Connecticut western news., 1912-03-21
WHO LET THE GOAT IN7
Franks of the Soldiers of the Second
 Heavy After the War.
BYE. s. ROBERTS


 Comrades You are now settled in B line of forts within the defences of Washington, on the east side on the ridge that oveIlooks the city Garrison duty again. There were eleven forts, heavily armed, and the forts must be taken care of, including the contents, duties not very arduous but you want to go home. The war is over. and the question is, Why do we stay here? How ever, we realize that this vast army your reputation for esobriety and good citizenship had gained for you good foothold in the hearts of the people about Washington during the time spent in the early days of the war, when you were receiving your schooling in garri- son work on the Virginia side of the Potomac.
 These forts were armed with heavy guns and your principal work was polio ing the grounds and guard duty. At each fort were barracks, to house the boys. At the fort where the writer was installed the barracks were about one hundred feet long. one story high, and contained two long rows of hunks, three tiers high. and in the front end the first sergeant had a room and was held re- sponsible for the discipline of the boys. The writer had this responsibility at this Fort, (Meigs.) Lights must be out at taps" which were sounded at 9 p. m.
 The first night in our quarters lights were out on time. Shortly after "taps" business began. The writer in his room heard & oommotion and lights shone over the partition that divided my room from the rest of the boys. and reused up and stood on my bunk and looked ovel the partition and saw lights soatterec down through the barracks heard suob cursing and swearing that I had to get in among them to see what was thS trouble ~
 "They have not been satisfied fin kill ing us of by marching. and shot And shell, but have shut us up here to be eaten up by bedbugs." .. r
 Well, this was nearly true. In my own. room there was no sleeps,fIs man- aged so quiet affairs. In,the HnrningrI pitched my bunk outdoors and AA I had a separate room got some new lumber and made "A bunk, painted she legs with molasses and set the bunk clear from, the sides of the room and said. t'Now we will see, Mir. bedbug," and went to bed at taps" I had been in but short time when felt something strike on my face. corraIled the bird and mash ed him and smelled of his remains, and that settled it. The bug had crawled up the rafters and dropped, with the above result. I picked up my belongings and moved out onto the parapet and made that my bed while we garrisoned that fort.
 The war was over and these forts must be dismantled. There were more than sixty forts in the defences of Wash ington ,and anywhere from five to twenty heavy guns in each, that must be dis posed of The writer was detailed to take detachment of men and go to dis some of these forts. and I be- gan on Fort Chaplin, which in fact was two forts in one, and in the northeast corner of the defenoes. Every fort of any size had the necessary material and implements to mount or dismount guns of any size, and you were thoroughly drilled in this work, or 70 destroy or dis able the guns of any fort. To dismantls, the first thing to do was to dismount the gun, (gun always means cannon,) and you know you needed the following timbers or sticks - two skids five or six feet long, eight inches square eight blocks, two half blocks and two half round blocks; with these and the necessary hand spike a detachment of six men would dismount any gun in six Heavy teams of six horses that would weigh fully thirty hundred per pair, and hitched to heavy wagons made for the purpose, came from the United States arsenal in Washington, upon which these guns were placed and hauled back to the arsenal the grounds 0f which were soon covered. Think of the thousands of guns left at the close of the war, that bristled from the fortifi- cations of both armies, and now becom- ng the property of the United States No one was better fitted for this work han the boys that were thoroughly drilled in heavy artillery.
 We continued in this work, eastern side of Washington until June 27. when the pack up" was sounded, and we started, we knew not where. ("We" means the rank and file. We recroSsed ,he "Anacosta Bridge" over which the assassin Booth" escaped from his Dursuers, into the hills of Maryland. We marched through Washington and up to and across ''Chain