Y.jle Universitv Lihrary 39002032151939 :in|lll]l|ll!||il|i|||r III iiiii ijli' !iji'ii!:!Kiii;iii)imiiii^ L ^^ TO THE READER: It may be well to acquaint the reader with a few of the facts which brought about the idea of compiling and putting into book form the records of the two companies of volunteer soldiers, who represented Whiteside Coun- tj' in the Spanish American War of 1898. I do not flat ter myself with the expectation that this work will be considered as in the line of histories as they are written today, this being my initial, and without a question of doubt, final attempt in this line. In recent years many such histories of the Civil War have been written by ex-soldiers and the lapse of time rendered the task an extremely difficult one. As time rolls on and the num ber of veterans grows less, the more valuable to those remaining, become the records which contain the detail of their soldier life. In view of these facts I determined on publishing an account of the experiences of companies I and E while the many details were yet clear and distinct. The material for the contents of the book con sists chiefiy in letters written in the various camps by Charles Hoobler, of company E, and myself, a high private in the rear rank of company I. These letters were published daily or weekly by the home papers and contain the correct dates of all movements besides many other items of interest which would now be difficult to obtain in any other manner. In addition to this history, I deemed it nothing more 4 History of Companies I and E. than just to include as briefly as possible a record of the organization and previous existence of'the two compa nies as a portion of the Illinois National Guard who readily responded to the call for volunteers and by re quest of the President were given the preference over other civilian soldiers. The many difficulties met with, arising from the seeming inability to secure"correct dates and facts covering the period between the organization of the companies and the outbreak of the Spanish American War, were partially overcome by'' the hearty co-operation and invaluable aid of members"" and ex- members of both companies. For this assistance 1 feel deeply indebted to them. As a finale, and a fitting close to the following P^g- es, a sketch of the present conditions'of both companies has been utilized. To the volunteer, present and ex-members of com panies I and E and to their friends, this book is dedicated. Respectfully R. S. BUNZEY. PART 1. HISTORY OF COMPANIES I ANI) E. CHAPTER I. Organization And Muster-In Of Companies I And E, Sixth Infantry Illinois National Guards, And Subsequent Events Occur ring Previous To Their Volunteer Service In The Spanish-Ameri can War Of I898. Company I. Compajiy I Sixth Infantry Illinois National Guards of to-day, was organized during the summer of 1878 and mustered into the service of the State on the nth day of September of the same year, under the laws enacted by the Legislature and in force July ist, 1877 which authorized the organization of such St'ate troops. It was designated as Company C and assigned to the 14th Battalion, which was commanded at that period by Lieut. Col. W. P. Butler, with head quarters at Rock Island, Ills. The subject of forming a company of State militia was agitated more or less for some time by a number of veterans of the Civil War. 8 History of Companies I and E. The promoters of the idea and most active and ener getic in the work of organizing, were: Attorney George H. Fay, John Grierson and A D. Hill, all of whom saw several years service in the war of the Rebellion; George Fay holding a Captain's commission in Com pany B 147th Illinois Infantry; John Grierson a 2nd Lieutenants commission in Company H 14th, New York Heavy Art.; and A. D. Hill serving in a Pennsyl vania Regiment. These, with a number of other citizens, held several meetings in Attorney Fay's office. A paper was circulated about the town soliciting signatures of citizens capable of military duty and who were willing to aid in the organization of the company and serve the State should the required number be secured. In a very short time the following names were enrolled, a total of seventy-six, and a request made for a muster ing officer to swear in the company : A.D.Hill, H.Nash. George H. Fay, C. H. Planthaber, Cornelius Quackenbush, F. M. Judd, George Buckley, William Winters, George W. Stafford, Milton Morse, Ed. A. Worrell, J. N. Jackson, William Wilson, Henry Brown, Charles F. McKee, J. A. Newbury, Jacob Feldman, S. Switzer, Henry Minder, George C. Wilcox, A. C. McAllister, Frank Fitzgerald, J. M. Williamson, Peter Spears, Fred Mathews, J. N, Baird, E. St. John, Charles H. Trauger, J. W. McKee, W. B. McClary, E. Blodgett, C. W. Spears, PUI VATE RICHARD YATES, Co. I, 5th Inf., 111. N. G., 1885. Governor of 111. and Commander-in-Chief of the Military and Naval Forces, 1901. Illinois National Guards. 9 A. Farrington, George B. Day, J. A. Nowlen, John Grierson, H. H. Marshall, C. M. Johnson, Harry Sterhng, William Hogan, C. H. Marshall, J. C. Childs, Henry Levitt, William Anderson, Frank E. James, J. F. Wellington, G. B. Adams, J. B. Kir man, C. F. Montague, William J. Reutlinger, Charles P. Holt, Benjamin J. Atwater, A. C. Buttery, F. J. Johnson, A. A. Mattern, F. M. Fox, M. R. Kelly, P. F. Hellerstedt, F. E. Strawder, Charles D. White, William Gishbel, William Kincade, P. R. Boyd, H. S. Ferguson, James Dean, A. Richtmyer, R.W. Sholes, Z. T. Anderson, Frank Mann, Daniel Bowdish, D. Bray, J. M. Murphy, John Lucas, Curtis Johnson, Clarence Clark, D. J. Goodill. For various reasons a number of those whose sig natures appear on this roll, failed to take the oath at the time ofthe muster-in of the company; some vvere^; phy sically unable; others had business interests ^which in justice to themselves could not be neglected, yet all took a personal interest and contributed their moral and ^ma terial support in the work until it became 'necessary for them lo withdraw, when they stepped down and out, making way for others who were anxious to become a part of the company and were more conveniently situ ated to give the time and attention to drill and other 10 History of Companies I and E. duties which would necessarily devolve upon them to se cure and maintain a standard of efficiency which would prove a credit, not alone to themselves, but also to the town and state. Thus upon the arrival of the muster ing officer, Captain Hawse of Moline, Adjutant ofthe 14th Battalion, the actual number in readiness to take the oath was but a portion of the total who had signified their willingness in the days previous. The company as mustered in on this date, Sept. nth, 1878, is here giv en: Captain, (Iforge H. Fay, 1st. Lieutenant, Cornelius Quackenbush, '2ncl. Lieutenant. John Grierson, 1st. Sergeant. Alonzo Richtmyer, 1st Duty Sergeant, George C. Wilson, 2nd " " Z. T. Anderson, 3rd '• " Albert A. Mattern, Ith " " George Buckley, Corporal Frank V. Johnson, ¦' William Wilson, Benjamin J. Atv?ater, Peter Martin, Milton Morse, Clarence G. Clark, Oscar Rounds, Henry Levitt, Musician Cha'rles Trauger, Private Bogart, Cornelius Buttery, Arthur C, Bray, Dennis Bartholomew, George L. ¦' Bowdish, Daniel G. '' Casey, William il History of Companies I and E. 11 Private Dean, James Fox, Frank M. Gilroy, Edward A. " Honcler, Augustus " Hendricks, Jesse Y. " Hanna, Robert H. Haskin, Ezra C. " Humphrey. Erastus B. " Johnson, John " Johnson, Curtis " Kinney, James Mouck, Solomon P. Marshall, Charles H. '• Montague, Charles F. Nash, Henry G. " Planthaber, Charles " Reutlinger, Henry G. " Story, James " Strawn, Frank H. Worrell, Edward A. Wood, Robert Making a total of three commissioned officers and forty-one enlisted men. The men as a company, were highly elated by the success so far attained and the re cruiting was energetically continued, which soon resulted in a company with a full complement of enlisted men. Several, who were unavoidably detained from being present at the time of the muster in of the company by sickness and absence from the- city, took advantage of the first opportunity to enroll their names on the compa ny roster. The choice of commissioned officers proved ¦ to be an e-xtrernely wise selection ; their knowledge of military 12 History of Companies I and E. affairs had been gained in a school where war was a cold fact and they had been taught the value and ne cessity of strict obedience and discipline. The compa ny was the beneficiary of the experiences of these drilled men, and, composed as it was, largely of veterans, its members quickly attained a proficiency in military tac tics, of which they were justly proud. With few excep tions, the rule established at this early date has been rig idly adhered to and a great deal of consideration has been given to the selection of commissioned officers, as to the fitness and ability of the candidate for the posi tion to which he aspired, which could be obtained only through the ballots of the enlisted men and, if, at any time they have considered themselves unfortunate in this regard, they, and they alone were responsible, as the power was in their hands to place in these positions men of ability and of their own choice, thus leaving them no room for a grievance in not doing so. For several years this company was widely known as the "Morrison Rifles," just hovv and where it de rived this title it has been impossible to learn, and to-day should it be referred to as such, very few would un derstand the reference as anything in connection with company I, only in a dreamy, misty manner of some thing suddenly recalled to the mind which had been nearly, if not quite forgotten. The first arms issued it by the State were muz zle loading rifles of the Enfield pattern and it was sever al years before it was enabled to secure breechload- ing guns, and then only by dint of continually pethioning the Adjutant General of the State to equip the men with an arm which was not obsolete and practicall}' out of date as a service arm. BUIG. (lEN. J. N. EEECB, Adj.- Gen. Illinois National Guards. 13 Por an armory and drill room, the basement of the old frame building which stood on the lot now occu pied by the Hub Clothing Store was secured, remain ing here but a short time, the company removed to the City Council room, and shortly afterward to the sec ond floor of Hollar Smith's blacksmith shop on east Main street. At that time the members considered themselves extremely fortunate in being so snugly locat ed. From here they"trekked"to Milne's opera house, and later to the old skating rink on Grove street where they were at home at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. Very little attention was given to target practice for several years. The cause for the lack of enthusiasm in this respect was accounted for in the difficulty in secur ing the necessary ammunition and ordnance supplies with which to carry on a successful shoot, saying nothing of the expense connected with the building of rifle butts etc., for which the men were compelled to secure funds without expense to the State. The officers higher in command of the troops evidently took but little inter est in this matter which today, is considered a very es sential feature in determining the efiiciency of the Na tional Guard. The fact now being recognized that while the men may be proficient in the manual of arms and precise in executing maneuvers they would be of little value in actual service without some experience in the care and handling of the rifle. Not alone in this matter were the men expected to defray their own ex penses; each member was obliged to equip himself with a uniform at a cost of seven dollars. What would the Guardsmen of today think of the proposition of purchasing the uniforms they wear? 14 History of Companies I and E. Would they do it ? It is hardly probable. They would stand aghast at the suggestion of such an absurd idea; and to consider that the State placed so little value on our voluntary service would be likened to the shaking of a red mantle in the face of an angry bull, and the re cruiting officers must needs to have made a "fine art" of their work should they hope to retain a "corporals guard" in the ranks. A great many surprising things are found in searching the files of the early correspon dence of the company. There appears to have been no understanding between the State authorities and the railroads by which troops could be moved on short no tice. The transportation of a company meant days of cor respondence regarding the manner in which the settle ment should be made, the company commander being ex pected to make the necessary arrangements for the hand ling of his men. These were a few ofthe obstacles with which the men and officers were obliged to contend in those days, and the most surprising feature of it all is, that the National Guard could exist under the regulations inforce at that time. Company C attended its first State encampment at Camp Cullom, at Springfield, September i6th to 19th, 1879, bringing with it on its return home an excellent report of the condition of the company as measured by the standard of other troops present. For this encampment the 2nd Brigade received no compensation whatever, at least Company C did iKjt, on account of lack of funds, and for this reason there was no encampment the following two years. That portion of the appropri ation made for this purpose by the State, being distribu ted among the different regimental and company com manders for the benefit of their commands. The first Illinois National Guards. 1,5 public parade the company participated in was at Morri- rison, July 4th, 1879. Company B of Moline, com manded by Captain William C. Bennett, was invited and was present and the two companies made a fine ap pearance; it being the tirst military parade in the city, since immediately after the Civil War. The year following, and with few exceptions, each Memorial day since, an invitation has been extended to them from the G. A. R. Post to participate in the cer emonies on that day. July3 rd, 1880, by invitation, the company went to Mt. Carroll, 111., taking part in the cele bration of Independence Day, (the 4th falling on Sun day.) In September, the same year, it attended the Sterling Fair in a body, camping on the grounds the 15th, 16th and 17th., returning the evening of the 17th. While there, it acted as escort for General Grant and Governor Cullom. In July 1880, William Clendenin was commis sioned Lieut. Colonel and placed in command of the 14th Battalion, establishing headquarters at Moline. William Clendenin was born and reared in Morrison; he served two years in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting as a private and being promoted, step by step, from the ranks, and on March 21st, 1866 was mustered out of the service as ist Lieut, of Company A, io8th U. S. Colored Infantry. He removed to Moline in 1871. Becoming in terested in the National Guard in its infancy, he was commissioned 2nd Lieut, of Company B (afterward Company P) and held successively, the rank of ist Lieut, and Captain, and was made Major of the 14th Battalion, May 30th, 1879, and Lieut. Colonel in July, 1880. In 1882 the National Guard of Illinois was re- 10 History of Companies I and E. organized and he was elected Colonel of the Sixth Regi ment May 17th of that year, being twice re-elected to the command of the Sixth. December 28th, 1892, he was promoted by Governor Fifer to the rank of Brigadier General and assigned to command the Third Brigade, Governor Altgeld removing him March 28th, 1893, In April 1898, Governor Tnnner appointed him Inspector of -the Illinois National Guard, with the rank of Colonel. During the following May he organized a provisional reg iment and tendered its services to the U. S. Government in case there shoulci be a call for more troops during the war with Spain. Among the Field and Staff of this regiment were, his son Frank J. Clendenin, Major; and Thaddeus L. Rounds, Assistant Surgeon, both well known to many citizens of Whiteside county. May 15th, 1899 Governor Tanner replaced him in command of the Third Brigade with the rank of Brigadier General, which com mission he yet retains. General Clendenin's record in the Illinois National Guard, is an enviable one. He has held every commis sioned office in the service from 2nd Lieutenant to that of Brigadier General, and is the proud possessor of ten commissions issued to him by the Governors of Illinois. Not alone this, but in his career as an officer, he has won the respect and esteem of all the men who have served under him, and in the history of the Illinois National Guard, his name will be given an honored place. The effect of having no State encampment for two years, was very demoralizing to the compan-y; 2nd Lieut. Grierson had resigned in the summer of 1879. Sheriff E. A. Worrell succeeding him; Lieut. Worrell resigning in September 1880, this vacancy being filled by the election of E- P- Stokes who resigned in 1882- BRIG. GEN. WM. CLBNDKNIN, Commanding Third Brigade. Illinois National Guards. 17 Captain Fay also resigned in 1882; ist Lieut. Quacken bush having resigned in September, 1 88 1, his successor being Z. T. Anderson, who resigned in April, 1882. This found the company without a commissioned officer, the command devolving upon Sergeant E. B. Hump hrey, and appears to have been a very critical period in its history. It was seemingly on the point of dissolu tion, and in all probability would have been disband ed, had not Frank Clendenin, a brother of. General Clendenin, and post master at that time, accepted a commission in the company. He was unanimously elected 1st Lieutenant in June 1882, Curtis Johnson being commissioned 2nd Lieutenant at the same time. Lieut. Clendenin was promoted to Captain and 2nd Lieut. Johnson to the rank of ist Lieutenant the following August with William Brearton succeeding as 2nd Lieu tenant, which commission he retained until his removal from the state in 1883. With Captain Clendenin in command and the able assistance rendered by Lieutenants Johnson and Brearton the organization received a new impetus and was rap idly re-built and strengthened until it once more at tained a desirable standing. But this tranquility was not of long duration. During the tour of camp dnty at Springfield in 1882, which was the first since 1879, Cap tain Clendenin was appointed Aid-de-Camp, with the rank of Colonel, on Governor Cullom's Staff from the 7th Congressional District. He retained this commission through the administrations of Governors Cullom, Hamil ton, Oglesby and Fifer, until June 1889, when he re moved from the 7th District. The loss of Captain Clen denin was a severe one to the company. He was a vet eran of the Civil War, having entered the service a§ 18 History- of Companies I and E. Captain, commanding Company B., 147th Illinois Infan try and shortly promoted to Major, which rank he re tained until the close of the war. He was an able succes sor to the command, following the resignation of Captain Fay, the men parting from him with regret. At about this time ist Lieut. Johnson tendered his resignation. In November, Cornelius Quackenbush was commissioned Captain, and Sergeant N. James Cole ist Lieutenant. Illinois National Guards. 19 CHAPTER n. The Illinois National Guard was re-organized in the year of 1882, the 14th Battalion being merged into the Sixth Regiment with Lieut. Colonel Clendenin. commis sioned Colonel, in command. It was at this time that Companjr C was designated as Company I. D. J. Foster of Chicago was appointed Lieut. Colo nel; H. T. DePue, Major; John H. Porter, Regimental Quartermaster with the rank of ist. Lieutenant, and Ed. Kittilsen, Sergeant Major of the regiment. In the formation of regiments there were no such divisions as Battalions, consequently there was but one Major and one Adjutant. During encampment there were regimental and company drills and occasionally the regiment would be made up into divisions, the command of each division falling to the ranking Captain and in this manner attaining soniething similar to the Battalion for mation of today. Lieut Colonel Foster was twice re-elected, and on January 13th, 1893, he was commissioned Colonel of the Sixth Regiment, which position he has held contin- ousl}' up to the present time. Sergeant Major Ed Kittilsen first entered the mili tary service in an independent organization in 1875, and in 1877, when the Illinois National Guard was organized he enlisted in the 14th Battalion, was promoted to Regi mental Sergeant Major, and appointed Major in 1886, 20 History of Companies I and E. and on January i3lh, 1893, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the Sixth Regiment, serving in this capacity up to the present time. The affairs of Companj' I (as it is now designated) ran quite smoothly for some time. Encampments were held annually. For three successive years, 1882, 1883 and 1884, the camp grounds were located about five miltes north-east of Springfield, and officially named Camp Logan. The year following, 1885, the location was changed to one and a half miles north and east of the city and named Camp Dickey. About this time the state purchased the grounds where Camp Lincoln is now lo cated, and a permanent camp-ground established. Camp Lincoln lies about two miles north-west of Springfield and is a very desirable location. Just inside the entrance gate lies the wide drill and parade ground ; bordering on this and running north, is the camp grourid proper, where the tents are pitched. This ground is thinly studded with shade trees. In the rear of this is found the large swimming pool, biiilt of masonry, and yet farther back and to the left, is located the rifle range. The only serious drawback to Camp Lincoln is found in the drinking water, which is carried to the grounds from the cit}' in pipes running on top of the ground for a long distance, making the water very warm and it is anything but a pleasant drink. This contributes a great deal to the sickness which appears in camp soon after the arrival of the troops. The street car line has been extended to the grounds and terminates just Outside the entrance gate, making the city quickly and easily reached. Camp week is looked forward to, for months. It is the one incentive, urging the men to extra work, in Entrance gate at Camp I/incoln. Illinois National Guards. 21 preparing themselves to appear before the public as sol diers. It is the only break in an otherwise monotonous, un-remunerative, voluntary service and is very beneficial to the troops, bringing the offii:ers and men of the regi ment in contact with each other, where discipline and obe dience are not only expected, but demanded; teaching the men that a soldier's life is based upon those two princi ples; also teaching them the duties of a soldier in many ways. The knowledge thus gained being invaluable, and attainable in no other manner. Why the friends at home continue to retain such an erroneous idea regard ing the actions of the men while at camp, has alwaj's been a mystery. There is nothing to warrant this injus tice. Is it a cause for wonderment then that many de sirable young men, who otherwise would gladly enter the service, for this reason are deterred from doing so? They have given weeks and months, without re compense, in making preparations for this week of duty. After a hard day's work in the store or shop, or at their trade, it is necessary to devote hours to instructing them selves in the duties of a soldier, which, although it maj' have its attractions, is never-the-less hard work. Without the support of friends at home, what inducement is there for a company commander to neglect his own personal affairs and devote the necessary time to his company to fit the men to appear before the people of the state, and the Governor, their commander-in-chief, who are ever ready to criticise, reflecting on the fitness of this or that officer for the position which he holds. If the men, as soldiers, fall below a certain standard, the public will ask, "are we being taxed for the support and maintenance of those untrained, poorly drilled men who dare to call themselves soldiers?" And the public is justified in de- 22 History- of Companies I and E. manding something more from the soldier, than merely being able to wear the uniform of the state and carry the rifle at a right shoulder, but in return it should respect these same men for this voluntary service and should con tribute its moral support to the work of securing and maintaining a degree of efficiency, which will reflect cre dit on the officers, the men and the State. Following the resignation of Lieut. Brearton in March 1883, Charles F. Montague was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, resigning in May 1884, being succeeded by Sergeant E. B. Humphrey in June 1884; Captain Quackenbush resigned in April 1884, Lieut. Cole suc ceeding him in the command of the company; W. F. Colebaugh was elected ist Lieutenant in January 1884 and was promoted to the rank of Captain upon the re signation of Captain Cole which occurred in March 1885, Henry Griffiths being elected ist Lieutenant in April. September 5th, 1885, the company was an attrac tion at the Morrison Fair. While in attendance at the Sterling Fair, one week later, it first met the Chicago Zouaves and after witnessing theii fanc}' drill, decided to organize a corps. Thi.s consisted of twelve finely drilled men and a Captain. They soon attained a degree of ef ficiency and precision in the intricate, silent drill which they adopted, which would warrant their appearing in public, and they rarely failed in giving general satisfac tion in their performance. After an appearance in Clinton, la., where they had been secured as an attraction at a celebration, the Clinton Daily News had this to say regarding them: "Following the Rifles, a company of Zouaves from Morrison, Illinois, gave an unique drill. Attired in their novel uniform, they attracted much atten tion and gave an interesting drill, performing their various N. J. COLE, Capt. Oo. I, III. N. G. Showing style ot uniform worn in the 80's. Illinois National Guards. 23 movements with much rapidity and precision.' In re tiring from the field, the company made a charge upon a fence, some twelve feet in height, erected in the centre of the park, which they scaled with but little effort. The front rank, upon reaching the barricade, stooped their heads and those following mounted upon their shoulders and from there grasped the top of the fence and were over in a twinkling. This was continued until only one man remained below. How this man would get over was quickly settled by two comrades above lowering a gun, which was grasped, and he was drawn up over, amid loud applause. This closed the finest military drill ever seen in this city, if not in the state of Iowa." This will give the reader an idea as to what consti tuted a part of their performance and the success they attained in delivering it. The expenses for maintaining such an organization were rather more than was anticipa ted, and after a season or two, with varying success fi nancially, they disbanded. Another corps was formedla- ter but was of short life, meeting with the same difficul ties as the former corps, in securing financial support. April 1st, 1886, Captain Colebaugh and 2nd Lieut. Humphrey resigned. Two weeks later the company was ordered to East St. Louis and was on duty there during the Martin Iron strike. It entered this service with depleted ranks : not more than twenty-five enlisted men andone commissioned officer, ist Lieut. H. H. Grif fiths. An election of officers was held shortly after its arrival upon the scene which resulted in the selection of Lieut. Griffiths as Captain ; T. S. Beach ist. Lieut., and John M. Colebaugh, 2nd Lieutenant. Lieutenant Beach, who was Sheriff of Whiteside County at the time, had been serving as a private. The St. Louis 21 History of Companies I and E. experiences were varied and many. One of the boys, through nervousness and over excitement, ran his bayo net through a stray pig which was rooting about the guard line and then deserted his post, thinking the steel had entered the heart of some rioter, who had been in tent on taking his hfe. In all probability fresh pork was a necessary adjunct to the bill of fare for some days following. The company also charged and captured a cannon ( ?) in following its line of duty. This it retained as a trophy of the exploit, and is with the company to day, very few of the men knowing how or where it was secured. The service at this riot covered a period of fif teen days, from April twenty-first to May fifth, and on it's return it first realized how lightly the services of the National Guard were valued. The State generously meted out to each the mere pittance of forty nine cents per diem, corresponding with the pay allowance of the regular army. Serious trouble was narrowly averted by the State as the enlisted men of the Illinois National Guard strongly objected to leaving good positions, com manding good salaries, to stand guard and perform other irksome duties during riots or other disturbances for the pay of the regular army man, and the troops from all over the state protested so strongly that the Legislature took the matter up and it resulted in a material increase in their salary while on such duties, fixing a rate of two dollars per day for all enlisted men. This timely action taken by the State overcame the then present dif ficulties and produced a very salutary effect on the State troops. Their conduct and soldierly bearing, together with the yeoman service performed when called for duty, was considered worthy of recognition by the people, to whom the memories of the soldier life of the Civil War o a; Illinois National Guards. 25 were yet clear and vivid, and who realized that the ser vices of the men who stood ready and willing to go where duty called in the cause of justice and good gov ernment, should not go unrewarded. From this time the State troops have steadily improved in efficiency. 1st Lieutenant Beach resigned in January 1887, and William Brearton, who had returned to Morrison, to reside, was commissioned ist Lieutenant to fill the vacancy. Previous to this and shortly following his second enlistment, Lieut. Brearton had been appointed Regimental Commissary Sergeant, whioh position he held at the time of receiving his commission. Cap tain Griffiths resigned in April 1888, William , Colebaugh again succeeding to the command of the company, re taining his commission until the expiration of his term of service, three years. 2nd Lieut. John Colebaugh re mained with the company until 1889, his commission expired in April of this year, and Harry T. Guffin was elected to the rank which he vacated. Looking backward a few months, we find our neigh boring city, of Sterling, had been deeply interested, for some time past, in the forming of a company of State Guta'ds. Let us leave company I for a brief period and follow the fortunes of the boys of our sister city. 26 History' of Companies I and E. CHAPTER III. Company E. Company E was organized and mustered into the State service at Sterling, 111., in the spring of 1888. Some years previous a company of militia had existed there, known as the "SterhngCity Guards." This organi zation disbanded some five years prior to the organiza tion of Company E., and military matters remained very quiet for a time until the subject of forming a company of State Guards was taken up and agitated by a number of citizens of the town, among whom were John W. Niles, Dr, Frank Anthony and T. S. Beach. These men were chiefly instrumental in organizing and developing the company and devoted considerable time to the work in order to secure a desirable membership of young men, and in various ways building the foundation in such a manner as to interest the towns-people in the future of the company, permanently securing the location of this company of National Guards. John Niles saw service in an Iowf« regiment through out the Civil War. The knowledge thus secured proved to be most valuable and he was naturally looked upon as the leader in the work. Dr. Anthony, a life long resident of Sterling and widely known as a physician of more than ordinary Illinois National Guards. 27 ability and Thos. S. Beach, ex-sheriff of Whiteside coun ty and an ex-member of Company I of Morrison, with the hearty co-operation of a number of other influential citizens, added their combined efforts in bringing the venture to a successful termination. Not long after the idea originated, the desired membership was secured and Colonel T. Ewert, Assistant Adjutant General of the State came to Sterling by request to administer the oath and on March 24th, 1888, the following company was mustered into the service. ' Captain, John W. Niles. 1st Lieutenant, Thomas S. Beach. 2nd Lieutenant, Frank Anthony. JohnA. Haberer. Lewis F. Eisele. Walter N. Haskell. Goodicil B. Dillon. Samuel T. Mangan. Charles S. Hall. Frank D. Ely. . James F. Criswell. Orville P. Bassett. Angell, William E. Adair, Ambrose. Burke, Harry T. Bickford, Jo.seph M. Boyers, Joseph. Crawford, Robert G. Connor, John R. Cook, Ward W. Cochrane, Albert G. Cushman, John W. Grimes. Frank A. 1st Sergeant 2nd Sergeant, 3rd 4th " 5th " Corporal, Private 28 History of Companies I and E. Private Hoover, Harry G. Hills, Edward O. K Hess, Albert H. u Howland, Harry T. Haberly, Frank F. Haskell, William W. Johnson, J. Stanley. " Kline, John L. ' Lawrie, Wihiam F. -'>' '• Llewellyn. David. Mangan, William F. Mangan, E.J. Mangan, R. L. Myer, Adam B. Osmer, Sydney C. " Rock, Edwin S. Stoddard, Fred R. " Shumaker, Charles N. > " Smith, Jesse. ; " Van Horne, E. Burt. Woods, RoUin H. Woodworth, Clarence Williams, Albert A. Williams, B. Frank. " Winters, James C. The company was designated as E and attached to the Sixth Regiment. Each member immediately put a shoulder to the wheel and made every effort to estab lish a degree of efficiency, second to none in the regi ment, in which they were more than successful. It is admitted by those familiar with the affairs of the Sixth that this company has always retained a very desirable position in the ranks having been well officer- BRIG.- GEN. CHAS. FITZSIMONS, Commanding First Brigade. Illinois National Guards. 29 ed and fortunate in securing desirable members. The Wallace Hall which was located on the present site of the Masonic Temple was secured as a drill room and for a short time was the home of the company, later remov ing to the old skating rink where it remained about two years when the present armory was leased and afterward purchased, remodeled and enlarged, making a one story drill room forty feet in width by one hundred feet in length with a two story front. This building is located north of 4th, on Locust street. During the first few years, each member was asses sed $2.00 membership fee and an additional sum annual ly. The receipts from this source being added to the company fund account and in this manner they were en abled to secure the necessary amount with which to meet the running expenses, avoiding the embarrassing situation of an accumulation of unpaid bills, and placing themselves on a substantial footing financially. It is quite evident to a close observer that company E has been very fortunate in almost every manner from the first. As before stated, its members have devoted a great deal of energy in attaining a very creditable degree of proficiency in military tactics. They have from the first been very careful in the selection of both commis sioned and non-commissioned officers and in addition, ' they early secured and retained the respect of their home people, which means more to, and has a greater degree of influence with the Guardsmen than the gener al public may be aware of. At any time could be found a half dozen or more Company E boys attached to the regimental commissioned or non-commissioned staff, thus placing them in a situation whereby unwonted fa vors were easily secured and taken advantage of to the 30 History of Companies I and E. benefit of the individual members of the company which were highly appreciated and gave an added interest to the work, creating a feeling of good fellowship between the company members and the regimental officers, a very pleasing situation for all concerned. The general condition of the company has remained normal during its entire history, giving but few opportunhies for a great amount of noise to be made at any certain period, yet producing a coveted condition of affairs and reflect- inohn M. Colebaugh Harry T. Guffin S. Wellington Baker, A. Rollin Baird, Harry T, Guffin, George H. Kentfield, *Edward C. Lawton, Walter 11. Clark, Charles Puddifoot, Ernest J. Weaver, Jacob L, Rockey, Aus. 1, 1882, July 28, 1883, June 27, 1884, Apr. 28, 1886, May 13, 1889, May 23, 1890, Aug, 8, 1891, May 8, 1893, July 24, 1893, Apr. 2, 1894, May 30, 1895, July 9, 1896, June 29, 1897, March 9, 1899, Resigned March — 1883, Resigned May 27, 1884. Resigned Apr. 1, 1886, Commission expired Apr, 28, 1889, Commissioned 1st, Lieut. May 23, 189&'. Resigned July 28, 1891. Resigned Apr. 10, 1893. Commissioned 1st. Lieut. July 24, 1893. Resigned March 20, 1894. Commissioned 1st. Lieut. May 30, 1895. , designed June— 1890. Resigned June 17, 1897. Resigned May 14, 1898. ENLISTED MEN, Kame DATE OF ENLISTMENT HEMAKKS Anderson, Z. T. Atwater, Benjamin J, Alexander, Thornton Austin, Will G. Austin, A. E. tAnderson, H. F. Allen, William Adams, Henry W. Anderson, Nils Aldrich, Albert Adams, Ray Annan, George Annan, Frank W. Annan, Floyd J. Buckley, George Bogart, Cornelius Buttery, Arthur 0. Bray, Dennis Bartholomew, Geo. L. Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Dec. 10, 1878, June 19,1882, June 20, 1882, Apr. 12, 1883, Apr.25, 1889, May 30, 1895, Apr, 9, 1896, Aug. 9,1897 May 18, 1899. Aug. 31, 1899. May 1, 1900. Mch. 7, 1901. Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sergeant. 1st. Lieut Commissioned No date. Feb. 24, 1880. Corporal. Feb. 24,1880. Sergeant. lune 6, 1883. July 9, 1887, Corporal, Sergeant, July 29, 1890. Aug. 28, 1899. May 28, 1898. Aug. 28, 1899. Sept. 7, 1880. Sergeant. Dec. 15, 1882. Nov. 6, 1883 Corporal, Ser geant. Feb. 24, 1880. July 5, 18S3. Corpora). Illinois National Guards. 53 tBowdish, Daniel G. (C (( Bowdish, Williara B. Brandt, John N. Burns, Howard Buell, George A. Barke, Michael Brearton, Wm. S. Berry, Daniel S. Ball, William A. Bartlett, C. C. Beach, T. S. Borland, Jaraes A. Bartlett, C. N. t Bartlett. O. J. Brett, George tBaker, S. Wellington, (( (( (( fBoze, William S., Burke, Charles E,, Brown, Charles C, Bent, Paul A,, Baird, A, Rollin, (( tt tt Boyle, Edward P,, Sept, 11, 1878, May 8, 1884, Mch, 22, 1879, Aug. 15, 1879, Aug. 26, 1879, July 12, 1880, Aug, 30, 1880, June 8, 1882, J une 4, 1886, June 8, 1882, June 23, 1882, June 26, 1882, Nov. 30, 1882, Mch. 8, 1883, May 31, 1883, Feb. 28, 1884, June 28, 1884, Apr. 22, 1885, May 15, 1890, Feb, 4, 1892, Feb. 10, 1886, June 4, 1886, July 15, 1886, July 11, 1895, May 24, 1888, Oct. 17, 1892, May 31, 1888, June 4, 1891, Aug. 2, 1888, May 24, 1883. July 7, 1886. May 22, 1884, Sept, 1, 1884. Oct. 17, 1883. Corporal, Ser geant. July 10, 1885. Corporal: Ser geant. Feb. 27, 1883. Commissioned 2nd. Lieut- Aug. 1, 1882. Appointed Regimental Commissary Sergeant Ouly 21, 1886. Commissioned 1st. Lieut. May 16. 1887. May 24, 1883. Oct. 17, 1883. Nov. 25, 1885. Musician. Corporal, Sergeant. Com missioned 1st. Lieut. Apr. 28, 1886. Oct. 6, 1884. May 15, 1885. Corporal, July 2, 1886. Corporal, Ser geant. Oct. 6, 1884. Apr. 30, 1890. Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieu tenant May 23, 1890. Commissioned 1st Lieu tenant June 2, 1892, May 16, 1887. Corporal. Nov. 13, 1888. Nov. 13, 1888. Mch. 28, 1898. May 24, 1891. Aug. 4, 1893, Corporal, Ser geant. June 1, 1891. Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieu tenant August 8, 1891. July 29, 1890. 54 History of Companies I and E. Boyer, E. C, *Burritt, Walter E., Borgman, Harry, Bly, Timothy, a tl Bunzey, Rufus S. Bunzey, Fred A., *Bent, Fred D., (( (( (( Boyd, Herbert N , *Baird, Joseph S., ?Bailey, Thomao, Bush, Ira E , Bailey, John A., *Bent, John E, Bnmson, Charles D., Berry, Charles, (( tt Berry; Harrison, T , Bailey, Wilbur E,, Boyd, William J , Bailey, imager B , Boyer, William C, Baird, John W., Besse, Karl, Bent, Harry A., Brearton, Fred ^V., Booth, Clarence A., Boyd, Paul F., Feb, 9, 1889, Jan. 13, 1890, Jan. 29, 1893, Jan, 28, 1894, Jan. 25, 1895, Mav 6, 1896, July 19, 1899, June 19, 1890, July 31, 1890, July 20, 1897, Aug. 7, 1890, Aug. 31, 1899, Aug. 31, 1900, June 4, 1891, July 21, 1892, July 25. 