The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-16
"And Those Ciassons
Go Rolling On"
From Letters From an American Soldier
to His Father. The writer Is Lieutenant
Arfi1

From Letters From American Soldier
to His Father The writer Is Lieutenant
Curtis Wheeler, 5th Field Artillery; the
father. DR.. Edward J. Wheeler editor Of Cur
rent Opinion (3obbs- Merrill)
There was a band concert in the square, end
ing in blare of glory, just at dusk, with The
Star Spangled Banner" and Rouget de IIsle's
masterpiece. 1 should like to paint for you the
picture, but you can imagine it as it must have
looked.
There was the sun going down behind the black
church sptre, the shadows and the hills around
all turning indigo and lavender against the snow,
the crowd of people about the square, kddtes
dancing and playing on the outskirts, women IN
the center, hands under their shaWls for warmth
babies in wooden sabots at their skirts, French
soldiers. en- permission. mostly infantry, with
here and there the raksh blue tam-o 'shanter of
a chasseur Alpin or the red fez and crescent Of
chasseur d'Afrique, and, wandering through 1t ALL
benevolent kindly, care free that greatest 1nsti-
tuition of modern times-the American buck prt-
vate. With his hand in his pockets, ,jngling
"bokoo frankies," Christmas qud in his cheek,
and a Christmas breath floating mistily out into
the FROSTY air no Roman emperor has anything
him. He has nod and a bong joo for every
body. and he gets smile in return, from the
withered old gran mere in the white cap and
shawl to the flaxon haired lassie with the cold
blue eyes and the warm white smile and the
cameo features and the husky shoulders and legs
who rides by sitting sidewse on a huge white
horse her little sabots stuck straight cut in front
of her and her nose in the air. @
That night, at the officers mess, it was very
gay indeed The walls were gay with banners
and lanterns and Christmas greens. The colonels
room sported the regimentaI standard and the
coors crossed above a fireplace which roared
cheerful Yuletide warmth,
Suddenly everyone burst into song. The COL
onel and the battery commander came in from
the other room and it such a scene as Kip
ling describes when he talks about the mess
nights of the White Hussars.
We sang some Christmas songs and we sang
some college songs. We sang the famous epic
which begins "A lady in jail, yes a lady in JAIL,
with her face turned to the wall. We sang In
teger Vita and Pack Up Your Troubles" and
Abdul dul Abul bull Emir" and God Help Kaiser
Bill" and The Long Long Trail" Then. a
final splurge, we all stood UP and started them
off The Battery Mule and THE Red
Guidon". AS the last notes of that died away
away, here the general. who was a guest Of
Colonel A., calling for another song. And
what should that be but your song, the Fifth
Field Artillery song, THE Caissons".
The general led it, was his right for was
not he, too, old battery commander of the
Fifth? So for minute rank was forgotten and
we were all just brothers in the oldest and best
regiment in the service. And dare say the shade
of our first battery commander, Alexander Ham
ton must have looked down upon us and smiled
as we marched down the snowy street still sing
ing, And those caissons go rolling along. Keep
them rolling. And those caissons go rolling
along.