CHAPTER XVI. ONE OF THE "NON-COMMISH"
A NIGHT'S ADVENTURES AS "CORPORAL OF THE GUARD."
"CORPORAL Klegg, you will go on duty to-night with the camp guard!" saidthe Orderly of Co. Q one evening, as the 200th Ind. filed off into apiece of woods to bivouac for the night, two or three days after Si hadbeen promoted.
The chevrons on his arms had raised Si several degrees in the estimationnot only of himself, but of the other members of the company. Hisconduct in the skirmish had shown that he had in him the material for agood soldier, and even the Orderly began to treat him with that respectdue to his new rank as one of the "non-commish."
Like every other man who put on the army blue and marched away so bold,"With gay and gallant tread," Si could not tell whether he was going toamount to anything as a soldier until he had gone through the test ofbeing under fire. There were many men who walked very erect, talkedbravely, drilled well, and made a fine appearance on dress parade,before they reached "the front," but who wilted at the "zip" of bulletslike tender corn blades nipped by untimely frost. And a good many ofthem continued in that wilted condition. Perhaps they really couldn'thelp it. An inscrutable Providence had seen fit to omit putting any"sand in their gizzards," as the boys expressed it.
It must be confessed that Si was somewhat unduly elated and puffed upover, his own achievements as a skirmisher and his success in climbingthe ladder of military rank and fame. It is true, it wasn't much ofa fight they had that day, but Si thought it was pretty fair for astarter, and enough to prove to both himself and his comrades that hewouldn't be one of the "coffee coolers" when there was business on hand.
Si was sorry that his regiment did not get into the fight at Perryville.The 200th Ind. belonged to one of the two corps of Buell's army thatlay under the trees two or three miles away all through that Octoberafternoon, while McCook's gallant men were in a life-and-death struggleagainst overwhelming odds. It bothered Si as much to understand it allas it did 30,000 other soldiers that day.
Si responded with alacrity when he was detailed for guard duty. He hadwalked a beat once or twice as a common tramp, and had not found itparticularly pleasant, especially in stormy weather; but now he was apeg higher, and he thought as Corporal he would have a better time. Hehad already observed that the rude winds of army life were tempered,if not to the shorn lambs, at least to the officers, in a degreeproportionate to their rank. The latter had the first pick ofeverything, and the men took what was left. The officers always got thesoftest rails to sleep on, the hardtack that was least tunneled throughby the worms, the bacon that had the fewest maggots, and the biggesttrees in a fight.
"Forward--March!" shouted the officer in command, when the detachmentwas ready. Si stepped off very proudly, thinking how glad his good oldmother and sister Marier and pretty Annabel would be if they could seehim at that moment. He was determined to discharge his official duties"right up to the handle," and make the boys stand around in livelystyle.
When the guard reached the place selected for headquarters the officerdrily lectured them in regard to their duties, impressing upon them thenecessity of being alert and vigilant. There was only a thin picket-linebetween them and the enemy. The safety of the army depended upon thefaithfulness of those appointed to watch while others slept. Hegave them the countersign, "Bunker Hill," and ordered them under nocircumstances to allow any person to pass without giving it, not eventhe Commanding General himself.
Then the guards were posted, the "beats" laid off and numbered, and asthe fast-gathering shadows deepened among the trees the sentinels pacedto and fro around the tired army.
For an hour or two after the guards were stationed all was quiet alongthe line. The noise of the great camp was hushed for the night, and nosound broke the stillness of the gloomy forest. The moon rose and peepedtimidly through the branches.
"Corporal of the Guard; Post No. 6."
Si's quick ear, as he lay curled up at the foot of a tree, caught thesewords, rapidly repeated by one sentinel after another. It was his firstsummons. He sprang to his feet, gun in hand, his heart beating at thethought of adventure, and started on the run for "Post No. 6."
"What's up?" he said to the guard, with a perceptible tremor in hisvoice.
"There's one o' the boys tryin' to run the guards!" was the answer."He's been out foragin', I reckon. He's got a lot o' plunder he wants togit into camp with. See him, out there in the bush?"
The forager, for such he proved to be, was nimbly dodging from tree totree, watching for a chance to cross the line, but the alertness of the'guards had thus far kept him outside. He had tried to bribe one or twoof the boys by offering to "whack up" if they would let him pass or givehim the countersign, so that he could get in at some other point in thecordon. But the guards were incorruptible. They were "fresh" yet, andhad not caught on to the plan of accepting an offered chicken, a sectionof succulent pig, or a few sweet potatoes, and then walking off to theremote limit of the beat, with eyes to the front, while the forager shotacross the line in safety. They learned all about this after a while.
The raider tried to parley with Si, but Si wouldn't have it. Raising hisgun to a "ready" he ordered the man to come in or he would put a holethrough him.
