The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-12-21
CHRISTMAS IN
CIVIL WAR Time.
A Veteran Tells About the Box
That Came From Home.

"CEEING all the people buying
~ Christmas things now." said a
veteran of the civil war, "makes
me think of some Christmas expert
ences of my own, first of the time
when l used to hang up my stockings
by the fireplace, sticking forks through
them and then jamming the forks into
a crack under the mantelpiece. where
Santa Claus could get at them handily
when he came down the chimney. and
then OF a time when we were more
grown up and Santa Claus came to US
in the army.
"The regiment l served in put in
good part of its time In states on the
southern Atlantic seaboard, In South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida. where
with water transportation to US we
could be got Mt rather more easily
than troops not SO far away. but at
interior points, and SO. while you
couldn't have things shipped to you
there as you could to this town or the
other in times Of peace. you could
get things there pretty well. and the
patron for whom our company was
named when it was first recruited used
to see to it that ut Christmas time
there was delivered to us a big box
filed with things from friends at
home.
I'VE no longer bore his name in the
army, for from the minute we were
mustered into the United States serv,
ice we had become simply Company
So-and-so. of such and such a mum
bered, regiment, jof such and such state
volunteers, but W. never forgot oul
friend at home. and surely he never
forgot us, and at Christmas time be
used to see that our company got that
box.
"Well, in advance he would announce
in the home papers that on such and
such date box would be sent to the
company and II friends or relatives OF
members of the company would bring
In the gifts they wished to send they
would be carefully packed and duly
shipped. And then the people used to
bring in the things. and, though some
how l never thought of 1t then, have
thought often since with what loving
care and tenderness must those Christ
mas gifts have been prepared, those
things sent from home to their soldiers
in the field!
"When everything was all in our
friend would have the things securely
and safely packed, and then he'd hike
the box down to New York. and there
the quartermaster's department would
put It down to us. So Santa Claus
wasn't coming to us with his pack on
his back. down the chimney. but in q
box in the hold of steamer.
when we got our first Christmas
box we were on an island down the
coast there. drilling some and doing
guard and picket duty, but largely en-
gagged in building corduroy roads
through swamps by day, and by night
in hauling by hand. with whole regi'
ment on the ropes. heavy mortars and
guns over these roads. and also, under
the same friendly cover of darkness.
In building masked batteries In which
the said guns and mOrtars were mount.
ed, all this in the course OF bes1eg1ng
a fort occupied by Confederate soldiers
on another island.
at was plenty Of hard work and not
much play, and most of the freight
that came to US, besides the usual com.
missary supplies, was guns and NOR
tars and powder and shot and shell and
the various materials of war, but one
day there came ashore on a lighter
from transport anchored or, along
with barrels of pork and kegs Of pow
der, that Christmas box from home
for us soldiers
1--WE hauled 1t up from the beach
and set 1t down carefully, right side
up, at the end of the company street.
and doubt IL any fireplace on
Christmas morning was ever greater
magnet Of attraction to children than
that box was to the men of Company
X. To man they gathered around it
to see what Santa had brought them
from home.
lit was a big box, big dry goods
packing box, big enough to hold some
thing for everybody. and carefully we
opened it, and with the lid OF ic seemed
full of innumerable treasures, so full to
the last inch of space was 1t packed.
.'The orderly sergeant of the com.
pany made the distribution. He raised
his hand and reached over and picked
up package that lay at the center OF
the box and lifted 1t and read the
name on 1t and passed 1t into the out
stretched hand Of the man to whom it
belonged.