The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-12-21
CHRISTMAS IN
CIVIL WAR TIME.
A Veteran Tells About the Box
That Came From Home.

| ences OF my own, first OF the time
when | used to hang up my stockings
| by the fireplace, sticking forks through
them and :hen jammlng 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 served in put in 8
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 at 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 at Christmas time
there was delivered to rs 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 seTv
ice we had become simply Company
So-and-so. CT such and such a mum
bered regiment, of such and such state
volunteers, but we never forgot our
h.
forgot US, and at Christmas time he
used to see that our company got that
box.
We'll, in advance be would announce
In the home papers that on such and
such a date box would be sent to the
company and if friends or relatives O.
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 ! never thought Of it 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 W. So Santa Claus
wasn't coming TO US with his pack on
his back. down the chimney, but in a
box in the hold of a 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
in building masked batteries in which
the said guns and mortars were mount
ed, all this in the course of besieging
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
nissary supplies, was guns and NOR
ars and powder and shot and shell and
the various materials of war, but one
lay there came ashore on a lighter
from a transport anchored off, along
With barrels of pork and kegs of pow
Ter, that Christmas box from home
,or us soldiers.
1--WE hauled II up from the beach
ind set it down carefully, right side
Up, at the end of the company street,
ind ! doubt If any fireplace on a
christmas morning was ever a greater
magnet Of attraction to children than
hat box was to the men of Company
<. To man they gathered around it
o see what Santa had brought them
rom home. ,
ut was big box. big dry goods
,acking box. big enough TO hold some
hing for everybody. and carefully we
pened it, and with the lid off il seemed i
ull Of iDnumerable treasures. so full to |
he last inch OF space was 1t packed |
THE orderly sergeant of the COM
any made the distribution He raised
is hand and reached over and picked
p a package that lay at the center of
be box and lifted it and read The /.
anne on il and passed it into the out
tretched hand of the man to whom il I.
elonged
Then he went on more rapidly. pick i,
IL up the things and reading off the
ames and passing them over, pack
ges of all sorts and shapes and sizes.
u eagerly received. Some men stay :
] to see everything given out. and
Ome went TO their tents to see what
lie folks had sent them or to read the !,
tiers that had come with the gifts. !,
nd so the things in the box got low /.
and lower, while still there were :,
,me men who had as yet got nothing =
nd who now were more and more =
lxious. And how joyfully relieved :
hen at last something came up for =
lem. :
But there were a few. very few,
no fingered In vain. who among all :
ese gifts got nothing. and plainly =
were some Of these, while u
hers took it jauntily- perhaps they II
Id 20 one to send them. these-bu