71. The Amenities of Camp Life
BY SURGEON JAMES THACHER (1779)
February.—Having continued to live under cover of canvas tents
most of the winter, we have suffered extremely from exposure to cold
and storms.[188] Our soldiers have been
employed six or eight weeks in constructing log huts, which at length
are completed, and both officers and soldiers are now under
comfortable covering for the remainder of the winter.
Log houses are constructed with the trunks of trees, cut into
various lengths according to the size intended, and are firmly
connected by notches cut at their extremities in the manner of
dovetailing. The vacancies between the logs are filled in with plastering
consisting of mud and clay.
The roof is formed of similar pieces of timber, and covered
with hewn slabs. The chimney situated at one end of the house is made
of similar but smaller timber, and both the inner and the outer side are
covered with clay plaster, to defend the wood against the fire. The door
and windows are formed by sawing away a part of the logs of a proper
size, and move on wooden hinges.
In this manner have our soldiers, without nails, and almost
without tools, except the axe and saw, provided for their officers and
for themselves comfortable and convenient quarters, with little or no
expense to the public. The huts are arranged in straight lines forming a
regular uniform compact village.
The officers' huts are situated in front of the line, according to
their rank, the kitchens in the rear, and the whole is similar in form to a
tent encampment.
The ground for a considerable distance in front of the soldiers' line of
huts is cleared of wood, stumps, and rubbish, and is every morning
swept clean for the purpose of a parade ground and roll call for the
respective regiments.
The officers' huts are in general divided into two apartments,
and are occupied by three or four officers, who compose one mess.
Those for the soldiers have but one room, and contain ten or twelve
men, with their bunks placed one above another against the walls, and
filled with straw, and one blanket for each man. I now occupy a hut
with our field officers, Colonel Gibson, Lieutenant Colonel Brent, and
Major Meriweather.
4th.—A duel has lately been fought between a surgeon and an
adjutant in General Scott's brigade; the former received a bad wound,
and the latter escaped with honor. Who will hesitate, says one, to
exchange a few shot with a friend to obtain the appellation of a
gentleman of honor? If I kill my antagonist I have the satisfaction of
settling a point of honor? If I receive a ball through my own heart, I die
in the glorious cause of honor." You have offended me in a delicate
point," says an officer to his friend," and I now demand of you the
satisfaction of a gentleman, I have
settled my affairs, and prepared myself to die, if that shall be my fate,"--"then," replied the other, "we cannot fight on equal terms, for I have
not had time to do either."
His Excellency the Commander in
Chief[189] has long been in the practice of inviting a
certain number of officers to dine at his table every day. It is not to be
supposed that his Excellency can be made acquainted with every
officer by name, but the invitations are given through the medium of
general orders, in which is mentioned the brigade from which the
officer is expected.
Yesterday I accompanied Major Cavil to headquarters, and
had the honor of being numbered among the guests at the table of his
Excellency, with his lady, two young ladies from Virginia, and several
other officers.
It is natural to view with keen attention the countenance of an
illustrious man, with a secret hope of discovering in his features some
peculiar traces of excellence, which distinguishes him from and
elevates him above his fellow mortals. These expectations are realized
in a peculiar manner, in viewing the person of General Washington.
His tall and noble stature and just proportions, his fine,
cheerful open countenance, simple and modest deportment, are all
calculated to interest every beholder in his favor, and to command
veneration and respect. He is feared even when silent, and beloved
even while we are unconscious of the motive. The table was elegantly
furnished, and the provisions ample but not abounding in superfluities.
The civilities of the table were performed by Colonel
Hamilton[190] and the other gentlemen
of the
family, the General and wife being seated at the side of the table. In
conversation, his Excellency's
expressive countenance is peculiarly interesting and pleasing; a placid
smile is frequently observed
on his lips, but a loud laugh, it is said, seldom if ever escapes him. He
is polite and attentive to
each individual at table, and retires after the compliments of a few
glasses.
Mrs. Washington combines in an uncommon degree, great
dignity of manner with the
most pleasing affability, but possesses no striking marks of beauty. I
learn from the Virginia
officers that Mrs. Washington has ever been honored as a lady of
distinguished goodness,
possessing all the virtues which adorn her sex, amiable in her temper
and deportment, full of
benignity, benevolence and charity, seeking for objects of affliction
and poverty, that she may
extend to the sufferers the hand of kindness and relief. These surely are
the attributes which reveal
a heart replete with those virtues, which are so appropriate and
estimable in the female character.
April 20th. Five soldiers were conducted to the gallows
according to their sentence, for
the crimes of desertion and robbing the inhabitants. A detachment of
troops and a concourse of
people, formed a circle round the gallows, and the criminals were
brought in a cart, sitting on
their coffins, and halters about their necks.
While in this awful situation, trembling on the verge of
eternity, three of them received a
pardon from the Commander in Chief. They acknowledged the justice
of their sentence, and
expressed the warmest thankfulness and gratitude for their merciful
pardon.
The two others were obliged to submit to their fate; one of
them was accompanied to the
fatal spot by an affectionate and sympathising brother, which rendered
the scene uncommonly
distressing, and forced tears of compassion from the eyes of numerous
spectators.
They repeatedly embraced and kissed each other, with all the
fervor of brotherly love,
and would not be separated till the executioner was obliged to perform
his duty when, with a
flood of tears and mournful lamentations, they bade each other an
eternal adieu the criminal,
trembling under the horrors of an untimely and disgraceful death, and
the brother, overwhelmed
with sorrow and anguish, for one whom he held most dear.
May 14th. Our brigade was paraded for the pun pose of being
reviewed by General
Washington and a number of Indian chiefs. His Excellency, with his
usual dignity, followed by his
mulatto servant Bill, riding a beautiful grey steed, passed in front of the
line and received the
salute. He was accompanied by a singular group of savages, whose
appearance was beyond
description ludicrous.
Their horses were of the meanest kind, some of them destitute
of saddles, and old lines
were used for bridles. Their personal decorations were equally farcical,
having their faces painted
of various colors, jewels suspended from their ears and nose, their
heads without covering except
tufts of hair on the crown, and some of them wore dirty blankets over
their shoulders waving in
the wind.
In short, they exhibited a novel and truly disgusting spectacle.
But his Excellency deems
it good policy to pay some attention to this tribe of the
wilderness, and to convince them of the strength and discipline of our
army, that they may be encouraged, if disposed to be friendly, or
deterred from aggression, if they
should become hostile to our country.
[[188]]
This was at Valley Forge.
[[189]]
General Washington.
[[190]]
Alexander Hamilton, later Secretary of the
Treasury.
