If the fort itself looked dreary, how much more so were the casemates in
which the company was quartered! But Tom's philosophy was proof against
the unpleasant impression, and his joke was as loud and hearty as that of
any of his companions. The men were divided off into messes, and they had
an abundance of work to do in bringing up the company's luggage, and
making their new habitation as comfortable and pleasant as the
circumstances would permit.

The next day the Pinchbrook boys were designated as Company K, and placed
in the regimental line. The limits of this volume do not permit me to
detail the every-day life of the soldier boy while at Fort Warren, however
interesting and instructive it might be to our friends. A large portion of
the forenoon was devoted to squad and company drill, and of the afternoon
to battalion drill. The colonel, though a very diminutive man in stature,
was an enthusiast in military matters, and had the reputation of being one
of the most thorough and skilful officers in the state. Tom Somers, who,
since he joined the company, had felt ashamed of himself because he was no
bigger, became quite reconciled to his low corporeal estate when he found
that the colonel of the regiment was no taller and no heavier than
himself. And when he heard the high praise bestowed upon the colonel's
military skill and martial energy, he came to the conclusion that it does
not require a big man to make a good soldier. With a feeling of
satisfaction he recalled the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte, when he
commanded the army of Italy, was scarcely a bigger man than the colonel or
himself.

The colonel was a strict disciplinarian, and he soon diffused his energy
throughout the regiment. It made rapid progress in its military education.
Tom was deeply interested in the details of his new profession, and used
his best endeavors to do his duty promptly and faithfully. This was not