Chapter 4 - Life At Harrisburg

September 1862

CHAPTER IV

CAMP LIFE AT HARRISBURG

Immediately after the filling of the various hospitals, by the wounded from the battle-field of Antiem, an order was issued to Capt. Tarbutton, for troops do the guard duty at the hospitals, and our company was selected.  Thus half of the command was sent down to the city every other day.  10 men including a Sergeant and Corporal were sent to the German Reformed Church Hospital, corner of Third and Chestnut Sts., as well as a similar detail to the Walnut St., Cotton Factory and River Hospital.  The boys had the run of the city, all that was necessary was to have a pass countersigned by any of Sergeants’ on duty, and it was surprising to see how many Sergeants the company had.  In the language of Col. Charles Kleckner, then acting Provost Marshal of the city, “every d—d man of them is a Sergeant, for my patrol now have in their possession the hand writing of at least 16 men, all purporting to be Sergeants  in Captain Charles Davis’ Company.

For upwards of two months the Company was on detached duty in the city, and the temptations to which the boys were  exposed were of such a character as to be a snare to the feet of many of the unsophisticated youths of the company, to say nothing of the older ones.

At the time when Company G, known as Captain Davis’ Snyder company, made its appearance on the scene, Bob Edward’s Concert Saloon was in its zenith, and the ballet, as well as the prevailing, eccentricities of the hour were nightly delineated by male and female STARS, to the great delight and astonishment of the gaping crowds of soldiers and among which might generally be noticed a fair sprinkling of Company “G’s” warriors.  Among the pleasant recollections connected with the concert saloon, then occupying the building opposite the Jail, near the State Capitol Hotel, are the now extinct “war songs,” not extinct be­cause they form a large portion of the reminiscences of the times which tried the hearts of the patriots of 1861--5, those charming songs, rendered by Julie Edwards and Lizzie Francis, among which we now call to mind: “We are going to fight for Uncle Sam,” “My Mary1and,” “Hurrah for General McClellan and the. Union Volunteers,” which seldom if ever, failed to draw forth an encore.  While speaking of the “Gaiety songs” we dare not forget “Ever of Thee,” and “Lauderbaugh,” names which carry us back to the time, when clothed in Uncle Sam’s suit of  blue, seated within its “classic” walls sipping lager, we just more than threw ourselves upon the wave of dissipation and lived upon the fleeting pleasures of the day, which were sure to bring us a heavy head in the morning, which would cause us to resolve “never to get drunk any more.”

Every organization has its character and we believe that Company G had its full share of them.  We cannot forget old Danny Kreamer, who wore a monstrous pair of green spectacles, and who upon a certain well-known occasion remarked that “he did not believe that he ever saw Sergeant Baker in a general manner.”

It was the same chap who after being treated to a breakfast on farina, brought to the Chestnut street hospital by Mrs. Small, said: “Well, I am a pretty old man, but I’ll be blamed if ever I eat mush and milk for breakfast.”  While we are speaking of this eccentric character, we may as well mention that Danny dealt in “charms,” consisting of printed slips, on which were printed words which were to protect the person who carried them from violence or dangers of any sort, and when he attempted to sell one to Serg’t George Townsend, for the moderate price of 25 cents, found himself caught by the throat in the iron grip of the Sergeant, who said: “Danny, this is too thin, your papers are no good,” and he choked the charm vend­er until his tongue hung out.

Of course the boys all remember who it was that guarded that “little Bucktail” Sergeant in the guard-house, and the accident which befell the valiant guard who became exhausted for want of sleep, and who rolled down the bank, greatly to the detriment of his clothing, and who was probably saved from freezing by the interference of Corporal Fred H. Knight who kindly assisted him into the “markee” and who just as freely helped him out in the morning, and why it was done.  We know that up to this time be has never been able to clean his skirts of the strange affair, while all those who slept in that markee that night, aver that there certainty was ‘something rotten in Dan(ny) mark.’

We trust that the members of the Company will accept the little pleasantries in the same spirit in which they are written, and not get angry, as we shall endeavor to give a correct account of the doings of the “boys,” and one and all will receive full credit for all that befell them, as far as we can remember the facts, or recall the funny incidents to mind.

The company had a number of accomplished foragers, who not only distinguished themselves in raids upon the enemy, but who made it a point to visit the markets early in the morning, and before the venders were up, take advantage of buying anything “cheap” that they could lay hands on, of course the boys had no money or at least very little, and the edibles displayed were too tempting to be resisted, and so general did this “foraging” become that nearly every member of the company had a large pocket made in the inside of the overcoat, and which was appropriately called the union “confiscation” pocket.

We remember upon a certain occasion that two of No. l’s mess, took sweet potatoes out from under a man who had his bed on them, and then finished up the job by walking off with some ten or fif­teen pounds of sausage, which served to gladden the hearts of the mess.

Nor can we forget the German “Kost­hause,” with its tempting motto: ”Kum do rouse stu dem Deitchen hause,” on the old weather beaten sign, kept by old “Mommy” and Nicholas, he who loved his “schnaps” so well, in the part of the city known as Verbecktown.  It was here that a number of the boys made their head-quarters and many an interesting little squib might be written of the events transpired here.

We could tell as how Daniel Ehrhart upon a certain occasion gave the old lady a two dollar bill in payment for a “bitters” and when she could not change it, he ordered her to give him credit for the bal­ance and how that balance was wiped out that afternoon, so that when Ehrhart in the evening came to get his “night cap,” and ordered it taken from his credit, just how surprised he looked when old Mommy said:

“Du lieber Gott im himmel mon, das geldt ist shunt long aus gedrunken.”

Ehrhart never found out who it was that squandered his credit., although he vowed vengeance on the guilty ones.

It was here that ten and twelve of the company would lodge in one room with three beds in it.  As a general thing eve­rything passed off smoothly as long as there were only three men for each bed, but when the fourth man came, then the circus would commence, and the struggle between the “ins” and the “outs” waxed warm.  We had the pleasure (?) of trying to sleep in the room one night, and we are free to confess that we scarcely received our “levy’s” worth of sleep.  It was the night that Lot Ulrich had placed a large carpet tack in one of Danny Herbster’s shoes, and then invited the old man to go along out to get a drink, knowing full well that if there was a man in the company that would not get up out of bed and put on his shoes for a drink of whiskey, that man was not old Danny.  To judge from the way the old man ripped out the Sny­der county “Dutch” we had no doubt but that the tack got in its work successfully.  Herbster accused C. E. Parks of setting up the job, and it was with great difficulty that the old man was prevented from doing Parks bodily harm.  The difficulty was at last amicably arranged by Parks setting up the “Greek fire,” for Danny and his boon companion, Levi J. Romig.