Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-03
CAMP YARNS.
Stories Told About the Guards Camp
Fire
And Few Words Explanatory Of the Guards
Duties.

Inc last nights at Camp Powers wera
cola ones, when the fire was varv
convenient article. especially to tba
guard who had their two hours Of
ou'S' and We're resting for four hours
previous to taking another tour Of
duty.
ne guard OF a camp is composed of
d certain number of men from each
company or battery, whichever tho
Case may be, a certain number of cor
porais and also certain number of
sergeants. At Camp Powers about 70
men are taken from each of the four
companies. three corporals and two
serseants. These are commanded nv a
first lieutenant, whosis commander H.
is answerable to captain. who acts &c
the officer of the day. In large camps
there is second lieutenant who acts
as supernumerary officer of the guard.
ihese men are mounted" in the
morning at $50 o'clock. Mounting the
guard is military form whereby the
old guard is relieved from duty and the
new ones put on in,-their place. The
new guard have to suffer inspection,
and there are many military customs
to be gone through with. In the end
OF the guard mounting, the new
guard is divided into three re-
lieNes. An equal number of men are
placed in each, with a corporal to each
second and third relief The first relief
marches forth and takes the place of
the guard that is around the camp.
each man in the relief having one of
the posts, which are numbered from
one to as high as there are men.
Each relief stands guard two hours
when they are relieved by the next re-
lief, thus with the three relieves each
soldier stands guard two hours ana
rests in the guard tent four hours.
During their four hours they are sup
posed to keep either in the guards
tents or within short distance so that
If the commander of the camp APP
proaches, or any other officer. the
guard that is off duty is supposed to
turn out to salute them, drawn up II.
line with their rifles. This makes it so
that at times the guard that is not
standing guard, will have to stay
awake for the whole day for this pur-
pose. In most camps, however, and
this is one of them, the guard is not
required to be turned out, as the Off
GERS do not wish it. The cry of Turn
out the guard would often be heard in
the days of the National Guard en-.
campments, but it was seldom heard
after May. At this cry the guard in
the tents and all about would have to
rush to the place where their rifles
were stacked and prepare to receive
the officer, who would, perhaps, be just
walking about The officer who cared
naught for forms would shout, Never
mind the guard" and the guard would
like that man all the better for ii, as it
did not mean that they were to follow
out the usual custom. That cry of
Never mind the guard" got 20 be
common saying by the regular visitors
at the camp and by the soldiers who,
out of the guard lines without a pass
and desiring to get through. would
wish to say something to get into the
good graces of the sentry, who would
perhaps be pacing the beat back to tae
guard runner, who would slip by
ITO keep the men warm O. nights 4
large camp fire was built, and around
this fire stories galore were told. Good
natured chaff passed back and forth
after the men had squat about ubcE
the ground, smoking their pipes Some
sit upon the benches, others upon
wood and they cluster all about in
various attitudes. Not only do the
guard cluster about this fire, but the
men of the camp gamer mere u hedt
the stories and pass the evening.
| 1t is a cosy scene as upon chilly
night one approaches the camp fire,
where the men in their overcoats hover
about. The flames throw lurid light
upon the faces Of those near the Iire
and make the night ali about seem
darker than ever Hhe night is still
save for the sound of voices, and as
the approach to the fire is made, the
voices are located there.
Corporal Staples, the wag of Battery
D, had the floor or rather the field.
What fool a man is, he began
solemnly, ooh, there is nothing per-
sonal meant, sergeant. it is merely