The National tribune., 1900-08-09

| ready approved by our Captain. A da!
or two after, having occasion to go TO the
Captains quarters, we were compelled t.
| pass the commanding officer, Maj. Wood
| ruff, who had not seen any field service
| After saluting him he inquired if we Were
| not OF the I'd U. S., and answering in the
| affirmative, remarked that we wanted t
see Col. Drum. The Major Immediately
said: Sergeant, you mean Capt. Drum
Yes, Major. and Colonel by brevet fol
brave and gallant conduct in the field.
The Major said nothing more. The Ma
JOr was always jealous of Junior officers
having the brcvet rank Of Colonel or Lieu
| tenant-C Colonel, as his lineal rank was that
| of Major, and although his regiment, the
18th, was fighting one, he was not with
it in the field.
November found the detachment under
orders for Louisville, Ky. Arrived in that
city about the middle of the month, quar-
ters were taken up on North Broadway,
close to the negro barracks. Maj.-Gcn
John NJ. Palmer, late of Palmer and
Buckner fame, politically speaking, was
in command of the department. then
known as that of the South. A Freed
mems Bureau was in existence and had
full sway in distributing ratiOns to the
darkies. In the meantime the entire reg
iment had congregatcd at Louisville, eight
newly-organiZed companies having ar
they Were recruiting since June, '64.
The regiment had now an organization
of nine companies, Co. f yet to be organ
ized Capt. Drums Co. G.. retaining the
detachment of an organization of six com
panies, left i'll the field in June, Oh as his
Co. c, but still lacking some recruits.
Duty of First Sergeants became very Sc
we're. What with the internal manage
ment of the company, the keeping of rec
0rds and attending drills, the life seemed
to be squeezed out of them. AT last the
writer, in order to get his records thor
oughly posted, thought it a good plan to
go on the sick report and explain matters
TO the doctor. 1t worked all right, but
was not more than four days on Il want
ed 10) when the doctor informed us that
the Captain had spoken to him about the
matter. and that he badly needed Serg't
Brecn for company drills. At any rate,
six days were all | got from the doctor.
Being an inycteratc smoker, the Captain
would occasionally say TO me, when he en-
tered the orderly-room on business, that
the too free use of tobacco would yet be
the death of me. Yet, for all, at this
writing | am nearly 81.
During the Winter of 1866 and 'G1,
rather hard lot of men found their way
into the regiment. Drunkenness and
good deal of petty theft went on at their
hands. Their conduct became unbearable
so. FAR as those IN 20. u were concerned
So / politely Informed them that their alb
Scnce would be better than their presence.
Taking me at my word, in the course OF
the next few days they, with others of the
regiment, left, but still hung around town,
vowins vengeance, particularly on Sergt
Breen, of Co. G..
Hearing of this /, with two other Ser
Seants, sailed cut one night in citizens
clothes to hunt them up. Two Were ap-
pretended in the city, and eight others,
who had made bold to hang around the
front gate to the barracks to waylay me
when | would arrive home, were tackled
by squad of the guard, and instead Of
surrendering, showed fight. In the skir-
mish one was killed outright, and the 9th
ers arrested, and in due course of time
tried and sentenced to eight and 10 years
in the pcnitentiary at Frankfort for de-
scrtion, theft and worthleSsness.
CTO be continucd.)