1895, July 21, 1892, July 21, 1892, July 30, 1892, Oct. 7, 1892, May 4, 1893, July 21, 1896, Aug. 12, 1897, Apr. 28, 1894, May 23, 1895, Apr. 12, 1896, June 12, 1899, Jan. 15, 1897, July 6. 1897, July 6, 1897, July 8, 1897, Mch. 31, 1898, Apr. 7, 1898 May 18, 1899, May 18, 1899, Jan. 17, 1901, May 18, 1899, May 31, 1900, Feb. 5, 1900, Burch, William H., Apr. 12, laOO, May 27, 1892. Jan. 26, 1893. Corporal, Sergeant. Appointed Q. M. Sergeant 1st Battalion Aug. 14, 1892. Re-appointed July 29,1899. Appointed Reg imental Commissary Ser geant July 23, 1900. June 26, 1893. August 4, 1893. Aug. 28, 1899. Fnb. 20, 1893. May 20, 1893. Aug. 8, 1896 Sept. 17, 1894. July 16. 1896. Musician. J uly 16. 1896, May 18, 1894, Corporal, July 30, 1898, Aug, 12, 1897, Jan, 11, 1898. Aug. 8, 1896, Aug. 8, 1896. Corporal, Feb, 26, 1900, Corporal. Sept. 3, 1899. Sept. 3, 1899. Sept. 3, 1899. Aug. 24, 1899. Apr, 16, 1901. Feb. 26, 1900. Corporal.Corporal. Corporal. Appointed Hos pital Steward July 21, 1900. Corporal. Illinois National Guards. 55 Beckwith, E. Q., Brearton, James M., Bailey, Jesse, Bowen, Floyd J., Breiter, Arthur C, Casoy, William, Clark, Clarence G., Cole, N.James, July 20, 1900, Feb. 21, 1900, Mch. 28,; 1901, Apr. 25, 190 1, Apr. 30, 1901, ' Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, May 10, 1879, Colebaugh, William F., Feb. 22, 1881, Clendenin, Frank, Aug. 1, 1882. Colebaugh, John M,, Aug. 10, 1882, tCoUins, D. J., tCummings,' Levi, Clark, George H., Caiifiekl, Ora, Collins, James, (1 tt *Clark, Walter H., Colebaugh, James, ?Crouch, David E., Craft, Frank, Clark, Walter E,, ?Curtis, Edmund L,, Cronon, Arthur, Colebaugh, Ora, Jan, 9, 1890, Aug. 21, 1893, Jan. 11,1883, Mch. 25, 1885, June 4, 1886, June 161886, June 21, 1888, June 25, 1891, May 15, 1890, Sept. 27, 1894, Aug. 13, 1896, July 31, 1890, Feb. 25, 1892, May 16, 1895 Aug. 13, 1896, May 12, 1892. June 9,1892, Oct. 17, 1892, Jan. 9, 1896, May 13, 1897, May 13, 1900. Apr. 12.':1896, Apr. 16, 1896, Musician. Sept. 11, 1883. Sept. 7, 1880. Corporal. Sergeant. Commissioned Ist Lieutenant Nov. 3, 1882, Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Sergeant. Commission - ed 1st Lieutenant Jan, 27, 1884, Coraraissioned 1st Lieut. this date. Sergeant, Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant Apr. 28, 1886. June 29, 1891, Sept. 13, 1894. Jan. 11, 1888. Sergeant. July 7, 1886. Nov. 13, 1888. May 9, 1887. Jane 29, 1891. Corporal. May 14, 1894. Sergeant. May 17, 1893. Jan. 16, 1896. Aug. 28, 1899, Corporal, June 29, 1891. May 11, 1895, Corporal, Sergeant Sept. 13, 1899. Ist Ser geant. Dec. 8, 1892. Corporal .Sergeant. Com missioned 2nd Lieut., May 30, 1895. Jan. 16, 1896. Corporal. Sergeant. May 28, 1898. August 29, 1899. Musipian. 5G History' of Companies I and E, Colehour, George, Carter, Frank, Cargy, Olin, Childs, Clarence C, Clifford, Benjamin F, Childs, W, L,, Dean, James, tDean, J, H., tDodd, George H,, Davis, James W,, Deetz, S, L., Daniels, Orville, ?Deyo, Robert J., ll (4 il Davis, Robert E, Davis, Frank, Drennen, M. L., Dodd, Frank, Davis, Floyd N., (( (( Davis, Walter B,, Derby, Harry H., Drury, Walter C, Donichy, James, G. B. Emery, Williard, Eaton, Ernest M., Ely, Spencer, ?Ewing, Arthur M,, Everhart, George, Ege, Sylvester A., Fay, George H. Fox, Frank M , Freezer, A. W, Herd, Fellows, Edward S., France, P, M., Far well, Fred, Fox, Eugene A,, Fox, Adolphus H., Fergeson, F. A., Aug. 9, 1897, May 18, 1839, May 18, 1899, May 18, 1899, May 7, 1900, Dec. 29, 1900. Sept. 11, 1878, Aug. 7, 1882, Jan, 12, 1886. July 15, 1886, Mch., 7, 1889, June 19, 1890, May 26, 1892, July 25, 1895, May 17, 1897 May 17, 1900, Aug. 9, 1897, Apr. 6, 1899 May 18, 1899, June 8, 1899, Jan. 28, 1901, Sept. 14, 1899, May 17, 1900. July 20, 1900, , April 30, 1901, J une 23, 1882, July 28, 1883, June 4, 1886, Jan. 19, 1893, May 6, 1897, May 7, 1900, Aug. 31, 1899, Sept. 11, 1878, Aug. 28, 1899. January 15, 1901. Jan. 15, 1901. Corporal, Dec. 15, 1882. Aug. 7, 1887. July 7, 1886. July 15, 1889, July 29, 1890. Dec. 26, 1892. May 26, 1895. August 8, 1896 Musician, Sergeant. Corporal. Feb. 26, 1900. Jan. 15, 1901. Feb. 2H, 1900, Died December 15, -82. April 17, 1884. Apr. 16, 1887. Aug. 8, 1896. Sergeant, Commissioned Captain this date. Sept. 11, 1878, July 10, 1879. Apr. 23, 1879, May 10, 187VI, Oct. 12, 1884, Apr. 29, 1885, June 16, 1887, July 28, 1887, Mch. 7, 1889, Aug. 17, 1881. Nov. 18, 1881. Nov. 23, 1885. Nov. 23, 1885. June 16, 1890, Sergeant. July 29, 1890. July 23, 189Q. Corporal, Illinois National Guards. 57 ?Fellows, Emerson M., Frye, Jacob B., Fisher, Harry J., Freek, George W., Fitzgerald, Charles, Fenton, William J , Freek, Charles, Grierson, John, Gilroy, Edward A., Garrison, LeRoy C, Griffiths, William B., Gray, William H., tGoff, F. M., Griffiths, Henry H., Green, Lester W. tGray, John Guffin, Frank H. Guffin, Harry T. Green, Harvey S. Gynn, William W. Gregory, Benjamin F. Geiger, George H. Green, John Gorzuy, John Gorzny, Joe tHoncler, Augustus (( (t Hendricks, Jesse Y. Hanna, Robert H, Haskin, E^ra C.. July 27, 1893, Aug. 10, 1897, July 24, 1899, July 25, 1900, July 11, 1895, Mch. 12, 1898, July 20, 1899, Feb, 5, 1900, July 4, 1900, J uly 20, 1900, Sept, 11, 1878, Sept, 11, 1878, Nov, 18, 1878, Aug, 16, 1879, Feb. 22, 1883, Feb. 22, 1883, May 8, 1883, July 18, 1883, July 29, 1885, June 4, 1886, June 4, 188^, May 8, 1893, June 4, 1886, May 24, 1888, J uly 14, 1899, June 16, 1892, Jan, 26, 1893, Mch. 12, 1898, May 18, 1899, April 25, 1901, April 30, 1901. Sept, 11, 1878, June 12, 1884. Sept, 11, 1878, Sept, '11, 1878, Sept. 11,1878, Aug, 8, 1896. Corporal. Aug. 8, 1896. April 19, 1901. Apr. 19, 1901. Commissioned 2nd Lieu tenant this date. July 10, 1879. Dec. 15,1882. J cne 19, 1884, Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Ser geant, Commissioned 1st Lieut, May 8, 1885. June 19, 1884. Oct. 30, 1888. Corporal. June 4, 1889. Corporal. Ser geant. Corporal, Sergeant. Com missioned 2nd, Lieut, May 13, 1889, Commissioned 1st, Lieut, July 24, 1893. Corporal, Sergeant. May 16, 1887. July 29, 1890. Commission ed Capt. this date. Dec 26, 1892. Aug. 10 1895. Jan. 15, 1901. Nov. 6. 1883. July 10, 1879, Dec, 15, 1882, July 10, 1879, O.S History of Companies I and E. Humphrey, E. B. (i (( (( Hill, A. D. Hughes, William J. Hawes, Charles T. tHolt, George W, (I u u Hannan, Thomas B. Hurd, James M, Hurd, Lewis M, Hayes, John F, Hollinshead, R, P. Humphrey, William Hindes, Horace F, .. (( (( tHarris, E. L. Harris, Fred L. Hoffman, George D. tHurless, C. N. Humphrey, Albert (( (1 tHolt, E. E, Heath, V/alter, Harrison, George F. Holt, Frank P, Hines, John F. Hobert, William (( .. Hoover, Fred (( it High, Christopher ?Hullett, Ralph W. Hughes, Herbert G. Heath, Willis F. ?Humprey, Byron P. ?Humphrey, Ralph D. Sept. 11, 1878 Oct. 10, 1883, Oct, 18, 1878, Nov, 13, 1878 May 10, 1879, A.ug. 7, 1879, Sept, 10, 1884, Oct, 4, 1879, Sept, 4, 1880, Feb, I, 1881, June 14, 1882, June 20, 1882. June 24, 1882, Aug, 1, 1882, Nov, 14, 1889, Feb. 8, 1883, Mch, 29, 1883, Aug. 8, 1883, May 3, 1883, Aug. 28, 1883, June 2, 1892, June 6, 1895, Jan. 21, 1885, May 15, 1890, June 2, 1886, June 4, 1886, July 14, 1887, Mch. 8, 1888, April 4, 1889, May 28, 1891 May 2, 1889, June 1, 1893, Sept. 23, 1890, Feb. 25, 1892, May 5, 1892, Aug. 30, 1892, July 27, 1893, July 5, 1894, July 10, 1897, Sergeant- Sept,'l 1,1883. Commissioned 2nd. Lieut. June 27, 1884. June 3, 1880, Sergeant Color Sergeant, Sept. 7, 1880. Nov, 18, 1881, Sept, J, 1884. Nov. 13, 1888. Feb. 27, 1883. April 17, 1884. Aug. 17, 1884. Feb. 27, 1887. Corporal, Ser- Corporal. June 19, 1884. July 28, 1890, Feb. 8, 1888. geant. July 18, 1885. Oct. 6, 1884. May 3, 1888. Corporal, Ser geant, Nov. 23, 1885. June 2, 1895. Aug. 8, 1896. Oct, 27, 1888, June 1, 1891 geant, June 10, 1889 Nov. 21, 1887, July 16, 1890, July 29, 1890, July 29, 1890, July 28, 1892, August 1, 1891, June 27, 1894, Died Nov, 2, 1890, May 11, 1895, Corporal, Died July 31, 1892, Jan. 16, 1896, Aug, 8, 1896, July 10, 1897, Died in Utuado, Porto Rico Oct. 30, 1898, Corporal, Ser- Musician Illinois National Guards. 59 Hagen, August, Hagen, William L , Heiss, George, Harrison, Otto, Hunt, George, Howe, Martin O , Hyatt, Charles E., Howe, Abner R., Hawes, George B,, High, Aaron, Hirleman, Samuel B., Hirleman, Wilber, E., Johnsiin, Frank V,, Johnson, John J., Johnson, Curtis, Jaeger, Frederick W., tJohnson, Milford, t Jordan, G. W,, Johnson, Fred O., (. (( tt Judd, Frank, Jackson, Ralph D., Johnson, Ray B., Johnson, Bert, Kinney, James, Kier, Albert, Kenyan, E. R., Kentfield, George H., Kool, Adolph, it - tt Kidd, William A., Kaler, Orville, May 19, 1895, May 23, 1895, May 23, 1895, May 20, 1896, May 6, 1897, May 31, 190U, May 6, 1897, Apr. 7, 1898, Apr. 14, 1898, June 14, 1899. May 3, 1900. Apr. 25, 1901. Apr. 30, 1901, Sept, 11. 1878, Sept, 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Oct. 14, 1878, Dec. 28, 1882, Mch. 7, 1889, Oct. 19, 1892, Jan. 24, 1883, May 6, 1897, May 31, 1900, July 1, 1897, Apr. 7, 1898, Apr. 12, 1900, Jan. 11, 1901, Sept. 11, 1878. J une 26, 1884, July 17, 1884, Feb. 3, 1887, May 31, 1888, June 1, 1893, July 0,1893, May 20, 1896, Aug. 8, 1896. Aug. 8, 1896, Aug, 28, 1898. Aug. 28, 1899. Corporal. Feb. 26,1900. Feb. 26, 1900. Apr. 13, 1901. Junes, 1880. Corporal. Sergeant. 1st Sergeant, Commissioned 2nd Lieut. June 8, 1882, Nov. 18, 1881. June 21, 1888, Corporal. Sergeant, 1st Sergeant. Commissioned Captain Apr. 27, 1892. July 2, 1886. Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Sergeant. Corporal. Sept. 3, 1899. Feb. 26, 1900 Jan. 15, 1901. July 10, 1879. Nov. 23, 1885, Nov, 25, 1885. Appointed Regimental Commissary Sergeant July 23, 1887, Commis sioned 2nd Lieutenant July 24, 1893. May 31, 1891. July 27, 1894. August IC, 1895. Corporal, Sergeant. 60 History of Companies I and E. Kayler, Orville Kellett, Charles T., Kennedy, Vern V., Kaler, Ralph D , Levett, Henry, Lane, W, L., Lovell, Ellsworth, tLarish, J, W., Leber, William H , Leogle, Albert, Lauphere, Jay C, I ang, Paul, Langdon, Porter B , ?Leigh, George E. ?Lane, H, B , Lawton, Edward C. Lyon, Harley B, ?Lawton, Willie B. U (t tt ?Lane, Joseph S, (( (( (( Lewis, Arthur L. Lane, Mat B, Lamson, Claude H. Lewis, Walter P. Mattern, Albert A, Martin, PetrT Morse, Milton Mouck, Solomon F, Marshall, Charles H, tMontague, Charles F, ?Morse, William June 1, 1899, June 1, 1900, May 18, 1899, May I, 1900, Feb, 14, 1901. Sept. 11, 1878, June 5, 1882, Aug. 3, 1882, July 18,1883, April 24, 1884, May 30, 1884, July 17, 1884, June 2, 1886, Feb. 7, 1888, June 5, 1890, June 15, 1893, June 13, 1890, Aug. 17, 1893, July 31, 1890, Aug. 10 1893, July 9,1891, Juiy 27, 1893, J une 10, 1897, July 5, 1894, June 13, 1899, July 28, 1899, July 18, 1900, May 1 , 1900. April 25, 1901, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Apr. 7, 188H, Oct. 5, 1878, Nov. 8, 1883, May 23, 1890. Jan. 15, 1901, Corporal, July 5, 1883. June 6,1883, July 7, 1886. Corporal. Dec, 3, 1884, Oct. 6, 1884. Dec, 3, 1884, July 9, 1887. May 23, 1892. June 6, 1893. Musician. Sept. 3, 1894, Corporal, June 20, 1893, Sept, 13, 1894. Aug. 4, 1893. Corporal, Sergeant. Com missioned 2nd. Lieut. Apr. 2, 1894. Aug. 4, 1893. Aug. 8, 1896. Sept. 3, 1890. Aug. 8, 1896. June 12, 1900. Jan. 15, 1900. Apr. 19, 1901. Feb. 24, 1880. Sergeant. Nov. 3, 1879. Corporal. Nov. 3, 1879. Corporal. July 10, 1879. Sept, 7, 1880, Corporal, Sergeant. May 26, 1889. Commis sioned 2ad. Lieut. ,>uly 28, 1883. Apr. 15, 1883. Jan. 4, 1889. June 6, 1893 Illinois National Guards. 61 ?Morse, William Murphey, Julius M. Moulton, Lewis B. Moulton, William H. Myers, Charles Murphey, J. H, Melville, J, H. tMc.Gilvary, William Maxwel', ]")ouglas L. Martin, J, H, (( tt tt tMericle, Frank E, McMullin, Frank E, Marshall, Myron Majors, Clarence E, Moulton, Frank McKee, Charles F, (( t( (I ?Mathews, Andrew F. Maxfleld, William H. ?McKee, Lafayette S. Mitchell, Orville Malouey, William T. MaGee,- Charles Mericle, Earle S. Morse, Edwin W. Morse, Harry L. MaGee, Theodore McKenzie, Richard Miller, Frank June 27, 1893, June 28, 1894, July 11, 1895. Aug. 31, 1896. Aug. 31, 1899. Aug. 31, 1900, Feb. 5, 1879. Mch. 9, 1880, Mch. 9, 1880, J une 8, 1882, June 8, 1882, J une 28, 1882, Dec. 28, 1882, April 12, 1883, May 30, 1885, July 28, 1892, June 17, 1885, July 17, 1896, Aug. 13, 1897, June 4, 1886, July 2, 1886, May 24, 1888, May 28, 1891, May 2, 1889, May 23, 1889, May 26, 1892, May 5, 1892, June 13, 1895. June 10, 1897. June 12, 1899, J une 2, 1892, Oct. 17, 1892, May 23, 1895, July 11, 1895, May 20, 1896, July 15, 1896, July 8, 1897, July 15, 1897, Apr. 14, 1898. May 18, 1899, July 18, 1899. Detailed to Hospital Corps. Feb. 27, 1883. Nov. 23, 1885. Oct. 6, 1884, June 19, 1884, Corporal, Apr, 17, 1884. Dec. 28. 1887. Corporal. Oct. 6, 1884. July 7, 1886. August 4, 1893. July 16, 1890. Aug. 12, 1897. Jan. 11, 1898. Corporal. July 1, 1887. Oct. 12, 1887. May 24, 1891. Feb. 9, 1893. Corporal, Ser geant. May 23, 1892, May 26, 1892. J une 6, 1893. Corporal, Ser geant, 1st Sergeant. May 11, 1895. Corporal, Sergeant. Aug. 12, 1893. Jan. 16, 1896. Musician. Aug. 28, 1899. Aug. 8, 1896. Aug. 28, 1899. Aug. 8, 1896. Jan. 7, 1901. Jan. 5, 1901. Corporal. Aug. 24, 1899. Corporal. 62 History' of Companies I and E. McBride, Harley A, Maloney, Monty F. Mahaney, Bert Meyers, Frank G, Mouck, Robert H. Morrill, O, A. Meyer, Sam Nash, Henr} G, North, A, 1), Naaktgeboren, Jacob Nelson, Melvin B, Oberholtzer, Charley Osborne, Andrew J. Olmstead, Stuart Planthaber, Charles Paschal, John H. Phiney, Burritt E, Purdy, M, S, Petersen, Frank Puddifoot, Charles H Preston, Elliott M, Peterson, Peter Petersen, Albert A. Pinkley, Victor M, Paschal, James O. Palmer, Bert Pratt, Thurston T. Quackenbush, Cornel Aug, 31, 1899, Feb, 5, 1900, May 3, 1900, May 10, 19r.O. May 7, 1900, July 20, IPOO, Apr, 25, 1901, Sept. 11, 1878, June 4, 1886, June 7, 1889, Oct. 19, 1892, J une 19, 1890, May 24, 1900, Apr, 24, 1884, July 12, 1897, May 18, 1899, Sept, 11, 1878, Aug. 5' 1880, Aug. 19, 1885, Mch; 22, 1879, June 28, 1882, Nov. 30, 1882, June 4, 1886, June 4, 1886, July 9, 1896, June 4, 1886, May 28, 1891, Aug. 3, 1891, Aug. 8, 1895, Jan. 24, 1895, June 6, 1895, May 13, 1897, July 3, 1900. iusSept. 11, 1878, Nov, 2, 1882, Apr, 19, 1901, Jan, 15, 1901, Apr, .20, 1901, Nov, 3, 1879, June 4, 1889, July 16, 1890, Nov, 12, 1892, June 20, 1893, Dec, 3, 1884. Sept. 3, 1899. Quackenbush, Geo. A. Dec. 1, 1879, ?Quackenbush, Frank June 11, 1891, June 28, 1894, Corporal. Corporal, Corporal, ?Quick, William Aug. 3, 1893, Nov. 3, 1879. Aug. 5, 1885. May 14, 1886. Corporal, Ser geant. May 24, 1883. Feb. 27, 1887. June 19, 1884. June 10, 1889. Cirporal. May 4, 1889. Corporal. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. this date, June 4, 1889. June 16, 1892. Jan, 26, 1893. July 16, 1896, Aug, 10, 1895, May 28, 1898, May 12, 1900, Commissioned 1st. Lieut. this date. Commissioned Capt this date. Died Feb. 4, 1884. Sergeant. June 27, 1894. Jan. 16, 189,6. Corppral, Ser geant, 1st Sergeant. Aug. 28, 1899. Illinois National Guards. 63 RichtmyJBr, Alonzo Rounds, Oscar Reutlinger, Wm J. Eose, Alex E. Rose, John (( It Reecher, Lewis Record, Albert R. Ryan, John E. tt .( t. ?Randall, George tt (( Rockey, Harry H, tt tt tt Rockey, Jacob L. It tt tt lliordon, John A. Story, James Strawn, Frank H. .Scotchbrook, Aaron A. Stokes, Edward P. Sixx, Scott Stapleton, Joseph Savage, L. E. Shatto, James H. Stafford, D. C. Small, H. D. Springer, Bert Smith, Edward A. tt tt tt Spafford, Frank S. Stowers, Frank E. Spafford, J. Earle Sears, Claude Stone, W. B. Springer, Myron Sept. 11. 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Aug. 26, 1879. May 26, 1886, June 5, 1890, May 18, 1886, May 28, 1888, June 7, 1888, June 25, 1891, July 15, 1889, Aug. 3, 1893, May 23, 1895. June 15, 1899. June 15, 1900, May 30, 1895, March 9, 1899, Apr. 25, 1901. Sept. 11, 1878, ¦ Sept. 11, 1878, Nov. 18, 1878. May 10, 1879, June 4. 1879, May 29, 1880, Feb. 24, 1881, June 9, 1882, J une 26, 1882, Aug. 5, 1885, May 26, 1886, June 4, 1886, May 24, 1888, June 23, 1886. Aug, 14, 1887, May 24, 1888, June 7,1888, June 7, 1889, July 25, 1889, Sept, 7, 1880. 1st Sergeant, July 10, 1879. Corporal, Sept, 11, 1883. June 10, 1889, Aug, 13, 1892, Nov, 13, 1888, July 29, 1890, June 7, 1891, July 20, 1891, .Corporal, Ser geant, July 21, 1892. Sept. 13, 1894, Corporal, Sergeant, 1st Ser geant. Corporal, Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. this date. Frtb. 24, 1880. July 10, 1879. Corporal. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. Sept. 2, 1880. June 16, 1884. Corporal, Ser geant. Feb. 27, 1883. Oct. 6, 1884. May 24, 1883. July 15, 1886. Musician. May 14, 1886. May 9, 1887. May 16, 1887. May 24, 1891. Corporal, Ser geant, 1st Sergeant. July 10, 1890. May 24, 1891. Corporal. July 29, 1890. June 1, 1891. June 16, 1892. Corporal, Ser pent, 64 History- of Companies I. and E. Stowe, Merritt Steiner, N. W. Seamen, John H. Spears, James S. Shears, W. F. ?Seldon, Ed. If t, Sanders, Frank F, ?Seavey, Guy A. tt tt tt Sherwood, Asa K. Scanlan, Oliver Stanley, Neal Stowell, John Shaffer, Charles S, Smith, Vern M, Smith, Nick A, Seibert, John D. Shirk, Charles R. Smaltz, Roy G. Stalcup, James Shaw, Harry V. Snyder, William Stone, Erastus Trauger, Charles H. Turney, Hamilton K. tTopping, H. C. Taylor, William Jr. ?Thompson, Fred A. Thompson, H. Clay Trebun, Martin F. Thompson, Robert C. Turner, Richard Taylor, Robert W, Viner, Ellis f. July 25, 1889, Oct. 17, 1892, June 5, 1890, May 28, 1891. May 28, 1891, Feb. 25, 1892, June 16, 1892. June 27, 1895, July 27, 1893, July 27, 1893, Aug. 13, 1896, May 6, 1897, July 29, 1897, May 18, 1899, May 18, 1899. Nov. 24 1899, J uly 28, 1899, Aug. 31, 1899, Feb. 5, 1900, May], 1900. May 1, 1900, May 24, 1900, June 1, 1900, Mch, 7, 1901, Apr. 8, 1901, Sept, 11, 1878, Mch, 15, 1880, July 17, 1884, June 28, 1888 July 2, 1891, July 18, 1895, June 28, 1894, May 23, 1895, May 23, 1895, May 23, 1895, June 3, 1897, July 14, 1899, May 18, 1899, Aug, 10, 1899, June 5, 1890, Corporal, Sergeant. Com missioned 1st Lieut. July 3, 1891. Aug. 4, 1893. June 6, 1893. Aug. 4,-1893. Dec. 26, 1892. Aug. 4, 1893. Aug. 8, 1896. Aug, 8, 1896, Aug, 8, 1896, Mch, 28, 1898, May 5, 1900, Corporal, Jan, 5, 1901. Jan. 15, 1901, Jan. 15, 1901. Jan. 15, 1901. Corporal. Dec. 15, 1882. Dec. 15, 1882. Oct. 12, 1887. June 29, 1891. Nov, 12, 1892, Aug, 8, 1896, Aug. 10, 1895. Aug. 8, 1896. Aug. 8, 1896. Corporal, Corporal, Dec, 3, 1891. Musician. Illinois National Guards. 65 ?VanDyke, Henry B. Wilcox, George C. Wilson, William Worrell, Edward A. Wood, Robert Williams, Clinton Winebrenner, Chas. L. Weaver, Henry B. Winter, Henry Wheeler, Jas, A, Williams, Harvey Wood, Harry Wood, Thomas J. Williaras, Henry E, ?Wolf, Henry (( It West, J, A, ?Whitemore, Firman Watson, Chas, E, Weaver, Ernest J. Wagr.er, Jerome ?Weeks, Walter ?Whitemore, Wm. F. ?Wood, Edwin B. ?Weeks, Charles D. t. tt tt ?Weaver, Harry A. .. tt tt Wallstone, Julius Wallace, Martin Mch. 30, 1893, Apr. 19, 1896, Mch. 16, 1898, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept, 1 1, 1878, Sept. 11, 1878, Sept. 1], 1878, Nov. 18, 1878, Mch. 3, 1879, Oct. 4, 1879, June 26, 1882, Aug. 7, 1882, June 26, 1884, Jfune 4, 1886, J une 14, 1887, May 24, 1888, July 25, 1889, Mch. 16, 1893, July 30, 1889, , June 19, 1890, July 20, 1893, Mch. 31, 1898, May 21, 1890, June 4, 1891, Aug. 9, 1896, July 2, 1891, May 26, 1892, Aug. 30, 1892, Mch. 12, 1893, June 15, 1899, July 4, 1893, July 27, 1893, Aug. 31, 1896, Aug. 24, 1899, Aug. 24, 1900, Dec. 14, 1893, June 15, 1897, Apr. 30, 1898, May q, 1897, Aug. 12, 1896. Jan. 11, 1898. Sept. 3, 1899. July 10, 1879. Sergeant. Sept. 7, 1880. Corporal. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. July 16, 1879. Nov. 3, 1879. Apr, 19, 1884. Corporal. Sergeant. Dec. 1, 1884. Corporal. 'June 6, 1883. Dec. 3, 1884. Corporal. Sergeant. Nov. 22, 1885. June 20, 1887. Nov. 13, 1888. June 9, 1891. June 16, 1892. Aug. 8, 1896, Corporal, Aug, 1, 1892, Musician, June 20, 1893, Sept, 13, 1894, Mch. 31, 1901. Dec. 26, 1892. June 27, 1894. Corporal. Sergeant, Commissioned 2nd Lieut, June 29, 1897, Jan, 26, 1893, .•^ept, 17,1894, Jan, 16, 1898. June 14, 1900, Aug, 8, 1898. Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant. Commissioned 1st Lieut. Mch. 9, 1899. Aug. 8, 1896. Sept. 3, 1899. 66 History of Companies I and E, Wilcox, Albert Winans, Percy H, Warner, Jay C, Weaver, Carl Welch, Chris Welch, Harry Wilbur, Sidney Webber, G, D, Yarbrough, William Yopst, Birt O, July 28, 1899, Aug, 31, 1899, Mch, 1, 1900, Apr. 19, 1901. May 3, 1900, May 7, 1900, Feb. 21, 1901, Aug. 29, 1901, Apr. 25, 1901, Musician, May 6, 1897, May 5, 1900, Aug. 31, 1899, koster of company e. A * indicates service at the Chicago strike. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, Captains, John W. Niles, ?Frank Anthony ?William F. Lawrie, J. Frank Wahl, Thomas S. Beach, Lewis F. Eisele, William F. Lawrie, ? Wdlter N, Haskell, Goodicil B. Dillon, Samuel H. Feigley, Frank Anthony, BATE OF COMMISSION DATE OK I'ISOMOTION RESIGNATION OU DISCHARGE. Mch, 24, 1888, Resigned Dec, 3, 1888, Dec, 20, 1888, Appointed Assistant Surgei)n with rank of Captain, Feb. 1, 181,1. Feb. 13, 1891, Commissioned Major Jan. 5, 1899. Feb. 9, 1899, 1st Lieutenants. Mch. 24, 1888, Resigned Nov. 3, 1888. Dec. 20, 188», Resigned Oct. 17, 1890. Dec. 13, 18i'0, Coraraissioned Captain Feb. 13, 1891. Feb. 13, 1891, Resigned Nov. --, 1894, Nov, 12, 1894, Placed on retired list up on his own request July 1, 1899. July 14, 1899, 2nd Lieutenanls. Mch. 24, 1888, Comnsissioned Dec, 20, 188§. Captaii) Illinois National Guards. 67 William F. Lawrie, Walter N. Haskell, ?Goodicil B. Dillon, Edwin S. Johnson, J. Frank Wahl, Samutl 11. Feigley, Charles F. Iloobler, De3. 20, 1888, Commissioned 1st Lieut. Dec. 13, 1890. Dec. 13, 1890, Commissioned 1st Lieut. Feb; 13, 1891. Feb. 13, 1891, Commissioned Ist Lieut- Nov. 12, 1894. Nov. 12, 1894, Resigned Apr. "22. 1897. June 18, 1897, Coraraissioned Captain Feb. 9, 1899. Feb. 9, 1899, Commissioned 1st Lieut. July 14, 1899. July 14, 1899, NAME Anthony, Frank Angell, William H. Allen, William E, Adair, Ambrose Arey, Howard Allpreso, Martin L, Aument, Harry Anderson, Carl Aument, Frank II. Atkins, E. Lyle Alderfer, Phillip Anning, Clarence Aument, Jacob H. Beach, Thomas S. Burke, Harry F. Bickford, Joseph M. Bassett, Orville P. Boyers, Joseph Bae-, Frank L. Benson, William P. Bressler, Heaton J. ENLISTED MEN. DATE OF ENLISTMENT REMARKS. Mch. 24, 1888, Coraraissioned 2nrt Lieut' this date. Mch. 24, 1888, Sept. 2, 1890. Mch. 24, 1888, Dropped from rolls May 1, 1888. Mch. 24, 1888, S. O. No. 90, 1889. Oct. 13, 1890, May 22, 1894. June 27, 1892, July 27, 1895. July 15, 1895, Mch. 22, 1898. Jan. 6, 1896, Sept. 15, 1899. Apr. 13, 1896, July 17, 1896, Transferred to band no date. Feb, 9, 1899, May 20, 1899, June 15, 1899, Mch. 24, 1888, Commissioned 1st Lieut. this date. Mch. 24, 1888, Juiy 5, 1888. May 20, 1889, Transferred to Co. B July £0, 1889. Mch. 24. 1888, Dropped from rolls May 1, 1888. Mch. 24, 1888, Sept. 2, 1890. Corporal. Meh. 24, 1888, May 23, 1890. Jan. 21, 1889. Jan. 23, 1889, S. O. No. 82, 1889. Jan. 28, 1889, 68 History' of Companies I and E. Burkholder, Charles I. ?Barber, Frank VV. Behrens, Charles ? Buck, William ?Boyer, Ralph D. t( tt tt ?Bensinger, Chas. E. ?Brown, W. A. Billings, Charles ?Brown, Fred E. Baker, Romeo W. Blair, Frank Bushnell, Leo O. Burch, Fred R. Bassett, Edward Book, Enos Bensinger, John E. Bassett, Bert Bailey, Frank C. Burr, James S. Byers, Wilson Berlin, Clark Boyer, Kaohlin Blair, George C. Betts, Verne E. Baker, John H. Criswell, James F. Conner, John R. Cook, Ward W. Cochrane, Albert G. ?Cushman, John W. (!rawford, Robert G. Clarkson, Matthew A. Campbell, Walter S. Nov. 18, 1889, Jan. 7, 1893, Apr. 2, 1894, Sept. 1, 1890, Corporal. Sergeant. Mch. 16, 1896. Appointed Commissarydate. May 14, 1892. July 27, 1895. Regimental Sergt. no Mch. 22, 1898. May 25, 1891, Apr. 25, 1892, July 27, 1895, Corporal, June 27, 1892, June, 3, 1895, Apr. 22, 1896, Jan, 16, 1893, Mch, 16, 1896. Jan. 10, 1893, Mch. 16, 1896. Aug. 27, 1894, Aug. 27, 1894, Apr. 16, 1898. Aug. 27, 1894, Corporal. Feb. 28, 1898, July 8, 1895, Oct, 14, 189o, Apr. 6, 1896, Apr. 20, 1896, June 22, 1897, Mch. 7, 1898, Mch. 28, 1898, Mch. 29, 1898, Mch, 30, 1898, Corporal, Apr, 1!, 1898, May 2, 1899. May 15, 1898, July 2, 1900, May 17, 1898, Feb. 9, 1899, May 20, 18^9, Apr, 30, 1901, Mch. 24, 1888, Corporal, Q. M. Sergeant. Mch. 24, 1888, S. O. No. 105, 1889. Mch, 24, 1888, Oct. 5, 1889. Mch 24, 1888, S. O. N'a. 36, 1889. Mch. 24, 1888, Corponl, Sergeant. Ap Apr. 20, 1891, pointed Regimental Ord- Sept. 14, 1894, nance Sergr, Aug, — , 1899, Mch, 16, 1896, June 2,1, 1897, Mch. 26, 1888, S. O. No. 36, 1889. June 21, 1888, S. O. No. 82, 1889. Jan. 28, 1889, Illinois National Guards. 69 Cash, Wiley B. ?Chalmers, John A. ?Cragin, Elmer A Cunningham, Claire T, Compton, Claire Cary, Elroy R. Creider, William D. Cary, John Coover, W. S. Clark, Lyman P. Coryell, Frank M. tt tt ti Cleary, Arthur M. Connell, William Conner, C. Walter Connell, Jaraes Clark, Edgar L. Dillon, Goodicil ?DeGroff, Bert L. Dickson, John A. Deitz, Louis F. ?Davison, C. Morton ?Dillon, J. Reese ?Dow, John Deets, Frank G. Dunbar, Stowers Deem, Arthur E t. tt tt Deyo, D. B. Deem, William tt tt Diffenbaugh, Benj. F. Eisele, Lewis F, Feb. 4, 1889, May S5, 1891, J uly 27, 1895, Feb. 13, 1893, Feb. 24, 1896, Mch. 8, 1897, Mch. 21, 1898, . Feb. 24, 1896, Mch, 30, 1895, Apr, 13, 1896, Apr. 27, 1896, June 27, 1896. June 22, 1897. Sept. 6, 1897, Feb. 28, 1898 Feb. 28, 19Ca. Mch. 28, 1898. May 11, 1898. Mch. 6 1899. May 10, 1899. Apr. 30, 1901. Mch. 24, 1888, Sept. 1, 1890, Feb. 19, 1894, Mch. 25, 1895. June 8, 1891. June 4, 1892, June 20, 1892, Apr. 9, 1894, June 8, 1894, Sept, 23, 1895. Oct. 11, 1895. Oct. 14, 1895, Oct. 14, 1898, Mch. 2, 1898. June 27, 1896, Dec. 4, 1899. Apr. 9, 1899. Mch. 24, 1888, July 18, 1892. July 27, 1895. Transferred to band, date. July 2, 1900. Corporal, Sergeant. Sergeant. Coraraissioned 2nd Lieut. Feb. 13, 1891. , Feb. 10, 1894. Corporal. Sergeant. July 15, 1893. July 16, 1895. Mch. 16, 1897. Mch. 16, 1897. Musician. Corporal, Sergeant. 1st Sergeant. Corporal . Sergeant. Commissioned 1st Lieut. Dec. 20, 1888, 70 History of Companies I and E. Ely, Frank D. Eisele, Jacob L. ?Eick, Benjamin Eiteman, Wilford L. ?Engh, Alfred Eshleman, F. Roy Eisele, Edward L. Emmons, Frank Eager, Wallace L. Feigley, Oscar A. tt tt tt *Feigley, Samuel H. (( (C (( (( (( (I (( il (( (( t( (( Fitch, LeClair *Flock, Henry J. tt tt tl tt tt .1 ?Flock, Mathew Flock, William. F. Figeley, Joseph L. Ford, R. Leonard Fanning, Omar A. tt tt tt Feigley, J. Lovure Forrester, Frank M. Finch, Bert Grimes, Frank A. Grimes, Alfred N. ?Green, Lourde J. Grate, Wallace H. Golder, Lloyd H. Griraes, Herbert Mch. 24, 1888, June 11,1888, Jan. 14, 1889. Feb, 29, 1892, Oct. 31, 1889. Sergeant. Dec. 6, 1889. Corporal. June 8, 1891, June 8, 1894, June 3, 1895. Mch. 7, 1898, Feb. 9, 1899, Feb. 9, 1899. June 21, 1888, Feb. 29, 1892, Jan. 26, 1890, Feb. 19, 1894. Mch. 25, 1895. Mch. 9, 1896. Mch. 22, 1897. June 22, 1891, June 20, 1892, Mch. 2, 1898, June 22, 1897. Sept. 25, 1893. June 22, 1897, June 22, 1897. March 21, 1898, Mch. 31, 1898. Apr. 28, 1901. May 15, 1899. Apr. 30, 1901. Apr. 30, 1901. Mch. 24, 1888, Jan. 23, 1889, Mch. 18, 1889, Jau. 30, 1893. Feb. 19, 1894. Apr. 13, 1891. May 11, 1891. May 7, 1894. June 21, 1897. Appointea Regimental Or dnance Sergeant, no date. Mch. 29, 1894. Apr. 22, 1896. Corporal. Corporal. Mch. 1, 1893. Sergeant. 1st Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. Feb. 9, 1899. July 15, 1893, July 16, 1895. Sergeant. Corporal Corporal. Appointed Bat talion Sergeant Major August 1899. Dec. 6, 1889. S. O. No. 118, 1891. Musician. Illinois National Guards. 71 Gaines, Charles N. Goodman, Harry C. Grove. Clarence C. Goltman, Harry K. Grey, Arthur Grimes, J, Leon Haberer, JohnA. Haskell, Walter N. Hall, Charles E. Hoover, Harry G. Hills, Edward O. tt tt tt Hess, Albert H. Howland, Harry F. Haberly, Frank F. Haskell, William W. Hubbard, Charles L. Herrman, Charles tt tf Hannan, George H. Hodges, Stewart Hessel, Carl J. ?Hoobler, Charles F. Hartmao, Join tf ft HartJng, Frank K. tt tt Hankinson, Harry L. Higby, Leonard O. Huljbard, Arthur G. Hess, Fred Heathcoate, William Havens, George Haberle, Edward E. Heaton, Frauds Hoover, Ben H. Hoover, Harry H. goover, Arthur Q, Mch. 30, 1896. June 22, 1897. June 22, 1897. May 11, 1898, May 31, 1899. Jan. 8, 1900. Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 24, 1888, July 2, 1900. Oct. 31, 1889. 1st Sergeant. Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. Dec. 13, 1890. Mch. 24, 1888, Corporal, S, O. No. 143, no date. Oct. 29, 1889. Mch. 24, 1888. Mch. 24, 1888. July 27, 1891. Mch. 24, 1888. Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 26, 1888, Jan. 21, 1889. Jan. 27, 1892. Mch. 9, 1891, May 25, 1891, Jan. 16, 1893. Mch. 26, 1894, June 21, 18l"7, Sept. 10, 1894. Feb. 28, 1898. Mch. 2, 1896. Jan. 8, 1900. Mch. 9, 1896. Mrh. 16, 1896. July 17, 1896, Mch. 31, 1898, Feb. 7, 1899, Feb. 8, 1899, Feb. 9, 1899. May 20, 1899. Jan. 8, 1900. Jan. 8, 1900, May ?1, 1900, S, O. No. 82, 1889. Sept. 2, 1890. S, O, No, 17, 1889, Corporal, Sergeant. S, O. No. 38, 1889. Mch. 10, 1893. June 23, 1891. Corporal, Sergeant, Coraraissioned 2nd Lieut. July 14, 1899. Transferred to date. Corporal. Sergeant. July 2, 1900. Corporal, Sergeant, Corporal. band, no rz History' of Companies I. and E. Hartman, Andrew Husler, Fred ?Isherwood, Earl It It ?Isherwood, George W, IngersoU, Frank B, tt tt Johnson, J, Stanley ?Johnson, Edwin S. Jenkins, Alfred K. Johnson, Earl A, Johnson, Milton Johnson, Charles S. Johnson, Charles A. Jackson, Arthur E. Jackson, William D. .Tones, Richard O. Jackson, Merton R. Johnson, Fred A. Jamison, Paul R. ?Kline, John L. Kilgour, Cassius M. Kissel, George B. Kelsey, William H. tt tt tt Koberstine, Henry W. ?Kochersperger, John P, ?Kauffman, Fred W. Keeney, H. Ezra Kromer, George J. Kahl, Ernest Kadel, William W. Kent, George G. Lawrie, William F. Llewellyn, David Lee, John H. Lee, Daniel W. Feb. 21,1901. Apr. 30, 1901. Nov. 11,1889. Jan. 23, 1893. June 25, 1894, Mch. 31, 1898.' Aug. 20, 1900. Mch. 24, 1888, May 31, 1889, Feb. 20, 1893, Apr. 9, 1894. Apr. 15, 1898. May 31, 1889, Oct. 30, 1893, June 11, 1894. Apr. 27, 1898, Mch. 31, 1898. Feb. 6, 1899. Feb. 6, 1899. Feb. 8, 1899, Feb. 14, 1899. Feb., 27, 1899. Apr. 30, 1901. Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 18, 1889, May 20, 1889, Nov, 11, 1889, Jan. 30, 1893, Sept. 1, 1890, Feb.' 5, 1894, July 2 1894, July 15, 1895, Feb. 24, 1898, Apr, 27, 1896. June 22, 1897, Apr, 30, 1901, Mch, 24, 1888, Mch, 24, 1888, Mch, 17, 1890, Apr. 30, 1894, June 21, 1897, July 15, 1897. Mch. 10, 1890. Corporal, Sergeant. 1st Sergeant. Commissioned 2nd Lieut. Nov. 12, 1894. Oct. 18, 1890. May 18, 1894. June, 1899. July 2, 1900. Appoinled Hospital Stew ard, no date. July 18, 1894. Musician. S. O. No. 109, 1889. Feb. 10, 1894. May 22, 1894. Apr. 22, 1896. Mch. 16, 1898. Corporal, Mch, 22, 1898, Aug. 3, 1896. Coraraissioned 2nd Dec. 20, 1888. Lieut. Illinois National Guards. 73 LeFevre, Harry F. It tt tt LeFevre, .Edwin W. Lingel, William J. Lingel, Bert Lyle, Guy H. Limerick, John G, Laland, Charles E, Little, Harry R, Lund, William C. Latherow, Walter Lindsley, Calvin A, Jjandier, Herman Mangan, Samuel T. tt ft Mangan, William F. tt ft tt Mangan, E. J. Mangan, R. L. (1 H li Myer, Adam B. ft ft tf Murphy, William H. Miller, Herman T, Myers, Kahler Manahan, Samuel A. Miller, Henry Mueller, Ernest Meyers, Lee D, Morrison, Alfred G. Moore, Louis E. Mc Neil, R. B. Mangers, Charles J. Mangan, Clarence L. Mead, Clyde W. Niles, John W. Newton, William A. Newton, James H. June 11, 1894. June 21, 1897, Jlch. 23, 1896, Mch. 30. 1896. Apr. 27, 1896. July 7, 1898, July 17, 1896, Mch. 12, 1898. Mch. 28, 1898 May 11, 1898, Feb. 8, 1899. May 20, 1899. Feb. 21, 1901. Mch, 24, 1888. Apr. 20, 1891, Mch. 24, 1888, Apr. 27, 1891. Mch. 24, 1888, Men. 24, 1888. Apr. 20, 1891, Mch. 24, 1888. June 22, 1891, May 28, 1888. June 27, 1887, May 28, 1889, Mch. 30, 1891. May 9, 1892, Aug. 27, 1894. Mch. 16, 1896. Mch. 30, 1898. June 22, 1897, June 22, 1897, May 20, 1899. July 1, 1900. Feb. 15, 1901. Mch. 24, 1888, May 11, 1891, Apr. 18, 1892, Mch. 22, 1898. Transferred to Co. D. June 15, 1897. Transferred to band, no date. Transferred to band, no date. Aug. 1, 1899. Bugler. Sergeant. May 22,' 1894. Corporal.May 23, 1890. May 22, 1894. May 14, 1892. Co. B. Transferred to Co. E S, O. No, 171, 1888, Dis charged S, O. No, 82, 1889 Aug. 5, 1892. May 14, 1892. Mch. 10, 1893. June 22, 1900. Nov. 10, 1899. Corporal. Commissioned Captain this date. May 22, 1894. Julo 15, 1893. 74 History of Companies I and E. ?Nellen, Edward W. Nelras, William W. Osmer, Sydney C. ?Overholser, S. Guy Osborn, Harper Over, Charles B. O'Hair, John Onken, Anthony Onken, George Pierce, Clarence Pratt, George F. Perry, Gentz Palmer, W. Carl Parks, Lucius W. ?Patton, Louis R. ?Perry, William H. ?Phelps, W. Walter Pippert, Henry C. Pigg, James W. Palmer, Wilbert M. July 2, 1894. July 1, 1900. Mch. 24, 1888, May 20, 1889, July 18,1892, Dec. 18. 1893. Mch. 25, 1895. Mch. 22, 1897. May 4, 1891, July 15, 1895. May 1, 1899. May 15, 1899. Feb. 3, 1901. Mch. 28, 1888, May 28, 1888, Mav 15, 1890, Oct. 20, 1890, June 8, 1891, June 18, 1892, Apr, 30, 1894, Apr. 30, 1894, June23, 18P5. Apr, 13, 1896, July 7, 1898, Payson, William E. Feb, 7, 1899, Partridge, Harry G, Rock, Edwin S, Ramsey, Hugh II, Rood, Warren A. Rich, John H. Reed, John A. ?Ridenour, Frank J. Round, George Roland, Robert R, Reap, Williara Rarasdall, Charles D, Stoddard, Fred R, ft ft .. Shumaker, Charles N. Smith, Jesse Feb. 3, 1901. Mch. 24, 1£88, May 25, 1888, May 28, 1888, May 5, 1893, May 25, 1891. June 11, 1894. Mch. 2, 1896. Apr. 20, 1896. Mch. 30, 1898, May 15, 1899^ Mch. 24, 1888, Apr. 27, 1891, Mch. 24, 1888, Mch. 24, 1888. June 1, 1891, Mch. 10, 1890. Corporal, Sergeant. Battalion Sergeant Major. No date. Mch. 10, 1893. June 2. 1888. Oct. 15, 1890. Sept. 2, 1890. July 15, 1893. July 27, 1895. June 25, 1897. June 25, 1897. Transferred to band, no date. Enlisted in U. S. Army May 2, 1899. July 18,1892. Corporal, Ser geant. S. O. No. 87, 1889. July 15, 1893. Corporal, Sergeant. May 22, 1894. July 5, 1888. Mch. 1, 189?, Illinois National Guards. 75 Smith, Robert E. Mch. 26, 1888. Suavely, John M. June 4, 1888, Oct.. 18, 1890. Sturtz, C. E. July 30, 1888. Stroup, George 0. Oct. 14, 1889, Mch. 3, 1893. Strock, W. Chester May 11, 1891. ?St. John, Burton, Apr. 18, 1892, J uly 16, 1895. St. John, Thomas E. May 9, 1892, Mch. 10, 1893. ?Shultz, O. B. June 4, 1892, July 16, 1895. ?Strock, Linnis L. Nov. 16, 1892, Mch. 18, 1896. Sayers, William 11. Feb. 5, 1894, Apr. 22, 1896. ?Sheldon, Leslie C. Mch. 5, 1894. ft tt tt J une 21, 1897. Strock, John F. Oct. 14, 1895, Mch. 6, 1899. Struckman, Wm. C. Oct. 14, 1893. Shafer, Harry Feb. 24, 1896. Sheldon, Charles F. Mch. 2, 1896, Mch. 22, 1898. Sraith, Frank W. Mch. 16, 1896. ft tt .t May 21, 1899. Shuraaker, Hirara W. July 17, 1896, Transferred to band date. no Soules, H. Arthur Jane 22, 1897. Street, Albert L. Mch. 7, 1898, Corporal, Sergeant. Stoner, Claude R. Mch. 31, 1898. Smith, Edward A. Mch. 31, 1898. schaub, William H. Mch. 31, 1898. Slade, George May 15, 1898, Nov. 6, 1899. Scott, Harry A. June 14, 1898, Sneed, Burt J. Feb, 6, 1899, Corporal. Sneed, Fred W. Feb, 8, 1899, Corporal. Sampson, John Aug, 20, 1900. Shank, Andrew Sept, 20, 1900, Shumaker, Harry E. Apr. 30, 1901. Tumbleson, Charles F. June 23, 1888, S. 0. No. 36, 1889. ft ft tt Feb. 23. 1891, Mch. 8, 1894. ft ft ff July 30, 1894, Thomas, William H. Feb. 23, 1891, Mch. 8, 1894. ?Taylor, Frank H. Dec. 11, 1893, Apr. 22, 1896. Corporal. Triggs, Alpheus July 8, 1895. ft ft Feb. 27, 1899. Trefz, Julius Jan. 6, 1896. Thorne, George May 15, 1899. Thompson, Lloyd E. May 20, 1899, Corporal. Troste, Samuel D. Apr. 30, 1901. 76 History of Companies I and E. Van Home, E. Burt ft ft ft' tt ft ft Van Drew, Clarence Verbeck, Clarence Woods, Kol lin H. Woodworth, Clarence Williams, Albert W. Williams, B. Frank tt ft .. Winters, James C. Williamii, Grant U. Williams, Jacob ft ' ft ?Wagley, Frank E. ft ft ft ft ft tt tt ft tt ?Wildasin, Joshua ft I ft ?Wahl, J. Frank Wetzel, John G. Weaver, A. L. Wright, Frank S. ?Woodyatt, Arthur H. ft ft ft ?Ward, Frank J. Wagley, Fred E. Wroten, Frank Woodard, John Watson, A. H. Wahl, Albert A. tt t. ft Wilkinson, Lee P. Winters, Carl Wright, Fred F, Walch, Jeremiah Wise, Albert Mch. 20, 1888 Apr. 20, 1891, July 8, 1895, Apr. 1, 1899. Aug. 20, 1900, Mch, 24, 1888, Mch, 24, 1888, Mch, 24, 1888, Mch, 24, 1888, Apr. 13, 1891 Mch. 24, 1888, June 4, 1888, May 18, 1889. June 27, 1892. May 22, 1889, July 11, 1892. Dec. 18, 1893. Dec. 18, 1893. Mch. 2, 1891, July 8, 1895. Sept. 28, 1896. May 25, 1891, Mch. 25, 1895, June 29, 1891. June 27, 1892, Feb. 13, 1893. Feb. 13, 1893, Mch. 9, 1898, June 18, 1894, Aug. 27, 1894. Oct.. 1,1894, July 8, 1895, Jan. 27, 1896. Apr. 13, 1898. May 20, 1899. Mch. 12, 1897. Mch. 21, 1898, Mch. 28, 1898, Feb. 9, 1899. Aug. 20, 1900. Corporal, Sergeant. May 9, 1894. July 15, 1898. S.O.N 0.1 18, 1891. Corpor al, Sergeant. Apr. 14, 1890. Corporal. Apr, 14, 189C. Corporal, May 1, 1889. Oct. 7, 1888, Corporal, Sergeant, Corporal, Sergeant, Corporal, Sergeant, Commissioned 2nd Lieut, June 18, 1897, Oct, 23, 1893. Corporal. Mch. 18, 1897. June 25, 1897. Mch. 16, 1898. Apr. 22, 1896. Corporal, May 2, 1899. COL, C. E. BLEYEll, Aidede Caqap. Illinois National Guards. 77 CHAPTEK VII. The Sixth EeCtIjiext Band. It.s Oeganization and History Briefly Told. Jt is to be much regretted that a more complete and detailed history of this organization was not obtained as, in the position it has held for the past five years and connected as it is with the Sixth Regiment Illinois Na tional Guards, its members are highly esteemed by the enlisted men of the regiment and comrades they are in every sense of the word. More especially is this tru3 of its members and the men of companies I and E. Com bined they represent Whiteside County in the ranks of the State troops of Illinois. The tie of comradeship which binds them together is stronger and more lasting than that which connects them with the men of the re mainder of the regiment which is lacking in the feeling of friendship arising from personal acquaintances exist ing among the band boys and the boys of I and E. For this reason every available fact was eagerly grasped and recorded, aiming to make this history and the history of. those who may have served the State from Whiteside County as complete and entire as possible. Very little can be ^related, with which the reader is not familiar, concerning the Sixth Eegimont Band, pes- 78 History of Companies I and E. sibly better known as the Keystone of Sterling. It was organized in Eock Falls, 111., during the year of 1872 under the leadership of Freeman D.Rosebrook. Not long after the organization was perfected John Kadel became its leader and under this efficient management the band became famous as a musical organization even beyond the borders of our own State. It has long been recognized as one of the most accom plished organizations of its kind in the State and its members have every reason lo be proud of its thirty years of honorable record. Director Kadel retired in the summer of 1896 and the guiding reins were placed in the hands of Professor* F, C. Nixon. The headquarters were removed across the river and it became a Sterling organization where it has since remained. During the same year it entered the service of the State as official band of the Sixth Regiment, Illinois Na tional Guards, which position it retains today. At every annual encampment of State troops the band is found marching at the head of the regiment, a position of hon or. In the commodious band stand erected on the grounds, nightly concerts are given, which are very pleasing to the tired soldiers and hundreds of visitors, who throng the spacious camp grounds. But to be seen at its best and to be fully appreciated, one should view and hear the band during dress parade, in which it takes a very prominent part. The regiment is usually formed in double rank, ex tending in one continuous line nearly the full length of the parade grounds. The Colonel and his staff take their position on the opposite side of the grounds in front of and facing the regiment. In the rear and to the right Illinois National Guards. 