CHAPTER IX.

The battalion¹ returned to camp, near New Market, about the 20th of February, and for two months there was nothing to mar² the monotony of camp life, save the interminable drilling and sabre grinding ordered by Gen. Jones, which was really the most monotonous⁴ part of it as well as the most vexatious, for White’s men didn’t like to drill, and they had a small opinion of the sabre as a weapon to fight Yankees with, no matter how sharp it might be, and the regular Saturday grindings were looked upon as perfect nuisances.

Discipline in the command was at a low ebb⁵, in fact it was hard to keep it up to any degree of perfection at all, for several reasons; first of which was, that Col. White himself was naturally much better qualified⁶ for the stirring and active life of a partisan⁷, whose parade ground is the enemy’s picket⁸ line and wagon⁹ camp, than to command the choicest body of troops behind the army lines; and experience gives as a rule, that as the Colonel is, so is the regiment¹⁰, and it is one that holds good under all the circumstances of the camp, the march and the battle-field.

The carelessness of the Colonel very soon showed itself to a far greater degree in the battalion, and 155really, as of necessity it must, impaired¹¹ the efficiency of it, for there is a vast difference between the dashing tactics of the raider, in which numbers are little considered, and all depends upon the suddenness of the attack and surprise of the enemy, and the operations in the face of a prepared enemy, where the success of an army depends upon its different parts performing the proper evolutions at the right moment and best manner, amid the din³ and roar of battle, where the “flying shot and reeking¹² steel” are performing their bloody¹³ work.

Early in 1863, the Colonel had most fortunately secured the services of an excellent Adjutant, in the person of Lieut. R. T. Watts¹⁴, formerly¹⁵ of the 2d Va. Cavalry¹⁶, and a native of Bedford county, Va., who had been recommended to him by Col. Munford, of that regiment, and many persons thought that the very existence of the battalion was due to the precision and care with which Lieut. Watts performed his duties, for the company officers, with few exceptions, were as careless as the Colonel.

Lieut. Crown, Co. B, Lieuts. Dowdell and Tom White, Co. C, and Capt. Grabill, Co. E, were disciplinarians, and did their best to make soldiers of their men; but Capt. Myers and Lieut. Conrad, who formed the character of Co. A, Lieut. Sam. Grubb, Co. C, Lieuts. Dorsey and Chiswell, Co. B, and Lieut. Strickler, Co. E, all officers of 156great influence with their companies, cared as little for drill and discipline as possible. Company F had, for some time, been rendered rather inefficient¹⁷ through the carelessness and indifference¹⁸ of its officers, but it was finally raised to the position of being one of the best in the service, by having two first-rate officers given it in Capt. French and Lieut. James; but previous to that, Capt. Ferneyhough was seldom with it, and Lieut. McVeigh was like the majority, willing to let matters take their course. Lieut. Barrett was unfortunate in being for a long time a prisoner, and Lieut. Marlow was so frequently on detached service in the quartermaster’s department, and elsewhere, that his services were to a great extent lost to his company.

The quartermaster’s department exhibited the same lack of system observable in other places, and it was soon discovered that high attainments¹⁹ in law and literature, and brilliant talents as an orator²⁰, did not fit Capt. Kilgour to perform the duties of this important position, and he resigned in favor of John J. White, who had been his Sergeant²¹, and who was vastly better calculated for the office in question than the distinguished²² gentleman who had preceded him. The business was now managed by Capt. White, aided as he was by active and energetic assistants, such as Wm. H. Luckett, Quartermaster-Sergeant; Thomas Brown and Jack²³ Simpson, Frank Saffer, and last, but by 157no means least, “Uncle Billy Dove,” as forage²⁴ and wagon-masters; in a systematic²⁵ and highly satisfactory manner.

The medical department, under the management of Dr. Ed. Wootten, was almost a farce²⁶, from the fact that medicines of all kinds were scarce in the Confederacy, and worth almost their weight in gold, so that the office of Surgeon, except on battle days, when wounded men were to be cared for, was almost a sinecure²⁷; but in the absence of medicine, the Doctor, by all the little arts known only to the profession, would work upon the imagination of his patients and bring them out, generally, all right, except in cases of camp itch²⁸, which active disease prevailed widely, and positively²⁹ refused to succumb³⁰ to the imaginary efficacy of bread pills.

