The National tribune., 1902-08-21

| announced the convalescents assembled
in the hall, and as they filed through the
dining-roOm door each soldier received
from the hand of kind waiter, who stood
on the outside, of the door over a basket
of bread cut in slices, from two to three
inches in thickness, from common s.
cent bakers loaf, one slice Of bread the
bread was good. Then the soldier ad-
| vanced to the table, which stood groaning
under the weight of a tin-cup of coffee
| and teaspoonful of salt beside each tin
| cup, tastefully arranged all around the
three feet apart, and there he could stand
| while he ate his bread and drank his
coffee-using the salt for butter on his
| bread or sugar in his coffee, as he pre-
ferred; there was no cOmpunction with
regard to the use Of the salt. This was
our fare for breakfast, and the dinner was
like unto it, so far as the bread and the
table accommodations were concerned,
but in place of the cup Of coffee we were
supplied, usually, with a tincupful of nice
pressed vegetable soup and a tin spoon,
| with the usual supply Of salt on the
board.
Sometimes, instead Of the rich, pressed
| vegetable soup, we were supplied with a
tin plate, containing boiled potato and
! bite of meat, with knife and fork to
dispose Of the same, and cup of good,
| cold water, but in no case were we sup
piled with soup and the potato and meat
| at the same meal.
For supper we had the same lavish sup
ply of bread and a cup Of tea, served
| in the same artistic style, and the pinch
of salt also, that was never withheld.
Such was our fare day in and day out
! week in and week out. SO long as ate
| at that magnificent table.
o, it was fine; fit for a king-an Amer
| ican sovereign; but, strange to say, l did
| not appreciate 1t at the time. neither did
! l grow strong and robust as one would
suppose man must ON such carefully
| arranged diet. / ate at that table in the
convalescent department Of Prince Street
| Hospital, Alexandria, Va, about two
weeks-it may have been a triae longer
! time flies so rapidly where one has every
thing to his taste. Then the Medical
Director came around and rubbed it into
DIR. st. John for not getting his patients
| in fighting trim more rapidly. He told
the Hospital Surgeon in plain words that
it was all nonsense keeping n lot of able
bodied men feeding on the fat of the land
in hospital, month after month. when
their services were needed in the field
After the Medical Director had retired
| DR.. st. John called the conyalescents Of
Prince Street Hospital together and, dis
playing a slice of bread such as we each
received from the hand of the kind waiter
/ At cdtH tuuS duuIesset us. Whit
to know if there IL any soldier here who
is not satisfied with the ratons he gets
at this hospital. If any man here wants
more at a meal than this (fourishing the
slice Of bread. / want to send him to his
regiment" Some Of the convalescents
who could appreciate good living and q
| soft snap expressed themselves as per-
fectly satisfied with our fare, but it
seemed a pity that the Doctor should not
be able to find an excuse for sending at
least one man to the front; so l said:
| doctor, / am not sure but that slice of
bread you hold in your hand is bread
enough for meal-in fact, as our meals
may not live on bread alone, at least
do not care to, and the soldier who is sat
| isfed with the fare we get at this hos
pital is certainly not hard kicker, and
J for. one I'm ready to be returned to my
regiment, where l can get decent meal"
My request was granted without argu-
ment that very day.
In rejoining M regiment, which was at
| Fredericksburg. made my first trip down
the Potomac River as far as Belle Plain
Landing, which was Gen. McDowelrs
base of supplies, where l landed about
sunset. That night / slept in some out
of-the-way corner, and the next day foot
ed it across North Neck to the Kappa
hammock River. where l found my regi-
ment in the full enjoyment of camp life,
without an enemy in sight.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SADDLE.
During the Sun.mer Of 1862 the First
Corps soldicred in the Valley Of the Rap
pahannock mostly, but we were not hap
py, believing that Mcclellan was reaping
all the glory on the Chickahominy and
would capture Richmond and end the war
without any assistance from US; In fact,
many Of us hoped he would We
marched back and forth from Fredericks-
burg to Warrenton several times, and
once we marched southwark toward Rich
mond days journey. This latter move.
ment was made just as the series of bat
ties in front Of Richmond, known. as the
Seven Days Battle, began, which ended
In ,McClellan's retreat or flank movement,
as it is sometimes called, to the James
River The First Corps was very anx-
ious to join Mcclellan, and when this
movement began we felt sure that the
fighting line before Richmond was our
destination. and were sorely disappointed
when we doubled on our track and came
back to Fredericksburg. However, many