want to see, it was blood. Others might have an
insatiable appetite for gore, but I didn't want any at all. I was
willing to do anything for this government but fight; and if he could
recommend to me any line of action by which I could pull through without
being sent out to do battle with strangers who could shoot well, I
should consider it a favor. What I wanted was a soft job, where there
was no danger. The chaplain looked thoughtful a moment, and then took me
over to his tent, where he opened a bottle of blackberry brandy. He
took a small dose, after placing his hand on his stomach and groaning a
little. He asked me if I did not sometimes have a pain under my vest. I
told him I never had a pain anywhere. Then he said I couldn't have any
brandy. He said the brandy came from the sanitary commsssion, and was
controlled entirely by the chaplains of the different regiments, and the
instructions were to only use it in case of sickness. He said a great
many of the boys had pains regularly, and came to him for relief. He
smacked his lips and said if I felt any pain coming on, to help myself
to the brandy. It is singular how a pain will sometimes come on when
you least expect it. It was not a minute before I began to feel a small
pain, not bigger than a man's hand, and as I looked at the bottle the
pain increased, and I had to tell the chaplain that I must have relief
before it was everlastingly too late, so he poured out a dose of brandy
for me. I could see that I was becoming a veteran very fast, as I could
work the chaplain for sanitary stores pretty early in the game. Well,
the chaplain and me had pains off and on, for an hour or two, and became
good friends. He told me of quite a number of methods of shirking active
duty, such as being detailed to take care of baggage, acting as orderly,
and going to surgeon's call. He said if a man went to surgeon's call,
the doctor would report him sick, and he could not be sent out on duty.
The next day we went back to our post, where the regiment was stationed,
and where they had barracks, that they wintered in, and remained there
several weeks, drilling. I was drilled in mounting and dismounting,
and soon got so I could mount a horse without climbing on to him from a
fence. But the drill became irksome, and I decided to try the chaplain's
suggestion about going to surgeon's call. I got in line with about
twenty other soldiers, and we marched over to the surgeon's quarters. I
supposed