The best thing to do under the circumstances was to obey. The forager,who belonged to Si's company, crept up to Corporal Klegg and in aconciliatory tone opened negotiations.
"You jest let me pass, and you may have your pick of this stuff," saidhe, holding up a fowl in one hand and a ham in the other. "It'll be allright, and nobody 'll ever know nothin' 'bout it!"
Si hesitated; it was human nature. The offer was a tempting one, but heremembered his responsibility to his country, and his stomach appealedin vain. Duty came before stewed chicken or roasted sparerib.
"Can't do it!" said Si. "You've got hold of the wrong man this time. Iain't goin' to have nobody monkeyin' 'round while I'm Corporal of this'ere guard. Come along with me, and step out lively, too!"
Si marched the culprit back to headquarters and delivered him up to theofficer, who commended Si for his fidelity.
Next day the ground back of the Colonel's tent was strewn with feathers,chicken bones, ham rinds, and potato skins, while the unlucky foragerwho had provided the field officers' mess with such a royal meal washumped around for two hours on "knapsack drill," and condemned to spend24 hours in the guard-house.
An hour later Si had another experience. The Captain of Co. Q felt akindly interest, and not a little pride in him, since the skirmish,and he thought he would take a turn that night and see whether hisnewly-made Corporal was "up to snuff."
"Post No. 3," was Si's second call. He responded promptly, and as heapproached the guard the latter said:
"Corporal, here's the Cap'n, and he wants to get in! He hain't got thecountersign; shall I pass him?"
"Good evening. Corporal!" said the Captain, as Si came up, at the sametime extending his hand.
Si was thrown completely off his guard. Dropping the butt of his guncarelessly to the ground he replied cheerily, "Good evening, Cap'n,"touching his hat by way of salute. Then he took the proffered hand,pleased at the Captain's mark of kindly recognition. He didn'tunderstand the scheme then. "How are you getting on, Mr. Klegg?" "Firstrate!" said Si, with the air of one conscious that he had done hisduty well. "I capchered a forager a little bit ago and took him toheadquarters!"
ONE Of THE "NON-COM MISH." 159 ]
"Well done, Corporal I have no doubt you will honor the good name of the200th Ind. in general and Company Q in particular, I got caught outsideto night, and I want to get back into camp. Of course, you know me andit's all right!"
"Certainly, sir!" said Si, as he stood leaning on his gun and allowedthe officer to pass the magic line. "Good night, Cap'n!"
"Good night, Corporal! By the way," said the Captain, retracing hissteps, "I notice that you do not carry your gun just right. Let me showyou how to handle it!"
Si didn't know what a flagrant offense it was for
a soldier on guard tolet his gun go out of his hands; nor had he the faintest suspicion thatthe Captain was playing it on him. So he promptly handed his picee tothe Captain, who immediately brought it down to a "charge," with thebayonet at Si's breast.
"Suppose, now, I was a rebel in disguise," said the Captain, "what kindof a fix would you be in?"
Light began to dawn upon Si, and he started back in terror at thethought of the mistake he had made.
"Of course, I wouldn't let anybody else have it," he stammered; "but Iknew you, Cap'n!"
"That makes no difference to a man on duty. Corporal. You hang on toyour gun the rest of the night, and if anybody--I don't care if it'sGen. Buell himself--insists on your giving it to him, let him have twoor three inches of the point of your bayonet. Don't let anybody passwithout the countersign, either! Come to my quarters when you arerelieved tomorrow."
All this illustrates the way the officers had of testing new soldiersand teaching them a thing or two, when, as was frequently the case,they were not yet up to the mark. A trick of extra duty for the haplessnovitiate was generally the penance for his simplicity.
The cold chills ran up and down Si's back as he took his gun and slowlyreturned to the guard fire. He felt that he had utterly spoiled his goodrecord.
"Lieutenant," he said to the officer, "I wish you'd please detail a manto kick me for about an hour."
The Lieutenant wanted to know what the matter was, and Si told him allabout it, ending with:
"So now I s'pose the Cap'n 'll yank the stripes off'n my blouse!"
The officer quieted his fears by assuring him that there was no causefor alarm. The Captain knew that he was trying to do his duty, and whathe had done was for Si's own good.
Si sat down by the fire and was thinking it over when there was anothercall, "Corporal of the guard!" He was soon at the point indicated andfound two officers on horseback, whom he recognized as the Colonel andAdjutant of the 200th Ind. Si's friend Shorty was the guard who hadhalted them.
"Now, Corporal Klegg," said Si to himself, laying his finger alongsidehis nose, "you jist watch out this time. Here's big game! Shouldn'twonder if them ossifers had bin out skylarkin', and they're tryin' togit in. Don't ye let 'em fool ye as the Cap'n did!"
Si was right in his surmise. The Colonel and Adjutant had been enjoyinga good supper at a house half a mile away, and had not the slightestidea what the countersign was.
