Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/286

 286 mind the old camp life with its amusements as well as hardships, careless and easy as to what had passed. Hopeful and willing to take the chances of the future—making fun and amusement out of the smallest items; the camp-fire tales always true, and sometimes a 'leetle' more than true, the songs of the Glee Club, the square patent note mess that made the woods echo with the do sol me do, with their note books taking sound, &c.; the mischeivous humor of "Jap" Pierce, of Baltimore; the devilish tricks of John Williams, of Rockingham, and others ; each mess having its peculiarity with a leader, the roll and feed calls, and above all the flanking out from camp to see the girls, and get a change of rations; and Abe Nisewander's failing—he couldn't help it—first to secure a sweetheart at or near every camp, and go to see her ten nights in a week; then the French leave go home a hundred miles away in winter, careless of fatigue and danger, as if we did not reason or care for the cost. After 10 o'clock Captain John Williams had a 'bus at the door and requested us to take seats and go with him to the Fair grounds, around the camp-fires of Captain Hugh McGuire's old company, and greet the boys he was transferred from our battery to in the last year of the war. We enjoyed the trip; came back to town at 2 o'clock in the morning. Thus ended the ever to be remembered reunion of the old battery. It will grow in links of a chain we will form of friendship closer and better through the balance of life. The old camp-life had its charms, and few of us would wish to forget it.

Major Conrad richly deserves the thanks of our people in this reunion for his liberality, untiring energy and amount of labor performed; also the veterans of Camp No. 4, and not least, the county committees. Their thoroughness deserves the highest praise, and the people who so liberally donated to the feast, showing the quiet yet warm hearts that need only the call to respond to any object they deem worthy.

C W. McV, Of the Stuart Horse Artillery.

Died at Richmond, Virginia, January 21st, 1891, General Burkett Davenport Fry, a veteran of three wars, and a most useful and