Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-04-30

dignified U. S. judge, has forgotten
Saying to his commander, cap.
]P-I'll mush your COB.
1 On his back is the bullying KNAPP
sack holding a rubber and wooden
blanket, clothing more or less-gen-
orally less-sundries (not many
and top the whole his share of a
"dog-tent," shelter and home when
in camp but not always set up when
on the march. Over his shoulders is
slung an oilcloth haversack, rather
light this morning, and half-filled
canteen. Added to this is that for
which all else is made and done,
and without which he would be no
soldier, his fighting outfit.
The ingenuity shown in tent
town of thousand soldiers in pro
vidng themselves with camp-com-
forts and even rough luxuries was
wonderful in it's variety. One of
these was the camp bedstead, franz
ed of poles and twigs tied together
with bark-string and furnishing seat
and table by day and couch at night,
when each had a quarter section
claim. I wonder if there are now on
a certain Kentucky hillside any
traces of the long rows of fire places
built of great broad rocks in the
winter of '61-2 by the 10th.
We'll to be remembered were the
thousands of delicious batter-cakes
baked at these tent-hearths each
morning, noon and night, COM
pounded of the -four from the COM
missary in lieu of either bread or
bareback and water from the creek
which ran along the foot of the
camp. Forty years has allowed the
salt in those cakes to evaporate
from the memory though it must
have been the third and last of their
in gradients but neither yeast-cakes,
soda or baking powder came with
the flour. Said cakes, which gain
ed a name too profane to be repeat
ed were eaten with grease in place
of butter.
Rations were sometimes eked out
| by "jayhawking," often an appro-
pirate name. Henry f., a young
German, since then student, preach
er, state missionary, etc., as we'll as
Chaplain of the Ill. Department of
the G.. A. r., had sharp appetite
for g. soldiers "good square meal"
Ever ''as honest as the day is long"
| / do not think he was bit less
conscientious in a Kentucky potato
patch or under Missouri apple tree
as in prayer meeting. This was
the logic of his reasoning: IF this
belongs to Union man he should
be glad to give something for the
good of his country; if the owner Is
a Rebel it is right to conhscate the
stuff as war measure"
Good Uncle Samuel tried to do the
fair thing by the Boys but he was
hard up, ran clean out of cash and
gave so many notes that they went
on the market at less than fifty
cents on the dollar. Some people
said he never would get out of debt
and they were not wholly wrong,
though after settling the little fam
lily fuss which had worried him so
he did for awhile try hard to pay
out. But his business manager, a
reckless lot of spendthrifts, said
there need be no such hurry about
| it, for the Old Man was growing
richer every day; so they quit try
ing to settle up--in fact went deep
er In debt, though promising to keep
UP the interest.
| And rations were not scant ex-
cept in some emergency. Comrade
f. Gilbert tells of a reception they
gave at such time to a party of
recruits. They were then sharing
rations of thereof, or she'll
ed-not sure which-with the mules
and no great amount for mule or
man. The rough veterans felt a
little jealous, may be, of the new
corners who had remained behind,
they felt. until coaxed by promise
of big bounties and driven by fear
of the draft. and thought to have a
little fun at their expense. SO they
entertained the late arrivals with
blood-curdling stories Of the dread
full dangers in store for them and
soberly assured them that their sole
diet, while in the service, would be
cob corn and not enough OF that to
fatten them.
The rest of the story can be had
from Sergeant Gilbert on applica-
ton. E. N. l..
i Bar Titanic Pictures.
4 Cadar panids Anril 2T-pictureS