Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-12-09
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account OF Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and In
Camp-veterana of the ReheIiicn Re-

he other day said the Major, Il
Went out to see the Sergeant on an
Invitation TO take Sunday dinner with
him, put in an appearance about
noon and found that Mrs. Sergeant
was AT church and that the Sergeant
himself was cooking the dinner.
Wen with him To the kitchen and
came upon the most appetizing smells
that ever tantalized n hungry man
THE roast beef was cooking Just 10
my taste; the potatoes were browning
in just the right way, and the other
vegetables We're steammg alongside,
SIGNALLING odorously to my senses.
The Sergeant had everything we'll in
hand, and when Mrs Sergeant came
In We sat down 10 a well planned and
n we'll cooked dinner. The Sergeant
incidentally remarked that his Wife
was a very fine cook The wife admit
ted this, but said she had learned all
she knew about cooking from her huS-
band
She went on to say that, unlike
most women, she recognized her nus
hands superiority as a cook and had
never asked him TO surrender the SUI
premacy he had won during the war,
She wondered however, If all soldiers
who believed they were good cooks
in the OLD days could really cook any
one thing as we'll as the Sergeant
could cook everything. This reminded
me of Captain A. \. Lee OF the
Eghty-sixth Illinois. now living at
Harper, Kan. and told her the story
When Captain Lee was promoted
from Lieutenant TO Captain he secret
~ planned to give his brother officers
surprise In the shape Of banquet
This was in the winter after Stone
River. and we were on outpost duty
below Nashville. The Captain Dor
rowed Il Dutch oven, sent 10 Nash
vile for flour ana other things aud
wrote 10 his mother for a recipe for
making pound cake When the
time came he equipped himself for
work and set about preparing the re
past for his invited guests.
Captain Lee had learned 10 cook
while in the ranks. and he was proud
OF the record he had made and had
great confidence in his ability 10 meet
every emergency. He mixed his flour
and other ingredients for the pound
cake with great care, because he was
ambitious TO say to his shoulder
strapped guests that he had cooked
everything himself When his mix
tire was too thin, although measured
according 10 his mothers recipe, he
| thickened 1t until. when rolled out It
| Was stiff enough to stand alone
Then he brought the dough 10 the
! desired thinness and put it. after def
/ manipulation in the Dutch oven For
time he relaxed his vigilance to re-
eeive his guests. Meantime he detail
ed his faithful servant Bob to watch
the oven and TO keep live Goals under
| it and on the lid Soon the lid began
to rise and Bob weighted 1t down
with a rock But II would not stay
down and Bob, as a last resort took
! a musket and pounded the lid down
with the butt end thereof.
Later the Captain. ignorant Of
Rob's rough treatment Of his rising
| pound cake. ordered the dinner served.
| Everything was cooked to turn and
/ the Captain received many compi-
! ments. To make his triumph com
plete he ordered on the pound cake
/ as a reminder Of the homes and the
mothers In the North The guests
were generously helped, but not one
OF them beyond the first mouthful
| The cake, having been ovcrmixed and
pounded at the wrong time. was a
! failure Captain Lee believed that
pound cake ruined his social career
/ in the army and he never bOasted Of
his skill as cook in the presence OF
/ his Wife
Bad cooking in the army" said the
| Doctor KILLED thousands Of men
Therefore the soldiers who learned to
/ he good cooks deserve the more
credit Some men learned easily
some came into the army with fair
| knowledge Of cooking. and Others with
the sportsmans training in roughin2
but the majority were as helpless IS
/ kittens even in the matter Of cooking
| beans In our regiment discovered
! half n dozen hotel and steamboat
cooks, aud | had them detailed IA
teach the men In the ranks how ia
make soups TO cook meats, and ia
| bake bread In this way our boys cS-
/ capped the troubles Of the soldiers who
! ate sinkers and half cooked food
zone Of my instructors in cooking
was a hard case when 1t came TO sol
| diering but / stood by him for sew
eral weeks. one night, however b.
took advantage OF my frlendllness to
ward him. rode through the lines on
my own horse, and did not return. An
active camDaipn followed and iftIt