| Show CAMPFIRE A FIRE STORY r doieg guard duty OB or one of these clear frosty nights is what I 1 call a big thing standing before a huge fire whose glimmer ing rays shoot into th the e dense pine forest anich surrounds you as if they too had par taken taken of 0 the spirit of vigilance and were searching for some hidden foe ones mind is naturally affected and every shadow shallow and tree as an a association awakens the soldier to a full appreciation of his bis sentinel duties but such a night as last night dark dreary wet and disagree disagreeable abio ablo in the ex reme hab has an entirely different effect and we clustered around the fire piled high with rails which at time times a seemed 9 to exert its best light and most genial rays to spread humor and life among amod amon those who stood smoking around it then The nasif nasit as if exasperated al at the II failure lure it would splutter and crack contending furiously with every drop of rain and hias bias out a strong reproof at the element which was making the sentinels so but the guard must be vigilantly maintained through the night and we dar dare i e not sleep for you must know mr editor Z that sleep courts the r as sweetly under the dropping rain as it does in his bis tent if perchance he has a gun blanke blanket for a bed and his bis knapsack for a pillow 1 I proposed a son but the only music that could be raised was made by a little corporal aho osbo doled out in a most melancholy style fi some days mut be dark and dreary thib this seemed teemed to be the only bong song that the corporal knew and add the only one ot or that kind which we wanted to hear etyler those auspices I 1 proposed a sto story rii ril 1 and the sergeant ge ant of the guard an old mexican xie an soldier 9 up arda aria told the following sory enory bory which I 1 quote as nearly as I 1 can caa reba refa ember in his own words seated in in my tent one evening just before tie the battle of the city of 31 mexico exico tue toe captain came to me with corporal I 1 have been requested to send a trusty commissioned noncommissioned non officer to the general council tonight to night as a mee mes sanger sengen will you go I 1 replied in the affirmative thanking the captain for bib bis confidence fi our oar company was vas at that time detached from its regiment and was doing special duty at general scotts headquarters in the discharge of that duty I 1 had bad made a point of beins being specially attentive attentive and had therefore gained the confidence of our cap tain taint and oice or twice was commended by ad vold void fuss and Fea feathers therO himself I 1 brushed up my old clothes and brightened my roy shoes and brass plates in the neatest manner po pet bible that evening and anh presented prea piea enlea enteA to tue toe adjutant general for instructions I 1 found i ihil ih it the council about to meet for the con Z bide tlde iteration ide tide ration of gen scotta scotts plans for taking th thecile the city cily was to be composed oe of all the colonels eis els in the division and that my duty would aibe albe jibe to go on errands and attend to bringing 11 Jc harts charts papers or whatever might be required well the coin coln concil cil cli met and I 1 was at my post it was the finest body of military men I 1 had ever seen together and when they assembled round that table and the old general stood to lowering erliza high above the rest I 1 could not help admiring him more than ever after the customary salutation and org iniza ion they sat eat doan do AH in lit the order of rank beginning with gen wool and succeeding each otier otter other in seats as seniority of rank gave them privilege it was no time lime for delay and the general r poke spoke rapidly and with earnestness occasionally referring to some one on the right or left jor for information and operation cooperation co taus tous carefully and explicitly were the movements and ald marches the sallies and corties sorties sor ties iland ind the whole plan developed so that every one seemed to understand but presently a flaw was discovered something gom lom ething was wrong abid anaa ania I 1 baw b by the perplexed look cf those around a fd ouri the ta table le that a very serious had been made but bat from what cause my knowledge of military affairs did not enable nato cato judge A dispute arose between some colonel and the engineer in ill chief in regard to the losi rosi position tion anti and strength of some battery and the topography of the surrounding country iee the colonel paid the frequent sance of the ground from the fact of his being g encamped camped ri near the p ace in question led him I 1 even ven indirect in direct opposition to we toe chart of the it engineer ineer to protest against its t jeand aa be lie would urge upon the general to make himself sure of the condition of affairs before te L e fully completed his plan bat 1411 but ut this woud would not do it was necessary Wat ivery very im imp orant and aud vi vigorous orous movements should take lake place upon tiit tift that very section of the defence and with without ouVa outa a correct knowledge of the place no action could be carried on with safety or c atai ty it lemed in fact to be a main poi pol point at at which position su success access io would bild lild have to fall to the amer can forces finally the colonel said that there was wag a young lieutenant in his regiment who had a correct chart of the defence and a map of the demesne there adjacent the engine engineer tr in chief chiet sn said very well weli sir 7 you had hid better send for your lieutenant and add iiii tin sie bie bee see this great map 17 the general hia him hi and the colonel gave me pame dame name and address of the lieutenant the encampment was not very far away and I 1 mounted my hors horse a and rode off in haste baste tot lot gotlie lie lle re regimental e amelita held hild headquarters quarters and found the tery very inan I 1 was in search of in the colonels tent with draugh ting paper on a table before him and sketches of the city and surround everywhere 1 I handed banded him the note which be read and hastily tore up p asking me if I 1 could wait until be he could borrow a horse I 1 told him I 1 could but I 1 had not long to wait for he be came tame back in a few moments arid and carefully wrapping up his bis surveys he placed them in in a long tin case and mounting prepared to follow follo me on the way he convers conyers d with BO so much earnestness nest ness nebs and in such a mild interesting man ner that I 1 felt encouraged to talk and chat contrary co ithary to my usual practice when on horseback lie he informed me that he was a graduate of west point and that there here he be had bad fallen so much in inloe love iove with the scie scle ce of geometry that he made it an at aim alm st constant study and that now be he found it very interesting in the interval of dutye to make sketches and bur vey of the city we i e arrived at the general s quaff quarters era again the lieutenant was introduced and at his celoie Co loie lole s requested produced his bis charts the party were astonished at their finish and I 1 fine execution and when after examina exa minati tl n D they were found to be correct general S ott came forward and grasping gra grat ping the young lieu tenant by the hand personally complimented him on his bis skill and thanked hi hin n for bis big I 1 efficiency the chief engineer somewhat ch at this d splay of skill and learning on the part of his young rival sneeringly sald said general perhaps this thu young man has some bome plan by which this una part of the de fences may be attacked 12 upon inquiry it was wag found that be he had a plan which was produced with some dearee decree of reluctance and laid before the assembly it was read and criticised criticized and corrected and finally to make a long iong ono story short abort ado adopted led lel with some amend amendments amendment men ts by the council cound 1 T this a displeased the engineer 0 1 inter who seemed to think that the lieutenant though but a few years hs h s junior hadano had bad no right liht to dismay so much knowledge knowl dge of a science which did not belon belong to bis big branch of the service all sol 1 I need not tell you continued the corporal that in the taking of mexico a few days after the plan offered by this lieutenant lieuten anc wab waa of signal service and that be he was bre yet tet betted vetted te d soon afterward here the story ended jand nd the sergeant relapsed into his pipe and silence 1 we all looked for awhile into the fire when one of the sentinels bent sent inela asked him what the name of this young lieutenant was lie ile slowly puffed the smoke from his bis mouth and replied 1 I believe it il was G george orge G orge B mcclellan 6 and who was that engineer I 1 1 I believe his name was george too geo T beauregad beauregard 11 and we all smoked and looked in into to the fire until the sentinel sf shouted grand roud roil roti sl turn out the gu graal gua adl adt icy rcy aal iCV i |
