The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-31

because / am a clergyman. l would
far rather have them swear, and not
stop swearing when l am there" Men
who exclaim this would make a
preacher swear would not hesitate to
swear themselves in the presence of
preacher, as l have heard some gen
erals do. - Boston, Mass, has had
a convention of military surgeons from
every state in the Union, and some
from the regular armies of Germany.
Russia, France and Great Britain.
There were nearly fifteen hundred, and
with their wives and friends they were
elegantly entertained at a reception
given by Surgeon General r. A. Blood
of Massachusetts. They were also given
other very enjoyable entertainments.
And this reminds me that have made
a very complete roster of the military
surgeons of Georgia during the Civil
War. Assistant Surgeon Andrew ].
Ford, U. S. A, a Georgian, resigned
and became a prominent Confederate
surgeon. All his official records came
into my hands, but 1 turned them over
to Surgeon General Jones of the United
Confederate Veterans, after 1 had made
up my roster, to which I have since
added new names from other sources
Not few of them, like DR.. V. H. Tai
iaferro of Atlanta, and others laid
with a valor that reflected the highest
honor upon the medical profession.
am glad to see that the Confederate
surgeon at the New Orleans reunion
sent complimentary telegram to dear
old DR.. S. H. Stout, now of Dallas,
Tex, whose services as director of hos
pitfalls in Georgia and Tennessee, will
only be forgotten when they cease to
remember anything earthly. He is
IL ao1 H,s
life has been one of honor and useful
ness.
1t will amuse the old soldiers of the
Civil War, on both sides, to learn that
Gen. Charles King, u. S. w. who was
cadet at West Point from 1852 until
1865, is to write an article for the
Youths Companion of Boston, Mass,
on Hard Times at West Point" The
statement seems preposterous that
during the war, when the price of
clothing and other things increased,
and the cadets pay did not, there were
some strange and comical makeshifts
in the trim battalion at the academy.
To us old fellows who suffered all
kinds of hardships and privations in
the army in the field, talk about
Hard Times at West Point seems
too ridiculous to be even limited at.
But wayback, about 1880, know of a
Cadet Dewey who had a Hard Time
at West Point under the severe but
wise and just discipline of stern old
Col. Sylvanus Thayer, "the father of
the Academy as he was later on
most reverently called. Cadet Dewey
presented his pass-book for an order
for four shirts. Supt. Thayer consulted
the treasurer's report, which he in
variably kept at hand, then he closed
the pass book and gave it back to
Dewey, who said: Colonel, l am much
in need of shirts" To which Col.
Thayer replied: 81 take it for granted
you are, or you would not present this
order; but you are in debt" and again
the book is returned 70 Dewey. But,
Colonel" he pleaded, 81 am almost
destitute; have only one shirt to my
back, and that is a fatigue jacket" To
this touching appeal the stern super
intendent turned deaf ear and said:
well, Mr.. Dewey, l would advise you
to wear that fatigue jacket until you
get out of debt" 1 challenge Gen. King
to show any such Hard Times at
West Point during the Civil War as
Cadet Dewey experienced there in 1880.
Poor fellow, he failed to get a shirt
or to graduate, or to get out of debt
The foregoing was written many
weeks ago, at which time had no
hint of what Gen. King would be like
ly to say, and perhaps my challenge
was somewhat premature. The prom
ised article has appeared in the Youths
Companion of May 2S, and l find that
one cadet was really worse off than
Cadet Dewey for he cut holes in his
pillow case and used it for shirt Ac-
cording to Gen. King, who was then
a cadet, the academy boys were as
shoeless as the famous Virginia Mili-
tary Institute cadets after the bloody
battle of Newmarket. AS to trousers,
King says he wore a pair of greys that
had done duty in the New York Sew
enth Regiment. Caps of all patterns
were also seen on parade. In 1854, how
ever, Congress came to the relief of
the cadets and gave them their present
liberal but deserved allowance of S54O
a year (Which was quite rise on their
previous dollar a day allowance) and
made the appropriation cover the pre-
vious year; and in this way relieved
the poorer cadets of a burden of debt
they could not we'll carry. 1t seems
very strange to us at this late day, in
the midst of our national prosperity,
that the nations war college should