A funny journal entry

[RollAlabamaRoll]

As the CSS Shenandoah was sailing through the pacific in late July of 1865, Midshipman Mason started losing his mind to boredom aboard the ship. Here is a funny journal entry I found that he wrote.

"All day long you hear nothing but the old cry: "Royal clewlines!" "Fly jibs down haul or Royal sheets!" "Flying jib haillards!" Etc. I am horribly tired and sick of the sound of blocks & ropes; of being knocked about when lying or sitting, & when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position… I never want to hear a boatswain's whistle again; it is about the only music we have, except perhaps some wretched accordion, horribly preformed on by some amateur artist; of all musical or rather discordant insturments, can anything be more unmusical, more detestable than the accordion? I think the man who invented such an abortion should have been hung for murder in the first degree."

I think the accordion is quite an interesting instrument, but listening to somebody play it all day would probably drive me crazy too.

 

[R. Porter]

As the CSS Shenandoah was sailing through the pacific in late July of 1865, Midshipman Mason started losing his mind to boredom aboard the ship. Here is a funny journal entry I found that he wrote.

"All day long you hear nothing but the old cry: "Royal clewlines!" "Fly jibs down haul or Royal sheets!" "Flying jib haillards!" Etc. I am horribly tired and sick of the sound of blocks & ropes; of being knocked about when lying or sitting, & when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position… I never want to hear a boatswain's whistle again; it is about the only music we have, except perhaps some wretched accordion, horribly preformed on by some amateur artist; of all musical or rather discordant insturments, can anything be more unmusical, more detestable than the accordion? I think the man who invented such an abortion should have been hung for murder in the first degree."

I think the accordion is quite an interesting instrument, but listening to somebody play it all day would probably drive me crazy too.

What does that say about Cajuns?

 

[Bentonville]

What does that say about Cajuns?

Well he obviously hadn't met a good accordionist. My mom has played it in the past and it really is interesting.

As soon as I read this I thought of Mark Twain writing that a true gentleman is a man who can play the banjo and doesn't.

Yes, I play banjo at any opertunity I have.

 

[Reporting History]

He would have been quite at home with Charles Babbage, who had a hatred of street musicians and especially organ grinders!

 

[Bentonville]

He would have been quite at home with Charles Babbage, who had a hatred of street musicians and especially organ grinders!

I only like organ grinders if they have some sort of simian.

 

[John Winn]

What does that say about Cajuns?

Or Texas Germans and their Tejano buddies ?

 

[bankerpapaw]

As the CSS Shenandoah was sailing through the pacific in late July of 1865, Midshipman Mason started losing his mind to boredom aboard the ship. Here is a funny journal entry I found that he wrote.

"All day long you hear nothing but the old cry: "Royal clewlines!" "Fly jibs down haul or Royal sheets!" "Flying jib haillards!" Etc. I am horribly tired and sick of the sound of blocks & ropes; of being knocked about when lying or sitting, & when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position… I never want to hear a boatswain's whistle again; it is about the only music we have, except perhaps some wretched accordion, horribly preformed on by some amateur artist; of all musical or rather discordant insturments, can anything be more unmusical, more detestable than the accordion? I think the man who invented such an abortion should have been hung for murder in the first degree."

I think the accordion is quite an interesting instrument, but listening to somebody play it all day would probably drive me crazy too.

Especially if the person playing it can't carry a tune in a bucket!!

 

[Pollaco]

I knew 3 Czech girls who played and I was quite impressed, Oh and they weren't bad accordian players either.

 

[Waterloo50]

As the CSS Shenandoah was sailing through the pacific in late July of 1865, Midshipman Mason started losing his mind to boredom aboard the ship. Here is a funny journal entry I found that he wrote.

"All day long you hear nothing but the old cry: "Royal clewlines!" "Fly jibs down haul or Royal sheets!" "Flying jib haillards!" Etc. I am horribly tired and sick of the sound of blocks & ropes; of being knocked about when lying or sitting, & when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position… I never want to hear a boatswain's whistle again; it is about the only music we have, except perhaps some wretched accordion, horribly preformed on by some amateur artist; of all musical or rather discordant insturments, can anything be more unmusical, more detestable than the accordion? I think the man who invented such an abortion should have been hung for murder in the first degree."

I think the accordion is quite an interesting instrument, but listening to somebody play it all day would probably drive me crazy too.

when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position.

This sentence alone immediately made me think that Midshipman Mason probably walked like Captain Jack Sparrow whenever he was on dry land. 'Where's the rum gone'…

 

[Bentonville]

when walking, it is always on an inclined plane which is continually changing its position.

This sentence alone immediately made me think that Midshipman Mason probably walked like Captain Jack Sparrow whenever he was on dry land. 'Where's the rum gone'…

I don't miss that about being on the water. Feel like you're rocking around on land.n

 

[RollAlabamaRoll]

I wonder if any infantrymen wrote down in their journals how much they hated the sounds of drums or fife. Eventually I'd get sick of something on the field and I feel like it'd be an instrument.

 

[R. Porter]

I knew 3 Czech girls who played and I was quite impressed, Oh and they weren't bad accordian players either.

Hmmm… seems like there's a song in there, somewhere… Czech girl's got a squeeze-box… somebody doesn't sleep at night, but who? Need to work on that lyric…

 

[Fairfield]

Civil War letters can be quite amusing as well. We have one on file at the local historical society from a father to his son (written just before Bull Run). Apparently the parents were planning to take the train down from Maine to visit the son and asked if there was anything that they could bring. The son checked with all his comrades and came up with a list so long that the father wrote that if he and his wife brought everything requested, they'd have to rent the entire train!

 

[Fairfield]

Hmmm… seems like there's a song in there, somewhere… Czech girl's got a squeeze-box… somebody doesn't sleep at night, but who? Need to work on that lyric…

"Mama's got a squeeze box and Daddy never sleeps at night"

 

[LSBusch]

My gg-grandfather had his own musical complaint while in camp at Fort Halleck, Kentucky. From his diary:

It has got quite warm today and the soldiers is mostly laying in their tents some writing some cleaning their guns some reading some few playing on their violins. At least one man that I was unlucky anough to get my tent in rather close proximity to that of his for me to get out of the squeak of that miserable instrument for any lenght [sic] of time. He is a man that belongs to Co[mpany] K. I dont know his name nor do I wish to.

 

[Biscoitos]

"Mama's got a squeeze box and Daddy never sleeps at night"

 

[Biscoitos]

The Who had a hit with that song "Squeeze Box" as well. It was their only Number 1 Worldwide hit.