1  Bucks County Intelligencer, Private In Guardhouse Turns Offense Into Joke  Page B-EIGHT  Col. 1-2 1

 

Private In Guardhouse

Turns Offense Into Joke

Want to hear a good one?

One of the best Civil War

jokes took place at Camp Lacey,

Doylestown at the guard house—

and the hero of it was a private

by the name of Wesley Peake.

“Upon one occasion he drank

too much bad whiskey,” said

W.W.H. Davis colonel of the

104th Pennsylvania Regiment,

Doylestown, “and he was sent to

the guard house for punishment.

“He was sentenced to walk

the post with a placard on his

back, containing the word

‘Drunk’, in large letter.”

While explaining his offence,

Davis explained, a woman came

to the gate and was surprised by

the letters on his back.

She stopped to look at them

and tried to make them out. 

But, not being very well versed

in English, she spelled the word

as far as the letter “u.”

She repeated it several times

and was about to give up in de-

spair when Peake overheard

her.

“Madam,” he said.  “The let-

ters are d-r-u-m.  And they spell

drum.  I’m the drum – major of

the regiment.”

Not being particularly versed

in military matters, she accept-

ed his explanation and turned

away entirely satisfied.

 

 

 

 

Courtesy of the Spruance Library of the Bucks County Historical Society, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa. 18901, (215)345-0210


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