Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-07-09
THE BATTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War, and In
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell OF Camp, March and Battle.

The natural tendency OF new troops
in camp is toward discomfort and n
hypercritical condition of mind as TO
rations and accommodations. In the
old time it was the fashion for our
boys TO be so miserable that they were
almost happy.
In the old army this period was
passed in the first year of soldier eX-
perience, so that In the two or three
years that followed the men had that
spirit of acceptance that contributes
70 the efficiency and the comfort of
the soldier. In the first year of the
war the soldiers and the people eX-
1 aggerated every untoward circum-
stance and every abnormal condition.
/ The soldiers resented an order to go
into a battle on rainy day or TO
make a march on 4 muddy road. and
The people at home enlarged upon the
cruelty OF an officer who would com
pei his men 10 wade river that they
might the more successfully attack the
enemy
1t was the fashion then to howl
about everything In the winter of
1861 story was started that the Ohio
troops in the West Virginia mountains
were perishing from cold because they
had no blankets This was enlarged
upon until there was great excite
rnent in Ohio, and the Governor made
a pitiable appeal 10 the people TO send
| blankets at once for the soldiers freeZ-
Ing through the neglect Of the nation
MI government Over 5000 blankets
and coverlets were sent from the
homes OF the State To Columbus in
less than week, but they were never
Forwarded TO the soldiers Investiga-
ton showed that the troops did not
need them, and the whole stock was
turned over to the hospitals.
The scare was possibly promoted
by some OF the regimental quarter
masters whose acquisitions did not re-
celye prompt attention. In the case
OF our regiment the result was good
We were fitted out with heavy white
double hospital blankets, each man re-
i ceiying two blankets wider and long
er and better in every way than the
ordinary blankets issued to the troops.
Instead OF suffering from the cold. we
went into winter quarters at Charles
ton with floors in our SibIey tents and
\ funnel stoves. While the people at
home were worrying over the report
that we We're freezing we were hav-
ing the most comfortable time in our
army experience"
There was always trouble about
nations" said the Captain. The boys
regarded II as a sort OF duty to com.
plain about the bareback, the beans,
and the bacon, and yet in all my ex-
perience in four years OF service |
never saw wOrmy cracker and only
one box OF m0ldy ones The beans
were never bad. But, good or bad. the
boys always complained of them. on
one occasion. before We escaped from
the rule OF mess and company cooks.
some man who had never cooked
beans in his life was watching the
process OF making bean soup He
found what he believed to he worms
IN the large kettle Of cooked beans,
and called the attention Of the men I'm
his mess to the horrible discovery.
There was instant excitement. and
everybody from the President down to
the qusrtermaster was sworn at and
abused The excitement spread to the
other messeG. and the result was that
six kettles Of cooked beans were
dumped on the ground. Then some
man who knew beans when he saw
them made the quiet statement that
the objects supposed TO be worms were
the embryo sprouts common 10 all
beans. His assertion that these would
be found in beans cooked at home as
well as In camp appealed to the recOl-
lections of the men. and then they
agreed that there was n false alarm.
The comical side OF the situation came
when six disconsolate heads Of mess
es made an attempt to scoop up the
beans which had been dumped on the
ground.
After we were camped in West
/ Virginia heard the same fellows com
plain about shoulders being issued to
/ them instead OF hams, and saw them
fling the not very closely trimmed
bones up the mountain. on the slope OF
which we were camped. Weeks after
that, when not even fun rations Of
side meat were issued. J sew men
sneak up the mountain side and gath
er up the rejected bones to boil with
bean soup.
/ But, after all, the fellows Of the
/ old army never had solid comfort in
the matter Of cooking until every fel-
/ low looked ont for himself The sweet
/ est meal | ever ate was on the second
days fight at Stone River Two days
before had broiled my three days ra-
tons OF bacon by fixing the slices on
I the end OF my ramrod and holding
/ them over the fire, and had dropped
the pieces sizzling hot into tin box.
! When ! came to eat them they were