October 13 Thursday – Joe Twichell wrote to Sam, enclosing a note of thanks from Brander Matthews, to whom Joe had sent compliments from Sam. “Here is also a leaf from a recent issue of “ the Spectator” he thought interesting. “What wouldn’t I give for a few afternoons of our pedestrian company out on the country roads and into the autumnal woods just now beginning to turn.” He added that Sam’s article in the last Forum on play-acting was perfect. Mollie Dunham and Sally Dunham were “far from well”—he admonished Sam to “hurry back, Mark and Livy, or we’ll all be gone.” Joe pasted the following newspaper clipping (likely from the Hartford Times or the Courant) of a humorous anecdote about Col. Andrew S. Burt and said, “You remember this Andy Burt. He was commandant of a post you visited when you were starting off on your trip around the World. He had been a Brigadier General in the late war; but is now Colonel again.”

The Literary Digest is authority for the following: Soon after Andy Burt was made colonel of the Twenty-first colored regiment he informed his men, then at Chickamauga, that they must play ball an hour every day in order to get hardened up. “And while we are playing,” said he, “remember that I’m not Colonel Burt, but simply Andy Burt.” During the first game the colonel lined out what was a sure home run. “Run, Andy, run, you tallow-faced, knock-kneed son of a gun,” yelled a greasy black soldier at the coaching line. The colonel stopped at first base, got another player to take his place, put on his uniform, and announced: “I am Colonel Burt until further orders” [MTP]. Note: see entries on Burt in Vol. II.