Si was determined not to "get left" this time. As he approached, theColonel saw that it was soldier he had commended for his gallantry atthe time of the skirmish.
"Ah, Corporal Klegg, I'm glad to see you so prompt in your duty. I wassure we had made no mistake when we promoted you. Of course, you cansee who I am. I'm your Colonel, and this is the Adjutant. We are,unfortunately, outside without the countersign; but you can just let usthrough."
The Colonel's taffy had no effect on Si. He just brought himself into ahostile attitude, with his bayonet in fair range of the Colonel, as hereplied:
"Colonel, my orders is to pass no livin' man unless he says 'BunkerHill.' I'd be glad to do ye a good turn, but there's no use talkin'. I'mgoin' to obey orders, and ye can't pass here."
"NOT 'LESS YE SAY 'BUNKER HILL.'" 155 ]
The Colonel chuckled softly as he dismounted and came up to Si.
"It's all right," he said, "of course I know what the countersign is. Iwas only trying you."
"Hold on there," said Si, "don't come too close. If you've got thecountersign, advance and give it. If ye ain't got it, I'll jest call theOfficer of the Guard!"
Leaning over the point of Si's bayonet the Colonel gently whispered"Bunker Hill".
"Correct!" said Si, and bringing his gun to a shoulder, he respectfullysaluted the Colonel. The latter started to remount, but turned back ashe said:
"Just let me show you how to hold your gun. You don't--"
"Not if the court knows herself," said Si, again menacing the Colonelwith his bayonet. "That's bin played on me once to-night, and if anybodydoes it again my name ain't Si Klegg!"
"That's right, Corporal," said the Colonel as he sprang into the saddle;"but don't tell anybody what the countersign is again! Good night!"
"Good night. Colonel," said Si, touching his hat. As the officers rodeaway Si began to think he had put his foot in it again. He was confirmedin this opinion by seeing Shorty sit down on a log in a paroxysm oflaughter.
"You give yerself away bad this time!" said Shorty, as soon as he couldspeak. "What did ye tell him the countersign for?"
"Whew-w-w-w!" observed Si, with a prolonged whistle. "Shorty," said he,"I wish you'd take a club and see if you can't pound a little sense intome; I don't believe I've got any!" Without another word he shoulderedhis gun and returned to the guard headquarters. "Now I'm a goner, sure!"he said to himself.
On his way he found a guard sitting by a tree, sound asleep. Carefullytaking away his gun Si awoke him, and frightened him half to death bytelling him that he would report him and he would be shot for sleepingon post. Si finally said he wouldn't tell on him this time, but he mustnever do so again, or he would be a dead man.
"Corporal of the guard!" was heard again, sometime after midnight. "Ifthey try any more measly tricks on me to-night somebody 'll git hurt!"thought Si as he walked briskly along the line in response to the call.
This time it was a "contraband"--an old negro, who stood shivering withterror as the guard held him at the point of the bayonet. Recallingthe unlucky adventures of the night. Si imagined that it was one of theofficers, who had blackened himself like a minstrel, and had come therepurposely to "catch him."
"Ye can't get through unless ye've got the counter sign," said he,decisively; "and I shan't give it to ye, nuther! And ye needn't try toshow me how to hold my gun! I can handle it well enough to shoot andpunch the Bayonet!"
"Don't know what dat all means, boss," said the frightened negro; "butfer de good Lawd's sake don't shove dat t'ing frew me. I've only binober to de nex' place to a 'possum roast and I'se jist gwine home. Ididn't know dese yer ge-yards was heah!"
Si didn't propose to take any chances, and so he marched the oldcontraband back and delivered him to the officer, who kept him tillmorning and then suffered him to go on his way.
Once more that night Si was called, in addition to his tramps withthe "reliefs" and the "grand rounds." It was, perhaps, an hour beforedaylight, and Shorty was the guard who called him. He told Si there wassomething walking around in the woods, and he believed it was a rebeltrying to creep up on them. He had challenged two or three times, butgot no answer. The moon had gone down, and in the dark woods objects atany distance could not be distinguished.
"There, d'ye hear that?" said Shorty, as there came a sound of cracklingsticks and rustling leaves.
"Halt!" exclaimed Si. "Who comes there?"
There was no response, and Si challenged again with like result.
"Shorty," said Si, "let's fire both together," and crack went theirmuskets.
For a moment there was a great floundering, and then all was still. Assoon as it was light, and Shorty was relieved, he and Si went out to seethe result of their fire. To their astonishment they found the prowlercold and stiff in death--they had shot a big gray mule.
THEY HAD SHOT A MULE 163 ]
On the whole, it was a busy and interesting night for Si. He did notlose his chevrons on account of his mistakes. But he learned something,and the lesson was impressed upon his mind by a few kindly words ofcaution and advice from the Captain of Co. Q.