The National tribune., 1903-12-10
CHAPTER III.
FROM CAMP CHASE TO ST. LOUIS. Mo.

FROM CAMP CHASE TO ST. LOUIS. MO.
1t was about midday, Aug. IA, when
our Captain reported his company to camp
headquarters, where, after being duly re-
ceived we were assigned to camp quar-
ters, and for a few days we took up our
abode in Uncle Sans shanties.
-; While the accommodations were not in
every respect up to previous conditions
with most of the boys, worse were seen
before our enlistment terminated.
Each shanty was about Is feet square.
with double-deck hunks at the back TAX
ing up about half of the space. The hunks
were supplied with straw, which evil
IDENTIFY had contained something like Vice.
vii, which in time developed or evolved
spry and pedacious crawling creatures
commonly called graybacks.
PENALTIES FOR FRESH FIsHNEss.
The fresh-fish period of soldiers life
never lasts more than a week or 10 days,
and is filled with incidents and episodes
that teach him things he would not other
wise learn. ] learned by experience that
1t was no small matter to change from the
walk of a civilian to the march of a sol
der. To sleep without beds; to eat from
your knees. leg, a stump, or while stand
ing, without dishes. food that does not en-
as to your movements; to he required to
ask 9or pass to go beyond the limits, to
be called down. if you do not give the
proper salute, in approaching commits
stoned officers; TO be hustled off to the
guard house for doing something that YOU
did not dream was unlawful: to get the
countersign and forget it in five minutes,
and then have the Officer of the Day
approach to test your memory. or ask you
for your gun, which you were very apt to
hand over to him out of respect for the
wish of a superior officer. not suspecting
that he is only trying you and has no
more business with your gun that you
have to leave your heat, These are but
few of the trials of fresh fish, soldier:
of the many embarrassing episodes and
perplexities that make the position of a
volunteer recruit one to be reluctantly as
sumed.
We accepted the situation as did others
and learned our lessons rapidly and before
three days we were shouting Fresh fish
as loud as did those who greeted our COM
ing.
SIMILARITY FROM DIssINuLAR.
About the second day after reaching
Camp Chase we We're marched before the
Medical Examiner, DIR. Norman Gay, and
duly passed or rejected, there being but
two of us who failed to pass, and we
were then given uniforms and assigned
TO the 31st Ohio Regiment as Co. c.
There is nothing in a recruits life that
is more striking than changing his ci.i-
zen clothing for the uniform. What hlth-
erto We're but odds and ends of humanity,
too tall or too short. too thick or too thin,
are changed in the twinkling of an eye
by neat uniform, and by being properly
sized up these become a company of sol
diers that excites admiration. appearing
10 the observer as though each man was
made for just the place he occupies.
The man who Wore the straw hat. check
shirt and cowhide shoes. and the man who
wore the silk hat, standing collar and
patent-leather shoes are of the past. 1t
was not an unfrequent thing that brothers
failed to know each other when first uni
formed. The first three days that COM
pany is uniformed may be regarded a
period of masquerade.
CONSTITUTED co. X.
As have already stated. we We're as
signed to the 31st Ohio Col. Moses Il.
Walker, but our stay there was bri q,
as the mustered vote shows that the com
pany was mustered into service Aug. IS.
by Howard Stansber and assigned as Co.
). X in the 9th Ohio Regiment, which was
mustered the same day by the same Off
Ger.
The reason for this change cannot per
haps be found in history: but troops were
badly wanted both in the East and in the
West. by reason of the recent great dis
asters at BJll. Run Va, and at Wilson
Creek, Mo-, and the 9th Ohio needed but
one company to complete it, while the
31st still required seven companies. There
fore the third company of the 31st was
forced to become the 10th company of
the 9th, so that it could start at once to
the front.
Another theory and possibility is that
there was wire-puiling,
Let this matter ne as ii may there is
rs.. - Il H-. III
officer when he had completed the organi-
cation of his regiment, with 10 good ,,om-
panies and brass band. On the dag Of
drawing uniforms and field equipments,
two stalwarts of the premature company,
who evidently could not stand the sight
of war implements, openly played the baby
act, and left camp, hooted and jeered by
others.
1t was interesting TO look over the camp
drill ground during the training hour, when
30 or 80 companies. in all stages of re-
cruit imperfection and awkwardness, We're
manuvering by companies, platoOns.
SQUADS and files Often these were drilled
by some one who knew less about drilling
than some of the drilled.
When the company drew guns and other
accouterments it was Interesting TO see
some of them trying to strap them on,
many knowing less about il than a sail
or would know about harnessing a farm
morse 10 q tnraSDlnR machine. ana less
about handling arms than the average
plow boy would know about reafing
topsail.
Our Captain, having seen service in the
Mexican war, was expected to know n
thing or two about war; hence he was
careful in instructing the company a lit
tie on tactics, before going out on the pub
lie drill ground. And thus the company
would do fairly well when out on drill.
and not incur a great deal OF ridicue.
DRILLED By A LIEUTENANT.
The First Lieutenant was permitted
one day to take the company out to drill
The men had always been cautioned and
very decidedly instructed by the Captain
70 never obey a command that was out of
order. On this occasion the company was
formed, and with the dignity of Home
Guard Napoleon our First Lieutenant
marched us to the drll-ground, "Lep-lep
Hep" Heads up and keep stepr' "Lep-
lep-lep.' After giving two or three or
ders at long distance, in flank manuvering
the company was headed in direction of
the Commissary Department. The dou-
ble-quick advance was continued in alb
sence of orders and over the guard and
guard line we went pellmell, into the Com
missary tent, like a band of Western ma
rauders. In the meantime the Lieutenant
was waving his sword as he ran and
shouting Holt! Holt. Stop! File
left.' and every command that would
serve TO avoid the trouble he saw at hand.
Of course the company stopped when il
could go no farther by reason of in