Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-05-03
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A WEST POINT STORY
ODD INCIDENT THAT MADE GENERAL
BUELL. BREAK A RECORD.

fragrant Breach of Discirlf.e That |
WAS Grotcsaue Enough 10 sake che
General Who Never Laughed Ronr
Ia spite OF Ills Grimness.
General Buell., whose timely arrival
at shiloh. some military critics hold |
saved General Grant from dc.cat. was
known IN the old army as "ihc man
who can't laugh" General Buell. WAS
not grave merely; he was grim. Yet
two yearlng cadets at West Point
made General Buell. break record.
1t was hot on the plateau above the
waters of the Hudson. hotter than the
cheek of a fieldpiecc that has been in
action, so hot that the leaves ON the
elm tree shriveled and the feet of the
pacing sentries burned from contact
with the only paved path on the gov
ernment reservation.
The plebes had reported and were
quartered in two divisions of barracks,
the upper class men having been turn
ed out to share quarters with their
comrades in the other divisions.
The June examinations were on.
The board of visitors, OF which Cen
era Buell. was a member, had paid its
pcrfuuctory visits to mess hall, to aca-
dcmic building and to barracks 1t
was 10 O'Clock i'm the mornu" Two
cadets had been thrown U.s. fate and
10y thu arrival OF the plebos into the
same room Of tile f'th d.rls of bar
racks Tine Thermometer iu the hade
of the guardh0uso re-i.' cred 80 de
grc~s. I'm the room I'D which the two
cadets were Quartorod doubtless it
stood 10 degrees higher
There had becn one morning inspcc
ton Of quarters by an army officer. and
/ the two warnings, gasping for breath
/ in Il room into which the sun beat with
| no regard for cadet feelings, had every
/ reason to believe that there would he
no further inspections that morning.
/ They had stood the ordeal of the exam
inging board at Q o'clock, and, with no
studies in hand, they thought they We're
safe until the first call for dinner.
BY the law of the academy every
cadet in quarters was to be in full dress
uniform until II o'clock. He was not
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
dered and properly arrayed for inspec-
ton
ITS hot" said the cadet who was to
become an artillery officer.
ITS hotter than that" said his COM
rade
Lets strip" said the one.
Done" said the other.
And forthwith they stripped. Then
the mattresses were pulled from the
hunks and thrown under the window,
through which occasionally came a
Whit of breeze, grateful though heat
laden.
I'D like to smoke" said the future
artilleryman as he threw himself On
one of the mattresses.
I'm going to smoke" said his COM
rade.
And instanter pipes were lighted, and
the room began filling with fragrant
blue fog
There was a clink of a sword heard
in the hallway. Its sound brought con-
sternation. An inspection was on. Be
fore the two yearlings had time to
think there was rap, and the door
was thrown open, and in came, not the
ordinary second lieutenant inspecting
officer, but Lieutenant Colonel Henry
M. Lazelle, commandant Of cadets, and
Major General Don Carlos Buell., Unit
ed States army.
Discipline strikes in. The two cul-
aptf Crlrp m a n
stantly, heels together, arms hanging
naturally and the little fingers where
the seams Of the trousers would have
been if they'd had any trousers on.
The future artilleryman was clothed
in one sock, and in this attire he was
one sock the better of his comrade.
They stood there rigid. The position
of soldier was never better main
tanned. Commandant Lazele termed
purple with rage at this graceless
breach of discipline actually paraded
before major general of the United
States army and member of the
board of visitors.
The cadet who one day was to COM
mand a battery had dropped his pipe
The hot bowl touched his great toe,
and the burning was too much for
even soldiers stolidity, and he emit
ted very boylke "Ouchv
General Don Carlos Buell. took in the
spectacle and all the glorious humor
of the situation. His grimness was
not proof against such sight as this
He leaned back against a table and
roared, and not even the wrath in the
commandments face could check his
roaring.
Come, general" said the comman-
dant; "let us go. l shall report these
young men for three fragrant viola
tons of the rules of the academy"
General Buell. looked at the guilty
ones and roared again. The cOmman-