While in winter quarters, the first court-martial in the battalion was convened³¹; composed of Captains Myers, Chiswell and Anderson, and Lieutenants³² Watts (Co. F,) and Strickler, (Co. E,) and proceeded to the trial of a number of cases of absence without leave, and similar offenses³³.

After the court got through with its business, the report of their proceedings³⁴, showing that they had awarded only such light penalties as extra duty, walking a beat, &c., was handed to the Colonel for his approval, as military law required, when, after examining the report, he came out in a general order at dress parade, denouncing the 158action of the court as folly³⁵, fit only for school-boy nonsense, winding³⁶ up by setting aside all its judgments³⁷ and discharging the delinquents³⁸ unconditionally³⁹, which ended the court-martial business for a year.

Gen. Rosser used to tell a story which illustrated⁴⁰ Col. White’s attention to the minuti? of the business of the battalion, and which will not be out of place here.

On one occasion Gen. Lee wrote to Rosser, saying that no reports had been received for a long time of the ordnance⁴¹ department of White’s Battalion, and asking him to look into the matter, to which Rosser replied that he had never been able to get an ordnance report from that command, and if Gen. Lee could do so he would be glad to see it. This brought a staff officer from army headquarters at once, to get a report; and Gen. R. tells the story as he received it from the officer, who, after calling at Rosser’s quarters, rode over to the battalion, and introducing himself to Colonel White, explained his business. “Very well, sir,” said the Colonel, “go ahead.” And by aid of Adjt. Watts, the report was made out pretty well, until the officer, reading from a paper which he held in his hand, said, “I see, Colonel, that 340 guns have been issued to your command; what report do you make of them?” (White’s men never would carry guns.) The Colonel turned to the Adjutant and asked how many guns were 159on hand, to which he replied, “eighty, sir.” “Well,” said the officer, “how do you account for the 260?” At which, White seemed somewhat perplexed⁴²; but Gen. R. says that while he was studying the matter over, one of the young “Comanches,” in a corner of the tent, said: "Why, Colonel, ain’t them the guns that busted⁴³ in Western Virginia?" “I golly, yaas;” said the Colonel, “they did bust⁴⁴; you sent us a lot of them drotted Richmond carbines, and they like to have killed all the men.” The staff officer put down on his report: “260 guns bursted in Western Virginia,” and took his departure, everything being now accounted for.

1 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 din   

n.喧闹声，嘈杂声

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。

4 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

5 ebb   

vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态

参考例句：

• The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。
• They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

8 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

9 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

10 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

11 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 reeking   

v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象）

参考例句：

• I won't have you reeking with sweat in my bed! 我就不许你混身臭汗，臭烘烘的上我的炕！ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• This is a novel reeking with sentimentalism. 这是一本充满着感伤主义的小说。 来自辞典例句

13 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

14 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

15 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

16 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

17 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

18 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

19 attainments   

成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就

参考例句：

• a young woman of impressive educational attainments 一位学业成就斐然的年轻女子
• He is a scholar of the highest attainments in this field. 他在这一领域是一位颇有造就的学者。

20 orator   

n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• The orator gestured vigorously while speaking.这位演讲者讲话时用力地做手势。

21 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

22 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

23 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

24 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

25 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

26 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

27 sinecure   

n.闲差事，挂名职务

参考例句：

• She found him an exalted sinecure as a Fellow of the Library of Congress.她给他找了一个级别很高的闲职：国会图书馆研究员。
• He even had a job,a sinecure,more highly-paid than his old job had been.他甚至还有一个工作，一个挂名差使，比他原来的工作的待遇要好多了。

28 itch   

n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望

参考例句：

• Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
• He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。

29 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

30 succumb   

v.屈服，屈从；死

参考例句：

• They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
• Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗？

31 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

32 lieutenants   

n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员

参考例句：

• In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中，中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网

33 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

34 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

35 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

36 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

37 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

38 delinquents   

n.（尤指青少年）有过失的人，违法的人( delinquent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The robbery was committed by a group of delinquents. 那起抢劫案是一群青少年干的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There is today general agreement that juvenile delinquents are less responsible than older offenders. 目前人们普遍认为青少年罪犯比成人罪犯的责任小些。 来自辞典例句

39 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分

40 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

41 ordnance   

n.大炮，军械

参考例句：

• She worked in an ordnance factory during the war.战争期间她在一家兵工厂工作。
• Shoes and clothing for the army were scarce,ordnance supplies and drugs were scarcer.军队很缺鞋和衣服，武器供应和药品就更少了。

42 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

43 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

44 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。