The Washington herald., 1911-01-01
THB LAST TIME
HB BYBR SLEPT
WHILE ON GUARD
(Writtsn s0 The Waalsinetnn Hesald.D
By J. A. wATROUS.

(Wdttsn .of Ibe Wasainetnn HezaldJ
By J. A. wATROUS.
Lieutenant Colooel q. 9. A.. Retired.
The boys in the old company used tc
think Orderly Sergeant Jerome johnson
was just right, and that II why they
carried him about camp on theil
shoulders when they made him q
lieutenant-the first enlisted man pro-
NOTED in the regiment.
He was one Of the few orderly SER
geants I ever knew or heard Of who
could and did always please all OF the
men IN his company. Orderly Sergean,
Johnson could not be foiled BY the
Quartermaster. Once he did not get
that Official to correct q wrong 30 he
explained the matter to the captain
You ought to have seen that little
captain post OF to the Quartermastel
and unravel affairs. There was some
loud talk. and that was the last time
Company e had trouble from that
source. think that trouble grew
out OF an effort on the part Of the
quartermaster to shove on on the
orderly a stripped hip bone OF an aged
OK. johnson said he could not take
SuCu HCoS 10 lu0S Iu0AAs Oos sAS
@. N. said that or nothing. They didn't
give us q porterhouse steak in ex-
change, but we got meat instead of
bone. That was away back in Camp
Kalorama times, August, 81.
Camp Kalorama! There IL where the
Ninteenth Indiana hrst came to US:
There Is where Lieut.. Brown put
the boys through the xouave skirmish
drin: there is where ws did our first
target shooting and where I didn't
hit a big tree at ten rods. 1t was
while in that camp that our regf-
ment had its first and only chance to
see Gen. winfield Scott He and Gen.
Mcclellan and their sta6s came up to
see the troops on drin: It was In that
camp We heard the "long roll' for the
first time.
Had to March After Dark.
1t was after dark, and We had to
pack up and march to Chain Bridge.
on the Potomac, which we reached
about daylight, after q march Of
ten miles. but which to the boys
who had not yet learned to reduce
their knapsacks down to the size and
weight Of something smaller than a
box car. it seemed like a thousand
miles. Heavens! now that knapsack
did pull me down. and how I hated
the ft Of my cartridge box. those
belts and the crammed haversack.
think I never saw a night when I was
so willing to die as on that march
from Kalorama Heights to Camp Lyon
1t was at that camp that the Seventh
came to u.s.
The very morning We reached Camp
Lyon our company, or most Of 1t. was
sent up the Potomac on picket. 1t
was the first time any OF the regi-
ment had been on picket. Dennis and
I were posted on the extreme right
and told to keep a close watch, as
the rebels were expected to cross the
river and try to capture Washington.
The probabilities are that there was
not An armed foe within a dozen miles
Of that post, but Dennis and / watched
things very closely all day. expecting
every minute to see the Johnnies rush
up through that cornield. At last
night came.
Sleepy? Oh, what wouldn't have
given for a chance to sleep the whole
night? We had marched the night
before without a wink Of sleep. I
was to keep watch the first two hours.
commencing at S o'clock. Before 9,
having been been on watch less than
an hour, I reused Dennis and he went
out into the dark to look for rebels
Dennis didn't stay his two hours. and
I chided him for calling me so soon.
Dennis Had . Watch, Too.
II know I didn't said the old man:
but I thought you might want to
get up and finish your two hours,
Dennis had a watch, too, and of course
went on again. An hour later I
came to myself by yelling "Halt!' I
don't know how long I had slept. but
surely I had sat by that scrub pine
tree long enough to dream that JEFF
Davis millions were on the point of
turning the right Of the Union army.
not telling the rest of the company
about my sleeping on picket-sleeping
when the safety of the army, and
and possibly the civilized
world, depended upon my wakeful-
ness and watchfulness. That was just
at the time when they were shooting
soldiers who while on picket indulged
sweet sleep.
Vermont boy was sent out OF the
world for that offense; or. the reports
said he was to be so sent. I know
the vermonter's experience made
deep impression upon my mind. Good
the morning to ride six or seven miles
to save the life of a sleeping picket
who had been sentenced to be shot.
1t occurred to me that 1t would be my
luck to have Mr.. Lincoln oversleep.
or to take the wrong road. II 1t should
get out that I had slept on picket and
a court should fix q morning for my
shooting hence, as before remarked,
I did not go to the trouble and expense
Of billing the camp announcing slum-
bers on the outpost duty.
Last sleep ON Guard.
But that was the last time I ever
slept on guard.
Two years after that, when I was
wearing shoulder straps and clothed
with a little brief authority. 1t was
my duty to visit the picket line on
the eve of a battle. and ascertain II
It needed strengthening. We had 4
long. hard march that day. and the
whole brigade was worn out. On that
line, with the Confederate pickets not
der sitting with his back against a
Tree. enjoying sound sleep.
As I reused him from his perilous
position he seemed weak from fright.
and just then I thought Of the time
the destinies OF the civilized world
depended upon, my good conduct as.
defender Of the Union army's right on
the Potomac, and said. "Of course you
are not sleeping, jim" He was an old
timer; had gone out in 81. been in lots
of battles and had learned all Of the
tricks, and when made that remark.
be came aboard.