been saving up some
short stories to prove this assertion
Here is the first one: General Ewing Il
bfothcr-in-law of Uncle Billy" Sherman
commanded a brigade in the march from
Atlanta 70 the sea. The general liked an
occasional sip of good liquor. and so did
most OF the officers who dlroDped around
10 ms headquarters. Just before start
ing on mat famous march General Ewing
had Il hNc-gallon key filled with the best
| that could be found in Atlanta His
| cook was q woman OF color too large
ana fat to walk a 80 pounder. and CON
sequently rode in the headquarters wag-
on with the fve-gall0n keg and other es-
sentials. Among her daily Instructions
| was that she see that no one got hold of
| the Spirituous package
The regular train guard discovered the
situation day on two after the army
moved and began to plan to get a share
| OF the kegs contents One night Mike
; Branch, ohe of the guards went to his
company and said TO half a dozen of the
! members: Lend mo your canteens for
a day or two When asked what he
! wanted TO do with them he said: 'Ncy-
| cr mind; you will be satisfied" The next
| day four members OF the train guard
! were much interested in the wagon in
! "hich General Ewings cook and keg
! were located. They discovered some
! thing radically wrong with one Of the
/ wheels. Before they had been on the
! road ten minutes that wheel came off
lust as they knew i: would when they
put IN Il way to come off and down came
COOK, kcg and the balance The old col
or"d woman thought she was i'm a wreck
of ruin. and when Mike assured her that
she would be all right if She would run
along and get into another wagon her cx-
ptcsSons of gratitude to the cood-htart-
ed freshman made that gentleman wink
at his wicked mates. The wagon was
hurriedly fixed up Mike got into ii with
his Canteens was furnished with other
ones. and when he got out the whisky
was out of General Ewings keg. ana
that night II Was pretty thoroughly dis
tributcd through several companies Of m
ono regiment There was much noise
IN camp after taps. II is needless to SAY
that there was trtle If noise al
ttwirS headquarters when ii was dis
covered that Ms supply Of spirits had
disappeared. General Sherman caliei ~
headquarters when Ewing told hts tale
of Wnc To- ttnclc Billy" All the comfor,
he got was q jolly laugh from the COM
inauder Of the combined armies and
warning to give personal attention t. his
whisky II he didn't want those Ohio boys
to take charge Of IT,
Her" is another: 4 western colonel
was sent into that portion Of Virginia Is
ing southeast Of Fredericksburg. between (
n" rivers Potomac and Rappahannocf /
In" enemy was supposed TO b. planning !
u ralu from that direction. which. If Stl-. (
CeSSlul, Wodll seriously disturb the left I
of General lockers army. The colonel /
and his command went down The Poto-
mae hE boat about forty miles ana then !
struck cut into the country. 1t was good /
picking out that way; his were the |
first Yankees to go there. He had strict I
orders 70 keep his men in line and SEE /
that no foraging was done except tina I
under his direction. The colonel directed I
the gathering i'm Of lot of fresh eggs.
hams bacon butter ana potatoes. After
tha raid wa. over the men returned 10
the boat and the collected stores. which
were fnr the colonies rness and the
r!cssts OF his friends of the brigade
were carefully nut away The boat land
ed at the cojonet's camn an tho e,,,tb
bank Of tho Potomac ahout ,,,idni,ht
Everybody was tired Ana nortirni1rN
WAS this trua oP tha ,ninnal THO Tn,.e
had j,napined that tbie 1vn,,ld 10 ~.
case. and had carnfullv narceled ant he
hams hocnt, eor,. I'M ,I,,,t,. a,4 W
f,w, hotties Of rhCiot u.i,iag ca ,ha, tbet.
,,,,,,1l ~ ,,. -, - :. '''' -; /
niob., ,..,,. i;,tI .,tta,+io w, ,;S Va. =
~, Mon ~ ~ 'i,.,a ner 80 p'i" -
~, Wv - a., - iii,'N ga ,ii'
1o,, ~ I'm ~, Il"Fn , .hg co,on ,l, srh1
49, = - ~ 'u n - rt " 9"piiltH dh9
- ~, ..I"' liieu .."' " ~, 49, o,sd P'cartu
.'iS '"[ "i1 nc. nlC IA" mls Gimp
con %! " 1oZ'h 81 e2ES "r peek ~ pota-
coz R'utd nc dlSc"NctVd. ihcN had an
1tSanPeAred' some On them mad gone
Gown ,hf 'hrohlS o. tnc hunSrN soldiers
ana pthefS had h'ch buried Wh'rc n"
colonel would not be apt to hunt for
th.m
TWO Or three years ago ! heard This
Same colonel VINO after the war was Il
governor ana foreign minister. tell tho
story IT camp IRE IT it's close an plt
/ "ll"W with an arm gone, his head -
Whltt rs the drINeh snow. very ardent
member ~ the ChurCh. rose UP III the
u"dN O. thc E''etliS anu Sali. General.
! tp"f- one % those MANS. ana could t"ll
YOU "htfc t'!e resi- went u II VIII DO you
amy Gooh. ! ne klhdtN oli general sad
ne airca0IN knew enough ON that polnl.
""h want IN" bu"tit 10 Stl 'Hv I'M
lif%NSi"h tAlt tntfc was VAST amount 81
. l''N'hC al ~, army. however y can
H"' ne d'hie': mat there WAS some. Inefe
M'I' times duFtnG yong mar" caili'iShS
IT WI "eaIl"f wien th' comniSSarN
VIZ W.: "i.,ti'.t 90 l4Sp' ft5"'llS OF NniHh.H-
NiithtN'r ih'll h'ti'p' l"u II WAS INC Gus
!"hl i"r n" $urEr"h5 !" Fh"V'l ~
i."Cn tu'nh' rn"' II "'tH "a. "oIHl ~"
~ ~, ~ ,''H", Nv wy u"i' ! nm ti'''
:, : II - l.o' dn,!H,. :? 'nhinG "r'i!iiit';
~ ~ ''i'H "'ti N'i'' til'li WHISKY Sl'N'3
F." VA u; ,,.,., ....., .,,.. ,i..