"Ha! ha! ha!' I laughed. "What shall I do?' he asked angrily "Why,' I told him, 'if'you are glued to your saddle, the only thing you can do is to sit still until I can get you out.' "Curse this foragin' business, anyhow; curse war; curse everything; it all goes wrong,' he said. "Throw the stuff away,' I suggested; and with many regrets he flung it against a tree, but this left us eight gallons still. "We passed on through the woods, and finally reached the picket, who asked us who we were. We told him where we belonged, and that we had been out that day scouting and picking up salt (which was true); that we had got lost from our command. He let us pass, and we reached camp at 4 o'clock A. M. We learned that the orders were to march at 6 o'clock; but we treated the whole company to the honey and sugar, and I shall never forget how the boys cheered us on the success of our first lesson in foraging." "Son J. H." then contended that soldiers were "creatures of circumstance," in the following language: "I believe that we are in a very large degree creatures governed by circumstances. This was plainly demonstrated to my mind while I was in the army. I was a boy of but nineteen when I enlisted. My parents very much disliked to have me go, but finally gave their consent if I would go with Mr. S. "This Mr. S. had been my school teacher the year before, and I very readily agreed to that; so we went off together with sixteen of the neighborhood boys.. "The object my parents had in wanting me to go with Mr. S. was two-fold: (1) he was a near neighbor, and (2) they thought his influence would help to keep their son J. in the path of right doing. All was very well until we were on the march with General Fremont in Missouri. Provisions became very short, and then it was that this son J. (with others) thought about the wicked practice of foraging. For this purpose we visited a hen-house one evening, but alas! how circumstances were against us. We found the door barred, and two large Southern hounds tied on the inside. But, determined not to be outdone, we changed our plan of attack. We concluded for the time to be honest, and go in and ask for some of the chickens. We did so. The old man was very kind and glad to give us two as a reward of merit for being honest and asking for them. "Now we went from that hen-house across the way to another where the circumstances were different,-no dogs on the inside, but plenty of fat chickens. We mounted a rail fence which joined the hen-house, and slipping the boards to one side, we put in our honest hand and it brought out eight nice ones. We then went back after the ninth, but an old hen that had been trained gave the alarm, and the circumstances were such just then that we were obliged to make a hasty departure. "From these and other incidents which passed under my observation, I am inclined to believe that we were governed by our circumstances; at least, we rarely attempted to rob a hen-roost when it was guarded by bushwhackers and bloodhounds." CAMP-FIRE XIII. BATTLES UNSUNG BY THE MUSE OF HISTORY-ORIGIN OF THE STARS AND WASHINGTON. STRIPES-GENEALOGY OF GEORGE AMP-FIRE Thirteen had for its subject the most pathetic part, perhaps, of the whole purpose of the S. P. U. H.-to place garlands of fame upon the brows of unflattered heroes. Accordingly, all who had participated in battles which had never been chronicled upon the papyrus of history were invited to relieve their minds of any unwritten conflicts which they might remember. Thereupon there was at once great confusion in the assembly. It almost seemed as though, instead of simply relating accounts of these heretofore unheard of battles, the veterans were attempting to act them out! But the discpline of the camp was most perfect; and to reduce the chaos to system it was only necessary for the commander, after he secured attention, to suggest that the veterans talk by companies and regiments—one company at a time. Immediately there was harmony, and the accustomed good feeling at once returned. But the relief was only temporary. It was like a flag of truce or a lull in a great battle in order to bring heavy reserve forces forward for more regular and telling blows. When this reflection presented itself to the ambassadors from the throne of history, their stock of long-suffering was at once exhausted. They suddenly recalled the close of the first camp-fire, when all the veterans present were talked to sleep by one man. What would it be now with the oratorical force so multiplied? Truly, Camp-fire Thirteen was an unlucky number. But the lamb submitted to the slaugh ter. Lighting a fresh "Havana," which the commissary of subsistence had thoughtfully provided in plenty, the histori cal visitors arranged their dignity for the night, while the commander bade his followers begin their work. The first step was a motion. It was seconded, whereupon came the resolution: Whereas, We, the veterans here in camp-fire assembled, desire to preserve for the benefit of posterity the memoirs of our most manifest feats in the "late unpleasantness;" and, Whereas, There were many battles in said unpleasantness which have been heretofore unrecorded; therefore, Resolved, That the Society for the Preservation of Unpublished History be hereby petitioned to place the same in its annals. The same was thereby placed in the said annals, after the several records were related, and the aforesaid memoirs were duly contributed to the society's collection of curiosities. The first speaker tried his memory, and related an account of a mountain skirmish; but this was found in the official reports published by the Government. In like manner the discussions proceeded until the camp-fire embers were nearly all consumed, and the evening had grown late. Nevertheless, the representatives of the S. P. U. H. noted the minutes of the meeting literally, in accordance with the hereinbeforementioned resolution, until finally one veteran from a Kansas regiment remembered a battle which he was sure had not been recorded in history. "On the Fourth of July, 1863," said he, "was, indeed, one of the grandest climaxes of the war. The haughty city of Vicksburg fell, and was allowed to come up out of the ground. The bloody battle of Gettysburg was fought, with |