The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-13
"PETER DOUGLASS"
The story of the Origin of an Army
Term Meaning a Dead Man.

The story of the Origin of an Army
Term Meaning a Dead Man.
From the Washington Evening Star.
I'm garrison life Peter Douglass
means a dead man-that is, officially,
not really dead" observed an army
officer. 1T had its origin at Fort Mon
roe a quarter of a century or more
ago, though there are number Of Off
GERS who knew the original Peter and
quite a number more who knew the
facts in regard to his case.
Zone of the leading officers of the
artillery service to-day, then a lieu
tenant, was sent from Governors ISL
and. in New York harbor, to Fort Mon
roe with detachment of nineteen SOL
diers. They came down by sea, and
the first night out the soldiers got
on to a barrel of fine whisky which
was in the hold and by the aid of a
gimlet and some Straws the most CT
the nineteen men were in very hila-
r;ous condition before midnight. On
the second night out some of them
tackled the barrel again, and in a short
time they were again intoxicated.
Among the number was Peter Douglass.
When the time came for them to land
at Fort Monroe Peter Douglass could
IlOI Ue lOuIQ. II WdS ally InOQS III
he had fallen overheard or. while in
toxicated. had jumped overheard.
Anyhow, the LIEUTENANT turned over
but eighteen men. He reported Peter
Douglass as having been drowned, and
the record was made accordingly.
Three days afterward, when the ship
that brought the party down was I'M
loading some freight at Charleston, S..
c., Peter Douglass crawled out of
for his experience. After bracing up
he managed to work his way up to
Fort Monroe. where he supposed he
would join his company, but on pre-
senting himself to the officer in COM
mand there he was told that as the
record there had shown that Peter
Douglass had been drowned they were
required to consider him dead, even if
he was not dead.
Douglass admitted that he was
pretty nearly dead, but that he had
managed to pull through. Anyhow.
he was not admitted to the quarters
at the garrison and was told that he
had better move along; that he was
out of the army as surely as he had
ever been in it.
But Peter did not go far away.
That evening he met some of his COM
rades, three in number, from Govern
OrS Island, and they celebrated his
coming to life in true soldierly man
ner. The celebration wound up in the
guardhouse there, as did the celebra-
tors. The record of the guardhouse
showed that though Peter Douglass
had been reported dead a few days
before, he was very much alive. Two
days afterward the names of the four
were sent to the officer in command
as preliminary to having them court
martialed and punished for disorderiy
conduct and other violations of the
laws of the garrison. The officer, who
was a strong advocate of the power of
record, ruled that as Peter Douglass
had never entered the garrison, he
could not be court martialed, and that,
in fact, Peter Douglass was dead be-
yond resurrection. He was, therefore,
turned out and again told to move on,
but as he did not realize that he was
Head. he did not do so.
HE hung around the garrison for
some time, but finally wandered away
and got back to New York. Officially
he has remained dead ever since, for
the record has never been changed.
The officers preferred to let him re-