Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-12
a WEST POINT STORY

a w A1hJl1 y Nyl1sI kJlOlOl
ODD INCIDENT THAT MADE GENERAL
BUELL. BREAK a RECORD.
q Fragrant Breach OF Discipline That
Was Grotesaue Enough to Make the
General Who Never Laughed Roar
IN Spite 81 His Gsrinness.
General Buell., whose timely arrival
Ut Shiloh, some military critics hold,
saved General Grant from defeat was
known in the old army as .the man
| who can't laugh. General Buell. was
I lot grave merely; he was grim. Yet
l two yearling cadets at West Point
made General Buell. break q record.
1t was hot on the plateau above the
waters of the Hudson, hotter than the
cheek of a fieldpiece that has been In
action, SO hot that the leaves Of, the
lelm tree shriyeled and the feet Of the
pacing sentries burned from contact
with the only paved path on the gov
eminent reservation. H
4 The plebes had reported and were
4 quartered in two divisions Of barracks,
/ the upper class men having been turn
ed out to share quarters with their
j comrades in the other divisions.
The June examinations were on.
1 The board Of visitors, of which Gen
eral Buell. was a member, had paid Its
perfunctory visits to mess hall, to aca-
demic building and to barracks. It
Il was 10 o'clock in the morning. Two
cadets had been thrown by fate and
i ~ the arrival Of the plebes into the
sIsame room Of the fifth division Of bar
racks The thermometer in the shade
of the guardhouse registered 80 de-
4 gress. In the room In which the two
cadets were quartered doubtless 1t
stood 10 degrees higher.
There had been one morning mspec-
ton Of quarters by an army officer, and
q the two yearlings. gasping for breath
& In room into which the sun beat with
h no regard for cadet feelings, had every
a reason to believe that there would be
d no further inspections that morning.
They had stood the ordeal Of the exam
inging board at o'clock, and, with no
studies in hand, they thought they were
safe until the first call for dinner.
(, BY the law OF the academy every
cadet in quarters was to be in full dress
4 uniform until II o'clock. He was moi
allowed to smoke. His bedding was to
be neatly piled at the head Of his bunk
], In other words, the cadet room and the
cadets person were to be properly or
4 dered and properly arrayed for inspec
. ton.
aIt's hot" said the cadet who was t.
become an artillery officer.
! tits hotter than that" said his com
, rade.
Lets strip" said the one.
!, "Done,' said the other.
And forthwith they stripped. TheI
the mattresses were pulled from thu
hunks and thrown under the window
through which occasionally came
whiff Of breeze. grateful though hea
laden
sI'd like to smoke" said the futur
81 artilleryman as he threw himself o
one Of the mattresses. Isl
..I'm going to smoke" said his CON
) rade.
!, And instanter pipes were lighted, an
, the room began filing with fragran
blue fog.
There was clink Of sword hear
In the hallway. Its sound brought con
sternation. An inspection was on. Be
!, fore the two yearlings had time t
! think there was rap, and the doc
was thrown open, and In came, not tn
ordinary second lieutenant INSPECTING
II officer, but Lieutenant Colonel Henr.
M. Lazelle, commandant Of cadets, ant
Major General Don Carlos Buell., Unit
!. ed States army.
Discipline strikes in. The two cul
prit cadets sprang to attention In
stantly, heels together, arms hanginl
naturally and the little fingers wher
. the seams Of the trousers would hav'
been If they'd had any trousers on.
The future artilleryman was clothes
Z In one sock, and in this attire he wa
one sock the better Of his comrade
They stood there rigid. The position
of a soldier was never better main
tained. Commandant Lazelle turned
purple with rage at this graceles
!, breach Of discipline actually paradet
before q major general Of the Unitet
States army and member of thu
. board Of visitors.
The cadet who one day was to com
mand battery had dropped his pipe
The hot bowl touched his great Toe
|. and the burning was too much TO
: even soldiers stolidity, and he emit
. ted very boylike aOuchv'
i General Don Carlos Buell. took in th'
spectacle and all the glorious humo
OF the situation. His grimness wa'
not proof against such q sight as this
He leaned back against a table ant
reared, and not even the wrath In tn,
commandments face could check hi
roaring.
'Come, general" said the comman
dant; s.let us go. shall report thes.
young men for three fragrant viola
lions Of the rules Of the academy"
General Buell. looked at the guilt,