79 and left of the Colonel, the open field is black with the mass of visiting citizens, who congregate regularly to witness the most pleasing and attractive feature in the drill of the infantry troops. After a short drill in the manual of arms and the officers are instructed for the fol lowing day, the band, from its position on the right of the column, enforced by the bugle corps, moves forward about fifty paces, makes a half turn to the left and in full view of every one present marches the entire length of the line of motionless men in blue and, countermarch ing returns to its original position, keeping step, with a long swinging stride to the music, of a lively march, of its own production. The bugle corps sounds "retreat" and as the last echoes of the clear and resonant notes die away in the surrounding hills, the evening gun booms forth the soldiers good night, the band strikes up the animating notes of the national air, "The Star Spangled Banner," the reclining figures quickly arise, come to an '-attention" and bare their heads to a man, old glory which has floated proudly from the tall flagstaff through out the day is slowly lowered to the ground and put a- way until another sunrise. For a brief moment, quiet, verging on painfulness, reigna over the scene and everyone is motionless as a statue. The shades of night are falling. The shadows in the neighboring woods lengthen and become deeper and more indistinct. Not a sound is heard to mar the effect of the last sweet strains of melody as it floats softly o'er the green sward, touching h responsive chord in every heart, filling the breast of every one present with a fire and zeal experienced onlj' on such oc^agions an4 difficult to portray 80 History of Companies I. and E. Surely it is an inspiring moment. As those men stand with heads uncovered, doing homage to a great nation, an indescribable sense of pride and pleasure steals over them. They are proud with the thought that the em blem of liberty and freedom, which was that moment lowered from view, and which was purchased and has been protected by the hearts blood of so many of our countrymen, was their flag; proud of the fact that they are children of this great union of states and citizens of this grand old state of Illinois, which gave to us such patriots as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and John A. Logan, and pleased that they are privileged to serve that State even in the humble capacity of an ob scure member of the National Guard, and in that mo ment they feel they have received full recompense for the many hours of tiresome work given at home that they might be present at this time. The little child standing by the mothers side is strangely affected and looks wonderingly up into her face all unconscious that he is receiving the first lessons in the teachings of patri otism and love of country, but the seed is sown and an impression is made on that young mind, uever to be for gotten. The tension is relaxed and with one accord hats are replaced and all is bustle and confusion. Hoarse com mands are given and repeated, the regiment is formed into a column of companies, the band takes its position in the front and they pass in review before the command ing officer of the regiment and the public, each company vieing with the others in an attempt to preserve a solid front and an unwavering line. They then return to their quarters, the days duties are over. To the onlooker it ig a beautiful scene and one long tq MAJOR A. T. TOURTILLOTT Sixth Infantry. Illinois National Guards. 81 be remembered. With each generation arising among such scenes and receiving the teachings of such lessons on every hand from early childhood to manhood, who can ever doubt the integrity of our country; who can even imagine the time to come when the stars and stripes will lie trampled in the dust and pur people humbled by defeat? Not you or I, nor o.ur children or our children's children. Centuries must elapse before such a wonderful change could take place. An Enghshman, making a tour of the United States, while riding across the country one day made the ac quaintance of an elderly gentleman, who was sitting in the seat beside him. The conversation drifted to inter national affairs iand to the matter of the mere 1 andful of soldiers which represented our standing army. The Englishman put the question to the old gentleman "If difficulties- should arise with a foreign country and troops called for, where would you get your soldiers?" Point ing but through the car window to where a half a dozen men were working in the fields, the old gentleman re plied "If war cajme upon us and a call for troops was made, at least five of that half dozen men would throw down their tools and hurry to the nearest recruiting sta tion and so it would be all over our land." "But can they fight" queried the Englishman. "It was such men as those that made it possible for us to whip you twice," replied the old man "and if we ever get into trouble with you again, we will go over to your country, put a rope on that little island of yours and tow it back home with us." At that the Englishman excused himself and moved up to the next car. A regiment of soldiers withoutja band may be com pared to a horse whose driver has lost his whip. He 82 History' of Companies I and E. may plod along in a manner but the moment the lash is regained and begins to tickle his back he takes a new lease on life, pricks up his ears, arches his neck and stepping high completes the journey at race horse speed. So it is with the soldier. He may be ever so weary, and his thoughts wandering far from his immediate surroundings, but the instant the band strikes the first note the spirit which lies dormant, awakens, and he is again the animated, watchful soldier with the welfare of his country uppermost in his mind and he moves about with a free step and light heart. In time of service, or should the regiment get into action, the duties of the members of the band are to as sist the hospital corps in aiding and caring for the wounded. When the call for troops came and the Sixth regiment was ordered to Camp Tanner for service in war, the band boarded the train and reported for duty but unfort unately there were no provisions made for a band organ ization in the volunteer regiments. In Governor Tan ner's instructions from Secretary of War, R. A. Alger, he was advised that "bands will be organized from the strength of the regiments as in the regular army." Thus it will be seen that it could not be mustered into the government service as a whole, and on May ist nearly all of the band returned to their homes. John Prestine and Fred Forbes remained at Springfield and organized a volunteer band from the enlisted men of the regiment who were detailed frorn the different com panies for this duty. John Prestine was appointed Chief Musician and Fred Forbes was made principal musician. Upon the muster-out of the volunteer service and the return home of the Sixth Regiment, the Sterling band Illinois National Guards. 83 naturally assumed its former position with comrade Prestine as leader. The three years following have been years of con tinued success and while in attendance at Camp Lincoln during the last tour of duty it gave ample proof of its abilities, each man is an artist and a credit to the regi ment. In the years to come, bringing with them the many inevitable changes, may the good wishes of the men of the regiment follow the members of the band as stead fastly as has the kindly feeling which has existed in the eventful years past. PART II. UNITED STATES fOLIJNTEER SERVICE, SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR OF 1898. CHAPTER I. ANXIOUS DAYS By far the most interesting epoch in the history of the IlHnoi.s National Guard occurred during the period cov ering their services as U. S. Volunteers in the Spanish American War of 1898. The causes which led up to this war are familiar to all. The long and determined struggle for freedom, of the people of the Island of Cuba has gone down in history. Under Spanish rule thty had been bled by taxation for hundreds of years. They had been tyran- ized and made to suffer indignations beyond all human endurance. The Governor Generals of the island were selected by the government of the mother country, Spain, apparently for their cruelty. For this quality they were world renowned and they practiced it upon these help less people un-relentlessly, year after year, crushing and grinding them into veritable sia verj', inthe hopes of thus keeping their spirit broken and allowing no opportunity 8S History' of Companies I and E. to arise giving the people a foothold whereby they could make a stand for themselves. But Spain's efforts were fruitless and with a mere handful of loyal soldiers, under able leadership the Cubans made such headway as to attract the attention of the civilized nations of the world. The loss of the island rheant much to the Spanish government. The revenues derived from the system of robberj', hidden under the name of taxation, inaugu rated years ago and rigidly adhered to, could not well be spared at this time and every effort was made to frus trate the object of the people of the sunny isle. As the war dragged on and on with no prospect of its immediate close, and the funds of the Spanish govern ment grew more depleted and her national credit more weak, her worst fears were aroused and a policy of butchery and criminal warfare was determined upon and put into practice, never before credited to a civilized na tion. The indignation of the American people knew no bounds. Within a few hours ride of the shores of our ¦ own fair land, at our very door, were a people imbibed with the same spirit shown by our fore-fathers in "76," fighting against great odds, for an object no less noble than did those of the immortal Washington's time, de termined to suffer death to the last man or secure their independence. Helplessly, they saw their homes pillaged and de stroyed, their wives and famihes taken from them and driven like cattle, corralled and guarded by the thou sands, to have insults heaped upon them without stint and to die from starvation in such numbers as to make the beautiful island reek with the stench of the decay ing, unburied bodies of unfortunate men women and WM.F. LAWRIE, Capt, Co E, Sixth Inf., Vol. Present Rank, Major 6th Inf., 111. N. G. The War Cloud. 89 children. With these heartrending scenes transpiring^ .before their very eyes, with the loss of aU that .makes life beau tiful and worth the Hving, these men became more deep ly imbued with the spirit of freedom and a firm deter mination lo give their all to the cause, to die fighting for a principle which must be recognized the world over as just and right, and they fought with the desperation of a wounded beast driven in a corner. Spain was as fully determined that success should never crown the efforts of the revolutionists and Spanish soldiers were poured into the island bj' thousands. The cruelties were in creased, if such could be, and nothing left undone, no stone remained unturned which could aid in suppressing the insurrection. Reports ofthis system of crime and butchery came to us daily-. Sitting by the fireside in our peaceful homes, thinking of the sufferings of the Cuban people in their unequal fight, the history of our own country was brought vividly to the fore. The privations and suffer ings those brave men endured that we might be a free and independent people, expanding and developing into the grandest, and most liberal country on earth, and how in the darkest hour the noble Frenchmen came to our aid and standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ameri cans, they fought the war to a successful termination. The spirit of independence whieh glowed inthe breast of the redoubtable "minute man" of 1776 was inherited and fostered by the generations following and they could not stand idly by and see this wanton destruction con tinued without making a vigorous protest. But Spain would not listen to us. She reckoned without her host. Qur people were getting restless and uncontrollable- 90 History' of Companies I and E. Excitement ran high and all over this broad land could be'heard the ominous sound of war. The distant rum bling became louder and more distinct, a cloud had risen on the horizon, very small at first but increasing with such rapidity as may well have been a warning to the Spanish people, but they were blind to everything, smarting from the defeats met with at the hands of the Cuban soldiers and they went doggedly forward to their own destruction.War, war, war, go where you would one heard nothing but the talk of war. On every street corner groups of excited men congregated. In every village store and in every farm house the sole topic was war. The older ones relating incidents of the Civil War, de scribing scenes of death and carnage, telling of hair breadth escapes and of deeds of valor performed by men wearing the blue or the grey. The j'ounger men became more enthusiastic with each hour and anxiously awaited for the President to declare war and issue a call for troops. In the quiet ofthe homes the father and mother would sit pouring over the dailj' papers, closely following every action of the officials at Washington, hoping against hope that the war clouds might clear away with out the necessity of throwing our peaceful land into the turmoil of an armed c6nflict with the dark and, treacher ous people bej'ond the sea. Not that they would withhold the aid which they knew our people would tender the intrepid Cuban sold ier. Not that they feared the final result of such action. But thej' had passed through the ordeal years before and they knew the horrors of war and the distressing scenes brought about by it and their thoughts flew back- Old Memories Revived. 91 ward to the dark days of 1861 and65. Again they saw the father, husband pr son marching away to face un known dangers perhaps never to return, they heard the roar of the cannon as it belched! forth its fiery flame and hurled its leaden messenger of death into the midst of the loyal men who rallied abotit the stars and stripes when danger threatened the honor of our glorious re public. Closing their eyes they could again see it all. The mangled forms of the d^ad and dying lying all about. The wounded calling for succor and aiding each olher. The scene is changed and they see long rows of trenches filled with the bodies of unknown heroes who had given their all for the love of their country. Then came the search for missing loved ones. The mother looking for the son, the wife for the husband and father and the gentle timid maiden searching for her sweetheart. Perhaps he is found among the wounded, and again they maj' search in vain, at last to turn reluct antly away, with a heavy heart, realizing their dear one lies in an unknown grave, sleeping side by side with hundreds of his brave but unfortunate comrades. "Mus tered out," for him the last long roll has sounded. An other scene presents itself. The return of the soldier. He comes slowly down the old familiar path, the v^ait- ing wife or mother hurries, with extended arms to greet him, she stops and her arms fall listlessly to her side, her heart stands still, overflowing with pride and love and sorrow. There he stands, in faded blue, with white and haggard face. The empty sleeve or the crutch upon which he rests, speaks volumes or the hungry eager look and the wasted emaciated form may tell the story of weeks and months of prison life which was worse 92 History of Companies I and E. than death. Can this be the man who, not long before, marched proudly away, so full of life and vigor and now stands before her. as helpless as a child? He totters arid is about to fall-, she springs forward closing him in a long fond embrace- and they find relief in their mingling tears. This man to whom home and family were precious, this man who perhaps must go through life maimed and crippled, an object of pity toall his fellow men, broke home ties, turning from his loved ones with an aching heart, to sacrifice his all if need be on the altar of his country. And why? Because that independent, liberty-loving spirit born in every true American, places the love and honor of his flag and his country before all else. Thero are no sacrifices he will not make, no dangers he dare not face when the hour of peril comes. As the parents sat dreamily thinking of these trou blesome days the full meaningof war and its many pain ful scenes came forcibly to their minds. They realize that should the call to arms come, their sons will be among the first to volunteer, and their henrts are heavy with dread and anxious waiting. They will not put forth a staying hand. They will not detain them, but they will part from them with a full realization of what they may expect. The kind father, the gentle mother and the loving wife all had their doubts and fears and the suspense was very trying. CAPT. W, F. COLEBAUGH, Commanding Co. I, Vol. The Maine Disaster. 93 CHAPTER II. With a single voice our people were urging the Washington government to make a decided stand to rec ognize the Cuban revolutionists as belligerents and de clare war if necessary. Cooler Leads saw the folly of rushing madly into this conflict. If war must come, it was of the utmost importance that extensive preparations should be made and carried forward energetically. There must come a test of strength on the sea. The fleet of naval vessels was increased and put into condi tion with all possible speed. These floating fortresses were of the newest designs and equipped with all the modern munitions of war, yet they were practically un tried, and many were fearful of the outcome should there come a clash between these monster fighting-machines and those of the Spanish navy. With every indication pointing to an early outbreak, an incident occurred which forced matters to a climax and brought our people to their feet with a bound. The first class battleship Maine, while lying in a friendly har bor, bent upon a peaceful mission, was blown up from an external explosion, and more than two hundred nnd fifty souls were hurled into eternity, without a moment's warn ing. These American seamen, lying asleep in their ham mocks, all unconscious of the pending danger, were mur- 94 History of Companies I and E. dered by a villainous hand and cries of vengeance were heard on every side, coupled with the sobs of anguish and distress from the lips of bereaved parents, wives and sweethearts. Our hearts went out to the dead and dying heroes and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, our people rose as oue man and demanded satisfaction. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, yes and tenfold. The Maine was blown up while lying in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, February 15th, 1898. "A board of inquiry was appointed to investigate the cause of the explosion and proceeded to Havana and began its investigation February 21st. After an ex haustive examination of the wreck, and after taking the testimony of witnesses and of experts, the board reported on the 2 1st of March that the Maine had been destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine, but that it was unable to tix tho responsibility upon any person or per sons. It was evident that the cause of the disaster must have been from the outside." Although this board of inquiry failed to point out the guilty ones, the American people were quick to decide the question in their own minds and no amount of argu ment could induce them to think differently. They eagerly awaited the declaration of war and the beginning of hostilities that the men might shoulder their muskets and be off to wreak vengeance on the heads of this treach erous foe who worked under the cover of darkness and "stabbed innocent men in the back." Our dislike for the Spanish was equal to that of the Cubans, and no power on earth could stem the tide or turn back the wave of righteous indignation which swept over this broad land. WaIi Declared. 95 On April 2 ist, 1898, Congress declared war. Under an act of Congress, approved April 22nd, 1898, and is sued April 23rd, the President made a call for 125,000 volunteers. The following is an extract from a telegram receiv ed by the Governor of IlUnois from the War Department at Washington: Washington, D. C, April 25TH, 1898, The Governor of Illinois- The number of troops from your State under the call of the President, dated April 23, 1898, will be seven regiments of infantry and one regiment of cavalry. It is the wish of the President that the regiments of the National Guard or State Militia shall be used as far as their numbers will permit, for the reason that they are armed, equipped and drilled, * * * * E. A. Algee, Secretary of War. Previously, on February 17th, while the General As sembly of Illinois was in extra session, it adopted reso lutions, authorizing the Governor "to tender to the President of the United States all moral and material sup port that may be necessary in this emergency to main tain the proper dignity of our republic and the honor of the American flag." "It will thus be seen that Illinois, through her pat riotic Governor, was the first of all the Union to assure the President of the United States that the moral and material support of a great State was his, that Illinois, with all her treasures of men and money, with all her wealth of patriotic blood, was ready to support him, the honor of our country and the flag of our Union." 9(j History of Companies I and E. — From thy valleys and thy prairies, Illinois, Illinois. Illinois was the first state in the Union to mobolize its volunteer quota under the first call, the first to be mus tered into the United States service; the first to report for duty at the volunteer camps and during each stage of the war, Illinois was represented in the van both on land and sea. History not only repeats itself but adds luster to a glorious name. Thus it was with Illinois in the Spanish- American War. Its citizen soldiery cast aside peaceful pursuits and tidapted itself to the needs of war with an ease and brilliancy eclipsed by no other State in the Union. Its infantry organizations were within the arena of combat, both in Cuba and Porto Rico, while its sailors enjoyed a peculiar distinction on board the victorious vessels of war at Santiago, in which no other State shares. This is not fulsome praise, but simply what history will chronicle when the events of the war and the hero ism of each component body of the American army, are viewed in the light of a well balanced judgment. Illinois' ready response to the call for volunteers was an inspiration in itself. The massing of an army of over 8,000 citizen-soldiers at the State rendezvous with in twenty-four hours after the call was flashed to every community and village of the State, was a feat unsur passed. Each regiment responded "Ready" without asking any conditions, what the rations would be, without thought of the trials, discomforts and inevitable hard ships of soldiers in the field. It was the buoyant, strong and healthy manhood of the State which spoke in ac cents of patriotism that could not be doubted. Behind GOODICIL B. DILLON, 1st Lieut. Co. E, Vol. Illinois' Ready Response. 97 this great army of citizen-soldiers which Illinois offered as its first contribution of fighting material to the gov ernment, stood an army, nondescript, undisciplined, but fired by patriotic zeal, all evi ncing with one accord, eagerness to bear the standard of Illinois into every field of battle. This was the provisional army which ralhed as if by magic in every village, town and large commun ity in the State. The States of the union which had as many troops right in the centers of conflict, upon which the eyes of the world were focused, may be counted on the fingers of one hand. By far the larger portion of the first army sent out in response to President McKinley's call for 125,000 volunteers, took the oath to join federal service with many years of State militia service to its credit. These men knew how to handle their guns, understood the manual of arras and maintained a standard of dis- ¦ cipline which was a rarity in most volunteer troops. The professions, trades and occupations which the vol unteers of Illinois abandoned to defend the honor of the nation and help liberate the victims of Spanish misrule, embraced every imaginary calling from the highest to the humblest. Little wonder then that the Staite of Illinois is proud of the men who represented her in the war with Spain. In the trenches before Santiago, or on the warships with Sampson and Schley, making forced marches across the Island of Porto Rico, skirmishing with the Spaniards or guarding the yellow fever hospitals, in camp as well as in the field the n.en from Illinois — in fantry, artillery, cavalry, engineers and marines — acquit- ed themselves with credit to their state. And if those in one regiment or detachment or 98 History of Companies I and E. branch of the service apparently acquired more honor and fame than those in another, it was merely because their opportunities were greater. So far as it was per mitted them, every man displayed the courage and forti tude that combine to make the hero, and every one did his full duty to his country. In honoring them Illinois honors herself. In considering these matters, it should be borne in mind that the most soldierly qualities may be found in camp as well as on the field of battle: that while $15.60 a month may pay a man for acquiring fame for himself under fire, it requires a large measure of devotion to country to accept it without protest as full recompense for the irksome and thankless duties of garrison or camp life. The men who passed the summer in camps, drilling and preparing themselves for the duties it was expected would devolve upon them later, have to add dissapointment to whatever else they may have endured. Their opportunity did not come, and the tendency of the world is to overlook the devotion and courage that do not border on the sensational. TO the volunteers of ILLINOIS. Troops the nation called one day, Men of valor, strong and steady; Ere the echo died away Illinois had answered "Ready." While the call was yet resounding. Came the boys from bench and stool; From the town and farms surrounding, Eager students in war's school; Boys from every walk and station. Sons of parents rich and poor, Stirred to righteous indignation By the suffering at our door. Volunteers of Illinois, 99 Death and danger all unheeded. Fearing neither sword nor ball. Three and four fold more than needed Answered to the nation's call; Every youth cur thanks deserving For a duty nobly done. Faith and purpose most unswerving. Though no field his daring won. In tho camps and on the ocean. Braving Cuba's tropic heat. Proving ever their devotion. Knowing nothing of defeat; All they had thus bravely tendered. Here and ther" death claimed a boy Freely but with tears surrendered By the State of Illinois. Troops the nation called cne day. Men of valor, strong and steady; Ere the echo died away Illinois had answered "Ready." Elliott Flower. 100 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER III. From the hour that the news was received that war had been declared, excitement increased. The men of the National Guard were speculating on the probabili ties of their being called to the front. There appeared to be but little room for doubt in this matter, yet it was very uncertain until the company commanders received orders to increase the ranks of the enlisted men to the maximum, eighty-five, and to prepare for a hurried de parture on receipt of orders to move. Shortly after twelve o'clock on the morning of April twenty-sixth. Captains Colebaugh and Lawrie received telegraphic instructions from Colonel D. J. Foster to report with their companies at the State Fair Grounds, near Spring field, not later than noon of April twent3'-seventh. The Illinois National Gaurd was to mobolize at this point for war service. This brought matters to a crisis and a long list of emergency men was added to the register of the regu lar enlisted men of the companies. They came from all directions, on foot, on horseback and by train. They came from the farms, and country towns surrounding, from the schools, the stores and the professions until there was room for no more, all eager and anxious to don the blue that their fathers wore a generation back. E. C. LAWTON, 1st Lieut. Co. I, Sixth 111. Vol. Farewell to Home. 101 On sober thought it was a serious matter and to many it meant a battle within themselves, but whatever mis givings were brought to the fore they were thrust to one side and the single idea of taking a place in the ranks, side by side with loyal friends, was kept con stantly before them. With their names once entered on the roll, none but a coward would flinch from the duties which were be fore them, regardless of their nature. This thought gave them courage to look the situation squarly in the face and to part with their loved-ones with a sense of fulfilling a duty which they felt was theirs although it might mean a long and possibly last separation. The instinct for fair treatment was aroused within them and they were spoiling for a fight, not a disgraceful slug ging match but an honorable meeting with the foe they •had learned to dislike so heartily, where the whole world stood by as judges and right and justice would triumph. Naturally, the home towns of the two companies of National Guards became the central points for the con gregating of the many citizens of the county. As the day wore on the crowds increased to unparalelled proportion! with amazing rapidity. The moments and hours passed quickly, and the hour for departure was close at hand before it was fully realized. The good byes were yet to be said, and many a friend almost for gotten in the hurry and excitement came forward with outstretched hands and although no outward sign was visible, true friendship could be read in the hearty clasp of the hand and gazing straight into each others eyes, they saw something there which strangely impressed them and they knew that the good-byes and'good-wishes 102 History of Companies I and E, which were being said, were not thoughtlessly given, but came from the heart. Not for years had there been such a gathering of the citizens as occurred in these towns on that memorable day. Young and old, rich and poor alike, jostled each other in an attempt to secure a point of vantage. Men there were in those lines who were among strangers, yet they were quickly made to see that every one was their friend. The events occuring in those fleeting mo ments were indelibly stamped upon the minds of all who were present, and to the volunteer, it marked the be ginning of an epoch in his life, the picture of which, Father Time, wielding his ever ready sickle, can not dim. and in after years, in reflecting on the past, he may, in imagination, wander back to those days and feel truly thankful that it was his lot to be among the fortun ate ones who could in no other manner give proof pf their true Americanism. Hundreds more there were ready and wilhng to serve their country but at that lime there was no room for them and they could do nothing but remain at home. Not the least conspicuous among the throng were the veterans of the war of the rebellion. Old men with bent forms and locks of silvery grey, the hand of time resting heavily upon them were made young iigain; they stood erect and their eyes shone brightly, while their thoughts wandered back to the days of their youth and they imagined they were again in the ranks wearing the blue.' They seemed to hear the stirring notes of the martial music as it pealed forth from fife and drum and they were once more among the "fields of cotton and of cane," fighting over the battles of nearly two score years ago where oft times brother met brother and The Old Veteran 103 father met son in a desperate struggle for supremacy. As these long to be remembered scenes flitted rapid ly before them their hearts grew warm and the patriotic fire which burned so fiercly in their breasts long years ago but which had slumbered for a generation, was re kindled and flamed up with renewed strength and vigor; they, for the moment, forgot their surroundings and looking beyond the swaying crowds saw many familiar faces the memory of whieh the lapse of time had dimmed. Tender recollections flooded their minds and they were lost to the bustle and activity about them un til awakened from their dreams with a start as the com mand "attention" rang out sharp and clear and the eager boys, soldiers of another generation, fell "quickly into line to receive their final orders before boarding the awaiting train. The old soldier cast a critical eye down the line of youthful faces and mentally repeated, it is well for them that they know not what may be before them and he thanked God that Mason and Dixons Line has been swept awav and if go they must and should their lot bring them to an honorable death on the field of battle they were taking no chance of being laid low by the hand of one of their own flesh and blood. There was but one sentiment among the people; not two but seventy millions of souls with but a single thought. No more substantial evidence of this fact could have been established than did Congress, when, without a dissent ing voice, it voted fifty millions of dollars into the hands of President McKinley as an emergency fund in prepar ing the troops for the field. Not alone was this proof of the sentiment of the people as to the action they considered necessary but it also bore witness of the 104 History of Companies I and E, implicit faith and confidence which they placed in the man at the helm. After the final preparations were made and all in readiness, those boys, in whose keeping was placed the honor of Whiteside county, in this test of strength with a foreign foe, marched out into the night and dovvn the street through the living lanes to the depot; the crowds cheering themselves hoarse in an effort to show their appreciation of the offering made by the boys in line in thus voluntarily placing their slight aid at the disposal of the government. As they drew near the station the crowds became more dense and it was a difficult matter to make ones way through the throng. For numbers and enthusiasm no such gatherings had been witnessed since the days of the Civil war. With but a few moments at their disposal the boys bade their friends and relatives a last farwell; the mothers, sisters and wives, smiling through their tears, admonished the departing soldiers to remember the homes they were about to leave and those about them; the sweethearts, forgetting their natural timidity, turned blanched faces upward to the quiet, thoughtful visages of the youthful soldiers to receive the parting caresses and breathing words of encouragement, into each others ears, they separated; the kind fathers and brothers ill at ease yet cheerful], grasped the outstretched hands and in the glare of the nearby arc lights, in a low but earnest tone, cautioned the volunteers to do their duty as soldiers fearlessly; that unlooked for trials might come and in the dark hours for them to remember that the eyes of the folks at home were upon them and their hearts with them always; that in the history of our country many high examples of the faithful, patroitic J. FRANK WAHL, 2nd Lieut, Co, E Vol. Later, Capt. Co. E, 111. N. G. Boarding the Cars. 105 soldier shone forth and should the occasion demand it, much would be expected from the volunteer soldiers of 1898; they placed every confidence in their courage and abilities and would eagerly await their triumphal home coming, certain that they would bring with them such records as would establish new marks in history of the qualities of the American Volunteer soldier. The clanging of the engine bell was the singal for the waiting soldiers to board the cars and amid the wild cheering of the throngs they were off. Company I with three commissioned oflRcers arid eighty-five men left Morrison at ten o'clock on the night of April 26th, Walter Burritt, Quartermaster .Ser geant of the first Battahon accompanying them; arriving at Sterling twent}' minutes later they were joined by company E with three commissioned officers and eighty men, also the Sixth Regiment Band, with John Prestine, Chief musician and Fred Forbes, principal musician. Regimental Surgeon, Frank Anti on}'. Cap tain Ben Eick, Regimental Sergeant Major, Ned John son and Hospital Stewards John Kline, Fred Brown and Howard Geyer, of the Sixth Regiment, all of Sterling also boarded the special train here. Leaving Sterling at ten forty-five p.m. we were again enroute. Little time for serious consideration and thought had been given us. Now that we were alone and away from the excitement which had prevailed for some time previous to our departure, the countenances of many of those in the half lighted cars grew serious as the full realization of what might be before us dawned upon them. There was not the slighest indication of fear, but scanning the faces of our comrades, a resolute look was readily discernable which bespoke of deter- 106 History of Companies T and E. mined minds and a settled purpose, and, inexperienced as we were in the trials and possible dangers of war, we were alive to the situation and with our hearts in the work which was before us and a just God to watch o'er and protect us, we felt that all would end well. With the last tender good-byes and good wishes of our friends and relatives still ringing in our ears, it naturally left us somewhat low spirited, but the dull ness was soon dispelled and as we rolled into Dixon at eleven o'clock we were as jolly as a pleasure party. We were backed over the Y to the Illinois Central tracks avoiding the march between depots and giving us through car service to Springfield, which was mnch appreciated by us. We were ordered to lay here, awaiting the arrival of company M of Galena, General Grants old home. Companies I and E, headed by the Sixth Regiment Band, marched down town to company G's armory and were lunched by the patriotic people of Dixon. The lateness of the hour having no apparent effect on the number or enthusiasm of the throng which had gath ered to witness the departure ot their own soldier boys and we were treated royally. At four o'clock the following morning, April 27th, companies I and E enforced by G of Dixon and M of Galena, boarded the cars for the final ride to Spring field. We were given a very creditable run from Dixon, making but few stops. We picked up company K of Lamoille at Mendota, this making a heavy train of eleven coaches, all crowded, and three large box cars of baggage. Company L ot Freeport, which had been following us with a very light train passed us here, Enroute to Springfield. 107 As we reached the coal mining district the boys be gan to arouse themselves, and as we neared LaSalle miners began to pop up all around us on both sides of the swiftly moving train: from every direction we could see them with the small lamps attached to their caps and dinner buckets in hnnd, soon they would be lowered into the bowels of mother earth, there in the darkness to toil through the long weary hours, digging out the, fuel which might ere long furnish the power to drive our mighty warships across the trackless ocean in search of our wily enemies, the Spaniards. At every town along the route crowds had gath ered to cheer us as we sped by. "Old Glory" could be seen on every hand. It caused hearts to beat a trifle quicker and heads to be thrown back and a very war like spirit would steal o'er us as we heard the cry of "Cuba and freedom." The country between LaSalle and Clinton is quite flat and considerable of this section was under water. Arriving at Clinton we were backed over onto the Springfield branch and ran down to the lunch counter. We were given fifteen minutes to lunch, and soon the station grounds were covered with boys with both hands full of food. We found another large gathering here to greet us. Changing engines we were again on the road with but a few miles intervening before reaching our destina tion. Our train was comf)elled to run quite slow at sev eral points through this section on account of heavy rains having caused several washouts, and at one point in particular the roadbed had been carried away entirely for a stretch of about fifteen rods, but had been tempor arily repaired. 