isaffection that seemed to us highly calculated to embarrass the
action of the Government in this crisis. The end of it was that we
marched up to our new quarters, and, in the excitement of moving in and
receiving our clothing and camp and garrison equipage, had forgotten our
troubles, when (just as the melancholy man discovered that the overcoats
were seven short of the right number, that the mess pans all leaked, and
that the quarters were full of fleas) our orders to move were
countermanded, and we marched back again in joy. There were fewer
volunteers for guard duty that night, and the natural rest of the
sergeant of the guard was undisturbed save by the occasional nightmare
of having overslept the hour for relieving the meek sentinels (not yet
instructed in the art of awakening drowsy non-commissioned officers by
stentorian alarms, and indeed not yet knowing accurately the measure of
their 'two hours on'), or by some louder howl than usual from poor Todd
second, who, having continued his course of eye-opening to the hours
when sober citizens and prudent soldiers incline to close theirs, spent
the major portion of the night in dramatic recitations of the beauties
of Shakspeare, utterly neglecting and refusing to 'dry up,' although
frequently admonished thereto by the growls and eke by the curses of his
comrades.

The next afternoon and evening, including in the latter elastic term
many hours more properly claimed by the night, were spent in confused
and bungling attempts to issue the clothing and camp and garrison
equipage considerately provided for us by the Government. First
everybody opened all the boxes at once, and grabbed for everything. Then
everybody put his things back and petitioned for somebody else's. 'My
overcoat is too big.' 'Mine is too short.' 'Golly! what sleeves!' 'What
are these bags for?' 'Those things knapsacks! how you goin' to fassen
'em? no straps!' 'My canteen has no cork.' ... '_Silence_!' roars the
captain, and '=Silence!=' rasps the orderly sergeant, three times as
loudly and six as disagreeably. And then everybody being ordered to
replace everything, that a proper system of distribution may be adopted,
half of us hide our plunder away, and the other half dump their prizes
promiscuously and in sullenness. 'Here, here!' barks Sergeant Files;
'this kind of thing's played out. There were sixty-five canteens;
where's the other sixty?' Presently the confusion unravels a little,
but, after a br