How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion

by George W. Peck

  CHAPTER XX.

  I Demonstrate that Gambling Does Not Pay--I Cause a General Stampede--Christmas in the Pine Woods of Alabama--Millions of Dollars, but no Christmas Dinner.

  When I went away from the party of officers, where we had been playingdraw-poker, with a hundred dollars in my pocket, which I had won frommen who thought they were pretty good poker players, I felt as thoughI owned the earth. I had my hand in my pocket, hold of the roll ofgreenbacks, and in that way constantly realized that I was no commonpauper. I had never thought that I was an expert at cards, but thistriumph convinced me that there was more money to be made playing pokerthan in any other way. I figured up in my mind that if I could win ahundred dollars a night, and only played five nights a week, I couldlay up two thousand dollars a month. To keep it up a year would make merich, and if the war lasted a couple of years I could go home with moneyenough to buy out the best newspaper in Wisconsin. It is wonderfulwhat a train of thought a young man's first success in gambling, orspeculation, brings to him. I went to bed with my hundred dollarsbuttoned inside my flannel shirt, and dreamed all night about holdingfour aces, full hands, and three of a kind. All that night, in my sleep,I never failed to "fill" when I drew to a hand. I made up my mindto break every officer in the regiment, at poker, and then turn myattention to other regiments, and win all the money the paymaster shouldbring to the brigade. I got up in the morning with a headache, andthought how long it would be before night, when we could play pokeragain, and I wondered why we couldn't play during the day, as there wasnothing else going on. It got rumored around the regiment that I hadcleaned the officers out at poker the night before, and the boys seemedglad that a private had made them pay attention. I had not yet got mycommsssion, and so any victory I might achieve was considered a victoryfor a private soldier. Several of the boys congratulated me. The nearestI ever come to quarreling with my old partner, Jim, was over this pokerbusiness. I showed him my roll, and told him how I had cleaned theofficers out, and instead of feeling good over it, Jim said I was aconfounded fool. I tried to argue the matter with Jim, but he couldn'tbe convinced, and insisted that they had made a fool of me, and had letme win on purpose, and that they would win it all back, and all I hadbesides. He said I had better let the chaplain take the hundred dollarsto keep for me, and stay away from that poker game, and I would bea hundred ahead, but I didn't want any second-class chaplain to be aguardian over me, and I told Jim I was of age, and could take care ofmyself. Jim said he thought I had some sense before I was commsssioned,but it had spoiled me. He said in less than a week I would be borrowingmoney of him. I knew better, and went around camp with my thumbs stuckin my armholes, and felt big. It was an awful long day, but I put in thetime thinking how I would draw cards, and bet judiciously, and finallynight came, and I went over to the major's tent, where the officersusually congregated. I was early, and had to wait half an hour beforethe crowd showed up. As they came in each had something to say to me."Here's the man who walked off with our wealth last night," said one."Here's our victim," said another. "We will send him to his tent tonightwithout a dollar." They chaffed me a good deal, but I made up my mindthat I could play as well as they could, and some of them were oldfellows that had played poker before I was born. Well, we went to work,and the first hand I got I lost ten dollars. It was the history of allsmart Aleck's, and there is no use of going into details. In less thanan hour they had won the hundred dollars, and fifty that I had sewedinside my shirt to keep for a rainy day, and they had joked me everytime I bet until I was exasperated to such an extent that I could havekilled them. Winning or losing money with them was a mere pastime, andthey seemed to enjoy losing about as much as winning. I was too proud,or too big a fool to leave the game when I had lost all I had, and Iborrowed a little of each of them, and lost it, and then I said I wastired and I guessed I would go to bed, and I went out, dizzy and sick atheart, and the officers laughed so I could hear them clear to my tent. Onthe way to my tent, and as I walked around for half an hour before goingthere, I thought over what a fool I was, how I had forgotten all thegood advice ever given me by my friends. Knowing that I was not intendedby nature for a gambler, I had gone in with my eyes open, made atemporary success, got the big head, as all boys do, and gone back andlaid down my bundle, and become the laughing stock of the whole crowd.I figured up that I was just an even hundred dollars out of pocket, anddecided that I would never try to get it back. I would simply swear offgambling right there, forget that I knew one card from another, pay upmy gambling debts when I got my first pay, and never touch a card again.