108 History of Companies I and E. At eleven fifteek we entered Springfield. The State Fair Grounds being some distance from where we enter ed the city, we were picked up by a switch engine and run down to Camp Tanner, as the rendezvous at the Fair Grounds had been officially designated by Briga dier General Barkley, Post Commander. A draw bar was pulled out of one of the coaches which caused a de lay of nearly two hours. We marched into the camp grounds at one thirty ]>. m. Nearly all of the State troops had arrived in advance of our delayed train. The Third and Sixth regiments were assigned quarters in the Exhibition Building ; the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth were located in the various buildings scattered about the grounds. The Seventh was under tents in the center of the race course. Governor Tanner, Commander-in-Chief of the State troops, established headquarters in the Dome Building. The Commissary Department was located in the Poultry Building, separated from our quarters by a long high bridge that spanned a wide, dry ravine which coursed through the grounds. y^ TWS^' -^ r.-.^^ Sixth Regt. on practice march at Camp Tanner, Springfield, Arrival at Camp Tanner, 109 CHAPTER IV Disorder prevailed, and it was impossible to learn anything regarding our future movements. The com missary sergeants went immediately on a foraging expe dition: food was scarce, but success finally crowned their efforts and by night we had coffee boiling and meat cooking. As we were weary and somewhat hungry our first meal in camp was relished by all, and our drooping spirits were soon revived, , Accommodations for lodging were poor, and we were initiated in our soldier life by turning in on plank and cement floors with newspapers for coverings. Considering the gigantic task of' mobol- izing eight or ten thousand troops from all over the State within twenty-four hours afterthe callj we felt that we were fortunate in securing the attention fhat was ours and we did not complain. With the dawn of the following day, order and com parative quietness succeeded where chaos and confusion had reigned. We awoke to find sentinels patrolling the quarters, and everything had taken on the aspect of a soldier camp. Rubbing our eyes and looking about we wondered if we were dreaming; thelast notes of "reveille" were vibrating through the large building, and after thoroughly shaking ourselves we realized the stern reali ty of our position. As a rule the boys met the situation 110 History of Companies I and E. in a matter of fact way and readily adapted themselves to their surroundings, moving about, attending their duties quietly and in such a manner as might well have led the casual observer to believe that soldiering was an everv day experience in the lives of many of these men. The first act of General James H. Barkley. in com mand of the entire Illinois National Guard, until such time as the entire organization was turned over to the government, was to issue his first general order as follows: "By direction of the commander-in-chief, Governor John R. Tanner I hereby assume command of this post. The staff of the Second brigade will act in their respect ive departments at this post." "The camp will be known in the official correspond ence as Camp Tanner. The necessary orders for running the camp followed. Under the order Lieutenant J, Mack Tanner was appointed post adjutant. Lieutenant Colonel George N. Krieder. post surgeon. Major Lincoln Du Bois, post commissary. Other members of the staff were: General William Clendenin, inspector general. Lieu tenant Colonel Henry Davis, assistant inspector general. Lieutenant R, D. Loose, Lieutenant George Pashfield, Jr., Lieutenant Ricard, aides," We were governed by the following service calls; Reveille, - . 5:30 a. m, Fatigue call, • 6100 a.m. Mess call, - 6:30 a, m. Sick call, - - 17:00 a. to. Drill call, ' 8;uo a. m. Recall, - - 9130 a. m. School call, (officers) 10:30 a, m. First sergeant's call, - ii:ooa, m. Mess call, - 12:00 m. BENJ. EICK, 2nd Lieut.iCo. I, Vol. Present Rank, Capt. I. R. P. Sixth Inf., 111. N. G. Experience as Recruits. Ill Drill call, 1.30 p. m. Recall, 3:30p.m. Guard mount. 4:30 p. m. Mess call, S:oo p. m. Assembly parade. 6:00 p.m. Tattoo, 9:30 p. ni. Taps, . io:oo p. m. Major Anthony and his corps of assistants were busily engaged in establishing a hospital and equipping it with the: necessary cots and blankets, securing a supply of medicines and otherwise preparing to receive the sick which experience had taught them would surely come. These arrangements were completed none to soon, as the volunteers, many of them unused to the severe training they were given, succumed to the heat and only the prompt and effective treatment received at the hospital prevented a number from serious illness. The first few days of drilling, to the unitiated, was found to be hard work and had a tendancy to dampen the ardor uf a few of thc less patriotic. A number of them found that it would be impossible to remain wilh the reg iment as circumstances were such as necessitated their presence at home and although they regretted very much to leave us yet they were compelled to do so. Men in squads and full companies, marching and countermarching covered the camp grounds. Troopers and mounted officers galloping here and there gave a very war-like appearance to the camp. April twenty ninth, companies I and E were given a preliminary examination. Company E came through the test without the loss of a man while company I had seven rejected. This exainination was given us by Major Aq- 112 History of Companies I and E. thony and his assistants. On Saturday, April thirtieth, the Third and Sixth regiments were ordered out for their first long march. It had rained considerable since our arrival and the roads were in bad condition; this added to the other diffi culties of not being fully prepared for the call made it quite severe for the boys. They made a grand showing, coming in from the five mile tramp with as regular a step and unbroken line as when leaving camp. Orders were issued to continue the practice marches each day and gradually increase the distance to from ten to twenty miles. This was necessary to work the men into con dition for actual service. The following day, Sunday, great crowds of visitors swarmed into camp. It was estimated that nearly fifty thousand people, exclusive of the soldiers, were on the grounds that day. They gazed at us as though we were curiosities. We looked hard in return, searching for a familiar face in the throng. Sometimes we were re warded with a smile and a nod only to chase the donner up to find it was a case of mistaken identity. The com pany mess tents were pitched on a hillside, facing the high bridge. During mess the bridge was lined with people watching us devour hard tack and sowbelly. During the Sunday dinner, one of the boys remarked, "They look at us as though they thought we were a lot of Indians," and another member retorted "What are we but a lot of Indians?" A running fire of friendly rep artee was kept up continually between the soldiers and their smiling, good natured visitors. Fully one half of the men had not the first mark of a soldier in their dress, and excepting the officers, hardly a marr was visible who possessed a complete uniform. Center of race track utilized as drill and parade grounds at Camp Tanner, as viewed from the ampitheater. Development of the Men. 113 It was a very noticable fact that while the volunteer who was fortunate in securing a uniform, was the recipient of many bright smiles and shy glances from the ever pres ent fair visitors, and much sought after by the ladies' affable, inquisitive, gentleman companions; the comrade at his side who had recently staked him with his last quarter, but who was decked in the garments of an or dinary citizen, with, perhaps the exception of possessing a pair of government socks, met with a cold stare and a "sir!" that caused him to have cold feet, if he ventured to reply to any of the hundreds of questions which were phed to the "real soldier." Feehng himself growing smaller each moment the un-uniformed volunteer retired to some quiet corner to reflect on the ways of mankind, the while consoling himself with the thought that al though he was minus the outward mark of Uncle Sair.s' servants he was full to overflowing with fight that mo ment, and he nursed his injured pride tenderly until sought out by his more fortunate comrade who greeted him with a merry twinkle in his eye and the encouraging remark, "cheer up comrade, it may not be true." His spirit, dampened for the time but naturally buoyant, soon re vived and the rebuff thoughtlessly given was forgotten. The first fevV days passed quickly. The company commanders were kept hard at work preparing their men for the physical examination, securing and issuing clothing and ordnance supplies, making up preparatory muster rolls and finding apparently endless work before them. The men settled down to the task of making soldiers of themselves. They were earnest students in the school of war and worked steadily, becoming more proficient in the drill and maneuvers with each day. The officers were all old members of the National Guard 114 History of Companies I and E. and as a rule were well versed in the teachings they be stowed on the less tutored but willing man in the ranks It was with much pride and pleasure that the officers witnessed the gradual development of the men as they were slowly but surely transformed from an awkward throng into an army of trained troops. True, a few days schooling could not bring about the desired result in attaining such a thorough training as is expected of the regular army man, yet the regular was the ideal for the time being, of the volunteers and setting their mark high and grasping every opportunity to make their ad vance as rapid as possible, they more readily mastered the difficulties which presented themselves and they forged ahead at a pace as unexpected as it was desired by the officers in command. The practice marches were continued each day but the storm}' weather which prevailed prevented them from making the distance a.« originally planned. To the men who had several years of service in the National Guard to their credit, the work came with less fatigue than to those who were receiving their primary teach ings in the school of war and it was pure grit alone that pulled many of them through when at times it appeared that they were unable to endure the severe training giv en them. The First regiment of cavalry was among the troops early upon the scene. This with the seven regiments of infantry which were there, completed the mobolization of the Ilhnois troops. In view of the fact that this State was not represented in the artillery branch of the ser vice, and the eager desire of the batteries to go to the front. Governor Tanner took energetic aciion to include the artillery in the first call, and was le warded with sue- Equipping the Volunteers. 115 cess by receiving instructions from the Secretary ot War, April twenty ninth, authorizing him to furnish one six gun battery of light artillery, in addition to the seven reg iments of infantry and one of cavalry as previously in structed. In conformity with this authority battery A of Dan ville. Captain Philip Yeayer, commanding, and equipped with modern breech-loading 3-2 inch guns, was ordered to report at Camp Tanner, April thirtieth, for the pur pose of being mustered into the United States volunteer service. The battery arrived in camp that night. On May first, Governor Tanner made an effort to have battery B, of Galesburg, included in the first call from this State, bur the War Department declined to in crease the quota from. Illinois. Equipping the volunteers wiih the necessary cloth ing and ordnance supplies was found to be a serious problem. Secretary of War, R. A. Alger requested the State to turn over to the general government, all of the uniforms in possession of the Illinois organizations, also the arms and equipment for the time being. General Reese, anxious to assist the government in every manner possible, at once entered the market for campaign hats, leggins. shoes and ponchos, and as rapidly as these ar ticles could be obtained they were issued to the troops, The United States, and every State in the Union, were bu}ing clothing and equipments for their troops, Nearly the entire amount of these articles that were on hand had been purchased at the first intimation of war, and it was conceded to be almost an accomodation on the part of the manufacturer to hsten to proposals of any kind. By sending agents to Chicago and St. Louis, the State secured enough hats, shoes, leggins, blankets and 116 History of Companies I and E. ponchos, to not only reheve the most pressing needs of tie troops, but to fit them out fairly well for practical 'field service. May ninth. Governor Tanner received a telegram from Secretary Alger in which he said, "we wish everything you can furnish, as the government is going to have hard work to equip its troops in time for service." This demonstrated that even the government could not purchase or manufacture equipments as rapidly as the necessity demanded. Upon receipt of this advice, the Slate officials re doubled their efforts tu secure such additional clothing and equipage, as was not habitually ibsued to the Na tional Guard, and were required for the volunteers, and all concerned labored night and day lo bring the Illinois volunteers under National control at the earliest possible moment. Thus it may be seen that while the rank and file of the volunteers were perspiring in the broiling sun, step ping on one anothers heels in a vain effort to be graceful in the evolutions of a soldier; preparing and eating their meals in the rain and mud and sometimes mOre than half inclined to rebel at the restrictions placed over them; the Commander-in-chief,, and his staff, together with the large corps of assistants were receiving the brunt of the work. They felt that they were responsible to a great degree for the health and condition of the thousands of volunteers who had streamed in upon them even before the arrangements were completed as to what disposition should be made of them until such a time as they could be turned over to the government. They were in duty bound to care for those men and the numerous obstacles which they met and overcome represented no small vol ume of labor. They were hampered by the shortage in The Sixth IU., marching to church in a body at Camp Tanner, Equipping the Volunteers, 117 supplies of all kinds and only by dint of energetic work with little or no rest were the men fed and clothed. That Illinois was the fir.st State in the^ union to report its quota of volunteers as ready for field service was due to the tireless and continued efforts of the State officials to this end. 118 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER V. The regular routine of work was continued day after day and as the men grew more accustomed to their duties they fo-ind a certain amount of pleasure in performing them. It required but a short time to form many new acquaintances among the men of the various regiments; and the hours off duty were spent in the large buildings where the practical joker was much in evidence, and the rafters fairly shook with the continued laughter and mer riment of the hilarious, fun loving boys. There whs no lack of sport and from early morn until taps, Indian war dances accompanied by the regulation whoop, glove contests and amateur theatricals followed ujion each other closely. The entertainment which received the most attention and was put intp more general practice, until every man was initiated was lermed "hot-foot," or "cheese-malee." It consisted of running the gantlet between two long lines of young fellows wiih well developed muscles. Each man in the lines armed himself with a strong stick or can teen strap and as the victim gathered his energies and shot down the narrow lane he received a warming that was remembered for some time, and if he succeeded in escaping punishment from the upper end of the line he was given the full degree by the remaining ones, and as the instruments of torture were plied one after another Incidents of Camp Life. 110 in rapid succession the candidate increased his momentum and shot by the last man with the speed of a race horse. His first impulse was to sit down and think the matter over but he no sooner found a resting place than he con cluded it would be more convenient to remain on his feet and for the first 'time since his arrival at camp he longed for the luxury of the old arm chair with its downy cush ions and padded back. Very few escaped this treat as the men were considerate to a fault and partiality would not be tolerated. The good things were not for the few but were equally distributed to all. To struggle op pro test was to eventually bring an extra portion- to the friendless victim, and as misery loves company he added his mite to the working team and took his revenge on the hapless and helpless ones who soon came darting down the course. At night the scene was an animating one. In the building with us was the Third regiment,, in all nearly two thousand high spirited young fellows and it was im possible to keep them quiet. Promptly at ten o'clock the bugler of the Third would step out on the stair landing at the upper end of the building and blow taps, and as the men of his regiment snuffed the burning candles they cheered his efforts to the echo. Immediately afterward, the bugler of the Sixth would appear at the opposite land ing and repeat the call for the benefit of the men of his regiment, and among the hurrahs of our boys the flicker ing flames of the candles in our quarters disappeared. This friendly rivalry between the buglers of the Third and Sixth and their supporters continued throughout our stay at Camp Tanner. For a few moments after taps, deep silence reigned throughout the building, then v voice from some far away corner would cry out "have a 120 History of Companies I and E. good time and e-n-j-o-y-y-y yourself," then a perfect bed lam would break loose. A multitude of voices with one accord, joined in a chorus, most hideous and unearthly. Cat-calls from the back yard fence, watch dogs, growling and barking on the front porch, hoot owls in the neigh boring trees, the mooing of cows and bellowing of bulls in the barn yard lot, added to the caw caw, of the crow, the cry of the chicken hawk, the quack of the duck and the gentle cooing of the turtle dove, formed a combina tion that baffles description and nearly drove the officers frantic. In vain they would command silence, and taking a still hunt down the rows of reclining figures inan effort to locate the source of the pandomin they found every one quiet and to all appearances fast asleep. Returning to their sleeping quarters the officers would fall into a doze to be rudely awakened by a repetition of the noise. This was repeated until the boys grew weary of the sport and one after another they dropped asleep to dream of home and the treasures which they knew were stored away in the cellars. The Young Mens Christian Association of Spring field, put up a large tent shortly after the arrival of the troops and regular services were held throughout the life of Camp Tanner. Writing material was furnished gratis, to those desiring it and the large tables were well occu pied during the long evenings' and leisure hours of the day. Good literature was never lacking and the kind ness in general, shown us by the young men in charge demonstrated the fact that they were deeply in earnest in the work. The second Sunday in camp was a repetition of the preceding Sabbath. The regiment attended church ser vice in the race track amphitheatre at eleven o'clock in Tossed in a blanket, or the ups and downs of a volunteer. Surgeons Sound Sterling Bovs. 121 the morning. The service was led by Chaplin Morgan, of the Sixth. The customary afternoon practice march was taken in the morning. After church the men were given their liberty until six o'clock in the evening when they assembled for dress parade. Great boxes and bar rels of delicacies had been received from homes of the soldiers the day previous and a day of feasting was theirs. From all directions the relatives and friends of the boys came in. The boys of company E received a liberal share of the edibles and their visitors were numerous. They ate, drank, smoked and made merry, and for hours the rela tives and friends from home were busily engaged an swering questions. The visitors with well filled pockets, graciously feted the boys until the hour of departure arrived when they bid them good;bye and left them feel ing lonely but happy. Company I boys searched the crowds in vain for a familiar face, and ate hard tack and sowbelly with poor grace, washing it down with army coffee; a good substan tial, one course dinner without trimmings of any kind. To them the hardtack was tougher and the meat fatter than ever before and they eyed their more fortunate com rades with ill concealed envy. It was a sorrowful day for them but their time was yet to come; they had no means of knowing it and they felt that they had been forgotten. They were not in want of anything in par ticular, the inner man was well supplied and clothing plenty, but among this cheerfulness, the evidence of which could be seen on every hand, a feeling of depres sion came over them which would not be shaken oft'. Monday May ninth, the final physical examination was given Company E. The boys marched down town 122 History of Companies I and E. to the State Capitol building in the morning, and after a long wait on the outside they were taken to the Senate Chamber and there, twenty men at a time were stripped of all clothing and taken before the examining board. This board consisted of Colonel Senn, Ass't Surgeon General of the U. S. A., Captain Birmingham also of the regular army. Major Anthony, Surgeon, and Captain Cole, Assistant Surgeon of the Sixth regi ment. The Sterling boys came through the or deal with flying colors, losing only two men. Cor poral William Deem and private Lovier Feigley. Both were sorely dissapointed, but the regulations could not be ignored and the only course open to them was to re turn home. Captain Lawrie recruited two volunteers from Chicago to fill the vacancy. The following day. May tenth Company I was ex amined. Its members were taken to the quarters of the Fifth, and the examination was given them by the board of that regiment. It was composed -of Major Milton R. Keeley, Surgeon of the Fifth, and one of the Ass't Sur geons ofthe same regiment. It was quite evident from the beginning that they were to receive a searching ex amination and when the last man had donned his cloth ing the list of rejected ones contained the names of twenty-four of the Morrison boys; among them were some of the oldest members of the company of State troops and this ripping up. the back so weakened the company in point of numbers as to bring the matter of disbanding and reorganizing it, to serious consideration. Captain Colebaugh, feeling that an injustice had been done the men who were rejected, brought the matter tothe attention of Colonel Foster, eommandiug the Sixth regiment. After considering the problem the Colonel Co. I. Loses Heavily 123 authorized Major Anthony to give the rejected men a re examination. Six of the twenty-four accepted the op portunity and every man went through. This appeared to be substantial evidence that they were given an ex tremely thorough going over at the hands of Major Keeley, either intentional or otherwise. With seven men rejected at the preliminary, and twenty-four at the final examination, left the company with but fifty-four of the original eighty-five. Another of the company, Brice McCune, thinking he would sooner get to the front, went over to the Third regiment and entered their ranks. Fifty-three men were all that could be mustered. The return of the six men who were accepted at the re examination brought the number up to fifty-nine. There were plenty of extra men about camp awaiting just such an opportunity as this to enter the ranks and in a short time twenty-one recruits were selected and com pany I had a full complement of men. Those of company 1 who were rejected at the pre liminary examination were: Corporal Charles Weeks, privates William Moree, Firman McWhitemore, Timothy Bly, Frank Davis, Frank Judd and Orville Mitchell. Those rejected at the final were : Sergeant Ed Curtis, Corporal Orville Kaler, privates Henry Clark, Harry Morse, William Almanrode, George Hubbard, William Hubbard, Charles Magee, Theo Magee, Emerson Fel lows, Otto Harrison, Alvin Burch, Walter Wreks, Wil liam Yarbrough, Henry Vandyke, George Colehour, Arthur Stinton and Harry Fisher. These men, with the rejected ones of company E, were furnished transporta tion and regretfully, they turned their faces homeward. Fortunately, the men who were recruited to fill the va cancies caused by the loss of these men were all fine 124 History of Companies I and E. fellows and had the opportunhy and time been given to investigate each individual, it is doubtful if a more de- sireable selection could have been made. The weather continued wet and nasty. The camp grounds had become a sea of mud and the buildings were kept clean with difficulty. A day of sunshine was exceptional and the men were beginning to tire of their quarters. Many rumors floated about camp and we were constantly expecting something to occur which would result in our being mustered in and hurried to the front. We were rapidly being equipped with cloth ing but were short of arms, having only the few rifles which the companies had taken to camp from home, and a goodly portion of them had been condemned amd taken up, as unfit for service. There was very little sickness in camp. It was sur prising too; the unfavorable condition of the weather and the inexperience of many of the men in taking proper care of themseh'es in such surroundings may well have been cause for much sickness. The examining sur geons evidently did their work thoroughly and the ac cepted men possessed excellent constitutions; otherwise the conditions would have been vastly different from those existing at the time. The Fifth and Third regiments of infantry were mus tered into United States service in the order named on the seventh day of May, and we anxiously awaited orders, hoping to follow them closely. The officers and men of the Fifth and Third were highly elated at their success in being the first of the Illinois troops to be mus tered in, and dehghted in cafling the attention of the men of the remaining regiments to the fact, and they in formed us that they would be at the front in a few days E. J. WEAVER, 2nd Lieut. Co. I, Vol. Sixth InfanTrV Mustered In. 125 while in all probability we would not leave the State. In aU events the n.ost we could hope for would be gar rison duty in some out of the way army post. The events which followed in the succeeding months proved the un reliability of these statements and the uncertainty sur rounding a soldiers life. The Sixth regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was mustered into the United States service, Wednes day, May eleventh, by Captain Cyrus S. Roberts, 17th U. S, Infantry, mustering officer. The regimental officers and non-commissioned staff were the fir.st to take the oath and sign the muster roll. Company E of Sterling was the first and Company I of Morrison, the last to be sworn in, of the twelve companies which com posed the Sixth regiment. Captain Roberts, accom panied by Colonel Foster and the commanding officer of the company took his position in front of the awaiting soldiers. As the name of each man was read from the muster in roll, he stepped forward a few paces, forming a new line. After this had been repeated until every man in the company had answered "here", Captain Roberts requested the men to take their caps in the left hand and raise the right while he administered the fol lowing oath: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of Ameri ca; that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies whomsoever; and that 1 wih obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the rules and articles of war. We were soldiers in fact as weh as practice. This was the hour of the disbanding of the Illinois National 126 History of Companies I and E. Guard, as company after company took the oath of allegiance to serve the government for two years unless sooner discharged. Colonel Foster spoke words of en couragement to the men and informed us that we were ihe Jirst regiment of volunteers ever mustered into the government service from Illinois with twelve full com panies. The die was ca.st and come what would we were bound to the flag of our Union for two years or until the Spaniards were driven from the Island of Cuba and peace declared. Roster of Company E. 127 CHAPTER VI. The following is a complete roster of companies E and I as they were mustered into the volunteer service; giving the residence of each man at the time of enlist ment: Company E. Captain, William F. Lawrie, Sterling:. 1st Lieutenant, Goodicil B. Dillon, 2nd Lieutenant, Frank Wahl, Ist Sergeant, Samuel H. Feigley, Q. M. Sergeant, Edward A. Nellen, Sergeant, John W. Cushman, " Joshua H. Wildasin, " Fred E. Wagley, Rock Falls. Corporal, Charles F. Hoobler, Sterling. " Romeo^W. Baker, " " Herbert R. Grimes, " " Leslie C. Sheldon, " Martin L. Allpress, Rock Falls, Harry L. Hankerson, Sterling. Musician, F. Roy Eshelman, " " Lee D, Meyers, " Private, Anderson, Charles " Alderfer, Philip " Aument, Frank H. " " Byers, Wilson " " Bailey, Frank C. Rock Falls, " Bassett, Bert Sterling, 12S History of Co.aipanies I and E. Private Bassett, Marcus P. Bassett, Ed, Bassett, Milton B, Rock Falls, " Bushnell, Leo H. Sterling. " Book, Enos Emerson. " Bensinger, John E. Sterling. " Burr, James S. " Berlin, Clark " Buckley, Bernhard J. " Blair, Frank Burkhart, Will L. Chicago. " Cary, John G. Sterling. Cary, Elroy R. Coryell, Frank H. Rock Falls. " Cunningham, Claire Sterling. " Clark, Lyman P. " " Compton, Clare " " Deem, Arthur E. " Deyoe, Devillo B. Hock Falls. " Dillon, Reese J. Sterling. " Eager, Wallace L. Rock Fa' Is. '¦ Eisele, William " Flock, William F. Sterling. " Goodman, Harry C, " Hess, Fred R, " Higby, Leonard C. " " Heathcoate, William " Hansen, Gus Rock Falls. Hall, Guy G. Havens, George F. Sterling. Johnson, Charles S. " ¦' Johnson, Charles A. " . " Johnson, Bert " Kah), Ernest Rock Falls. Lingel, William J. Sterling. Lund, William C. '¦ Lineberry, John '- Lindsley, Calvin Rock Falls. Little, Harry Sterli.ng. Moore, Louis E. Hock Falls, " Morrison, Alfred G. " McNeil, Robert B. Mackey, Fred W. Sterling. Co. E lined up, preparatory to taking- the oath, Major Anthony on extreme left, Capt. Lawrie in foreground. Roster of Company I. 129 Private Merricks, Edward Rock Falls. Pigg, Frank Sterling. Round, George It Reifsnyder, William (C Ranger, Charles E. " Rhodemyer, Herman Rock Falls, Rodgera, Guy Alden Chicago. Smith, Frank W, Sterling. Sheldon, John (( Struckman, William C, (( Street, Albert L, ([ Sneed, Fred W, tl Slade, George • '¦ Strock, John Franklin (( Triggs, Alpheus W. (( Wright, Fred W. Rock Falls. VVinters, Carl " Wahl, Albert A. Steriing. Wilkinson, Lee D. (e Date of enrollment, April twenty sixth, for those who joined the company for duty previous to its de parture from Sterling. Privates Burkhart and Rodgers were recruited at Springfield and enrolled May four teenth. Hospital Steward Kline secured an excellent photograph of company E as the boys fined up awaiting to be mustered in. Captain, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Sergeant, Q. M. Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Musician, Company I. Wm. F. Colebaugh, Morrison. Edward C. Lawton, " Ernest J. Weaver, " David E. Crouch, Prairieville. Andrew F. Mathews, Morrison. Harry A. Weaver, " Jacob L. Rockey, " Harry H. Rockey, '' Andrew J. Osborne, Jr., Erie, Ora M, Colebaugh, Morrison. Robert E. Davis, " 1.30 History of Companies I and E. Private, Adams, Henry W. " Andrews, James '' Berry, Charles «' Berry, Harrison S Boyer, William C. " Baird, John W. " Brubaker, John S. " Brearton, Fred W. " Birley, Charles H. " Burr, Amos A. " Bunzey, Rufus S " Black, Evan " Baker, John " Clip, George W. Carlton, Frank E. Corbin, John " Cullum, Paul " Dahlstrom, William " Donavan, David A. " Everhart, George " Fenton, William " Humphrny, Balph D. Hyatt, Charles E. " Hawse, George B. " Heath, Lafayette S, H artless, Ernest T. " Johnson, Fred O. " Judd, Charles " Jenks, Edwin " Kingrey, Frank Kellett, Charles T. " Koepke, Bernhard " Kirk, Alonzo L " Leatherwood, Scott " Littell, John C. Lay, Roy Lee, Edward Saxon '¦ Lueck, William H. Lepper, Ed ward Morrison, John " Middleton, Leonard C. " Miller, Franis " McKenzie, Richmond Prophetstown. Erie. Morrison. Lyndon. Thompson, Morrison.Springfield. Prophetstown. Morrison. Neoga.Prophetstown. Decatur. Morrison. Erie. Morrison. \ Prophetstown. Aurora. Morrison. Fenton. Mendota.Prophetstown. Amboy. ]>ecatur. Spring Hill. Prophetstown. Clyde. Quincy. Morrison, Prophetstown. Erie, Prophetstown, Roster of Company I. 131 Private Jlay, Chester N. Decatur. Marold Charles M. Quincy. Philleo, Arthur Erie. Peters, George " Pense, Clayton A. Prophetstown. Poison, August Geneseo. Patterson, Henry Fowler, Phillips, Thomas Quincy. Revnolds, John Lyndon, Roderich, John Aurora, Sherwood, Asa Morrison. Scanlan, Oliver Fenton. Stanley, Neal Prophetstown. Seaton, T, Lyle Round Grove. Savage, Grin J. Lyndon. Smith, Verne M. Albany. Shear, Thomas R. Morrison. Stakelbeck, Otto Quincy. Schanz, William Quincy. Schachtsitik, Fred " Thompson, Robert C. f; Morrison. Turner, Lewis C. Neoga. Thomas, Harry Geneseo. Whitemore, VVilliam Fenton. Wilcox, Albert Erie, Willcox, Hilton " Wilkins, Ross C. Lyndon, Wood, Mark Moline, Yopst, Birt O. Albany. Date of enrollment, April twenty-sixth, for those who joined the company previous to its departure from Morrison. Privates Baker, Cullum, Donavan, Hartless, Koepke, Kirk, Lee. Lueck, Lepper, May, Marold, Patterson, Poison, Phillips, Roderich, Stakelbeck, Schanz, Schachtsiek, Turner, Thomas and Wood were recruited at Springfield, and enrolled May eleventh. Very soon after company I was mustered in, Er nest Weaver, for private reasons, tendered his resigna tion as 2nd Lieutenant. Had this occurred before the 1.32 History of Companies I and E. muster in, ancl while the troops were yet in the service of the State, the \'acancy would have been filled by the election of a member of this company; but as they were sworn in and go\'erned by the regulations of he U. S. Army, his successor came through appointment. Cap tain Ben Eick. of Sterling, Inspector of Rifle Practice. of the Sixth 111. N. G. for several years, received the ap pointment. In the organization of the volunteer regi ments there were no Inspectors of Rifle Practice on the staff, and as Captain Eick was anxious to remain with the regiment he accepted the commission. Colonel Foster immediately appointed him Regimental Ordnance Officer and he was on detached duty throughout our volunteer service. Company I was practically without a 2nd Lieutenant during its entire service, as the duties connected with the office of Ordnance Officer kept Lieutenant Eick away from the company. As the position of Battalion Quartermaster Ser geant also became void in the volunteer organizations, Walter Burritt of Morrison, who held this rank in the first b;ittalion, accompanied Lieutenant Weaver home. Whiteside county was well represented in the Field, Staff and Non-commissioned Staff of the Sixth regi ment, as win be observed in the roster which follows: Colonel, D. Jack Foster, Chicago. Lieut. Colonel, Edward Kittilsen, Moline. Major, Will T. Channon, Eock Island. " David E. Clark, Monmouth. " William E, Baldwin, Dixon, Reg. Adjutant, John J, Cairns, Chicago, Surgeon Major, Frank Anthony, Sterling, Ass't Surgeon, Lorenzo S. Cole, Monmouth. " " Charles A. Robbins, Dixon. Chapiin, Alanson R. Morgan Cuba, III, Capt Roberts, Mustering Officer, administering the oath to the Field and Staff Officers of the Sixth 111. Col. Foster on the left. Field and Staff of the Sixth. 133 Reg. Q. Master, Frank Barber, Chicago. 1st. Lt. Bat. Adjt., L. R. Gaylord, Moline. (1 [( James W. Clendenin, Monmouth, (( t( Joseph H. Showalter, LaMoille. Sergeant Major, , Edwin S. Johnson, Sterling. Q. M. Sergeant, Rudolphus Hicks, Galena, (!hief Musician, John C. Prestine, Sterling. Prin. Fred W. Forbes, t( t( (. Thomas H. Flynn, Rock Island, Hosp Steward, John L. Kline, Milledgeville, (( (C Howard N. Geyer, Rock Falls, (( .. Fred N.Brown, Sterling, 134 History of Companies I and E, CHAPTER VII. The members of company I were pleasantly sur prised on the Friday succeeding our muster in, to see Judge Ramsav, SI eriff Fuller, L. T, Stocking and J. N, Baird put in an appearance. They were kept very busy until mess call at noon answering questions relat ing to friends at home. Getting news of home from such a source had a pleasing effect on us all, and as wc formed for mess we were all feeling very light-hearted. Our visitors took dinner with us in regular army style, eating hard-tack and beef from tin plates and apparently enjoyed their first meal in camp. Judge Ramsay took a snap shot at us as we were eating and another after dinner when we had a better opportunity to form. After dinner the practice march had to be gone over again, this left our visitors to their own amusement un til the time when the company returned. It was soon discovered there was something out of the ordinary going on about us, and Capt. Colebaugh informed us we would be expected to be in our quarters ready to fall in line at 6:30 p. m. AH were relieved from duty of any sort, by ar rangements made with Colonel Foster. At last the secret leaked out, and we began to realize the mission of those from home. At 6:30 all were in line and \ve Compa.n'y I Banqueted. 135 were marched to the entrance gate and there found three street cars in readiness and waiting for us, which had been chartered for the occasion. We were taken up town and ordered out of the cars in front of the "Leland," the leading hotel in the city, and were given twenty minutes in which to stroll around and prepare for the feast awaiting us. At 7:3° we were again formed in line and marched direct to the sjiacious dining hall and seated. Here \?e also found Major Channon, Major Anthony, Chaplain Morgan, Capt. Lawrie of Co. E, and Lieut. Eick, all of the 6th, Col. Foster being unable to attend on account of very pressing business. After blessings had b O ?0 t^' A ft . .SIH^^^BHii^toi^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^I 1^ e ^^H^lr f hH ^h^^^^B HB^HV^ * ^"""HHk. o .¦'¦¦-¦ i '>^P*-».'.,,j^j^*Jc.- '^^^^^ '^ - '¦"- > O ^Km^:^^.j/^y^: 4 fflym^l^ :--^ mMj ^^t 1^ Troops Reviewed by McKinley, 157 Colonel Foster tothe command ofthe Second brigade, mak ing him acting Brigadier General of vohmleers. This iin- expected iKuior to the Colonel of our regiment was hailed with ilelight by our boys and our camp life was bright ened for a time. The appointment was not permanent however, aud not long afterward General Garretson from Ohio was placed in command of the brigade. May twenty seventh. General Graham reviewed the troops of his command, aud complimented them highly on their military appearance. The day following, the troops passed in review before President McKinley, Vice President Hobart, Sec'y Alger, Gen'I Miles and a number of other Government officials. The President and his party arrived on the grounds at three thirty p. m., escorted by two troops of New York Cavalry. The parade formed immediately after wards. It was exactly one hour from the time the first company passed the reviewing stand until the last went by. Therewere eleven regiments in line: First New Jersf-y; Seventh and Eighth Ohio; Sixty-Fifth New York; Sixth Illinois; Sixth Massachusetts; Eighth, Twelfth and Thirteenth Pennsylvania; Fifteenth Indiana and Twelfth Missouri. Two or three of the regiments that were in camp did not participate in the review for some cause. Colonel Foster was in command of the Second bri gade. First division of the Second army corps, which was composed of the Sixth Illinois, Sixth Massachusetts and Eighth Ohio. Lieut. Colonel Kittilsen was in com mand of our regiment. This brigade was the recipient of many compliments on the showing it made, as com pany after company swung by the reviewing stand with regular step and perfect line. It was without doubt the 15S Historv of Companies 1 and E. best equipped and most thoroughly drilled brigade at Camp Alger. After the review the Presidents party drove through each regiment's quarters and was greeted with rounds of cheers on every side. We were never in want for music. Nearly every regiment pres^it hid either a band or fice and drum corps. The fife and drum corps of the Sixth Massachu setts was extremely persistent in its rehearsels and it could be heard the first thing in the morn ins:, all through the day and late at night. The Washington papers gave the Eighth Ohio band first place, with the Sixth Illinois band as a close second; but thanks to the con tinued eft'orts of Chief Musician Prestine, our band kept steadily improving until we readily saw it was first in the favor of the many camp visitors whose interest in the boys in blue never lagged. Colonel Girard in Evidence. 