The National tribune., 1902-12-18

After partaking Of this snack, I gave
car names to the landlord and engaged
board and rooms for ourselves and three
other comrades, as the landlord kept a
lodging house in connection with his
restaurant, leaving orders to have supper
| ready for us at the usual hour.
From there we went to headquarters
for paroled prisoners, where we register
ed our names, regiments, etc, and filed
| applications for leaves of absence, and
about o'clock returned to our hotel with
our other comrades. At supper, we three,
| who had lunched in the afternoon, held
| our own with, and ate as long and a. wide
and as deep as the three who had not
lunched, and we all ate until the table
was bare and nothing more in sight.
This was on March 5, when / found my
appetite, and remained In Annapolis just
week before receiving a leave Of alb
sence, during which time we, all Of us.
seemed to have appetites coined in the
same mint, and ate three square meals ev-
cry day, and at each and every square meal
we rounded up everything in reach, while
between meals we took our oysters raw,
fried, stewed and steamed, besides other
refreshments whenever and wherever we
happened to find anything that tempted
our fastidious appetites, and most every
| thing did.
| 4Hc "Ohuci was tHut VIC uiu hot hiiA
ourselves by overcating, but, strange
though II may seem, no evil results at
tended or followed this inordinate gor-
mandizing. We experienced n sense of
| fullness at times, and dreamed that we
were full-moons, which was rather plea
surable than otherwise, in comparison
with the sense of emptiness that for
months had been gnawing at our vitals.
| Talk abont a man controlling his ap-
petite; that's all moon-shine. The man
who talks such stuff and nonsense never
had an appetite Our appetites were
Boss, and no mistake. All we could do
was to look pleasant and foot the bills.
On March 12 started for my home in
| Wisconsin, which journey required about
three days, during which time I ate my
three square meals a day and as many
more as could get, and never once, from
the moment that my appetite struck me so
forcibly in the restaurant at Annapolis,
did I feel satisfied as one may who has
eaten enough, until I reached home. Then.
the next morning I sat down to break
fast. and when I had finished my friends
expressed surprise that returned pris-
oner of war from Dixie and starvation.
should not have a sharper appetite.
| I was agreeably surprised myself. that
at last / could eat a respectable meal,
like other people, and feel that l had
eaten enough.
Comparatively speaking, have had no
appetite since.
REcoLLEcTIoNs OF THE LAST DAYS OF
| WAR.
While enjoying my leave of absence
with friends at home in Wisconsin, we
received the glad tidings from the scat of
war in the East that Richmond had fal-
len into our hands. which was followed q
few days later, by the announcement OF
the surrender of Lee and his army. While
not with the Army of the Potomac in
person when it achieved its final triumph
I was there in spirit-which is really the
most enjoyable way Of soldering. Very
few Of us who went out in 81 and were
with Mcdowell and Sherman at the First
Bull Run, were with Grant at Appomat-
tox; but the fault, generally, was not ours
Just after Lees surrender I started
back to Annapolis, and was in that city
on the morning of April Is. 1865. when
We received the saddest news that ever
fell upon the ears of the American peo
ple-the announcement Of the assassina
ton Of Abraham Lincoln. How vividly tc
my minds eye that terrible news brought
back the careworn, kindly face of the
President the last time l saw him. II
was in the early Spring Of 1864, while or
duty at Camp Casey, Va. preparing the
23d o. 8. G. I. for the field. was II
Washington one evening for the purpose
Of hearing a lecture by Bayard Taylor
WHO was, think, our Minister to Russia
at that time. and Russia was the subject
of his lecture, which was given at viii.
lard's Hall. While the lecture in itself
was interesting, a still more interesting
feature Of the evening, which did not ap.
pear on the bills. was the presence OF
President Lincoln. Taylor had been talk.
ing, in his smooth and fascinating style
for fully 10 minutes when the President
and Mrs. Lincoln entered the hall, and for
a few moments after not even the flow
Ing, 6owery speech of Bayard Taylor
could hold that audience in silence. Presi.
dent Lincoln and his wife were entitled to