Guard Duty at Corinth    

When the 16^th Mississippi Regiment was quartered at Corinth, the guard around their encampment received all sorts of complicated instructions, some of which were forgotten as soon as delivered, while the others were rigidly adhered to by the sentinels.

On one occasion, George Wood, of the Adams Light Guard, was instructed by the corporal of his relief, not to permit any private soldier to cross the lines unless accompanied by a commissioned officer; nor was he to permit any cakes, candies, fresh pork, fruit or whiskey to enter the lines upon any pretence whatever.

"I b’lieve I’ve got ‘em all" said George. "Let me see; nary a soldier to go across the lines on his own hook, that’s one; no cakes, that’s two; candies, is three; fresh pork, is four; fruit, is five; and whiskey makes up a half dozen. All right corporal, you can toddle."

George walked his beat but a few moments when an immense porker came grunting along, evidently well satisfied with his prospects of obtaining a good breakfast from the garbage lying about camp. He by-and-by approached the lines when George suddenly shouted: "Halt!".

A significant grunt was the only response from his porcine friend, who still came nearer. "Halt I say!" yelled George, "ef you don’t I’ll be dad blamed ef I don’t shoot." The pig steadily advanced, when bang went George’s musket, and down dropped the porker as dead as a door nail.

The colonel, who was enjoying his late paper a few feet off, started up at the report of the musket and exclaimed: "How dare you sir, discharge your musket without orders! Call the corporal of the guard."

"Corporal of the guard. Post No. 9! The devil to pay here on my line!" shouted George.

"Arrest that man" said the colonel as the corporal made his appearance.

"Well that’s nice" rejoined George; "to arrest a fellow for obeying orders in tight papers."

"I never gave yeez any orthers to do the like" said the corporal.

"The dence you didn’t" replied George; "hold on there. Didn’t you tell me not to let any soldier cross the line without being accompanied by an officer?"

"I did, av course!"

"Didn’t you tell me not to let any cakes come into the lines?"

"Thrue for yees!"

"How about candies?"

"That’s all right!"

"Then there was fruit?"

"Yis!"

"Whiskey?"

"Niver allowed!"

"And fresh pork!" yelled George. "You don’t spose I was going to let that hog pass my line do you, when I knew it was against orders. When you catch me on post, you can bet your life I’m thar. I obey orders, I do, allus!"

The colonel burst into a roar of laughter and ordered the sentinel to resume his duty. The injunction against admitting fresh pork over the lines was for the time being laid aside.

Confederate camp at Corinth, MS  by Conrad Wise Chapman