159 CHAPTER X. The hours of duty were lengthened shortly after our arrival at Camp Alger. First call tor reveille sound ed at five fifteen a. m. ancl taps at nine thirty p. m; we were given an hour's hard drilling, from six thirty until seven thirty in the morning; an hour and thirty minutes before mess at noon; and from three o'clock until four in the afternoon, with dress parade at six thirty in the evening. Our regiment held its first dress parade and review on the evening of May twenty-fifth. The band marched down the line to the stirring strains of the good old "First Brigade March." The review was fine and elicit ed great applause from the visitors. The regiment marched in column of companies before Colonel Foster, and the alignment and step was perfect. Orders were read to the men practically establishing a dead line one mile from camp; or in other words, a sol dier who was found bayoiul the mile limit from camp without permission was subject to court martial. A por tion of the Articles of War was read to the men each night to familiarize them with the regulations which controlled their actions at all times, whether on or off duty. Privates Goodman and Little, of company E, were 160 History of Companies I and E. detailed to duty in the hospital, and private John Strock of the same company, regimental color guard. May twenty-eighth, Captain Lawrie made thc following ap pointments in company E: Corporal Sheldon to be Ser geant; private McNeil, Corporal; private Book, Wagon er. Private Will Flock was detailed to special duty in the quartermaster's department. Major Anthony established a theoretical school of in struction to soldiers, or "The first aid to the wounded." He explained to us how the various injuries and wounds should be treated when unable to secure medical assist ance. We were given thirty minutes of this instruction daily. Quite a sensation was caused in camp when we were informed that Colonel Girard, Chief Surgeon in com mand of the First division hospital, had ordered the regimental surgeons to turn over to the division hospital, all of their supplies such as cots, bedding, tents etc. The information given out carried with it the idea that this was done in order to centralize the work of caring for the invalid soldiers. A vigorous protest was made by our surgeons. The cots and bedding in our hospital were furnished the regiment by Senator Mason and Mrs. Electa Smith from their private funds and Major Antho ny decided that the supplies received from this source did not come under the jurisdiction of Colonel Girard. The transfer of this equipment meant the relinquishing of all hopes of securing respectable treatment for our boys as the division hospital was a farce. It was lacking in equipment, nurses, supplies, med icines and surgical instruments, with which the regimen tal hospitals were kept supplied. A rigid examination of the existing conditions at thedivision hospital brought CAPT. JOHN J .CAIRNS, Re^t'l Adj. Sixth Inf. New Quarters. 161 to light the fact that the patients were poorly cared for, while the men in the regimental hospitals were receiving the best of treatment and supplies were constantly being brought in in large quantities by private parties. Major Anthony decided to risk a court martial rather than see the result of so much time and labor thrown into the hands of the surgeons at the division hospital, and refused point blank to deliver his sup plies to Colonel Girard, The controversy was carried on for some time and eventually resulted in the re tention of the regimental hospital. The next move of Colonel Girard was to order the transfer into the regular service of all members of the volunteer hospital corps. This caused another stir among the men who would be effected by the order, but there was no way of avoiding it and the final re sult was that several ofthe Sixth regiment were trans ferred to the regular service, with the verbal under standing that they were to be allowed to remain with their regiment and be mustered out with it. Ralph Humphrey of company I, and Guy Rodgers of company E were among the number. We had just fairly settled ourselves in our quarters when we were ordered to strike tents and move across the road. The boys had been putting in the hours off duty in building bunks in their tents. We drove crotched sticks in the ground, on these we placed strong poles, then a layer of bark from trees, then an armful of pine twigs and over all a blanket was thrown, making a very comfortable bed, and raised about six inches from the ground. This work was just completed when the order came to move and on June third we reluctantly packed our belongings and 162 History of Companies I and E. camp equipage and began life anew in our new quar ters. Our new site, was on a side hill, the lower end of the company street terminaiting at the very edge of the timber land. On our right wound the corduroy road leading to Falls Church. This had become a very busy thoroughfare, and a continual string of teams was passing our tents from early morning un til late in the evening. The soiFwas sandy, and the weather hot and dry and every gust of wind would fin our eyes and cover everything about us with dust. Along this road opposite our quarters, it had been built up solid for nearl}' a half a mile with temporary structures of wood and canvas. There was a barber shop, billiard hall, shooting gallery, and several dining halls, with numerous refreshment stands intermingling. Once in a, while a blockade of teams would occur and then the mule-whacker could be heard for half a mile as he urged his four-in-hand throughthe labyrinth of vehicles. A few days previous to our moving to the new camp site we vvere given another degree in soldiering by the appearance of "greybacks." We had been dravv'ing clothing and one of the boys, among other articles had been issued a new flannel shirt. He had taken the clothing to his tent and was looking it over when he saw something crawling on the collar of the shirt. He picked the shirt up and called the attention of several of his comrades to the moving object and they decided it was the old original army greyback and thev scattered instantly. The owner of the shirt carried it down to the Regiment Recruited to Maximum. 163 end of the compan\- street and placed it on the ground where it was inspected by the whole company as there were but few of the boys who had ever seen one of the "critters." They all made sure to remain a re spectful distance from the contaminating piece of cloth, while its owner stood by thinking of the Si-SS which had heen charged to his account in payment for the article. I'urning the matter over in his mind he walked over, picked the shirt up and carried it back to his tent. He knew it would be a matter of only a few days until the new-comer would find him anyway and he may as vvell keep the shirt, Mrs. Smith continued her visiis to camp always bringing something for the boys to eat. Her smiling face and gentle voice had become almost a necessity to many of the volunteers. Her strong character and the enthusiasm with which she kept at her self-imposed task was an inspiration to all those who witnessed it, and the effec was noticeable long after her departure. It was through her efforts that bugler Eshelman of company E, received his discharge and was sent home. He had been in poor health for some time and camp life was rapidly wearing him out. As soon as Mrs, Smith came to know the circumstances she took im mediate steps to hurry his release. An application for his discharge had been forwarded to the War Depart- ment on the grounds of physical disability. As soon as the discharge was granted Mrs. Smith took him to her home in Washington and cared for him for sev eral days until she felt he was in fit condition to make the journey home safely. He left Washington for Sterling the second week in June. Early in June, the government having decided to 164 History of Companies I and E. fill every organization to its maximum, oflicers were de tailed from all Illinois regiments to visit their home stations and there recruit each company to its desired number of one hun.ired and sis e.ilisted mei from the neighborhood where the company was originally organ ized. First Lieutenant Dillon of co;npiny E was ap pointed recruiting officer of the First battalion of the Sixth regiment. A man from each company was de tailed to accompany him and aid in the recruiting; Ser geant Osborne of companv I and private Bensinger of company E were detailed from those two companies. They left Camp Alger for Illinois, June seventh. Lieut. Dillon opened a recruiting office in Sterling and he soon had the desired number of volunteers. He, with the enlisted men detailed to assist him returned and reported for duty at Camp Alger June twenty-sixth. The recruits for companies E and I arrived at Camp Alger at intervals between the nineteenth and twenty-sixth of June and were as follows: Company E; Clare Brumley, Ford Brittenham, Moses N. Dillon, Isaac Davis, Charles Eberle, Harry Eberle, Ed. Haberle, Louis E. Hayes, Fred A.Johnson, Mert Jackson, G. A. McKelvey and j. D. VValck, who were sworn into the service at Sterling, June sixteenth, by Lieut. Dillon and departed the next morning for Camp Alger. They reported to Capt. Lawrie for duly on the morning of June nineteenth. Twelve more men for Company E were mustered at Sterling, June eighteenth and embarked for Camp Alger, June twentieth, reporting for duty June twenty third. They were: Frpnk Apple, Howard Armstrong, Wihiam Connell, Ernest Esterbrooks, Frank Heath, Wilber Jackson, R. E. Jackson, Richard O. Jones, C APT. FRANK W. BARBER. Q.-M. Sixth Inf. Sixth Regiment on Dress Parade. 105 Walter Latherow, Harold Matlack, Arthur Overholser and Bert Sneed. John Drew signed the muster roll June twenty-third and started for Washington immed iately. This completed the roster of company E. June nineteenth, twenty recruits reported to Capt. Colebaugh for duty in company I, they were: Olin Car- gay, Marcus L. Drennen, Walter C. Drury, George Freek, Charles Fi eek, George Hunt, Byron Humphrey, Rollin Humphrey, Arthur Lewis, Charles Lewis, William Leslie, Edmund S. Langdon, Bert Palmer, Charles Reafsnyder, Ernest Snyder, John Stowell, Arthur Sears, Schuyler Sweeney, Olin Wells and Frank Weaver. June twenty-third, Albert Anstett, Guy Humphrey, Irvin Stunflbaugh, Frank Wells and Fred White joined company I; and on June twenty-sixth; Plarry Bent came into comp. This gave company I a full complement of men. A misunderstanding occurred in the enlistment of private Langdon. His father applied for his discharge, audit was granted, "by way of favor." It took some time to secure his release but it was accomplished and he returned to his home. The vacancy thus caused was filled by the enlistment of William Boilshaus. Private Brubaker of Company I was transferred to the Signal Corps and detached from the company and regiment. The practice drills continued regularly, and soon the recruits were placed in the ranks by the side of the older men. The effect of the course of instruction which the volunteers constantly received was quite evident. At regimental dress parade, the troops from the unoccupied regiments would congregate to witness the maneuvers of the men of the regiment that was on parade. Hundreds of visitqrs from Washington and the surrounding country 166 History of Companies I and E. were usually on hand each evening for the same purpose. When the Sixth Illinois formed and executed the manual of arms driU there was nothing in camp that could touch it. With the command, "order arms," every rifle came down atthe same time with a thud; the left hand of each man dropped to his side with a precision like clock work, and the men never failed to receive hearty applause. In passing in review before the commanding officer and his staff, each company, with few exceptions, held a perfect line and kept regular step. Colonel Foster was extremely proud of his command and was the recipient of many words of praise from the brigade and division officers for the splendid showing made by the men of his regiment. A limited number of passes were issued to the men each day and they eagerly took advantage of the oppor tunity to visit the city of Washington. A three mile ride in the dirt and dust to Falls Church, and "about ten miles on an electric ca*-, up hih and down dale, whizzing around sharp curves and over bridges in Old Virginia, bringing. up suddenly on the bank of the Potomac opposite George town; taking foot passage over the bridge into this suburb of the Capitol City, then a short ride on a street car and thc party landed in the heart of the National Capitol. There was much to be seen and usually the time was limited to a few hours in the city. The Capitol building and White House must not be over looked; then there was the Navy yard, the Marine barracks, the U. S. Museum, Treasury and Navy building, the Congres sional Library, which is the finest building in the world, with its long corridors, library rooms and large open stairs, all built of the best granite and marble the world A Visit to Washington. 167 produces and very highly polished. Both the upper and lower domes on this building are over laid with gold leaf, on the out side. The walls of the interior are adorned with beautiful paintings and works of art wrought by master hands. The wide shelves and mammoth tables are laden with books, papers and magazines published centuries ago. Washingtons monument must also be visited be fore returning. This testimonial erected in memory of the father of our country, is thirty five feet square at the base aind towers five- hundred and fifty five feet above the earth. The interior is open and contains a winding stairway from bottom to top. An elevator makes the ascent and descent every thirty minutes. The stones used in the construction of this memorial were contribu ted by'the many states, and societies of the union, each one bearing an appropriate inscription. Arriving at the upper landing a birds-eye view of the city and the country for miles surrounding is had, men and women, on the lawn far below look like pig mies. The waters of the Potomac shimmering in the sunlight can be traced for miles and as its course grows fainter and fainter in the distance it appears like a band of silver girdling this part of the world. The city itself, lies spread out before you like a page of an open book. Its labryinth of streets and avenues, bordered by beau tiful shade trees aud handsome residences are bevi'ilder- ing while the pure white of the federal buildings nest ling ainong the green foliage of the many gardens rests the eye and refiects peace and security over all. De scending in the elevator the p;irty turns its steps toward the Lincoln home. It is getting late and the boys com- lete their day of sightseeing by taking a drive through 1()S History of Companies I and E, the residence portion of the city and return to camp very tired but more than pleased with the result of the days excursion. L. R. GAYLORD, Ist Lieut,, Adj. lat Bat Sixth 111. Vol. Paying the; Trqops. 169 CHAPTER XI. June fourth, General George R. Garrettson, of Col umbus, O., assumed comn.and of the Second brigade, re.. lieving Colonel Foster who had been in command since May twenty fourth. Capt. Cairns who had been acting Ass't Adj't ©en'l at brigade headquarters was also re lieved and returned to regimental headquarters. The men were growing weary of camp life. They were not tired of soldiering but were restless and anxious to begin active service. We were fitted out with uni forms and clothing very slowly. The one bright spot in these long days of monotonous drilling and camp duty was the day the paymaster made his first visit at camp. We signed the pay roll June eighth and the fohowing morning we lined up and one at a time received our pay. This was the first money the boys had received since their leaving home and they were sadly in need of it. Many~of them had entered the service with but little money in their pockets. Some were yet wearing citi zens clothing and had been compelled to purchase vari ous articles of wearing apparel, besides the dining halls and refreshment stands hard by had lured the loose change from the pockets of the majority of the soldiers and long before the arrival of the paymaster their last cent was gone. They soon began to realize that they must plan differently, that fifteen dollars and sixty cents per month 170 History of Companies I and E. would not meet their expenses at the pace which had been set and immediately after receiving their first pay from Uncle Sam a goodly portion of it was sent directly home. Intoxicating hquors had been kept away from our quarters as much as possible. The Pennsylvania regi ments had a wide open canteen running but nothing of the kind was allowed in the neighborhood of the Illinois or Ohio regiments. The crafty fellows in our vicinity were not slow to take advantage of the situation and they sold whiskey on the sly until they were caught and put under arrest. We cahed them "moonshiners" and the stuff they sold was known as "moonshine whiskey." It was about the worst mixture that ever tickled a palate. It was prepared in such a way that a man could drink a quantity of it but would not feel the effects of the over indulgence for several hours. Take several drinks in the middle of the day and towards evening he would begin to feel queer, couldn't find the ten' he lived in, wander around awhile, begin to feel a little sick, wabble and stagger a few moments and then he would give up in de spair, "Don't care if I never get home," and generally landed in the guard house, waking up in the morning he would reach out a foot or so feeling for his head and wonder what it all meant. Not until then did he know the full meaning of "moonshine whiskey." Talk about "cullud" folks. They were so plenty in that country that it would get dark about three o'clock in the afternoon; no matter how bright the sun was shin ing it always appeared like twilight. Ask one of them how far it was to a certain point and the general reph' was — "Well, I doan know exactly, sah, but it''s ah right smaht ways." The white people were but little in ad- Parsing Incidents, 171 vance of the "cullud" folks. They were unmercifully slow. They would not hurry under any circumstances, a good man from our country would work all around them. They speak with the twang peculiar to the Vir ginia people and it was difficult to keep from laughing when talking with one of them. They were little better at judging distance than the negro; atk one of them the same question that was put to the negro and he wduld re ply "about a mile," walk nearly two miles and your des tination, not in sight; ask another one how much farther it was and it was then a mile and a half. A Virj^inia mile was never understood by the western boys. Shortly after Chaplain Morgan joined our regiment at Camp Alger he tendered his resignation to Colonel Foster. His age and health would not permit him to fol low the fortunes and hardships of a campaign in a foreign climate. Colonel Foster considered the circumstances and regretfully accepted his resignation. He delivered his farewell sermon on the nineteenth day of June, (Sun day) and with difficulty kept from breaking down before completing his talk. He had been connected with the regiment for a long time and the thought of severing all connection, with it at the time when we were on the eve of entering the strife, where his services would be so in valuable, nearly overcame him. Private Jack W. Ferris of company D was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Chaplain Morgan. He was a Methodist clergyman and pastor of a flourishing church at Abingdon, 111., when the war broke out and the President called for volunteers. He immedi ately tendered his resignation to the trustees of his church and took a place in the ranks as a private. He had shared camp life with his comrades, had enjoyed it, and 172 History of Companies I and E. was as eager as any of them to get to the front. At about this time a severe blow was administered to the many refreshment stands that were established in the neighborhood of the camp. The commander of the post issued a sweejiing order, prohibiting the sale of pies, cakes, cookies, sandwiches, ice-cream or lemonade, withiu one mile of camp. The managers of these plnces had been doing a flourishing business, but the officers in com mand decided that the quality of the goods put out was of the poorest and detrimental to the health of the troops. The situation could be met in one way only and that was to stop the sale of the articles, which they did. Shortlv after this a vaudeville show erected a tent near our quarters. It received liberal patronage from the soldiers and in return the manager tendered the use ofthe tent to the Sixth 111., in which to hold church services. The camp was favored by a call from Dr. Mary Wal ker. She was selling pamphlets and poems of her own composition. She was dressed in man's costume, wearing a suit of black, prince Albert coat, black straw hat, white shirt and standing collar, and carried an umbrella. She was the source of a great deal of amusement among the boys and a great many of them doubted its being a woman at all. Chaplain I. N, Keefer of the Eighth Ohio, died of heart trouble June twenty second, Military funeral ser vices were held the following day and the corpse was es- corted from camp by the regimental band and one com pany of infantry, his riderless horse following the funeral car. This was the man who, a few weeks previous, offici ated at the funeral of the volunteer from Rock Island. The weather continued hot and dry ; there had been but little rain, and the wagon road which was in constant NED JOHNSON, Reg, Sergt.-Major Sixth inf. Vol, Appointments in Companies E and 1, 173 use was ground into a bed of very fine sand. With every gust of wind came a flurry of dust and dirt; the clothing and quarters of our men were with difficulty kept present able. We had sweltered in the sun and battled with the dirt until every man in camp was anxiously awaiting a thundershower to break the drought and cool the atmos phere. One sultry evening late in June it came; the rain came down in torrents, and the" wind blew a hurricane. Everyone whose duties would allow it sought shelter in his tent. When the rain had ceased the boys crawled out of their tents and cheered themselves hoarse. And such a sight as the sky presented-every one in camp was out drinking in its beauty. In the east, a beautiful rainbow shone forth. It was perfect; stretching from north to south until lost in the horizon, clouds of a mellow gold drifted, rapidly by into a background of a most delicate blue. The foliage of the neighboring trees glistened like wreaths of silver, while the rain drops trembling on the leaves sparkled like diamond settings as the slanting rays of the disappearing sun reflected o'er the scene. It was grandj and it was remarked on every hand that it was the most sublime spectacle ever witnessed. With the companies increased to one hundred and six enlisted men, came new appointments of non-commis sioned officers. June twenty-third Capt. Lawrie made the following promotions: Privates Deyoe, Reese Dillon, Triggs, Burkhart, Bert Johnson and Lineberry to be Corporals; private Clark was appointed musician, to fill the vacancy caused by the loss of bugler Eshelman, dis charged. Private Hess was appointed company Artificer and private Smith detailed to duty at the regimental hos pital. Sergeant Cushrnan was detailed to assist Ord- 174 History of Companies I and E, nance OffiicerEick as Ordnance Sergeant. Corporal Dil lon was detailed to duty in the quartermaster's depart ment. The appointments in company I were: privates Burr, Hyatt, Charles Berry, Everhart, Sherwood and Sny der to be Corporals, and Hilton Willcox, Lance Corporal, Private Jenks was detailed to special duty at post head quarters, and private Kingery was appointed acting Vet erinary Surgeon of the Sixth regiment and placed in charge of the officers horses. The post commander had, for some time, contem[)la- ted giving the troops a long practice march to the Poto mac river, and an opportunity to bathe in its waters. Ou June twenty-sixth, the Second brigade was instructed to prepare for a two days absence from camp. The follow ing morning, each man was issued two days rations and fifty rounds of blank cartridges. We formed in heavy marching order and at six o'clock we marched outof camp with ten Virginia miles before us. It was (juite cool on the start and the rain a couple of days previous had put the roads in good condition, but as the sun rose higher in the heavens, it grew warm and we found plenty of dust before reaching our temporary camj). christened Camp Starvation. We arrived at ten o'clock a. m. and had our tents up in a very few moments We were then given our liberty for a time and found we were not far from the Potomac river. We were cautioned about getting into the water until a suitable bathing place could be selected. The Potomac is very picturesque at this place, wind ing its way through great cliffs; the stream itself is full of rocks and extremely treacherous. The current is swift and the rocks rising out of the water shelve off into tha March to the Potomac, 175 stream where many of them sheer off abruptly, forming numerous holes many feet in depth. The banks were soon lined with men for nearly a mile and in a few mom ents the water was alive with shouting, laughing boys. They romped in the stream for some time and thoroughly enjoyed the sport. Private Dearth, of company B, from Geneseo, was drowned in artempting to swim the river. He was within a few feet of the bank when he suddenly sank out of sight. Every effort was made by expert divers to rescue him but without success. Grappling hooks were lowered and the river dragged but no trace of the body could be found for some time. The water was found to be nearly eighty feet in depth at the point where he went down. This had no eff'ect on the venturesome bathers and they continued to take the same risk which had proven so disasterous to one of their number until ordered out of the water by Major Anthony. In the afternoon, a party of the boys took a stroll about three miles from camp in search of a country store, as our rations consisted of coffee, hardtack and sowbelly, and our ten mile march had given us ravenous appetites. (After trudging along for some time we were about to retrace our steps, when, making a turn in the road we espied a cluster of buildings a short distance in advance; among them we saw the object of our search, a country store. We approached the miniature village, and on en, tering the store we found a large room vvith shelves neai:- ly bare. The proprietor was busily engaged weighing up ten cents worth of "cohn-meal" for a colored custo mer, and looking about the vacant room we found this mans stock in trade to consist of a limited amount of the bare necessities of life ; a few canned goods on the shelves, a box o;' two of crackers, a little sugar, a quantity of corn. 176 History of Companies I and E. meal and a small supply of cigars, tobacco and pipes, in all about ten dollars worth of goods was in, sight. We counted out our few nickles and dimes, and after an ar gument over the value of the articles we wished to pur chase, we left him happy in the possession of nearly thirty cents. Opposite the store, and back from the road a number of rods, nestled a low, rambling, southern farm house. On the veranda sat a young woman and romping on the lnwn, a little boy and girl, aged about six and seven years, respectively. Filling our canteens at the town? pump near by, we crossed the street? and resting on the sloping lawn, opened the can of peaches, unwrapped the pound of cookies, which reminded us of the hardtack we had left at camp, and prepared to appease our gnawing hunger. The housewife stopped her sewing and the children ceased their play; together they watched us at "mess" for a few moments, then the little ones timidly approached. We tendered them a portion of our supper which was raj)- idly disappearing, but they shook their heads and hung back. They soon overcame their timidity and sitting down plied us with questions, asking if we were still hun gry? We replied in the affirmative, whereupon the little boy ran to the house, disappearing for a few moments he returned with a handful of vegetables fresh from the gar den. Then both the little tots scampered back up the lawn and held a brief conversation with the lady, evident ly their mother, the trio entered the house, reappearing directlv. the children came towards us bearing between them a large pitcher of cold milk and a big cake. They sat the food before us and with eyes sparkling with de light, watched us as we stored it away. We were just completing the rather sumptuous meal REESE DILLON, (^.-M. Serg. Sixth Inf., Vol. The Sham Battle. 177 when the father drove up. He had.been to Washington and on the return had learned of the presence of the troops in that vicinity. He took the situation in at a glance and sitting by our side, related stories of the civil war. He was a native Virginian. The house was his, also the broad acres surrounding it. It was the property of his father in the sixties. General McCall's and Han cock's troops were encamped here during the fall of six ty one and spring of sixty two and had used his fathers farm for a drill and parade ground. General McCall had used the dwelling as his headquarters. We were so occupied by the entertainment of our new found friends that night was upon us before we re alized it. Hastily bidding the hospitable father and little ones goodbye we hurried toward camp. As we walked swiftly along whisthng and singing, feeling contented and at peace with the world in general, congratulating our selves on the success of our venture, and while yet nearly a mile from camp, we were brought to a standstill as we heard the warning notes of the bugle as it sounded "tat too." We increased our pace to a run. As we tore over the brow of the hill which lay between us and our goal, we heard the final notes as they rose and fell on the night air. Before us lay thecity of tents, the flickering flames of the tallow candles shining dimly through the canvas shelters; we heard the voice of the "Top Ser geant" as he ordered the men to "fall in for roll call" and we knew we could never cover the distance and would "miss check." We hurried along and ran plump into a sentinel, and were again brought to a stop by the com mand "Halt! Who comes there?" We had forgotten that our regiment was expecting an attack from the Mass achusetts boys and had a double guard out with instruc tions to be wide awake and not caught napping. We 178 History of Companies I and E. formulated a flimsy yarn about being guards just relieved from duty and came in to get something to eat, and after a httle parley, we were allowed to pass. We crawled under our shelter tent and the next morning at roll call were informed that they thought we had been drowned as we were last seen at the river the day before. Extra precautions had been taken throughout the night to prevent our being surprised by the "enemy," the men sleeping with cartridge belts and rifles by their side. Nothing occurred and we slept soundly until daylight. After a light breakfast we broke camp and began the return march. Advance, rear and flank guards were put out and the line of march was guarded in every way in the same manner as it would have been had we been in the heart of the Spanish country. It was very hot, the boys began to drop out of the line and the ambulances were soon filled. When about .half way to Camp Alger we were attacked by the Sixth Massachusetts and a troop of New York Cavalry. The conflict was warm for a couple of hours; during the bat tle we captured a number of prisoners, held our wagon train and repulsed the enemy. A short distance from camp the Massachusetts boys intrenched themselves be hind the railroad embankment and made a final stand, but a spirited charge on the part of our boys drove them from their position and the battle was over. We arrived in camp at eleven o'clock a. m., tired and dirty yet all appeared to have enjoyed the march. This was the first of a series of sham battles that occurred in the timber near camp, in which the troops showed a surprising a, mount of tact on the skirmish line, Closing Days at Camp Algek, 179 CHAPTER XII. As the weeks passed, the volunteers at Catllp Alger became more proficient as a result of the severe training which they had undergone since their muster in, and they felt they were capable of duty at the frolit: The closing days of June found them only partially equipped for field service. Ordnance Officer Eick" and Qu'arter- master Barber of our regiment, were doing their nthiost to secure the necessary supplies to put the men on,'a war footing. * '^ The maoy rumors that floated about camp, kept the men continually on the qui vive, hourly expecting the order to come calling thein into active service. Major W. T. Channon, commanding the firfet bat talion of our regiment, was attached to the general staff of Gen'I -Graham, from June seventeenth until June twenty-fiflh, acting as provost-marshal-general. Second Lieut. George W. Flood of company A, First battklioh, was also attached to the general staff , acting as asSistalit- pro vost- marshal from June seventh to June twenty- fourth. Capt. Lawrie of Campany E commanded the First battalion during the absence of Major Chaiinbn. Corporal Dillon of company E received the intelli gence of a death in his family and was granted a seven days furlqugh. He immediately boarded the cars en route for Stei-ling. Corporal Leatherv\^ood of company 180 History of Companies I and E. I also received a furlough of several days and was ab sent for a time. During the two months we had been in the service, the home people had never lost sight of us for an in stant. We were constantly receiving boxes and pack ages put up by loving hands, containing good things to eat and supplies for the hospital. Now and then a package would be received, the iniscellaineous contents of which told the story of the thoughtfulness of the mothers, wives, sisteis and sweethearts of the absent soldier boys, Tbe Womans Rtlief Corps, of the differ ent towns were prominent factors in the distribution of these generous gifts to the soldiers. From Sterling, Rock Falls, Morrison, Erie, Proph etstown. Lyndon and. Albany the precious parcels came and their arrival was always hailed with delight. The pleasure evinced by the soldiers on receiving these articles was caused not more by the possession of them, than by the silent messages which they betok ened. Ahhough twelve hundred and fifty miles of mountain and prairie land separated us from home, we felt secure in the knowledge that the moral and material support of our friends would ever be forthcoming. Wilh many indications of our regiments early de parture for the front, the letters from relatives and friends grew more grave and tender, breathing words of praise and encouragement, causing the first feeling of homesickness to enter the hearts of many of the boys as they eagerly devoured the contents, word by word, and pictured to themselves the family group as it gathered in the far away home, anxiously watching the progress of the war and calculating on the prospects of their own boy being safely returned to the family fold. Distance Cliief Musician John Prestin. Cheering Messages From Friends. 181 lends enchantment, and the homes, always precious, but doubly so under the circumstances, filled the thoughts of the soldiers and a feeling of depression would steal o'er them as they allov,'ed their minds to wander back to Illinois. They were given but little time for such re flections and the acti\it}' all about them c^uickly turned their thoughts to other channels. ' Among other letters received from home was one from Emeline Lodge, No. 8, Degree of Rebekah, I, O. O. F., of Morrison. This letter expressed the feeling of interest taken in the volunteers from Illinois by the patriotic citizens of the State, and in view of this fact, permission to publish the letter in full, was sought and granted. ' The communication was addressed to Capt. Colebaugh of company I but referred to the volunteers in general, a complete copy of which follows. Morrison, III., June 24, 1898. Capt. W. F. Colebaugh, Co. I, 6th Regiment, Camp Alger Va. To Our Soldier Boys: The Emeline Lodge No. 8, D. of R. has requested me to write. Although not surprised by the command, I know that I can not do justice as my heart is too full of the great and glorious cause that has brought you together but I cannot disobey the order of those who have commanded me to write. You, soldiers, have about ended your career as mere holiday troops, I be lieve, and are now about to buckle on the armor and to unsheathe the swords of gallant knights enrolled to maintain, uphold and defend that Constitution and that Union which were hammered out amidst the fires of the Revolution, and cemented by the blood of the fathers and heroes of the war of our independence. That tem ple in which the exiles of despotism from all parts of the I,s2 History of Companies I and E. world have always sought an asylum; while the even ing tattoo will bid you to sleep on your burnished arms, ready, at any moment, to rally at the bugle call to the rescue of that flag which has already floated in triumph over every sea and in every clime. The hour that you left us was in some respects painful, for you leave your wives, your kinsfolk, and your cheerful happy homes. And yet, our greatest regret is, that we, too, cannot join your ranks, enroll our names upon your muster and rally vvith you under those dear old Stripes and Stars. You are, indeed, to be envied that vou can go. ancl the buttons vou wear, the swords that gird \our thighs. ihe epaulettes that mark and designate \our rank, are all badges of honor, of shivalr}-, of dul}- in the field, which we can only covet, not enjoy. You, and such as \ou, are the honored children of this glorious republic, of whom, in after times, when peace has been restored, the children shall say, as they point at you wilh pride, and their eyes sparkle with delight, as you sha'l pass along the pathway of life: "There goes one of our soldier boys," Honors shall cluster thick around you, and garlands of myrUe shall be woven by fairy fingers to entwine around your brows and when finally you shall be gathered to another and brighter world on the slab that marks your resting place shall be engraven these words: --Sacred to the Memory of a Soldier of ihe U, S." Go, then, soldiers of the U. S., to a proud and glorious victory, or to a soldier s honored grave. Our prayer at morning and evening shall be — God bless, protect and save our country and its noble sons. As I have said before, we regret we must stay at home, yet if we must stay we shall trv to help you in every way we can. If at any time or anv place we can send you articles of any kind to make you more com fortable we will do so if you will only let us know what is needed. The young girls of our Lodge are a little shy, yet they send their love but wanted to send angel food cake. Hoping you may allow us to aid you, in behaff of Cheering Messa(;es from Friends. 