  That was the wisest conclusion that I ever come to. After I had walkedaround until my head cleared off a little, I went in the tent sly andstill, to go to bed without letting Jim hear me. I was ashamed, anddidn't want to talk. I heard Jim roll over on his bunk, and he said:

  "Bet ten dollars, pard, that you lost all you had."

  "Jim, I won't bet with you. I have sworn off betting intirely."

  "Help yourself," said Jim, as he reached over his greasy old pocketbookto me. "Take all you want, now that you have come to your senses. Butyou must admit that what I said about your being a fool, was true."

  "Yes, and an idiot, and an ass," I said, as I handed back Jim's money."But that settles it. I will never gamble another cent's worth as longas I live, and if I see a friend of mine gambling, I will try and breakhim of the habit. There is nothing in it, and I went to sleep, anddidn't dream any more about winning all the money in camp."

  Two days before Christmas our cavalry, consisting of a full brigade,started on a raid, or a march through the enemy's country, and as Icould not act as an officer very well, before my commission arrived, andas the colonel seemed to hate to see me in the ranks when I was lookedupon as an officer, he sent me to brigade headquarters on a detail tocarry the brigade colors. The brigade colors consisted of a blue guidon,on a pole. The butt end of the pole, or staff, was inserted in a socketof leather fastened to my stirrup, and I held on to the staff with myright hand when on the march, guiding my horse with my left hand, Whenthe command halted the colors were planted in the ground in front ofthe place which the brigade commander had selected. On the march I roderight behind the brigade commander and his staff, with the body guardto protect the precious colors. I was glad of this position, because ittook me among high officials, and if there was anything I doted, on itwas high officers. The colonel had told me that I must be on my goodbehavior, and salute the officers of the staff, whenever they camenear me. He said the brigade commander was a strict disciplinarian, andwouldn't put up with any monkey business. The first hour of my serviceas color bearer came near breaking up the brigade. I was perhaps fortyfeet behind the brigade commander and his staff, riding as stiff asthough I was a part of the horse, and feeling as proud as though I ownedthe army. Suddenly the colonel and staff turned out of the road, andfaced to the rear, and started to ride back to one of the regiments inthe rear. I saw them coming, and felt that I must salute them. How todo it was a puzzle to me. If I saluted with my left hand, it would bewrong, besides I would have to drop the reins, and my horse might startto run, as he was prancing and putting on as much style as I was. If Isaluted with my right hand, I should have to let go the flag staff. Thesalute must be sudden, so I could grasp the staff very quick, before ittoppled over. It took a great head to decide what to do, and I had todecide quick. Just as the brigade commander got opposite me I let go theflag stair, brought my right hand quickly to the right eye, as nice asalute as a man ever saw, and returned it to grab the flag stall. But itwas too late. As soon as my right hand let go of the staff, it fell overand the gilt dart on the end of the staff struck the general's horse inthe flank, he jumped sideways against the adjutant-general's horse, andhis horse fell over the brigade surgeon's horse, the general's horse rununder a tree, and brushed the general off, and the whole staff was wildtrying to hold their horses, and jumping to catch the general's horse,and pick the general off the ground. In the meantime my horse h
ad gotfrightened at the staff and flag that was dragging on the ground, withone end in the socket in the stirrup, the pole tickling him in theribs, and he began to dance around, and whirl, and knock members of thecolor-guard off their horses, and they stampeded to the woods leaving mein the road, on a frightened horse, whirliing around, unmanageable, thestart striking trees and horses, until the staff was broken.

  The regiment in the rear of us saw the commotion, saw the generaldismounted, and the colors on the ground, and a general stampede infront, and, thinking the general and staff had been ambushed by therebels, and many killed, the colonel ordered his men forward on acharge, and, in less time than it takes to write it, the woods werefull of charging soldiers, looking for an imaginary enemy, a surgeonhad opened up a lot of remedies, and all was confusion, and I was theinnocent cause of it all. I had seen my mistake as soon as the flagstaff knocked the general off his horse, and when I dismounted andpicked up the flag, and the pieces of the staff, and found myselfsurrounded by excited troops, I wondered if the general would pull hisrevolver and shoot me himself, or order some of the soldiers to kill me.For choice I had rather have been killed by a volley from a platoon ofsoldiers, but I recognized the fact that the general had a perfect rightto kill me. In fact I wanted him to shoot me. I was trimming the limbsoff a sapling for a makeshift flag staff, when I saw the crowd open, andthe general walked towards me. His face was a trifle pale, except wherethe red clay from the road covered it, and I felt that the next momentor two would decide in what manner I was to meet my doom. I rememberedwhat the colonel had told me, about the general being a strictdisciplinarian, and wondered if it wouldn't help matters if I shouldfall on my knees and say a little prayer, or ask him to spare my life.I wondered if I would be justified in drawing my revolver and trying toget the drop on the general. But I had no time to think it over, for hecome right up to me, and said:

