Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-29


 for the fruit. This excited the colonel greatly. Riding up to the rails and brandishing his sword. he shouted: 'Ye blackguards! would ye be after laying the ranks for the paltry sum of an apple?'. This expression of his indignation grew into by-word thanks to the powers of mimicry of two of our company, Charles and Fer dinand Durang. They, with their father, were strolling play actors, na- tiyes of Lancaster, who, when their winter engagements i'll city theaters were over, would entertain us i'll town and country with their varied accom- plishments. The brothers were such genial, brave fellows and mirthful, so full of rollicking fun, they kept Us alive, soul and body, by compelling us to laugh.
 "Well, when We reached an old en- campment near Baltimore, on the York road. just alongside what was known as Towards woods, the citizens came to meet us, hauling drays on which were hogsheads of hot coffee, most de- licious. I can never forget that coffee, nor how it revived us. The city was in blaze of excitement still and ering about and we must go to Elk ridges Landing to oppose them. As we marched through the streets they were crowded with women, weeping and crying, oh, these poor fellows will never all come back again. But we did, for the next day.. as we drew into line ready to march into Bladens- burg, an officer came dashing up, his horse covered with foam, with the order for our immediate return to the city, as an early attack was expected 4 q 41 Hxx, We were not sorry, for the colonel failed to furnish us provisions, and the Elkridge people all being Quakers, who would neither sell nor give us food to eat nor straw to lie upon. we were compelled to do without either, or buy for ourselves from the only one little grocery in the place. The occasion of our return was also that of the coIoners first compliment to us. Boys he said, brandishing his little sword, .ye be- hayed like veterans! We got back that evening and encamped upon Gall lows hill, near a rope walk, where for months we remained, daily waiting for an enemy that never came. Then for the first time since leaving York we took breathing time and looked about for amusement Have you heard Francis Keys poem?' said one of oul mess, coming in one, evening, as we lay scattered over the green hill, near the captains marquee. It was a rude copy and written in a scrawl which Horace Greeley might have mistaken for his own. He read it aloud, once, twice, three times, until the entire di- vision seemed electrified by it's pa thetic eloquence. An idea seized Fred Durang. Hunting up a volume of old flute music, which was in somebody's tent, he impatiently whistled snatches of tune after tune, just as they caught his quick ear. One called sAnacreon in Heaven q have it, have played it often, for it was in my book that he found it), struck his fancy and riyeted his attention. Note after note fell from his puckered lips until, with a leap and shout he exclaimed, Boys, I have hit it!' and fitting the tune to the words, there rang out for the first time the song of the Star Spangled Ban- | ner.' How the men shouted and | clapped, for never was there a we'd ding of poetry to music made under such inspiring influences. Getting a
 brief furlough, the brothers sung it on the stage of Holiday Street theater soon after., It was caught up in the camps and sang around our bivouac fires, and whistled in the streets, and, when peace was declared and we scat | tered for our homes, carried to thou sands of firesides as the most precious relic of the war of 1872 Ferdinand Durang died, I do not know where, and Frank Keys bones lie in the cem- etery at Fredericktown; but guess that song will live as long as there is an American boy to sing it."
 Was that the only incident of the l campafgnY He was getting restless
 as child.
 l ''Very little besides. Our principal hardship was want Of good bread 1 That furnished us was so old and sour l it contained worms ansinch long Our | rations of beef and rim were abun- l dant. Of rum there was enough served l daily for us to swim in if we had want
 ed. General Watson was appealed to,
 but there was bad infringement some
 where and things grew no better. All l rum and no bread became the sullen
 motto of the camp. The Maryland en-
 campment held mock court-martial
 and made of theirs a daily bonfire. One
 day General Watson, with his negro
 servant riding behind him, was about
 entering the city. The. guard, instead
 of presenting arms, saluted him with,
 All rum and no bread 7 At him,
 Pompp shouted the indignant officer.
 The guard fled, the negro pursuing in
 vain, and it was said he never stopped
 running until he reached his home in l Berks county.