The National tribune., 1908-09-03

ginia, i stood IN tne Wluuic OI the
'Blackwater' by the side of mule
team, at midnight, and drank again and
again from the waters of the ebony
stream.
While lying down at night sometimes
a black snake or other obnoxious reptile
invaded my tent and crawled under my
blankets for warmth. AS / did not care
for his company I tumbled out very
rapidly, and left the shelter tent all to
himself One night negro stole my
cavalry boots from under my pillow
He was kind enough to leave me his
own dilapidated brogans, SO that
should not go entirely barefooted- He
also overlooked my purse, containing a
few hundred in greenbacks. A smooth
stone, a rail or saddle tree made a
very comfortable pillow. We drew our
felt halts down over our eyes to keep
out the moons rays. recalling the Scrip
ture, "The sun shall not smite thee by
day. nor the moon by night" .-.
Only Matches I'm the Regiment.
In the Spring of '63 my regiment
made an expedition from Suffolk into
the enemy's country. which occupied 4
whole month. When we got back the
first question asked was what was the
news from the United States.
Nearly everybody in the whole army
the only comfort we had. At one time
when on the march the only solitary
man in the regiment who had any
matches to give away was the COM
manding officer, Col. Alfred Gibbs.
Enemies That Walked by Night.
During active service officers and men
had to forego one of the greatest luxu-
ries of life-the luxury of personal
cleanliness. Underclothing had to be
worn for weeks, perhaps months, with
out change. If washed at all it had TO
be dried by animal heat. the human
frame serving as clothes line-a Sc
we're tax upon the system
Other enemies than the Confederates
assailed us. They were the parasites
horn of uncleanIiness, and they were no
respecter of persons. Morning, noon
and night we waged against them war
of determination, but there were sur
viyors left over from every battle. Let
our tormentors be nameless.
Towards evening il was no unusual
thing to see a foot soldier who had been
marching all day and seemed ready to
drop with exhaustion leap over rail
fence with the greatest agility and run
down the fleetest of turkeys. L have
known a cavalryman to carry crock
of cream on the pommel of his saddle
all day for the sake of having batch
Of biscuits at night. On the eve of the
battle of Gettysburg some New York
soldiers who had been foragfng in the
dark threw what they supposed to be
turkey into their Coloners tent as a
peace offering. 1t proved to be pea
cock.
One time when my regiment was
moving across the country in Virginia
we ran into country drug store. Its
entire contents were Immediately confis-
Gated Some men in my company cap
tured a lot of SeidlitZ powders. Having
some loose flour in their haversacks, and
not being very familiar with the phar-
macopeia, they mistook the Seidlitz
powders for soda, and used them to
tighten some pancakes. Imagine the
consequences.
Comrade Cushing. of Oakland, Cal,
tells a good story at the expense of his
OWE regiment. During the Summer OF
80, while the 18th Ill. and 4th Iowa
were stopping temporarily at Helena
Ark, both regiments lost a man by
death the same day. At night a detail
from the Iowa regiment went up to tho
cemetery and dug grave for their
comrade. Early the next morning a
squad from the Illinois regiment went
to the cemetery for the same purpose.
Finding an empty grave, they went back
a.a reported the grave dug. Owing to
the heat, they held their funeral early,
and deposited their corps in the grave
belonging to the other regiment. When
the Iowans arrived at the cemetery and
found their grave already appropriated
one of their number remarked that "He
always knew them Illinois chaps were
adroit thieves, but he never supposed
they were mean enough to steal a
gravel"
The KnnpsacISs.
One of the worst burdens inflicted
upon our volunteer soldiers at the COM
mencement of the war was the army
knapsack or bureau" as we termed II.
1t was a relic of European military
equipment. John Brown was certainly
to be pitied if he ever had one strapped
upon his back" as the poetical legend
has it. These membranes, filed with
all manner OF unnecessary toggery,
when strapped tightly upon the shoul-
ders during a long march on a hot day,
became simply uncomfortable. 1t did not
take the men in my regiment long TO
make this discovery. We shed ours,
and left them .'molderng on the