18;! the Lodge I wih wish you health and success in aU you undertake. Your Prairie State Friends, Daisy D. Pond, Secretary. Many letters of like character were received but during the packing and unpacking of our effects which occurred many times in the following months, they were lost. A pathetic little incident occurred in camp on the first day of June when Lieut. Colonel Kittilsen read a letter from a little girl, six years of age, of Moline. She was the daughter of an old comrade who was taken ill and died a few years ago at one of the National Guard encampments. The letter read as fol lows: Dear Mr. Kittilsen: I heard my mamma reading in the paper that some of the boys that went in corr,- pany F were sick and needed some things, and I send you some monev that 1 have saved, and I want you to buy some things for some of the sick boys. Moline, 111., May 28'th, 1898. From your little friend, Alta Walker, Inclosed vvith the letter was a check for fifty-three cents and a letter from the little girls grandfather, in^ closino- a larger contribution; and one from a lady in Mohne apprising the heut. colonel that a quantity of supplies made by some of her friends and herself were on their way to camp, The boys of company E, wishing to show their gratitude and appreciation of the many kind acts of Mrs. Smith, raised a fund in the company and pur- rjiased a neat silver card receiver, had it suitably en- grayed and presentee} it to her, In acknowledging the 184 History of Companies I and E. gift Mrs, Smith addressed the following letter ^o the boys : Treasury Department, Office of Auditor of Postofflce Department, Washington, D, C, To Members of Company E, Sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry; My Dear Friends: Itis with sincere grati ude that I acknowledge the lovely gfft you so generously granted, and it shall be treasured beyond the expression of words, and my future life win be happier for the memories it will always awak en. My prayers will follow the brave hearts of Com pany E, Illinois Y'olunteers, as they eagerly hasten to defend the cause of a greater humanity and for higher civilization. I know you will proudly maintain "Old Glory" and may God "bless and protect you and bring you home safely is the earnest wish of your sincere friend. Electa E. Smith. These and many olher cheering messages were received and read to the men. The source from which they came gave the men renewed courage and they determined on giving their friends no cause to think they were undeserving. The members of company I, desiring to promote a feeling of close comradeship between themselves and their company officers, presented Captain Colebaugh and Lieutenant Lawton each a handsome, gold mounted sword. The recipients of the gifts prized them highly and expressed their gratitude to the donors. Thry were by far the neatest blades carried by line officers which came under our notice t'nroughout the campaign. This incident occurred on the fourth day of July, 1898. On the second of July one of Uncle Sams repre sentatives again visited our camp and left a slight re minder that we had served him faithfully for another CAPT. F.,l. CLENDENIN, Co. F, Sixth Inf., Vol. Present ranis, Lleut.-Col. Asst. Adj. Gen. 3d Brigade, III. N.G. Ordered to Cuba. 185 month. About thirty-one hundred dollars was distribut ed among the men of the regiment, a goodly portion of this soon disappeared, some sending theirs home and not a few spending their portion freely until it was near ly gone. Fortunately for the boys in general a number of them foresaw that an emergency might arise, where a little ready money would prove invaluable to the men, and they preserved a sum which, although not large, was the means of relieving the pangs of hunger and furnished clothing for many during the dark days which followed and which none could foresee. In truth more than one man who is enjoying good health today owes his preservation to the kind and ready friends who had fortified themselves with a few dollars which they gen erously divided among their needy comrades who in their enfeebled condition could not have existed on the rations issued them. Thursday, June twenty-third we were instructed to pack our accoutrements and be prepared to leave camp the next day. The Eighth Ohio and seventy-five men from each company of the First battalion of our regi ment were to be sent to Cuba to re-enforce the Fifth Army Corps, under command of General Shatter. The order came late at night and bright and early next morning the boys were hard at work getting their few belongings into portable shape, but at noon the order was countermanded and we suffered our first real dis appointment. The boys took their medicine like men and sor rowfully began to unroll their blankets and begin another siege of waiting. We were instructed to unpack such articles as absolutely necessary as we might be ordered out at any moment. General Duffield, in command -of the Separate brigade, consisting of the Thirty-third and IsC) History of Companies I and E. Thirty-fourth Michigan and Ninth Massachusetts regi ments of Infantry received the preference and taking the Thirty-third and one battalion of the Thirty- fourth Mich, lie moved out of camp enroute for Cuba; the remainder of the brigade followed a few days later. This brigade arrived in Cuba in time to reach the scene of battle and partcipate in the glorious victory of General Shatter's troops. General Duffield himself nearly succumbing to an attack of "yellow jack" and'a number of bflicers and enlisted men were killed and wounded in the several engagements in which they par ticipated. This was the fate of the troops who fore stalled us in getting to the front. From the time of re ceiving the first order to be in readiness to march out of camp, until we did get out, we were held in readiness constantly to move on short notice. The volunteers at Camp Alger represented four teen states with from one to three regiments from each state. In July the total strength of the troops at this camp, comprising the Second Army Corps, was twenty two thousand one hundred seventy-flve officers and enlisted men. The general health of the men continued good up to the time of the removal of our brigade, although a few cases of typhoid and ma larial fever developed in June. About six weeks after the departure of our regi ment, or to be exact, on the fifteenth of August the War Department ordered the transfer of the Second Army Corps to Middletown, Pa. The removal of the troops began immediately and before thelast ofthe month "Camp Alger" was a camp in memory only. The camp at Middletown was named Camp George Gordon Meade, in honor of the hero of Gettysburg^ aii illustrious son of the state of Pennsylvania, Progress of tije War. 187 CHAPTER XIII. During the days of our camp life, our time and thoughts were engrossed by the many experiences we met with in performing the duties of a soldier. The newness of our surroundings had worn off to a great extent by the close of June and we began to look back to the scenes and incidents which hrid occurred else where. Evidence of great activity was on every band and the recruiting had been continued long after we had gone from our homes. In the month of May the President had madte a second call for an additional seventy five thousand volunteers. Congress had authorized an increase of the Regular- Army to sixty one thousand men, and in addi tion had provided for sixteen regiments of volunteer troops, (immunes. ) During the month of July the total aggregate strength of the Regular and Volunteer Army was two hundred sixty eight thousand, three hundred fifty-two, officers and enlisted men. This num ber was increased in August to two hundred seventy four thousand, seven hundred seventeen, which repre sented the largest number of rsoldiers, regular and vol unteer, in the service, during any one month through out the Spanish American war. April first, just previous to the outbreak of the war, the aggregate strength of the Regular Army was ISS History of Companies I and E. twenty eight thousand, one hundred eighty-three, officers and men. Thus it may be seen that in ninety days from the declaration of war, over a quarter of a million men had been recruited, mobolized at the state rendez vous, mustered into the United States service hurried to the many permanent campsdesignated by the War Department, and organized into brigades, divisions and army corps, and under the guidance of Regular Army officers, who had grown gray in the service, formed an army which, for intelligence and patriotism had uever been excelled in the history of the world. During the next thirty days this force was augmented by over six thousand men., with thousands upon thousands more formed iuto provisional regiments eagerly awaiting another call for troops. In the Na'\y the number of enlisted men allowed by law prior to the outbreak of hostilities'"'''wa8 twelve ' thousand five hundred. On August fifteenth, when the enlisied force reached its maximum, there were twenty four thousand, one hundred twenty-four men in the ser vice. This great increase was made necessary by the addition of one hundred twenty-eight ships to the Navy. This increase in the number of vessels brought the max imum fighting force from sixty-eight to one hundred ninety-six. The war was progressing with great strides, both on the land and on the sea. Our soLliers and our sailors were transported to the scenes of conflict in both the Old World and the New. The aref. of Spanish rule was slowly but surely contracting and it was but a question of a few weeks at the most when they would be driven from many of their possessions. History was being made rapidly and every man who was aiding in bringing success to the Ameri- COL. THEO. ROOSEVEI,T Manila Bay and San Juan Hill. 189 CMU forces took a great pride in his work. The officials at Washington were ever on the alert, more than half expecting the Spanish government would succeed in se curing the assistance of some foreign power in their be- halE, but fortunately for us. aud possibly for themselves all of the powers took a neutral stand and left the op posing governments to settle the question between them selves. The first test of the fighting qualities of the opposing forces occurred on the first day of May. Commodore Dewey, on that day, destroyed the Spanish fl^et in Ma nila bay without the loss of a man on the part of our forces, while the Spanish loss was three hundred eighty one men killed and wounded. The downfall of the city of Manila did not occur for some time, not until after the arrival of General Merritt; on the fifteenth day of August the city capitulated and the American flag was floated to the breeze over Spanish soil. On May twelfth the fleet under command of Ad miral Sampson bombarded the Spanish fortification at San Juan, Porto Rico. On the morning of May thirty first the fleet under command of Commodore Schley, ex changed shots with the Spanish vessels in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba with no apparent effect on either side. On June seventh the Marhlehecid and Yankee took poss ession of the lower bay of Guantanamo and on June tenth the first battalion of marines landed there and went into camp where for three days and nights these men fought almost constantly. On June fifteenth the fort in this bay was destroyed. On June fourteenth, General Shaffer with a force of eight hundred fifteen officers and sixteen thousand sev- enty two enlisted men sailed from Port Tampa, Fla. 190 History of Companies I and E. The expedition arrived in the vicinity of Santiago on the twentieth, began disembarking on the twenty second and continued until the evening of the twenty fourth. On the morning of the twenty fourth General Young's bri gade had a spirited engagement with a force of Spanish and drove the enemy from the field. For a week following the landing of the troops in Cuba, General Shaffer was busily engaged in concentra ting his men at the desired points of attack and on July first with the co-operation of the Cuban troops the ad vance on Santiago was begun and resulted in the now famous battle of El Caney, where the Spanish works were carried by assault, and the brilliant charge of the Ameri can troops up San Juan Hill. The Stars and Stripes were floating over El Caney and San Juan Hill before nightfall of the first of July, and the outer works of the enemy had been carried. For two days following this victory the Spanish kept up a series of attacks without avail and at noon of the third of July General Shaffer sent a letter into the Spanish lines under a flag of truce apprising the commander of the Spanish forces that the city of Santiago would be shelled unless he surrendered, and requested General Toral to inform the citizens of foreign countries, and all women and children, that they should leave the city before ten o clock the following morning. General Toral refused to surrender and informed the non-combatants of the contents of General Shaffers letter. A party of foreign consuls came into the American lines and requested that the time limit for leaving the city be extended until ten o'clock July fifth, this was granted and the cessation of firing at noon of the third of July practically terminated the battle of Santiago Naval Victory at Santiago. 191 The fleet of American vessels off Santiago assisted in this battle by keeping up a heavy bombardment of the enemy's works at Santiago and the towns situated along the coast in that vicinity. The American losses in these battles were twenty two officers and two hundred eight men killed, and eighty one officers and one thousand two hundred three men wounded; missing seventy nine. The missing with few exceptions reported later. The news of this victory of our forces in and about Cuba was received with much satisfaction by the people in the States. The great loss of life was deprecated and with the tears of joy brought forth by the success of the boys in blue came the breathing of earnest prayers in behalf of the dead and dying heroes who had made the victory possible. The enemy had confronted our troops with numbers about equal to our own; they fought ob stinately in strong and intrenched positions, and the re sults obtained clearly indicated the intrepid gallantry of the company officers and men of our forces, and the wise guidance of the field officers in command. On the morning of July third occurred the naval fight off Santiago, where the American fleet under the direct command of Commodore Schley, in the absence of Admiral Sampson, destroyed Admiral Cervera's Squadron. The casualities on our side were one man killed and ten wounded, our ships suffering no injury of any account. Admiral Cervera, about seventy officers and sixteen hundred men were made prisoners, while about three hundred fifty Spaniards were killed or drowned and one hundred and sixty wounded. Just a month to a day previous to this naval engagement oc curred the sinking of the collier Merrimac across the entrance of the harbor of Santiago in an attempt to com pletely bottle up Admiral Cervera's squadron which had 192 History of Companies I and E. been lying in the harbor since the nineteenth of May. The attempt though unsuccessful in its object, was dar ingly executed. It is now one of the well-known histor ic marvels of naval adventure and enterprise, in which Naval Constructor Hobson and his men won undying fame. Thus far the hand of providence had seemingly been raised in behalf of the American forces in every engagement in which they had participated, both on land and sea. Our people felt that the Army and Navy were equal to any emergency that might arise and were certain of success, while on the other hand the Span iards must have been depressed and were fast losing heart in the struggle which had resulted so disasterously to their arms. Letters passed between General Shatter and Gen eral Toral caused the cessation of hostilities to continue; Each army, however, continued to strengthen its in trenchments. The strength of the enemy's position was such General Shatter did not wish to assault if it could be avoided. An examination of the enemy's works, made after the surrender, fully justified the wisdom of the course adopted. The intrenchments could only have been carried with very great loss of life. ¦ At four o'clock p. m., on July tenth, the truce was broken off. The city was bombarded by the Navy and General Shatter's field guns and was continued until two p. m., July eleventh, when the firing ceased and was not again renewed. The surrender of the city was again demanded. General Toral communicated General Shatter's proposition to his general-in-chief, General Blanco, the troops of both armies rested on their arms awaiting the consideration of the proposition by the Spanish. Cessation of Hostilities. 193 Such was the situation as we found it on the arrival of our regiment off Santiago at three o'clock p. m., Monday, July eleventh. The failure of the city of Santiago to surrender was cause for the anticipation on the part of the commander of the American forces that an assault might yet be necessary and reeinforcements were hurried to him from the States. The data for this brief review of the progress of the war was secured from the annual report of the Sec retary of the War and Secretary of the Navy. 194 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER XIV. Tuesday. July fifth, the Second brigade received or ders to prepare for immediate departure for Santiago,- the Eighth Ohio to go via New York City and the St. Paul, the Sixth Mass, and Sixth 111. via Charleston, S, C, and the Yale and Columbia. This order was received with loud cheers and some hustling vv'as done, which soon put us in condition for traveling. At two o'clock in the afternoon the tents fell. The Ohio boys got away first, followed by the Mass. regiment, then our regiment marched to the parade grounds where the boys gave three rousing cheers for Camp Alger and Colonel Foster. The band played "The Star Spangled Banner," the bu gle corps sounded "Taps," in token of our farwell to camp. Then the band struck up "The girl I Left Be hind Me." and the Sixth Illinois was off to the war, yell ing and cheering like mad. Leaving Camp Alger at six forty p. m.. we marched to Dunn Loring, where we bivouaced under the trees until three o'clock the next morning when we boarded the cars for Charleston, S. C. We were not given sleep ing cars this time, day coaches and box cars were loaded instead. At Alexandria we took the Atlantic Coast Line Ry. and continued on this hne into Charleston. We skirted the city of Richmond, Va., at nine fifteen a. m., passing through Battleboro, N. C, at two thirty p. m., and Fayeteville at four p. m., crossing tfie border Enroute to Charleston. 195 fine between North and South Carohna at five thirty, ar- riving at Charleston at ten thirty p. m., making a very creditable run, , , The country along the route was very thinly settled. Occasionally we would see a small straggling village and a few acres of cultivated land. Everything in the line of buildings looked very old. Two wheeled ox carts were. numerous with negro drivers. Along the whole route we failed to notice one white man doing manual labor. Hogs, which looked as if they had been fitted for the race course instead of the pork barrel were running everywhere. We found a number of old gray-headed natives, (white) who did not appear to be overjoyed at sight of us, yet we met with kind treatment at every stopping place. The stars aud stripes were floating in every town and settlement, the Cuban flag in many cases by its side. Previous to our leaving Camp Alger the men de tailed to duty at the division hospital returned to their re spective regiments. Private Frank Kingery, of company I, followed the regiment to Charleston with the officers horses. While there he contracted typhoid fever and was seriously ill for some time. He was unable to join the company and it was some time after we had left the States that he recovered sufficiently to be removed to his home in Mendota. He was granted a furlough and re ported to the company at Springfield immediately after the arrival of the regiment from its campaign in Porto Rico. We lay in the cars at Charleston Wednesday night and until afternoon of the following day when we were given quarters under one of the numerous wharf-sheds which line the bay. The boys were soon in the water 19G History of Companies I and E. bathing. Colonel Foster gave us unusual liberties and we were allowed to visit the city. We all felt that it might possiby be the last day on American soil for some time and we took advantage of the opportunity to the fullest. We found the citizens very friendly and they gave us the best of treatment. While a part\- of volunteers was touring the cil}', they became acquainted with a resident of Charleston named I. W. Bicot. He was at that time senior member of the Stale Legislature. He said the peo~ple were very sorry that we were brought into the city so suddenly, as had they been aware of our coming they would have ar ranged to have made it more pleasant for us; as it was the city was ours while we remained. He told us that they were not very well satisfied with the manner in which the War Department had treated the volunteers of the Southern States. He said their own troops were not yet equipped, and had no hopes of being ordered to the front for some time. Not one regiment from the South had. been sent out. They claimed there was too much sectionalism shown and the northern troops received the preference. The local papers had taken the matter up and the editorials were very bitter, one editor published a letter written by an old confederate soldier to a comrade who had served the so-called Confederacy in the sixties, ask ing if he intended to enlist as a volunteer in the war with Spain. In reply his comrade said he hardly thought he should; he could fix it up with the boys living, but if he should be killed in battle wearing the blue uniform and be called to another world, the old comrade who had giv en up his life while wearing the gray, would look at him and say .--'deserted, by G — d." This the editor said was Leaving "God's Country." Boarding the Commodore Perry at Charleston, S. C. Leaving "God's Country.'" 197 showing the true spirit; every man should be wihing to fight for his country, but he should also be true to his old comrade who died fighting by his side. We saw a confederate fiag waving in a doorway and afterward on the street. The boys considered that the man who flaunted the emblem of^ a lost cause was undoubtedly a crank and let the circumstance pa^s unnoticed, although it caused a strong feeling of resentment to arise. The streets are very narrow as are also the pave ments. A great many of the residences are built of stone and very substantial, by far the most pretentious building in the city is the U. S. Custom House. Direct ly in front of this building lay the Spanish prize ship Rita. Out in the bay stands old Fort Sumter, and -far ther out to the left lies Fort Moultrie. Down in the city, standing alone in the center of the church yard is the famous church of the St. Michaels: one of the oldest places of worship in this country. The pipe_ organ is one hundred forty years old,-the first one ever brought to America. The baptismal front is one hundred thirty two years old. The pulpit is a high cov ered pedestal sort of an affair reached by a stairway. On the side of the stair down near the floor can still be seen the mark where a Federal shell struck. The Mem orial Tablet is in the front part of the church. It informs the tourist that the church was begun in 1752, opened for worship February first, 1761, exposed to the fire of the British artillery in 1780, struck four times by the Federal artillery 1862-65, nearly wrecked by a cyclone in 1885, almost destroyed by an earthquake in i887, re stored and reopened for worship June nineteenth, i889. An interesting record for a house of worship. The Yale and Columbia were out about twelve 19s History of Companies I and E. miles, drawing too much water to enter the harbor. They were delayed in getting out by the roughness of the sea, they were coaling ship and the colliers could not work with the waves running so high. The soldiers passed the time by amusing themselves with the little pick aninnies, who swarmed about the wharf in droves. Friday, July eighth, the First battalion of our regi ment, composed of companies E, I, A and F, and the battalion officers, boarded the ferry-boat. Commodore Perry at six thirty in the evening, which took us out to the awaiting vessels. Company A was put on board the Yale with the Sixth Mass., E, I and F going on the Co- lumbia. Three hundred men, besides her crew, was all this boat could accomodate. General Miles and General Garrettson were on the Yale. Colonel Foster and staff, the second and third battalions and the band remained at Charleston, intending to follow us on the Rita within a day or so. As we steamed out of the bay and down past Fort Sumter the boys cast wistful glances toward the reced ing shore. Darkness was soon upon us and waving a last farewell we bade good-bye to "God's Country." As we drew nearer the open sea the waves rolled higher and the little boat rocked and pitched until many of us land lubbers began to fear we would go to the bottom. The captain of the boat drove us flrst to one side and then the other, making human ballast of us in an effort to keep his craft right side up. Long before we reached the boats out at sea, many of us were "feeding the fishes." To those who were unaffected by the tossing of the boat it was an amusing spectacle to walk into tne passengers cabin and find the long rows of seats occupied by soldiers whh their kneeS Boarding the Columbia. 199 resting on the cushion, their heads run through the- open windows while they gazed intently into the briny deep. Now and then an apparently fifeless form would drop back onto the seat and a white and haggard face appear at the window; the countenance hghted by a sad, sweet smile, and after a moments silence, the sufferer appeared about to speak, when his mouth would close with a snap, his eyes begin to roll, the veins stand out like whip cordis on his brow, and the head would duck out ofthe window, while the body was convulsed with a violent shudder, his legs would straighten out as though a vain effort was being made to force his feet through the plank floor or crowd his body out of the narrow window, and a weak voice would be heard repeating, "I want to get out and walk."' It was nearly ten o'clock that night when we reached the Yale. The transfer -of company A to this boat was a comparatively easy tnatter as the ferry-boat pulled along side of it aud planks were run over and the boys scram bled across. On account of the peculiar build ofthe Col umbia the work of getting the three remaining companies aboard of her was more exciting and to the land troops it appeared rather a dangerous undertaking. The Colum bia riding at anchor some distance from the ferry-boat sent out her whale boats and cutters manned by the ves sels crew. These small crafts were pulled to the side of the ferry-boat and as the sea rose carrying the smalj boats up to within leaping distance the men jumped down into them. Then the wave would recede and the boat drop down a number of-feet. With the approach of the next billow the trick would be repeated. Some times the excitad soldier would make the leap at the moment the boat was taking a drop, or meet it coming up when the laiicling was ratl^ef geyefe an4 h© ¦woqld go sprawling 200 History of Companies I and E. among the sailors much to their amusement. When a boat was loaded it was pulled away in the darkness and to the side of the Colnmbia and the men would scramble up the rope ladder to her deck to be hustled into the sailors quarters and out of the way of those that were to follow. It was dark as pitch and the work was carried on by the aid of the brilliant glare of the Columbia's powerful search-light. As the cutter left the ferry-boat and was pulled toward the Columbia the rolling of the waves kept it hidden from view most of the time, and to those who were watching the work and awaiting their turn it looked like anything but a pleasant journey, but when once in the craft the feeling of dread disappeared as we saw the ease with which the old salts guided the frail craft on its course and kept it riding the waves like a duck. It was slow work and quite late when the last man crawled up the side of the Columbia and sought a place of rest. The next morning we awoke to find ourselves out at sea. having weighed anchor at midnight, the Yale keep ing within sight about ten miles out on our port side. The day passed away very quickly, the wonderful ma chinery, the large guns, torpedo tubes, and all keeping us very busy exploring. We were not slow to realize our good fortune in being jilaced on this magnificent vessel instead of an old dirty transport which had been carrying nothing but live stock for years. The Columbia is a triple-screw, first class protected cruiser: the plates are five eighths of an inch in thickness and double; length two hundred twelve feet; breadth fifty eight feet; displacement seven thousand three hun dred seventy five tons. On her trial trip she made twen ty two knots per hour but since has made a record of twenty seven, making her one of the swiftest boats in the navy. Battery, one eight inch breech loading rifle, two U. S. S. Colurabia, On Board a War Ship. 201 six inch and eight four inch, twelve six pounder and four one pounder rapid fire guns, four galling guns and one three inch field piece. She also had four torpedo tubes with three torpedoes for each. ' There are eight mammoth double end boilers, making sixty four fires which can be built in an emergency, and three powerful engines of sev en thousand horse-power each. She carried a crew of forty officers and four hundred twenty-nine men of which forty-five were marines, is lighted by electricity from stem to stern and has an ice machine which at that time was kept running night and day. She cost Uncle Sam two million seven hundred twenty five thousand dollars. Captain Sands was in command of the vessel and the crew thought a great deal of him. As for the crew itself, it did everything possible to make us comfortable. Placing three hundred men on board a boat that had ac comodations for the crew only, made it rather unpleasant but they gave up quarters and divided rations with us and did us many other favors, if they had not we would have fared rather poorly. The sea was smooth and the vessel seemed as solid as a rock, the continual swish swash of the waves as they broke against her sides was about the only indication we had that we were on the wide sea as we rested in our quarters ou the main dack. During, the daytime the men spent their time on the upper or superstructure deck, se curing protection from the broiling heat of the sun as best they may in the shadow of the mammoth smoke stacks, the gun shields and in and around the half dozen whale-boats and cutters which swung from the davits at the vessels side. As the work of the sailors brought them towards our resting places we were driven before them, from one end of the vessel to the other and all around it. We 202 History of Companies I and E. would be resting quietly ou the upper deck when a bart - foot seamen would bellow out "get down below,'" after scrambling through the hatchways to the main deck and get comfortably located, another voice would command us to "go up above," a few moments after reaching the upper deck we were told to "get in the whale boats," and shortly we would be instructed to "get out of the boats.'' Thus the hours dragsjed on until darkness came when we would settle ourselves for the night and for a couple of hours listen tcj the tales of the jolly tars as they related their experiences in their many sea voyages^. Several ships were sighted on the voyage and both the Yale and Columbia would give chase, hoping to over haul some Spanish vessel and secure it as a prize, but they were all flying the stars and stripes or the emblem of a neutral government. On the morning of July eleventh, we sighted land and found it was the eastern coast of Cuba. We steamed along- the coast and about noon passed Guantanamo bay -Bdiere the handful of ma rines had landed some days before and fought so bravely against great odds. We soon sighted the hulls of several vessels ahead and all precautions were taken to prevent our running in to a trap; the gunners were at their posts and everything"" made ready for a fight if tbey should prove to be un friendly, but they were Uncle Sam's ships and we were soon among them. We arrived about three o'clock in the afternoon of July eleventh, just an hour after the last bombardment of Santiago had ceased. A slight indentation in the coast line indicated the entrance to Santiago harbor but we were too far distant to see more of this then famous place. On the eastern side of the entrance and situated on a prominent point old Morro Castle frowned down upon us. Arrival at Santiago. 203 For miles around us we could see man-of-war ships, cruisers, , torpedo boats and transports. The Spanish lookout,, stationed at Morro Casde reported to his commander on that day he counted fifty-seven war ships and transports all flying the American flag within a radius of a few miles m the vicinity of Santiago har bor. Among them were New York, Brooklyn, Texas, Indiana, Oregon, Massachusetts, Iowa, Newark, Hel ena, Wilmington and the dynamite boat Vesuvius, also the hospital sfiip Solace, intermingling with the numer ous transports and all cruising about and up and down the coast. This was a pleasing sight for us land troops, cruis ing about not far from'the .shore, passing first one and then another of those * wonderful fighting machines which had won such a glorious victory a week previous, the mountains looming up in the background dotted with white tents and buildings and within sight of Santi ago harbor, the outer fortifications plainly discernable. We could hardly realize our posiiion, so much that was new and deeply interesting having been crowded upon us in a short time. Ten of the remaining companies of our regiment, the band and the colonel and his staff boarded the Rita at Charleston, Sunday, July tenth and arrived at Santiago the following Friday. Their voyage was not a pleas ant one, as the vessel rolled and pitched throughout the trip and nearly every man aboard of her was seasick. Companies D and M fofiowed on the transport, Duchesse. 204 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER XV. Immediately on our arrival at Santiago, General Miles sent a note to Admiral Sampson to the effect that it was his desire to land troops from the Yale, Colum bia, and Duchesse to the west of the bay of Santiago harbor, and follow it up with additional troops, moving east against the Spanish troops defending Santiago on the west. He requested Admiral Sampson to designate the most available point for disembarking the troops, and render all of the assistance practicable as they moved east. Admiral Sampson then went on board the Yale and consulted General Miles, who told him he desired the co-operation of the Navy in the plan above stated. The admiral cordially acquiesced in the plan and offered every assistance of his fleet ,to cover the debarkation of the^troops and also infilade the Spanish position with the guns of the ships. General Miles then viderit ashore aind the following morning opened communication with General Shatter, after which he gave diiections to General Garrettson to disembark all the troops on the Yale, Columbia, and other transports that v,rere expected to arrive, viz, the Duchesse and Rita, whenever he should receive orders to do so. A note was directed to General Toral, com manding the Spanish forces, apprising him of the pres ence of the General commanding the American Army Surrender of Santiago. 205 and a meeting between the lines was arranged for at twelve o'clock noon the following day. At the appointed time. General Miles and a portion of his staff, . met General Toral and two of his staff officers and an interpreter. Negotiations for the sur render of General Toral's forces were carried on, the United States government to return his army to Spain. General Toral plead for time to communicate with his superiors. This was granted and he was given until twelve o'clock noon the following day to arrive at a decision. General Henry, who had been placed in command of all the infantry and artillery then on transports, was instructed to be in readiness to disembark at noon, the following day, July fourteenth, at Cabanas. This in cluded the Sixth Illinois regiment. On the morning of July fourteenth, Admiral Sampson's fleet was in posi tion to cover the landing of the troops from the trans ports, about two and one half miles west of Santiago harbor, in case the Spanish should fail to surrender. On meeting General Toral by appointment at twelve o'clock noon that day, he formally surrendered the troops of his army corps and division of Santiago to General Miles. General Henry was notified and as a portion of the army was infected with yellow fever it was determined not to land the troops on board the transports at that point but to run them back to Guan tanamo bay and there take on coal and otherwise pre pare the fleet for an early departure for Porto Rico. The men on board ,-x:Ontinued in good health and few if any on the Columbia had been affected by sea sickness. After the novelty of the situation had worn off we began to get anxious to get ashore. We had 206 History of Companies I and E. prepared to land several times but each order was countermanded. It had rained every day since our arrival at Santiago, the sun coming out very bright and hot immediately afterward. The mountains wearing anything but an inviting aspect at these times, as a heavy fog enveloped everything on land. Many of the soldiers and sailors found sleeping quarters on the upper deck and in the dead of the night they would be awak ened by a heavy downpour of rain and they would scramble down through the hatchways completely drenched. The disappointment at not going ashore at Santiago left the men very low spirited. We had been drilling for months, all the while looking forward to the day when we should be among the victorious troops march ing into the Spanish city. Now it looked as though we were to have the trouble for the pains as we had no idea whether we were to be sent to Porto Rico or returned home. The inactivity was wearing on the men more than did the tedious work in the states. On the sixteenth of July our vessel steamed west to Guantanamo bay arriv ing in the early evening. We found a number of the boats that had been lying off Santiago had preceded us and some were already taking on a supply of coal from the coaling ships. As our boat stood bow on to shore, to the left and some distance inland we saw the wreck of a fortress the wahs of which had been partially demol ished by the guns of our vessels some time before. The white tents of Camp McCalla stood on the crest of a hiU not far from the shore. This was the quarters of the marines who landed from the Marblehead on the tenth of June. At the foot of the hiU and extend- Guantanamo Bay. 207 ing out on the beach lay the Cuban camp which con" tained about two hundred soldiers, mostly black and from all indications they represented the worst class of natives on the island. They were indolent and appeared to wish for nothing more than to possess a comfortable hammock) a supply of tobacco and draw rations from Uncle Sams larder as often as possible. The marines found but little use for them except as sentinels as they had been doing scout duty for years and were very alert besides they were acquainted with every nook and cranny on the island. Many of the ma rines came on board our vessel and some of them gave us a very graphic description of the three days battle which occurred following the landing of their men. Nearly every tent which they had put up was so riddled with Spanish bullets that they were but poor shelter dur ing the heavy rains which occurred daily. In the face of a continual fire the men had thrown up a rampart o f gravel completely surrounding the camp which gave them a protection from the Mauser buffets and an opportunity to rest after the seige had been raised. Three graves in the center of the camp marked the last resting place of Surgeon Gribbs, a sergeant major and a private, who fell early in the battle. Part way down the hiU on the other side were the graves of three men who were instantly killed, while doing outpost duty, by a squad of seventeen Spaniards all of whom were after wards kified with the lieutenant in command. In the center of the camp was Colonel Huntington's headquarters, over which the stars and stripes were flying the first to float over Cuban soil. To the left was a smafl rapid firing gun, which discharged buUets at the rate of five hundred a minute. The Spaniards had a wholesome respect for this gun, and an officer, taken 208 History of Companies I and E, prisoner by our men, when asked if there was anything he would like done for him, said, nothing except he would like to see this gun. Several officers from the Columbia, including our company and battalion officers visited this camp also the Cuban camp and what they saw proved that the marines had been subjected to a severe fire, in an extremely exposed position and the indomitable courage of the marines in retaining the foot hold established was quite evident. Our rations while on the boat were not conducive to the health or comfort of the men. Fresh meat, or at least the boys said it was fresh because it was "alive", was sent to us almost daily. It . came lashed to the whaleboat which brought it to us. We wondered at this as the surface of the bay was as calm as the waters of a miO-pond, It was hoisted on board and four expert sprinters from each company sent for, then the chase be gan. That confounded meat just would not be caught; it fiip-fiapped about at a lively rate until finally cornered. After being captured and "kified" the meat was cut up into great hunks about a foot square and brought out along with a bushel of hard-tack, into which an empty tomato can was thrown, a little water poured over the mixture and the whole run down to the ships galley and placed over the fire a few moments, this they cahed hash, and it was doled out to the men with all the precaution that would have been taken had it been angel-food cake with a prize in every cutting. About an hour after we had gotten on the outside of our portion of this first course, a pail would be run down to the gafley, some coffee dumped in, filled with hot water and brought out to us. Then the fighting began and after crawling out of the mix-up we generally found On board Spani-sh prize ship, "Rita," enroute to Santiago, Awaiting Orders. 