  "I beg your pardon, my young friend, for the trouble and annoyance Ihave caused you. I should have known better than to ride so near you,and frighten your horse, when you had only one hand to guide the animal.Are you hurt? No; well, I am very glad. Ah, the flag staff is broken!Let me help you tack the flag on the sapling. Orderly, bring me somenails. Let me whittle the bark off the sapling, so it will not hurt yourhands. When we get into camp tonight, and the wagons come up, I will seethat you have another staff. There, don't feel bad about it. There is nodamage."

  Bless his soul! I could, have hugged him for his kindness. When he cametowards me, I was mad and desperate, and when he spoke kind words tome, my chin trembled, and I felt like a baby. He stopped the brigade forhalf an hour, to help fix up my flag, and all the time talked so kindlyto me, that when the thing was fixed, I felt remorse of conscience, andsaid: "General, I am entirely to blame myself. I tried to perform theimpossible feat of saluting you and holding the colors at the same time,which I am satisfied now cannot be done successfully. Lay it all to me."

  "I knew it," said the good old general, "and I was going to tell youthat you are not expected to salute anybody when you have the colors.You are a part of the flag, then. You will learn it all by and by," andhe mounted his horse and rode away about his business, as cool as thoughnothing had happened, and left me feeling that he was the best man onearth. Further acquaintance with the old man taught me that he was oneof nature's noblemen. He was an Illinois farmer, who had enlisted as aprivate, and had in time become colonel of his regiment, and had beenplaced in command of this brigade. Every evening he would take an axeand cut up fire-wood enough for headquarters, and he was not abovecleaning off his horse if his servant was sick, or did not do it tosuit, and frequently I have seen him greasing his own boots.

  Two days out, and we were in the pine woods of Alabama, with nohabitation within ten miles. After a day's march we went into camp inthe woods, and it was the afternoon before Christmas. The young pines,growing among the larger ones, were just such little trees as were usedat home for Christmas trees, and within an hour after getting the campmade, every man thought of Christmas at home. The boys went off intothe woods and got holly, and mistletoe, and every pup tent of the wholebrigade was decorated, and they hung nose bags, grain sacks, army socksand pants on the trees. Around the fires stakes had been driven to hangclothes on to dry, and as night came and the pitch pine fires blazedup to the tops of the great pines, it actually looked like Christmas,though there was not a Christmas present anywhere. After supper thebrigade band began to play patriotic airs, with occasionally an oldfashioned tune, like "Old Hundred," the woods rung with music from theboys who could sing, and everybody was as happy as I ever saw a crowdof people, and when it came time to retire the band played "Home, SweetHome," and three thousand rough soldiers went to bed with tears in theireyes, and every man dreamed of the dear ones at home, and many prayedthat the home ones might be happy, and in the morning they all got up,stripped the empty Christmas stockings off the evergreen trees, putthem on, and went on down the red road, and at noon the army enteredMontgomery, Alabama, the first capital of the confederate states, tookpossession of the capital building in which were millions of dollars ofconfederate money and bonds. Every soldier filled his pockets and saddlebags with bonds and bills of large denominations. It was a poor soldierthat could not count up his half a million dollars, but with all themoney no man could buy a Christmas dinner. A dollar in greenbacks wouldbuy more than all of the wagon loads of confederate currency capturedthat day. And yet the people of Montgomery looked upon the arrival ofthe Yankees much as they would the arrival of a pestilence. However,it was not many days before a better understanding was arrived at, andYankee blue and Confederate gray got mixed up, and acquaintances weremade that ripened into mutual respect and in some cases love.