good time, made a good impression on the
ladies, and went back to camp at midnight. On the way over to the party
I told the boys the gentleman was coming to see us the next day, and we
should have to get a bottle of champagne some-where, to treat him, as I
had told him we expected, some more up from the city. When we came back
from the party a German recruit pulled a bottle of champagne out of his
pocket, which he had stolen from the man's house in order to treat him
with the next day. The gentleman came over to our quarters the next day,
and we opened our bottle, and he drank to our very good health, though I
thought he looked at the label on the bottle pretty close. For a week
we frequented the gentleman's orange grove every day, and ate oranges to
our heart's content.

Several times during the week we were invited to different houses, where
we boys became quite interested in the fair girls of Louisiana. It was
ten days from the time we settled in the beer garden, and we had kept
our secret well. Nobody in Carrollton knew that we were raw recruits
that had never seen a day of service, but the impression was still
stronger than ever that we were pets of the government. We had an old
map of the United States that we had borrowed at a saloon, and during
the day we would hang the map up and surround it, while I pointed out
imaginary places to attack. This we would do while people were passing.
Everything was working splendidly, and we decided to give a party.
We hired a band to play in the dance house, ordered refreshments, and
invited about forty ladies and gentlemen to attend. The day we were to
give the party we sent a recruit down town to draw rations, and he told
everybody what a high old time we recruits were having at Carrollton.
The commanding officer heard of it, and, probably having forgotten
that we were up there waiting to be sent to our regiments he sent a
peremptory order for us to report at New Orleans before noon of that
day. How could we report at noon, when we were going to give a party at
night? It was simply impossible, and I, as a sort of breast corporal in
charge, sent a man down town to tell the commanding officer that we had
an engagement that night, and couldn't come before the next day. I did
not know that it was improper to send regrets to a commanding officer
when ordered to do anything. The man I sent down to New Orleans came
back and I asked him what the general said. The man said he read the