The times., 1898-12-26
THE FEAST At FORT MYHR.
A Regal Treat for the Volun-
taer Battalion.
SCENES AT THE HOSPITAL
Flowers. Holly and Christmas Trees
for fhe Boys in Bed-The sharp
and Decisive Battle of Turkey
RIM Chaplain Chester Tells the
story of Peace and Good VIII.

and Decisive Battle of Turkey
Rnn Chaplain Chester Tells the
story of Peace and Good VIII.
"smaa arms is what's the matter sez the
Major troo his chin
..snaf arms, an see v use them SCI the
Ccsp'ral Wit grin.
So WI h-lrsG hluomin' baggage an we
ls,Tured or paws.
Al "a, way W eoP9ed IN en- my Sns agin all
Fer a e'aI9a'ss all yer driIn j. done VT a
50 ed l.is.5 hear no orders TN tn ehuek wus
r>-.'t77ls doubc eAtr, iatlons. Wit no u s"
The Battle OF Turkey Run
''say Ia enlist fer a t'ousand years
if we'd get grub like we got fer dinner.
said tI.. convalescent rookie from the
Two Hundred and First New York.
An, that's nothin'" replied the bat
tered remnant of the Thirty-fourth Mich
ies.n. Wy there wouldn't be nobody
OF; q de army wit dem dinners
-..u two kinds o pie" sighed the
wreah from the First Rhode Island,
All sighed the three, for two kinds
OF re Is like unto the army heaven.
Inc regulars at Fort Myer had passed
on TO another detail and the post was
occupied only by a mixed battalion of
volunteer infantry. So it came that
Christmas at the fort was an unusual
event.
With the regulars went the little fight
ing batteries. the swinging tramp of feet
and. best OF all for the infantry. the din
of brass mess cali and the punctual trump
eter with his:
Meaty. meaty. meity, without any lean;
Coffee, coffee coffee, without any cream;
Soupy. soupy. zoupy, without any bean
Bready, hrelds, bready, without any steam
All Well II; the Fort.
So Christmas found all well at the fort
Too we'll, some said, for lighting post
but then the war had turned the post into
a hospital. and the old army officers wept
TO see the martial parade ground occu'
pied by yellowed rockies, by white-cappet
nurses and shining crutches.
But the mixed battalion made brave
showing yesterday. They were mixed il
that no five of them claimed the same reg
iment and no score of them the same
State. Some of them had been to tbs
front but more of them had faced th'
worse dangers of the camps in this coun
try And more, those of the mixed bat
ralions who were not III in bed were con
yalescent, and assumed voluntary com
mand of the post.
How They Met the Foe.
Until yesterday few of the members o
the mixed battalion had ever been in al
engagement but they met the foe with
out a tremor and routed him within al
hour. The line of battle was formed abou
1850 a m. with a company formation o.
about fifty strong There were five OF
these companies and their manual Of
arms was a Krag-Jorgensen appetite.
After short skirmish for position, tht
battalion formed by fours and, led by ;
Tennessee corporal, it advanced to where
the enemy lay in ambush. Then the bat
tie began. The battalion faced fearful
odds as the enemy consisted of 500 pound:
of turkey, many gallons of cranberry
sauce. half a cord of celery, and I'VE
kinds of pie. These were re-enforced by
such guerriIIas as cake, bread, butter
stufiing, fruit and coffee.
The Charge Begun.
Undaunted. however. the battalion at
lacked the breastworks Of the turkey ant
fought over the remains until even tn
bread had retreated out of sight. The en-
gagement lasted nearly an hour, and tn
battalion suffered a loss of only thre
Wounded. These We're soon made vel
with long draughts of Jamaica ginger
and the battalion retreated to the parad
ground covered with glory and grease
where they verbally fought the battl
over during the afternoon.
''Ah. 1t was grand said a crutch-aide'
lIa- a.alaV Garr L
ought L hev seen it. l never run VI
against no sich dinner outside Boston
That turkey"
An two kinds o pie" chorused war
rior from the Sixteenth Pennsylvania.
Whereat there was silence for a space
Tor pie is 4 sacred institution to the sol
der.
i ct a dinner once in Saint Louie tha
this minded me Of" volunteered on
from the Fourth Missouri. but he wa
silenced by chorus of indignant Avs
which were calculated to silence an
iconociastic remarks.
The hundred odd who were confined t
their beds were sadly routed by the en-
emy. and after short. determined attac
the engagement was ended
In the Hospital.
The big riding academy was occupied b
long rows of cots, and here those VIII
were unable TO care for themselves en-
ioyed a Christmas which they win neve
forget. The nurses had prepared mum
ber Of Christmas trees, which stood in III
aises between the cots, and when tn
lonely boys awoke on Christmas mornin
there was some little triniet for each on
of them hanging from the trees. The
they had flowers and holly, and the die
cards were destroyed so that the patient
might indulge in the celebration. But III
day was round of anxious queries fror
bed TO bed as to what Santa Claus ha
brought the occupants.
The Story of Peace.
And then the battalion was gathere
together during the afternoon and afte
marching to the old Administration Build
ing they were told of peace and of plac
where no army camps were ever occupie
or evacuated, by the old post chaplain. d
Chester.
Few visitors disturbed the peace of III
post yesterday, but the soldiers did nc
seem TO miss them.
This is the best Christmas ever celt
hrated at Fort Myer' said Major w F
Davis, the post surgeon. and the boy
enjoyed even a better nner than the off
GERS"
Taps had no fears for the battalion a
the long gray shadows came over the SIX
and shrouded the whte-tipped hills of Al
iington, and as the last of the veteran
shuffled over to the mess hail he uncor
sciously queried: Wonder if we'll hay
pie for supper?