ur-legged slabs made good benches, but many
split bottom chairs were obtained from country chair makers. With a
good log fire three or four feet long in the fire place and an old
blanket hung in the doorway, soldiers were fixed to defy the coldest
days of winter and sleep in comfort on the coldest nights. A good fat
bed-fellow was a luxury not to be despised and on coldest nights,
"spooning" was the prevailing fashion with covering well tucked under.
When one wanted to turn over, it was necessary for the other to do the
same. Sometimes they would do so by word of command as if at drill with
"one time and two motions."

The daily military routine was "Reveille" at daybreak, stable call,
breakfast, guard mounting, police of park and camp a citizen would call
it, clearing up details to go out for forage and provisions. A few were
allowed each day permits to go out into the country on private foraging
expeditions, seeking to purchase chickens, eggs, milk, butter,
buttermilk, vegetables, etc., gun squad drills, dinner, and in fine
weather and good condition of the ground in afternoon often, field
drill of which battery, with guns, caissons, teams, cannoneers, drivers
and all stable call, supper, camp amusements of all kinds, tattoo and
finally taps. There were two buglers in the company, Charles M. Donoho
was at the company headquarters. He acted as messenger also. The other,
Rufus Menander Rosser was in the same mess as the writer. One of his
duties was to blow the Reveille call at a certain hour each morning.
His habit was to hang his bugle on the end of house plate that extended
at the door. One freezing night some of the boys emptied a gourd of
water into the open mouth of the bugle, thus filling the coils of same
with water. Next morning, at break of day, our friend Rosser essayed to
blow "Reveille." His cheeks expand nearly to bursting, but not a note
comes from the bugle, not even a part of a breath will pass through.
Rosser uncovers the glowing coals amongst the ashes, pushes together
the fire chunks and with his breath blows up a blaze and starts to
holding bugle in same. Footsteps of boots are heard outside. They stop
at our door and in pops the head of Lt. A. C. Hargrove with the
question, "Rosser! why have you not blown Reveille?" But his eyes take
in the situation, while he asks the question, and Rosser's answer,
"Lieut., some rascal has filled my bugle and it's full of ice," is
really not needed. Off stalks the