209 ourselves with a pint of coffee grounds and a tablespoon ful of coffee. At intervals during the day we would take up our belts a few notches; this we continued untd nearly time to turn in for the night, then we would eat a few hard tack drink a little water, lie quite still until the hard-tack began to swell, then slip the belt off quickly and fiU up on water. This was necessary to keep the front side of the back from coming in contact with the back-bone whUe lying down. "Music sounds the sweetest when on the moon-lit sea." The reality of this came to us with full force as we heard the rich, sweet notes of "The First Brigade March" come pealing across the water from the deck of the Rita which carried our band. As the music reached us, faintly at first but clear and distinct as the two vessels drifted nearer, a hush fell over the throng of idle soldiers and they eagerly drank in every sound until the position of the boats changed and the music died away in the dis tance. Then cheer after cheer went up from our boat. Drooping spirits were revived and it almost seemed that we were back again in/ the states. This was the flrst time we had heard our band since leaving Charleston and it had. a wonderful effect on us all. At night the scene in the bay was beautiful. The number of vessels had increased daily and during the lat ter part of our stay there the bay was nearly filled -with boats. When all were lighted for the night it had the appearance of a miniature city, while the ever changing position of the boats gave us a panoramic view of the whole scene. As the bugle calls from the war vessels were sounded, first on one hand then the other, we imag ined we were back in our quarters at Camp Alger, and ¦we felt we were again soldiers. 210 History of Companies I and E. For nearly three months previous to our boarding the Columbia for Cuba we had been accustomed to almost crntinual duty of some sort and bands and bugle corps were ever present. Since taking to the sea we had done nothing but scramble for something to eat and lay around, killing time as best we could. The monotony was telling on the men and they were anxious to be up and doing. They fully recognized the many perils which beset a sol dier in the field, facing a wily enemy but this had been considered long before and they would gladly have taken the risk only to be on shore and do even a little actual service. They were fairly disgusted with the "coffee cooler" soldiering. On the morning of the eighteenth, the crew made preparations for coaling ship. Volunteers were called for from among the soldiers on board but less than a half dozen men responded as none relished the idea of shovel ing coal on an empty stomach. The following three days were occupied in coaling ship and they were horrible days,-dirt and coaldust over everything. It was but a short time until we were as dirty a lot of men as one cared to see, but we were rapidly becoming accustomed to accept anything that came along and say nothing. Captain Sands wanted eighteen hundred tons of coal to fill the boat's bunkers but the supply was nearly ex hausted and he was fortunate to secure six hundred tons; the vessel had something like three hundred tons when we arrived in the bay making a total of about nine hun dred tons in her bunkers. At noon, Thursday, July twenty-first, orders were received for the vessel to have steam up and everything in readiness to put out to sea at three o'clock that after noon, and at four we steamed out of the harbor enroute for Porto Rico, the Massachusetts acting as flag ship, Off for Porto Rico. 211 leading the fleet which was composed of the Massachu setts, Columbia, Yale with General Miles, Henry and Garrettson on board, the Gloucester, a dispatch boat and nine transports heavily laden with troops, cavalry and ar tillery horses and light artillery. With three thousand four hundred fifteen infantry men nnd artillerymen, together with two companies of engineers and one company of the Signal Corps, with one hundred of this aggregate number of men sick, which re duced our effective force to about three thousand three hundred men, we moved on the Island of Porto Rico, at that time occupied by eight thousand two hundred thirty three Spanish regulars, and nine thousand one hundred seven volunteers. The objective point being San Juan, on the north-eastern coast of the island. The Columbia acted as rear guard for the fleet and our course was necessarily much slower than when we made the run from Charleston to Cuba on account of having the slow moving transports in the fleet, eight, or at the best, nine knots per hour was the maximum speed during the journey. On the second night out we were joined by the cruiser Dixie. Just the slightest ripple of excitement was caused on board our boat before a signal was sent out by the Dix ie making herself known. The Columbia was some dis tance in the rear of the fleet when a light was seen ap proaching the stern of our vessel. The Dixie was ex pected to join us in this vicinity but nothing could be seen to determine the nature of the approaching vessel other than the light which gradually drew nearer us. High up on the mast the Columbia's signal lights flash ed the Dixie's call "D" but could get no response, a sailor picked up a hand electric lantern and stepping to 212 History of Companies I and E. the stern of our boat made an attempt to get a reply to his signals but all to no purpose. The peculiar actions of the crew of the vessel follow ing us gave Captain Sands cause for suspicion that all was not right and he changed the course of theColum- bia, making a loop and coming down close to the sus picious craft and again flashed the signal -'D", this time receiving a reply that apparently satisfied him and we came around onto the direct course once more. As day light came we saw the Dixie was among the vessels of the fleet and then understood the actions of the boats the night before. We steamed through the Windward Passage in a northeasterly course, not losing sight of land until near ly to our destination. The Islands of Cuba and Hayti appearing not more than ten miles apart yet they are nearly fifty. On the morning of the twenty-second the Columbia was signaled to report to General Miles as he wished to send a cablegram to Washington, and she be ing the swiftest vessel in the fleet was selected for that purpose. An officer was sent on board the Yale and re ceived the dispatch; then o-ir vessel was headed for Mole St. Nicholas, on the eastern coast of Hayti, arriving there about eleven thirty a. m. A cutter was sent ashore to the cable station, returning immediately. The soldiers were ordered to remain below and keep out of sight but a half dozen of us managed to find a secluded place and re mained on deck and with the aid of a small field glass an excellent view of the bay and island was had. The town appeared as almost nothing; a few houses and an old fortress was all we could see. The French flag was fly ing over nearly every house, also over the cable station. Returning we left the bay about twelve o'clock noon, and Arrival at Port Guanica. 213 caught the fleet in the middle of the afternoon. The coasts of Cuba, Hayti and Porto Rico are lined with mountains and looked anything but inviting to the Illi nois boys who were accustomed to the broad prairies of their native state. We held the original course of east by north until the morning of the twenty -fourth, when General Miles changed his plans and directed the fleet to change its course and make Port Guanica, on the southwestern coast of the island its destination. General Miles; after consulting with Cap't Higginson of the Massachusetts, decided that the Spanish government must certainly be aware of his intentions to land troops at San Juan and it would accordingly mobolize its forces at that point. He learned that a very desirable landing place could be secured at Port Guanica and later at Port Ponce and in aU probabihty would meet with but little opposition. The Dixie was sent on to San Juan to notify all ves sels expected to arrive there of the chainge in the origin al plans. That night we sailed through the Mona Pass age without lights and silently we neared the goal. The following morning we were on the Caribbean Sea close to land and about nine thirty the Gloucester entered the harbor of Port Guanica, throwing shells from a six pound gun into the hfils and scattering the few Spanish soldiers stationed there. The Columbia could not get close in as she drew too much water and we were once more load ed into the ships whale boats and cutters and towed a mde and a half to the landing. 214 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER XVI. About ten o'clock on the morning of July twenty- fifth company E landed at Guanica, closely followedi by fifteen men of company I. A company of marines from the Gloucester was the firs-t American troops to land on Porto Rican soil. These men had a brush with the few Spanish soldiers that remained in the vicinity driving them back into the hills where the six pounders fired from the Gloucester had forced the larger portion' of the enemy early in the day. The marines hoisted the stars and stripes and shortly returned to their vesseh Follow ing them came a division of the First Illinois Engineer Corps, then company E and the fifteen men of company I, with Major Channon in command on shore. When we arrived in the village there was not a na tive or Spaniard in sight. They had completely desert ed the town. We were not allowed to approach- any of tbe buildings but were formed in the center of the nar row street and held there for a short time awaitin<»- Mai- or Channons orders. The town in main consisted of one stre&t running north to the foot of the hills which sur. rounded the bay. A few comfortable dwellings and summer homes of the more wealthy of the residents of the vicinity bordered the narrow street with here and there a general store building, the village itself termi nating in cluster of thatched huts about three quarters Outpost Duty in tme Hillst-. 215 of a mile from the beach. Surrounding the viflage was a level plain which .ran back from the beach about a mile. On the north and east the hills or mountains rose to a considerable height while on the west the bay ran back several hundred rods and close up to the -foot of the hills. Directly north of the landing the hills were separated by a beautiful valley about a mile in width which wound back into the island for several miles. The one street of the town led di rectly to the southern .entrance of this valley and it iWias here that the Spaniards and natives retreated cm the approach of the American troops. Company E was divided into two platoons and sent to the hills to the east to establish an oufcpost •guard liae iunder command of Capt. Lawrie and Lieut. Wahl respectively. The ..fifteen naen of company I, wnder command -of Serg't Weaver were ordered to .take a position on the summit of a high bill about a irmle to the south and west of the town, there to be joined by the remainder of the company as soon as they came ©n shore. Major Channon instracted .the ^men to .keep their rifles loaded and in readiness foir instant action .and to take -no chances whatever. Arriving at the foot of the hills we found we ihad a difficult climb before us as the .cactus plant, swhich -grows there as large as our fruit trees, were very thick foom the base of the hill to the summit. Many other 'Siaall trees .and shrubbery grew -so dense it was impossible to see more than a doztm feet in advance, while the hills had every indication of being the jResult .of sO'Hie gigantic upheavel caused by volcanic eruptions in years past. Great irregular pieces of stone, honey-combed to the depth of half an inch, the .outer -suriace covered with fine, projecting points of stonie as sharp a^ =a jknife 216 History of Companies I and E. blade and as hard as steel, were thrown up in apparent ly insurmountable masses. Company E took its position and remained there until five o'clock in the evening, when they were re lieved by company A. During their stay on out-post the boys of company E explored the locahty thoroughly but found no indication of the enemy. After return ing to the landing they pitched their shelter tents on the grassy plain a few rods back from the bay and were placed on duty unloading baggage and supphes from the Rita. Five of the handful of men of company I made the ascent of the hih where they were to take a position and establish a point of observation, arriving on the summit nothing could be seen in either direction. The cactus plants, shrubbery and large stone were so thick that it was impossible to find a place large enough to pitch a shelter tent in that neighborhood. After a long search a large rock was found projecting far out over the hill side and clear of the brush. Crawling out on this an excellent view of the plain below and the valley stretching away to the north could be had. The scene was a beautiful one. It was the noon hour and the sun was shining brightly. Everything was green and refreshing. Down the narrow valley small farms were laid out and the crops appeared to be in ex cellent condition, the hills jutting out here and there formed dark recesses where the sunlight faded into a gloom and the shaded green of the foliage appeared to extend a welcoming hand to the invading soldiers, beckoning them in, there to find protection from the burning heat of the sun. But as far as the eye could reach not a living being was in sight. Peace and quiet ness reigned over the whole valley and on first thought w First Camp near landing at Guanica, Porto Rico, First Meeting With Natives. 217 It seemed criminal to throw this beautiful land into the turmoil of war. Turning about and looking toward the sea an en tirely different scene presented itself. Out on the open water the lead colored hulls of the war vessels stood out in bold rehef, the uncovered guns directed shore- vvard prepared to throw a storm of shells into the ranks of the enemy, should they develop in formidable num bers. Close into shore the many transports were bu.sily engaged unloading their cargoes. Much of the work had already been accomplished and white tents dotted the plain while the battery of artiUery was getting its guns in readiness to limber up at a moments notice. The position taken by the men on the summit seeming untenantable, a report of the situation was made to Major Channon and he ordered them to the plain below, where they were soon joined by the remainder of the company. The men were immediately placed on out post duty, the second platoon, under command of Lieut. Lawton was placed on the extreme left and along the main road which led to San German, with the wooded hill on the one side and the waters of the bay run ning up close on the other. The last out-post to the left was stationed fully two miles from the camp on the beach. Capt. Colebaugh, wilh the first platoon ex tended his line in toward the camp and was joined on the right by company F. Farther to the right company G of Dixon, was on out-post duty between the left of company A and the right of company F. As the day wore on several natives were captured and brought into camp. They were very much excited and more than half expected the Americans would put them to death as they had been made to believe this by the Spanish soldiers who had so recently fled. The 218 History OF Companies I and E. natives .were made to understand that no harm would befall them if they would return to their homes and re main quiet. The glad tidings soon spread to the mountains and they began to come .in from all directions. They were quite timid at first but soon overcame their fears and in a short time they .were mir^ling with the soldiers apparently perfectly satisfied with the turn affairs had taken. Of course we could not understand a word of their language, nor they ours, .but by sigins and motions we made fair headway and u.sually made them understand what was wanted. One of the first thii^gs they learned was that we were completely out of to bacco, and for several days after our arrival when a na tive met a soldier he would come to a halt several paces from him and if he had any tobacco, cigars or cigarettes he would produce them as a peace offering, bnt should he be so unfortunate as to not .have any of these articles he would strike each pocket in turn to show it was empty, throw both hands out before him and repeat "No I, No I," meaning be had none and look appealingly at us fearing we would .do .him harm because he could not pay us tribute. Some one of the boys would step toward him and in a threatening man ner tefl him he must be a Spaniard, the native would turn pale and tremblingly exclaim, "Spanolia, No! No! America, Porto Rico." We knew there had been but few Spanish soldiers in the village but we were told by the .natives that there were several hundred lurking in the hills near us and we did not know what moment they .might steal upon us and open fire. The underbrush and shrubbery was .so thick they could have approached us without much fear of detection. W^ bad no dinner .and the provisions did not get out to us until after -dank; then On the Picket' Line. 219 we were not alfewed to build fires tO' make coffee, bl»t we enjoyed it nevertheless as we were in actual; ser¬rice then and' felt that we were soldiers in' every respect. We sat around the box of hardtack and ate keep'- ing as quiet as possible, our guai^ds were posted along the public highway and partly up the mountain side. It was not long until the boys began to take snap shots along the line. There were a number of cattle- run.nim'.g through the timber and we had been cautioned to be ware of the mooing of cows, barking of dogs and hoot ing of owls, as these were Spanish signals. This made us suspicious of evei'y sound and the consequences were the boys firedi at imaginary Spaniards quite frequently. • '¦ The enemy was not far' distant as we found be fore daylight". The bullets kept zipping around- arn-d over us- and in the morning we picked up some of the spent bullets which had dropped in our camp. When ever a shot was fired' every man was wide awake with has rifl-e ready for instant action; the moon shone brightly and the- relief guards were more or less exposed through out) the- night.' The naitives continued to straggle in long after d'ark and' it was a miracle that some of thetn were not shot as they did not appear to recognize the challenge of a sentinel as a command to halt but more as a greeting, and they would walk stJraig'ht ahead. The sentiiaeis- hardly^ kiiiew what action to take. They knew there were Spunish- soldiers in the vicinity but they doubted' their having the courage to erme forward" so boldly; ttey also knew there were any number of harm less natives yet in the mountains amd they did not wish to* ha?ve the- blood o^ an innocent man on their hands. Th^ire was but one- altematiive and that was- to be fve- pared for in-stant a'ction upon the fl'i^' sign of treachery 220 History of Companies I and E. and allow them to pass the lines. The actions of the Americans in this matter went a long way toward quiet ing the fears of the natives and gave them a feeling of safety which made them our friends. During the early hours of the morning, company G was attacked by the Spanish. As this was the only in stance where our regiment clashed with the enemy, the report of this skirmish, given in the words of General Garrettson, follows. "At about six p. m. a report was sent in from this outpost that the enemy in considerable numbers had been discovered. I sent out two companies of the Sixth Massachusetts as a reserve. During the night the enemy opened fire oh the out posts, and their commander sent in a report, which ar rived in camp at two a. m., July twenty-sixth, that an at tack was expected. At three a. m., 1, with my staff and Major W. C. Hayes, First Ohio Cavalry, and five com- pnnies of the Sixth Massachusetts, left camp for the out post on the Yauco road. The command arrived there shortly before daylight, at about four thirty o'clock. From the reports of the outposts the enemy was supposed to be in a field to the right of the road to Yauco. Packs were thrown off and the command formed for an attack. The company of Sixth Illinois(G) remained on the hill and protected our right flank. The remaining companies were collected, two as support and three as reserve. Af ter advancing to within two hundred yards of the plain of the hacienda Santa Decideria, the advance guard of our attacking force was discovered by the enemy, who opened fire from a position on the hill to the west. The north and east slopes of this hill intersect each other, forming a solid angle. It was along this angle that the enemy was posted. Their reserve, posted in a road leading from the hacienda to the east, also opened a strong fire on the road. A body of the enemy moved against the company ou our right (G, Sixth Illinois), woO 3D. a Skirmish With the Spanisi-1. . S2l stationed on the hill of Ventura Quinones. This com pany had intrenched themselves during the night, and after repulsing the attacking force, directed their fire against the enemy on the hill to the west. The conformation of the ground was such that the fire of the enemy's reserves and party on the left wae effective in the seemingly secure hollow in which our re serves were posted. The heavy volume of fire, the noise of shots striking the trees and on the ground, and the wounding of two men among the reserves caused a momentary confusion among the troops. They were quickly rallied and placed under cover. The fire of the advance party and supports was directed against the party of the enemy on the hill, and temporarily silenced their fire from that direction. Our advance guard of two companies, ignoring the enemy on the hill, then deployed mainly to the right of the road, and were led with quick and accurate military judgement and great personal gallantry, by Lieutenant Langhorne, First Cavalry, aid, against the reserves of the enemy. The supports and one company of reserves, under the direction of Captain L. G. Berry, charged against the party on the west of the hill, through the barbed-wire fence and chaparral. The reserves were deployed along the barbed-wire fence running at right angles to the road, conducted through the fence, and brought up in the rear and to the left of the attack ing party conducted by Lieutenant B. Ames, adjutant, Sixth Massachusetts. The enemy were driven from the hill and retired to the valley, disappearing behind the hacienda. The reserves of the enemy ceased firing and retired. It was supposed that they had retired to the hacienda, as this house was surrounded on the sides presented to our view, with loopholed walls. The troops on the hill were collected along the road. A reserve of three companies was established at the intersection of the road and the main road to Yauco. The two companies in advance, which were deployed, wheeled to the left and advanced through the cornfield 222 History ofXompanies I and E. to our right. The remainder of the command deployed and advanced to the hacienda, enveloping it on the left. It was then discovered that the enemy had retired from the hacienda; in the direction of Yauco, along cleverly concealed lines of retreat. As the object of the expedition was considered ac complished, and in obedience to instructions received from Major-General Miles, no further pursuit was un dertaken. The battalion of recruits of the Regular Army, un der Captain Hubert, reported for orders, having heard the firing, but were not needed and returned to camp. The force of the enemy engaged in the battle con sisted of Battalion twenty-five, Patria, of the Spanish Army, and some volunteers, in all about six or seven hundred men. The casualties on our side were four slightly wound ed, all of the Sixth Massachusetts. After the occupa tion of Yauco the casualities of the enemy were found to have been, one lieutenant and one cornet killed, eight een seriously and thirty-two slightly wounded. After the confusion resulting from the first unexpected fire, the conduct of the troops was excellent. They were speedily rallied, and afterward obeyed orders given through my staff officers without hesitation. The following officers of the command are especially commended for gallantry and coolness under fire: Maj or C. K. Darling, Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers; Cap tain P, J. Gihon, Sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, who was painfully wounded early in the action, and remained in command of his company nritil it reached camp; Cap tain L. G. Berry, assistant adjutant-general volunteers; Lieutenant G. T. Langhorne, aid; Lieutenant G. M. Wright, aid; Major W. C. Hayes, acting aid; Major Geo. W, Crile, brigade surgeon, and Major Frank Anthony surgeon Sixth Illinois Volunteers, were present under fire with hospital attendants and rendered necessary aid to the wounded," During the early part of the engagement. Major Major Anthony at the Front, 223 Anthony, who with the hospital corps was quick to re spond to a call to the front probably saved the Massa chusetts boys from having a large number of their men cut down by the withering fire of the Spanish which was poured in on them after the Dons had located General Garrettson's troops. The major was not far distant when the first vofiey of the enemy wounded two of the Massachusetts boys. They were formed in a solid col umn and remained huddled together, apparently having lost their heads for the moment, when Major Anthony rushed among them and with voice and gesture urged the men to scatter out which they did. Had they re mained in close ranks a well aimed volley from the enemy would have wrought havoc in their ranks. After the skirmish was over the major and his corps of assistants rendered the wounded Spanish all the medical assistance possible, the fact that they were our enemies being entirely forgotten by the big hearted ma jor. This skirmish caused considerable excitement in camp as well as among the men who were scattered among the hills and brush doing outpost duty. The fact that we were possible targets for Spanish marks men gave us a creeping chilly feeling, as we were in the open where the enemy could steal upon us, fife a volley or more and get back in the underbrush into compara tive safety before we could form for defence or an at tack. During the night the powerful searchlights of the boats lying in the harbor swept the hills and moun tain sides quite frequently. This no doubt restrained the Spanish soldiers from venturing too near our picket lines. During the first twenty-four hours of outpost duty company l's guard headquarters were established at the 224 History of Companies I and E. very entrance of the village graveyard. It was rather a grewsome place as nearly all of the boys had explored the small enclosure during the day and visions of the white wooden crosses and the larger shafts, built of brick or stone and covered with a coating of white lime, float ed before their eyes ever and anon during the lonely watch throughout the night. The next morning we were privileged to build small fires and searching everywhere we could find nothing that would burn excepting a couple of decayed burial cases which lay in one corner of the graveyard. They had either been in the ground for some time or were very old as they all but dropped in pieces when we attempted to carry them out. We concluded it must be the latter as during our stay on the island we witnessed several burials and in not one instance was the casket interred. The body was taken out and placed in the ground without the box. We did not wait to decide the question but hurriedly broke them up and soon had a bright fire burning merrily. The afternoon of the second day fohowing the land ing at Guanica occurred the first burial of an American soldier in Porto Rico. One of the Massachusetts boys had breathed his last on board one of the boats which lay in the harbor. His body was wrapped in the folds of the starry banner which had lured him to his untimely death, placed on an artifiery caisson, which was drawn by six horses; by the side of the heavy carriage marched an escort of infantrymen, his comrades. Then the silent march to the little graveyard was taken up where the body, from which the soul had winged its flight, was in terred, a volley was fired over the newly made grave, the company bugler sounded "laps", and the little pro fession turned sadl^ ^vf^}' wefl^ing its way §\oyv\j back Funeral cortege of a private of the Sixth Mass , the first U, S, soldier buried in Porto Rico, Second Camp at Guanica, 225 to camp. Before the troops left this camp, private Aberg of company F was buried by the side of the Mass achusetts soldier. The second day company I was ordered farther out and we marched a couple of miles to the west where a new picket line was established. This position was considered too much exposed and in the afternoon we were returned about a half mile towards camp where. we remained on duty all night and until afternoon of the following day when we were relieved and returned to the general camp at the landing. During our fifty-two hours of picket duty there had been but little opportuni ty to sleep and but few of the boys would have taken ad vantage of it had there been. When we arrived in camp and had our shelter tents up we sought the much needed rest and retired early. The boys of company E were detailed lo general duty, building bridges and unloading ammunition, etc., on the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh. On the morn ing of the skirmish previously mentioned, the company went out to the scene but did not participate in the en gagement. On the afternoon of the twenty-eighth the company went out on outpost duty for twenty-four hours. The men were posted along the main road at in tervals, covering more than a mile of the outer picket line, and were about a mile and a half from camp. The duty performed was a repetition of that of the guards of the previous day. The feeling of apprehension which naturally affected the men during the first hours of their presence in the enemy's country had gradually worn off and the long hours of guard duty were made more pleas ant by the rising spirits of the boys and they whiled the time away with joke and repartee yet ever on the alert. Some scattered shots were heard during the night' but 226 History of Companies I and E. nothing occurred to cause alarm. They fought the mos- quites until relieved the next day. Down at the camp we found the remainder of our regiment. The boys who came in on the Rita related their experiences and pronounced that vessel an old tub not fit for a river boat. Serg't Cushman had met with an accident while at sea which resulted in the amputa tion of a portion of one of his fingers. The band boys were ali there and living high, the result of their for aging. They appeared to enjoy the situation and spent the most of their time in scouting. Privates Sneed, Bert Johnson and Frank Aument of company E were on board the Lampassas, which was ly ing in the harbor of Guanica. Aument was sick and Sneed and Johnson were detailed to assist the nurses on the boat on its trip to Fort Monroe where the invalid soldiers were to be nursed back to health. The boat sailed first to Port Ponce leaving there July thirty-first. On the eighth of August the patients were taken to the fort and Sneed and Johnson received a thirty day fur lough going directly to their homes. Aument remained at the hospital in the fort. On the twenty-eighth we broke camp and pitched our tents on a low level piece of ground about half a mile to the north and east of the original camp. July twenty-seventh. Major General Wilson arrived in the harbor of Guanica with General Ernst's brigade. The same day Commander Davis of the Dixie entered the jiort of Ponce and found that it was neither fortified nor mined. The next morning the fleet and transports with General Wilson's command, moved into the harbor of Port Ponce. The troops disembarked and marched into the city of Ponce, a distance of two miles, taking possession of the city and adjacent country, the Spanish Advance on Yauco. 227 troops withdrawing on the military road to San Juan, and our troops were pushed well forward in that direct ion. In the meantime General Henry's command, of which we formed a part had been directed to proceed, to Ponce. 228 History of Companies I and E. CHAPTER XVII. Major Clarke with two companies of his battalion was selected as an advance guard of General Henry's troops in their march to Ponce. He left camp in the afternoon of July twenty-eighth. Ten men from each company of the first battalion, with a few others from our regiment, under command of Lieut, E. L. Phillipps, of the Sixth Cavalry, and Lieut, Geo. M, Gould, of company F, Sixth Illinois, the whole command under the direction of Major W, C, Ha} es. First Ohio Cav alry, with three days rations and one hundred rounds of ammunition, were ordered to proceed to Talaboa, about half way between Guanica and Ponce, where it was reported the Spanish had concealed, or on cars, a considerable number of Mauser rifles with a supply of ammunition. This force was to capture these supplies and return them to Guanica, or destroy them. This detachment was to receive mounts and pro ceed with all speed possible. After a long wait, the horses, which were to have been sent into camp by alcalde of Yauco, but which never came, the start was made about five o'clock in the evening. Every one was anxious to be among the number selected for this expedition and those who were fortunate in this respect felt highly elated as they expected they would have a brush with the Spanish, and as they were given to un- »»&«# Iv ^11 Porto Eican belles. Reception at Yauco. 229 derstand the men were to be mounted they anticipated a rather lively experience. When they vv^ere informed they would make the march on foot they were sadly dis appointed but left the camp and regiment in a happy- mood. They were dubbed "Gould's Rough Riders." The expedition overtook Major Clarke's command on the outskirts of Yauco and together they entered the city. Their entry into the town was hailed with delight by the citizens. In fact a more enthusiastic welcome was never given to any body of troops. The streets of the village were lined with the inhabitants, who indulged in vivas to the American Republic, the President of the United States, and the American sol diers. This reception was repeated at every town and village where the troops entered. Major Hayes and staff, proceeded to Tallaboa, in company with General Stone, who had come from Ponce to Tafiaboa that after noon in comrriand of a small detachment and a telegraph corps. On their arrival they found the sidetracks empty and after a thorough inquiry concluded there were no supplies in that vicinity and the major returned to Yauco, where he found the fifty men of his command encamped. Arrangements were made for the formal raising of the American flag over the residence of the alcalde the following day. The citizens were somewhat awed by the military at first, and there was absolute silence while the military presented arms and the colors were raised; and not until the close of the proclamation by the alcalde was there any demonstration on their part, when,, without a note of warning, a volunteer band struck up an inspiring strain and all of the citizens joined in vivas to the United States, to the President, 230 History of Companies I and E. to the American soldiers, and to the city of Yauco, in the United States of America. On the morning of July thirtieth. General Henry's division broke camp at eight-thirty and began the march to Ponce. It had rained heavily the day previous and in many places the roads were in bad condition. The boys made the start with long swinging strides but were brought down to a more moderate pace after covering a few miles. The heat was not so intense, that is, the mercury did not register anything astonishing but there was a thin vapor rising from the damp earth which made the men feel as though they were broil ing. We soon began to feel the effects of being cooped up on board the boats for nearly three weeks without exercise. Had we been thrown into this country with out loss of time after our training at Camp Alger, we would not have been so easily overcome with the heat. We arrived at Yauco shortly after noon and camped ouv the bank of a swift brook. In passing through the town we had met with a very cordial wel come by the citziens. We found the "Rough Riders," and Major Clarke's command encamped on a hill to the left of the spot designated as our camping ground. Previous to leaving Guanica each company had been given a number of bullock carts in charge of native drivers to transport rations and a supply of ammunition. These carts were huge two wheeled affairs and were drawn by from one to three pairs of bullocks. The ani mals were fine looking specimens of bovines, being large, with wide spreading horns and usually very gen tle. The yoke was an uncouth affair hewn from some species of hard wood. It was strapped to the horns on top of the animals head, the draft of the loaded cart The Spanish Prisoner. 