Chapter 27 - In Camp

CHAPTER XXVII

IN CAMP

It had been customary for the cook to serve the best meat, the largest potatoes, before we had them, in short to give officers double rations of the very best we had.  This finally gave rise to much dissatisfaction and no small amount of growling as was the natural result.

Early on the morning in question, Steve Templin the officer’s cook, made his appearance at the cook-house and began to fill his dish with the choicest “Murphies.”  Whereupon Freddy, who was standing nearby, said:

See here, Templin, that’s played out, no more feeding the officers upon our rations.”

Steve emptied his dish and at once headed for the officers’ quarters and duly stated what the insolent corporal had had to say.

Whereupon the officers sailed down on Freddy like a swarm of bees, whilst the others who had found just as much fault as he all slunk to their tents and allowed the anger of wrath, to fall upon the Corporal’s unlucky head.

For a time it looked as though the fracas would end in blows, but prudence directed a different course and those in authority satisfied themselves by threatening to jerk the chevrons from Freddy’s arms.

Kevic’s blood was now up, and extending his arms he replied:

“Hu, hu, jerk off them stripes just as soon as you please, I didn’t ask for them when you gave them and I won’t cry for them if you take them from me.”

The officers did not reduce him but he was never advanced any further in the line of promotion and we have always believed that it was owing to the course he took in reference to the officers rations upon the occasion just narrated.

Freddy’s action had the desired effect and from that time on, our officers found their own rations, just like those of the other companies did.

Among the amusing incidents which transpired here, that we now call to mind was the great growling match about a pound of cheese.  Mess No. 1, or rather several of the members of it, had purchased some cheese, and while attending roll-call, it was taken out of Sergeant Whitmer’s haversack by some one and consequently when they came to dine upon it, it was among the missing, then the fun commenced.  One accused the other of having taken it until they were ready to quarrel about it, the fuss was kept up until the messes nearest to them became involved in the dispute, and after all the fuss they were unable to saddle the blame upon any one.

A similar occurrence took place in the morning following, Reuben and Elias Miller, father and son, messed together and Reuben, the father, purchased a loaf of Dutch bread, as it was termed, off a suttler, and was just making a breakfast of it when the drums beat for drill, placing the remainder in his haversack he fell into ranks, whilst his son who was on camp guard was not compelled to drill and remained in the tent, the better to protect the bread.

The drill was a long one and Miller frequently referred to the fact that he would just more than demolish his share of the loaf just as soon as the drill was over.

At 1ength the drums sounded the recall and with arms at a right shoulder shift, we marched to camp and were dismissed.

Miller hastened to his tent, took off his accouterments and placed his gun in a safe and handy position, then removing his cap, brushed hack his hair and wiped the sweat from his brow after which he took down his haversack and reaching into it to get his bread discovered that like Whitmer’s cheese it had disappeared.

 Turning to his son, who having been overcome with the fatigues of the duties of the night, lay innocently sleeping ignorant of the loss which had befallen the ill-fated loaf of bread, and called:

“Eli! Eli! Eli!” and though the last call was made in a tone of voice loud enough to arouse one of the seven sleepers, Eli did not move and it required sundry shakes and kicks from the old man before Eli was fully roused up, when something like the following dialogue took place:

Old Man —“Eli, where is my cake?”

Son —“Why you put him in yer haversack.”

Father —“I know I did but it is gone now, I guess you eat it.”

Eli —“I didn’t eat him, I sleept all the time you vas out, I guess Lumbard got him.”

Father —“No Lambard was out on drill, I guess you got it.”

By this time the boys gathered about Miller’s tent, and each one had something to say to Eli, when he capped the climax by coming out of his tent and facing the boys said:

“I didn’t take that cake by d—m, do you sink I’d say a swear to my pap?”

The last speech satisfied the boys of Eli’s innocence (?) and they dispersed leaving the father and son to settled the difficulty as best they could.

It appeared that the stealing mania was contagious and whilst we were encamped here a number of other petty larcenies were committed, one more of which we deem worthy of notice.

Corporal Harris Bower missed a large black handkerchief and several other articles, he reported his loss to the officers, who without any previous orders “commanded the company to fall in” in light marching order.

We fell in wondering what was the matter, since none of the other companies appeared to have any orders.

We did not remain long in ignorance as the Captain soon informed us why we were thus drawn up in line, and than the Captain accompanied with the Orderly and Bower, entered the tents and inspected the knapsacks.  Suffice it to say that the missing articles were found and returned to their rightful owner.

After the ranks were dismissed the boys were busy surmising as to whom the guilty party was, and this was all that it amounted to, and a long time elapsed ere it was positively known in whose knapsack the missing articles were found.

Our tine at Occoquan was employed in drilling and doing camp-guard and picket duty, and a pleasant time of it we had.  Well do we remember the broad-sword exercises of old Fox, a member of Company H, and an old German soldier who had seen years of service in the armies of the old world, besides the frequent discussions while seated and around the fires of the reserve post, upon politics and religion as well as on all other questions as varied and diversified as the human mind could conceive.