Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-05-05
THE BOOMING CANNON
REClTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, Forag-
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.

The boys in the army" said the
4 captain. were always talking about
| what they would do when the war
was over and they were at home They
would never, SO help them gracious
march single mile. They would let
the other fellows do the walking and
they would ride They Swore by the
great horn spoon that they would nev
ef wear a uniform of any sort, and
they would never take orders from any
man. They would fight shy of all or
ganlzation and discipline and would do
as they darned please for all the rest
of their lives.
/ Michael Higgins of our company
/ Went further than this. He knew what
ne would do when he got home He
| would buy Il farm in the rolling coun-
try and build fine house with beds
or lounges In every blessed room. He
! would sleep whenever he felt like 1t
and wake up when he wanted to. He
would hire a bugler and drummer to
conc under his window every morning
TO play reveille Just as they would
get a fair start he would get out of
he'd open the window. and say to their
faces; TO --- wild We. We hlatherin'
srapecns Stop your noise and get
out Of this quick. Then the drummer
and the bugler would sneak away and
Mike would so back TO bed and rejoice
that army days were over.
This was Mixes idea OF revenge on
those who made a business of waking
him mp in the army. He would take
| solo comfort in being walked up that
he night order the buglers and drum
| Dler2 10 get out We had a lieutenant
| who was almost as bad as Mike He
| declared time and again that he would
bly an island far out in the Pacific,
| where he could never by any chance
see soldier or gun or hear a shot
fired He entered the regular army
in 1866 worked his way to the rank of
major, and was wounded on san Juan
hill in 1898.
Even the major general command
ing our division declared that when
peace was declared he would retire TO
his old college town, seek the appoint.
ment of president of some university
or college, and eschew politics and mill
tary affairs But he was elected Gov.
ernor Of his state before he left the
/ tY,f., -
Grants first cabinet, was later ap-
pointed president and receiver of n
great railroad, was elected TO Congress,
and did not become president of law
college until many years had passed
Most of the men who swore they
never would join any organization be
came members of the G. A. X. aud kept
alive their old comradeship. Many OF
the men who declared they never would
march Il mile or carry knapsack went
afoot TO Iowa. Kansas and Nebraska
with knapsacks on their backs. In 1861
| met scores of them tramping across
the country. sleeping out OF doors, al
they did in the army, and too often
fOraging off the country as they did
in war times When | took the stage
IN Iowa | found four well dressed
quiet fellows In the choice seats. They
apparently were unaCguainted with
each other. and had little to say. They
impressed me as successful business
man. well up in the ways of the world
The second night out we learned
that the hotel where we expected to
spend the night had been burned down
and that the only other hotel in the
small town was more than fun When
we asked for accommodations the wor-
red landlord said he had from -four
to eight people in every bedroom, that
he had given up the dining room to
four ladies, that his parlor was in pos
session of people sleeping on the floor
and there wasn't place for us. There
upon one OF my travelling friends said
! What about the office floor here? Has
any one rented that The landlord
said ii was at our service, il we could
sleep on the bare floor.
FIRST one and then another and an
other of the travellers said as he bad
spent four years In the army be could
sleep anywhere. The fourth man said
The same here, and | fell in with
I am just out OF the service Then
much to the surprise Of the landlord
| the quintet Of soldiers spread newspa
pprs on the floor. took blankets out 01
their packs, and were soon settled com
i0rtably for the night. the next morn
ing each one declared that he haC
sworn that he would never do such 4
thing as he had done that night. ant
that he had cut away from all army
associations and habits. Each felt thai
he had had enough of roughing IT, but
in the next two weeks we did as mucl
roughing II to the square inch as We
ever did in the army.
One night an old farmer said We
might sleep In his barn if We wouldn't
smoke. ] said at once that had had
/ the honor of sleeping in Colonel Rppdy s