231 coming directly on the horns. There were something like one hundred of these "Army wagons" attached to our command. They were behind the troops and did not arrive in camp until late and we got nothing to eat before dark. We had not been allowed to stop for mess at noon consequently we were feeling rather lank when we finally drew our rations. From this time on we were illy fed. We were is sued fresh beef nearly every day for a time, but it was in such condition it was unfit to eat. They would run the animals for half an hour before being able to catch them, shoot them down the moment they got them back to quarters, and cut them up before they were fairly dead, and the meat would be on the fire in less than an hour from the time they were shot. We were compelled to eat this or go without and to this cause we could trace the beginning of many a case of sickness. In the camp we found the ground alive with centi pedes, and in some cases the boys would not lie down for fear of getting stung. An English speaking native informed us that the female sting alone was fatal, and then during a certain period only. The natives were deathly afraid of them, and as a rule they were bare footed and would jump at the sight of one, getting as far away as possible. We found the wicked little things in every camp along the coast, but on getting farther in land they disappeared. While encamped at Yauco the guards captured a Spanish soldier. When ]tjrought into camp he carried a Springfield rifle such as our troops were then equipped with, wore the regulation U, S. blue shirt and about his waist was strapped a web cartridge belt of the U. S. manufacture. The prisoner acted rath er queer and his being in possession of a portion of an ^ffieripap S9ldiej"'s outfit had a suspicions Igok. Genera^ 232 History of Companies I and E. Garrettson was sent for and he asked the fellow if he was not a Spanish soldier. He fell on his knees and replied "No, no; Americano, Americano." It was pitiful to see him grovel in the dirt at the general's feet. He kissed his hands, his shoes and the ground he trod on; he stood up and hugged the boys about him, kissing their hands and all the time repeating, "Americano, Americano." This was the reply we inevitable received from everyone if we asked if they were not Spanish. The prisoner ap peared to be nearly famished and indicated by signs that he had been living on roots and fruits. He was taken to the hospital and we afterward learned he no sooner found himself among friends, as there were some fifty wounded and sick Spanish soldiers in the hospital, than he revived immediately and in all probability laughed in his sleeve over the smooth trick he had played on the Americano soldiers. The battery of artillery came into camp behind us and crossed the creek to the flat beyond where they re mained that night. In coming in, their field pieces had almost slid down the steep embankment before crossing the stream. The next morning, (Sunday), before break ing camp the men of the battery worked with pick and shovel for some time reducing the abruptness of the climb so as to make it possible to drag their pieces out to the main road. After all was in readiness for the start, the men took their places, and the stream was crossed at a gallop; up the hill they tore, the men riding the pieces hanging on for dear life. If they appeared to make the start to slow a mounted officer, stationed on the opposite side of the stream and half way up the hill would roar some unintelligable command to the drivers and they would goad their horses on with whip and spur. After all were over we fell in behind them and continued At Tallaboa. 238 the march toward Ponce. The day before, the Sixth 111- . inois was in the advance followed by the artillery, the Massachusetts boys bringing up the rear. The second and third days the position of the regiments were re^ versed and we brought up the rear. We passed through several small straggling villages and in the middle of the afternoon went into camp. To' get to the camp we were marched nearly a mile to tbe left of the direct route and crossed two streams before halting. Here the boys began to be troubled With blis tered feet. There were no bridges over these streams and although they were nearly all quite shallow and easi ly forded, wading through the water left the man with shoes and leggins thoroughly soaked; the mountain roads were covered with a sort of lime stone made hot by the sun and in a short time a large number of stragglers were scattered along the route. That night we dined on fruit, the wagon train com ing in late again. Half ripe bananas fried in grease was considered a treat although they were lacking in nourish ment. Before leaving Guanica each man had been is sued one hundred rounds of ammunition ; the cartridge belts carried about half .this number the remainder being put in the haver-sacks. This additional weight pulling over the shoulder wearied the men considerable. At the beginning of the march every man carried one half of a shelter tent with pole and stakes, a rubber poncho, gun, belt and bayonet, besides an extra shirt or two, a change of socks, and under svear, a blouse, a meat plate, knife, fork and spoon and whatever personal articles he had collected and desired to retain. A canteen of water completed the outfit. When we had been two days on the march a rather decided change was manifest as to what was necessary 234 History of Companies! and E. for asoldier to "tote." Ammunition was thrown away bythe box; clothing was scattered along the whole route, while here and there some weary soldier's-half-of-a-shelter or "pup" tent would be found. Some even went so far as to cast their bayonets in the brush by the roadside, any thing to lighten the weight which grew heavier and more troublesome with each mile. The second night out found the majority of the boys with wardrobes very much depleted, those who had retained their tents sharing with the comrades who had "lost" their own during the day. At nine o'clock in the evening we were unexpectedly ordered to faU in for inspection of ammunition, and there were few men in the regiment who could produce the one hundred rounds or one half of it. We were informed that the shortage would be charged to the n.en but our infor mant was evidently a joker as we escaped the ex pected penalty. Breaking camp the next morning we recrossed the two streams which we had forded the night before, and started on the final march to Ponce. Fording the streams at the commencement of the days march aggra vated the already tender feet of the men and in a short time they were in a deplorable condition. We had not seen an ambulance, and no one was allowed to ride on the overloaded ox carts. The straggling became gen eral and when the regiment marched through the city of Ponce and out to the camp grounds a mile beyond there were but few men in line. We were kept moving for hours without a mo ments rest and this in a climate entirely strange to prob ably every man in the division. On passing through some of the mountain trails. Old Sol would shoot his (parting rays down upon us and not a breath of air stir- Entering Ponce. 235 ring; the burning heat at these places almost suffocated the men and it seemed we were at the very maw of a mammoth furnace which we might enter at the next step. We had been extremely anxious to get into act ive service and here we were but we failed to notice any expressions of great joy on the countenances of the weary soldiers. Straggling into Ponce we found every eating house in the city crowded with hungry soldiers. Upon enter ing and taking a seat at one of the numerous tables vve looked in vain for the waiters. They had dished up every thing in the house to the early comers and taken refuge in some remote part of the building, badly scared by the presence of so many "Americanos." In one of the houses we did manage to get a loaf of bread and a couple of eggs. The diminutive proprietor was nearly wild, half a hundred men all yelling for something to eat and curs ing the waiters for a stupid lot. The little fellow would start for the 'kitchen when he would be stopped by a six foot soldier who demanded something to eat. Throwing up his bands and attempting to back away he repeated over and over "D - -n you, cant you wait," This was in all probability the extent of his knowledge of the Engli.sh language and more than likely he had heard some of the boys repeat it but did not know its meaning. After waiting some time we came to the conclusion there was nothing more to be had and tossing an Amer ican dollar into the outstretched hand of the proprietor, we picked up our belongings and prepared to get out as soon as we received our change. The little man had disappeared and after a long wait he was hunted up and .236 History of Companies I and E. requested to return at least a portion of the dollar which was worth two of their own coins of like denomination. To aU of our entreaties we received the same reply, "No compr-r-r-ehendo." He did not understand Enghsh. With but litde hesitation we began an argument with ¦him, which he, as dumb as he was, could not fad to understand. About this time a provost guard, one of the Massa chusetts boys, rushed into the place and ordered us to move on. We were alone wUh the trembling but de fiant native and the scarcity of money gave us sufficient reason why we should not allow him to rob us in such a manner. After explaining matters to the guard he volunteered to assist us and remarked "We'll get the change or have satisfaction," Just then a negro stepped in. He was as black as ebony and a shock of woply hair stuck out from beneath a high crowned, wide brimmed straw hat. Good nature beamed from his smiling face and coming directly toward us, he spoke in perfect English, inquiring the cause of the distur bance. Upon hearing our story he turned to the na tive and said a few words in Spanish, whereupon the dwarf took an American half dollar from his pocket and gave it to us. We were satisfied to let matters go at that and than'icing the provo and the darkey, we left the place. We were but fairly on the outside of the building when along- came a patrol of drunken soldiers who were o-rdering the stragglers into a column of fours, all the while swearing, and cursing the men like a pirate cap tain. A squad of perhajis twenty men had been collect ed and were marching along the best they could. Some were quite ill and nearly on the point of dropping, others Railroad station at Ponce, Porto Rico. Experience With the Patrol. ';37 were shuffling along with blistered feet when every step brought its torture. They were iu no mood to ac'- cept the open ius'ilt of the intoxicated sergeant and lieu tenant in command but wefe reluctant to cause a disturb ance with their comrades. After trudging along nearly a block, the abuse be came unbearable and the men openly protested against its continuance. The lieutenant spurred his horse for ward and loosening his revolver in its holster, ordered them to "shut up," and with a drunken leer informed the men he would kill the first one who dared to disobey him and fall out of the ranks. Instantly there was the sound of a-dozen click-clicks and as many Springfield rifles were full cocked and brought to a "ready." The little hand ful of men had grown desperate and while they knew they were courting death in thus defying an officer, they also knew there were men in the line, who from sheer exhaustion, might drop at any moment and should the lieutenant attempt to carry his threat into effect they cer tainly would have done so regardless of the consequences to themselves. The first movement on the part of the lieu tenant towards drawing a weapon would have been the signal for at least a dozen rifles to be trained on him and every man was in the mood to shoot to kill. The officer was not so drunk but what he saw and understood the actions of the men and reining in his horse he dropped in behind the column. Taking advantage of the opportuni ty the men broke from the line and in two's and three's took to the narrow pavement all the while keeping a close watch on the actions of the lieutenant. He ap peared to be stunned or the dangerous position in which he found himself had sobered him tothe extent thathe began to realize he had carried his authority to extremes 238 History of Companies I and E. undejf the circumstances. At any rate he made no effort to stop the men and in a moment they were out of his sight, mingling with other belated soldiers and he could not have identified them if he had cared to do so. The crooked narrow streets of Ponce were now all but blocked by the train of bullock carts which followed in the wake of the troops. It was with difficulty that we made way through them at times and it seemed we never would get within sight of the camp. Just before reach ing the outskirts of the city we heard the sound of march ing troops and halting, we waited for them to put in an appearance as we were in doubt as to what direction we had best take to find our regiment and thought it possible the approaching soldiers might lead us to camp. As they hove in sight a military band struck up a lively march and the street suddenly swarmed with natives, drawn thither by the sound of the music. Imagine our astonishment when, as the tall color sergeant strode by bearing the American flag, the little Porto Ricans doffed their hats to a man. We were accustomed to witnessing this salute from our own men but were very much sur prised to witness the mark of respect which was paid the colors by the natives, considering the few days they had known the "Americanos." Upon making inquiries from the passing soldiers we were directed to our camp which was something over a mile out of town in an open field. We hurried along and fording a shallow stream soon found the regiment. We were in the nick of time too, for as we threw off our packs and stretched out on the ground for a good rest, the bugler sounded orderlies' call and when the first ser geants arrived at headquarters they were instructed to return to their companies at once and all stragglers who The Sick Stand Guard. 289 arrived thereafter should be placed under arrest and the regimental guard selected from among them. It may have been good generalship but to the sick and worn-out soldiers it seemed but little short of an outrage to be compelled to stand guard in the condition they were then in. Nine out of every ten of the men had fallen out because they could not stand the strain. Any number of t.hem were actually ill and were in need of medical attendance, yet they were forced to shoulder their guns and keep a lonely vigil throughout the long hours of the night. The number of stragglers was considerably in excess of the force required for guard duty and the remaining ones we're placed in a temporary guardhouse for the night. This guard house was an open place selected near headquarters. The ground was rough and covered with stone. Into this place the men were huddled and a heavy guard placed over them. Seeking rest as, best they may they spent the miserable night, and morning found them in an angry frame of mind. A little kind ness at the hands of those who were chief in command would have been fully appreciated at this time but the experiences of the past few days had taught the men that they need not look for it and they said but little, realizing they must obey. 240 History of Companies I and E, CHAPTER XVIII. One company of the Sixth Massachusetts had been retained at Yauco to guard the field hospital which had been established there upon the arrival of the division. Shortly after the dejiarture of the , force as it advanced toward Ponce, reports were brought in to the officer in command at Yauco to the effect that the Spanish at San German were planning an attack on the small garrison. Assistance was called for and c-ompany F of Moline com manded by Capt. Frank Clendenin and two companies of the Nineteenth regulars were returned to Yauco to re- enforce the company of Massachusetts boys. Either the plan of attacking the garrison was abandoned by the enemy or the re-enforcements scared them away as noth ing was heard from them. On the third of August the company of Massachusetts troops joined the regiment at Ponce. On the seventh the three remaining comjianies were relieved from further duty at that point and re turned to the general camp, the hospital having been re moved to Ponce in the meantime. General Henry evinced much displeasure at what he termed the lack of discipline shown by the men in drop ping out of the ranks during the march and straggling into camp. After our arrival at Ponce he summoned the officers to his quarters and scored them heavily for "not having better control over the men." The matter caused considerable ill feeling to arise throughout the division Eailroad locomotive. Narrow guage line, Porto Rico. Gen. Henry Displeased. 241 and was the cause of the colonel and several of the staff of the Massachusetts regiment tendering their resigiia- tions which were immediately accepted and the ex-officers returned to the States. General Henry appeared to overlook the fact that these men had been alternately baked and broiled for seventeen, days while on shipboard and were weakened considerably as the consequence. In this condition they had been thrown into a foreign country where the cli mate differed materially from that to which they had been accustomed. In addition to this they had been given a test that would have severely tried the endur ance of troops hardened by a campaign. The actions of the general plainly showed his dissatisfaction and the men, although anxious to do all within their power were disheartened by the treatment they received, when a few words of encouragement would have done wonders toward reviving their drooping spirits. A half hours work, or less, by a score of men at each of the streams forded, would have made it possible for the whole force to have crossed dry shod, and thus avoided the cause for fully one half of the straggling. If the column was halted by the side of a glaring cliff where the sun darted its fierce rays down upon the men they were compelled to remain in that position rather than allow them to seek a shaded spot. At such times weary as the men were, it was a relief to continue the march. AU of these things, slight as some of them were, were noted by the men and although they did not have a desire to rebel, it had a tendency to cause them to exert themselves less than they would have done, had they been privfleged to take advantage of the few op portunities that arose looking toward their own comfort, yet in no manner detracting from the strength or dis- 242 History of Companies I and E. cipline of the force, at least until they had become some what more accustomed to the conditions surrounding them. The march from Guanica gave us a fair idea of the chorography of the country as it differs but slightly throughout the island. After leaving Guanica the line of march followed a cart road for a distance of about three miles in a northeriy course, thence turning sharply to the east. About half way between tbe turn and Yauco, the cart road terminated and the remainder of the march to Ponce was made over a horse trail. Just before reaching Yauco we crossed a spur of tbe mount ain range which extended toward the south in the di rection of the coast. We were then several miles in land. We passed several banana and cane fields whde the trail was bordered with cocoanut palms laden with fruit, and a great variety of tropical plants which under different circumstances would have dehghted the hearts of the boys from the north but then were passed al most unnoticed. The streams which were crossed are very pictur esque, wending their way around the base of the mount ains, singing and hurrying on toward the sea and finally bursting forth to view from a tangled mass of shrubbery, gurgling over and around the stepping stones which had been placed in the shallow beds by the natives, the water as clear as crystal. These streams, or mountain brooks, expand into raging torrents immediately after a rain storm farther up in the mountains. The low embankments overflow and the swirling current is filled with debris which is carried down from the mountain sides. Occasionly portions of the hastily constructed, primitive abode of a hapless peon was seen on the crest of the mud colored stream as it swept by. Porto Rican Rain Storm. 243 What would be considered a heavy rain storm in Ilhnois is as a spring shower when compared with tbe deluge that occurs almost daily in the mountains of Porto Rico, during the months of August and Septem ber. Greiat low hanging clouds, race swiftly along un td they come in contact with the jagged peaks of the highest mountains which apparently make great rents in the black masses, out from which pours ehormous quantities of water, flooding the whole country in the vicinity of the storm. As the violence of the storm in creases, the mountain sides and trails become danger ous as great rocks are dislodged and go rolling and tumbling far down into the valleys below, carrying with them large, trees and setting hundreds of cubic feet of earth in motion, causing landslides of no mean propor tions completely blockading the trail for rods. The dry beds of the valleys are buried in the seeth ing torrents, the tiny rivulets become rivers and the topography of the scene is altered as if by magic. As the storm abates, the sun shines forth brightly and a heavy fog of steam arises from the earth which all but suffocates the unacclimated. The rugged country is rapidly drained of the flood only to meet with a re petition of the occurrence on the following day. If a native remained out in storm he protected bis head and shoulders with a wide banana leaf which he carried poised aboye him. Yauco was at that time the western terminus of a narrow guage railway which followed the coast as far east as Ponce. Upon leaving Yauco we crossed another mountain range, our route following the general direction of the railroad and bearing slightly to tbe south. At times we were within sight of the sea. We 244 History of Companies I and E. skirted several prominent mountains but did but little climbing as the horse trail wound in and about the foot of the hills but seldom crossed the summit while along the coast. Several miles out from Ponce the tr iil and the railroad ran side by side for so.me distance. As we were marching along, a diminutive, box like locomotive, to which was attached a queer open car, came rumbling along. The engine was apparently doing her best as she was working hard and was covering about twelve miles per hour. At Tallaboa. the train picked up a few sick soldiers and took them back to Yauco to the hos pital. The trail led us through a sparsely settled portion of the island. We passed through several small vil lages but in the open country a house was rarely seen. The manner of building is peculiar to the inhabitants of that country. The better class of residences are built of corragated iron, both walls and roofing, some are clap boarded similar to the less pretentious homes of the working class of people in the United States, others are built of brick and overlaid with a coating of whitewash, while the home of the peons are built of' poles and rough boards with thatched roofs, or with walls and roof covered with grass and huge leaves. Without exception every house in the couutry and in the villages is raised from two to five and six feet from the ground. The houses of the more wealthy of the residents are enclosed in high fences or walls inside of which are beautiful gardens of flowers and all about everything is neat and tidy. One peculiarity of all buildings which gave them an odd appearance was the absence of window glass. With one or two exceptions we did not see a house of Snap shot of Eorto Eican child in usual costume, wearing a bright smile and a string of beads. People of the Lland. 245 any description on the island which had a piece of window glass in its construction. The doors are made in two parts, the upper half remaining open the better part of the time while tbe lower half is kept closed. The window openings are protected, by paneled shut ters. The temperature varies but little at any period during the year and glazed windows are considered an expensive luxury and not at all a necessity. The sys tem of taxation in vogue previous to the invasion of the American troops practically prohibited the purchase of numerous articles which we, in our homes, could not well get along without. Among them was the window glass. A glimpse of the interior of several of the bet ter class of residences showed bare walls and uncarpet ed floors and a scarcity of furniture that was surprising. After entering Ponce we found practically the same conditions existing there as in the country with possibly a slight change for the better in certain portions of the city. If cleanliness is next to godliness, then they were certainly an ungodly lot, as the condition of the streets and interior of nearly all of tbe store build ings was indisputable evidence against them. Ordinari ly they were neat and tidy about their clothing and person, but beyond that the common people appeared to care nothing. Occasionally one found a store or other public building where the exception proved the rule but such places were not numerous enough to im press the visitor with the habits of cleanliness of the general people. The people are smafl in stature, the average height being less than five feet. The men are narrow chested and have a consumptive look about them. The women are shghtly tafier and more portly than the men and 246 History of Companies I and E. appear healthy and robust as a rule. The children are smafl and usually run about wearing nothing but a string of yellow beads and a bright smfle until they are from ten to twelve years of age. They are pot- belhed almost to a deformity and delight to rofl about in the dirt, the hot rays of the midday sun having no apparent effect on their ghstening, naked bodies. Either through fear or wishing to cover their naked- ness,they would hide behind their mothers skirts at the approach of an "Americano," Generally speaking, the men were more tidy as to dress than the women. The men wore white hnen suits throughout. The glossy bosoms of their white shirts were artistically embroidered and surmounted with white standing coflars. The coat was loose and cool, but the trousers, usually dirty and greasy, with frayed edges at the lower extremities, spoiled the effect of the otherwise natty dress. The head was covered with a high peaked, wide brimmed, straw hat, the outer edge of the brim being turned up in a half roll. The feet are wide and flat, with wide spreading toes and usually without covering of any sort. The dress of the opposite sex is more difficult to describe. The design of the garments were invaribly tbe same, being made from a white flimsy sort of goods and loose fitting. The fashion of lacing did not prevail among the native women at that time. Tbey apparent ly made but little effort to keep their clothing clean and li'ice the men went about barefooted. They seldom wore any covering for the head and when they did it was either a large kerchief, wound about the head in the form of a turban, or a shawl, woven from some white fab ric, which was thrown loosely over the head and should- People of the Island. 247 ers. Among the common people, men, women and child ren alike were adicted to the habit of smoking and they went about puffing at a big black cigar or inhahng the fumes of a cigarette. But few of tbe smokers used a pipe and not many of the natives chewed tobacco. Whfle passing through the "tough" part of Ponce we were disgusted at the sight of numerous women, dressed in bedraggled, greasy clothing, swaggering along the street witb a bold air and a brazen look, pushing and el bowing their way throughthe crowds, all the while chew ing at the stub of a half consumed, foul smelling cigar. They represented the lowest class of people on the island and were truly a disgusting lot. On account of the many inter-marriages of the na tives and foreigners, their complexion and features vary to the extremes. Some are quite swarthy yet nearly as white as the Europeans. Others are of a brownish yel low while the mulatto and the ebony black negro are found in about equal numbers. The features of those of the lightest complexion are long and thin. The eyes are dark and deep set and extremely bright. Tbe hair is dark or black and inclined to be curly. Witb the darker complexion, the features appear coarser, whfle the • profile of the blacks is almost identical with that of the African negro, the exception being in the absence of the thick protruding lips. They are a mild mannered class of people and their actions proclaimed they had never known tbe sweetness of independence and untrammeled liberty. They bowed to every command and accepted their lot as inevitable, yet before we left the island a noticable change came over them and they appeared to have come tQ realize 248 History of Companies I and E. that the tyrannical yoke of Spanish misrule had been lifted from their necks and that the freedom and pro tection offered by Uncle Sam bad opened up a new worid to them and they were slaves no more but men among men. Who can wonder at the expressions of joy and "vivas" to the "Americanos" which we met with in every town and village as we marched through tbe crooked, dirty streets, bearing the starry banner which even they, uneducated as they then were, knew brought hope and life where before aU must have been black with despair. That combination of red, white and blue, in the stars and stripes is an inspiration in itself and is a welcome sight to everyone who loves their liberty. It imphes more to the downtrodden and oppressed than any combination of colors and figures which adorns the emblem of any other nation on the globe, and today it carries more weight in an international argument than any other one emblem afloat. This brief description of the inhabitants covers what may be termed the middle class, which predomin ates in point of numbers. The lower class was scantily clothed and appeared half starved, while tbe more wealthy people were more elegant in appearance, man ners and dress. This latter class of people was com posed of French, German, Spanish and a few natives, and represented the greater portion of the wealth of the island. The women were richly dressed and painted and powdered lavishly in a vain effort to cover the swarthiness of their complexion. They were seldom seen on the street unless accompanied by a gentleman escort. The usual mode of conveyance was on horseback. a Porto Rican family. Fruits, Wild and Cultivated. 249 Nearly every man and boy had his pony. They are yet smaller than our western bronchos, but gentle and they move along witb an easy, rockhig motion which at once proclaims them as excellent saddle horses. For trans porting supplies etc., the two wheeled buflock carts and pack horses were both in use along the coast, but in the interior the roads are impassible to wheeled vehicles and the pack horses alone are used. A native pack train consists of half a dozen of the small horses or don keys. On each side of the animal a large basket is bung in which is placed the articles of transport. The contents of these baskets was either fruit enroute to a seacoast town or a supply of codfish going inland. The driver sits astride the horse between the two baskets. No matter bow heavy the load, tbe man seldom thinks of walking any distance and then only to stretch his legs after sitting in the cramped position for some time. The fruits, of which there were numerous varie ties, grew wild to a great extent. The bananas were cul tivated and found only in groves, but the oranges, limes, mangoes, pineapples, bread fruits and many other kinds, the names of which we never learned, grew in profusion along the length of our route while on the march. At every camp established on the island we fonnd them among thejwoods and shrubbery. Cocoanut palms were al ways within sight. The oranges were not ripe, or if they were they had none of the deliciousness of the kinds we were accustomed to. They contained a great amount of acid and were quite bitter. By making an incision in the peel and giving the orange a slight squeeze between the p^lms of the hands, the escaping acid, when applied to the flame of a lighted candle or burning match would in stantly become ignited and give forth a lurid blue 250 History of Companies I and E. flame, flashing up like smokeless powder. The limes aro not unknown in our own land as the juice from this fruit is used quite extensively as an in gredient in some of our most delicious drinks and liquors. They are a species of lemon and grow on a tree similar to the lemon tree. The fruit is much smaller, and like the oranges, we found them to contain much acid and very bitter to the taste. In the hotels and eating houses lime water was a common drink. The mangoes are also found in the fruit markets of some of the larger cities of this country. They grow on trees which have many branches like the most common apple trees. The fruit, when ripe, is quite yellow, and oblong in shape having a length of about three inches with a width of two or two and one half inches. The skin is thin but tough and covers a yellowish, stringy meat in the center of which is a large core or pit. Many of the boys relished a man- goe as they would an apple, yet there were others who could not become accustomed to the peculiar flavor which is sweet and yettart. We were told that eating this fruit and drinking the native rum was the cause of much sickness and many deaths on the island and we were ad vised to let them both alone. Everyone knows what the pineapple is. The bread fruits are of several varieties. The fruit is shaped like an apple but is several times larger, being from six to eight inches in diameter. The species which appeared most in evidence has a hard shell covering from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in thickness. The contents is white and mealy and is eaten as food. Of the fruits the names of which we were unable to learn, there svere two varieties which were much sought by the soldiers. One grew on a large tree and was usually found among Fruits, Wild and Cultivated. 2o1 the very thickest growth of timber. The fruit hangs on branches high up from the ground and is similar to'the breadfruit in size. When ripened it is soft and in strik ing the earth when falling from the tree, break's open and soon decays if left lying on the ground. The oliter sur face is of a dark green color aiid covered With numerous small growths which in some respects reminds one of the hedge ap}>le. The purplish fruit is nearly entirely edible, containing but avery small core, and is extremely rich, juicy and delicious. Another very desirable variety grows in clusters and size and shape much like the ordinary plum and on trees somewhat similar to a cherry tree. It is green in color wben ripe and has a thin, hard shell for a covering. Upon breaking, the shell open a flabbly, pinkish pulp is exposed which clings to a large pit in its center. The peel is easily removed but the pulp is with difficulty sep arated from the pit. The pulp is pleasing to the taste, having a tartness about it which reminds one very much of plum jelly. From its growth, formation and flavor we judged it to be a variety of plum. Wq were plentifully supplied with cocoanuts at all times. During the first few days after our arrival on the island the natives gave them to us for a mere noth ing. One day, a soldier, in a generous moment, gave one of the little brown fellows a blue flannel shii-t in ex change for a cocoanut. He had more clothing than he could conveniently carry when on the march and rather than throw it away, as many of the boys did, he made the trade with the fruit seller. From that moment the price of a cocoanut was a blue shirt and no amount of argu ment or persuasion would induce them to reduce the price until the commanding officer of the camp notified 252 History of Companies I and E. the venders that he would strictly prohibit the sale of the cocoanut unless a reasonable price was put upon them and maintained. This had the desired effect and a great many of them were brought into camp and sold. The natives would break the half-ripe nut open, drink the milky fluid which it contained and throw the remain der away, while the soldier cared not so much for the drink as the white, solid meat if the nut was ripe. The banana groves were a welcome sight to us as we soon came to rely on this fruit for food when our ra tions would not suffice us, which was not an uncommon occurrence. In the midst of this land of fruits, which were the staff of life of more than one half of its million of souls, we expected to literally roll in the deliciousness of the many varieties which grew on nearly every shrub, bush and tree within sight and which we had been ac customed to consider as luxuries in our northern homes. In this we were sadly disappointed as we were not long in recognizing the fact that while these people were pro ficient in the cultivation of many of them, they knew practically nothing of the art of curing or ripening the product. The cheapness of the fruit was its one re deeming feature as the quality was of the poorest when compared with that which is put upon the market of this country. Mahogany wood which we value so highly was found in prof usion in certain parts of the island. We found mahogany telegraph poles of large sizes strung for miles along the line of march. Rail fences were built of this wood. In fact it appeared to be about the only kind of hard wood which could be utilized for such purposes as it bore no fruit and its commercial value was under es timated or unknown. Searching the foot hills for signs of the enemy. The City of Ponce. 253 CHAPTER XIX. During the eight days we were in camp at Ponce we had many opportunities to visit the city. This is the largest city on the island, the population of the town and port was variously estimated at from twenty to thirty thousand. To one unaccustomed to their mode of living it seemed utterly impossible to crowd such a number of souls into a city covering no more area than does Ponce. The tenement houses were seldom more than two stories in height and never more than three. In the center of a brick block would be a large court with several wide en trances opening onto the streets. These entrances are protected by heavy iron doors made of bars or corrugated iron. Peering into the court one would see swarms of children and women. All of these places were foul smelling and the occupants unkempt and dirty. As in the tenement districts of our own larger cities, whole families were crowded together in one small room. Venders of all sorts of goods were seen on the streets dally and our camp was alive with them from early morn till night. The men, women and children invariably tote everything on their heads. Little tots, selling candies, made of sugar or molasses, ran about with a large tray nicely balanced on the head and it was a common sight to witness a woman carrying a babe in her arms with a huge can or kettle of water poised on her head. 254 History of Companies I and E. The business portion of the city was surprisingly quiet and although the stores and shops are numerous, there appeared to be but few buyers for the wares. The market square usually presented a lively scene but the articles on sale were of little value and commanded prices so low that a large volume of trade represented very light cash receipts. In the poorer districts grocer ies and meats were bought and sold by the ounce. The balance scale was everywhere in use and it was amusing to witness a transaction between a storekeeper and purchaser. We had been on the island but a few days over a week, yet the shelves of many of the stores were well filled with army hardtack and sowbelly. Just how the merchants secured these goods was a mystery to us, more especially so as the rations issued to the sol diers were always short. It was irritating to stop into one of those dirty, halfway places and find our supplies star ing us in the face from the shelves. These things may have been purchased from the government but we doubt ed it very much. The natives were eager to secure the meat and pur chased it in very small quantities. A seemingly half starved native woman dressed in tatters would enter a store. In one thin, brown hand, a few coppers were clutched and after looking around nervously for a mo ment, she would give an order for a piece of meat. The clerk, with all of the dignity of one accepting an order for several hundred dollars worth of goods, would slice off a piece of side meat no wider than your two fingers, and weighing less than a half a pound, drop it into the balance and if it was the slightest fraction over weight, he would trim it off until satisfied and if the purchaser was not alive to the trickery of the wily shopkeeper, be Life in the City. 255 would slip a small weight under the piece of coarse wrapping paper and into the pan of the balance which contained the meat. Picking up his knife the clerk would continue the trimming process and as the small square of sowbelly grew smaller and smaller, the anx ious customer would put up a fearful howl which was usually the opening gun of a war of words. Shaking their fists in eacb others faces and gesticulating wildly the argument would continue fast and furious for some time, the customer apparently alternately protesting and plead ing, but to all entreaties the clerk would turn a deaf ear and giving a turn or so of the paper around its precious contents he would retain his grasp on the package un til he had secured the few coppers which the customer would angrily deal out to him. Not alone in the sale of meat were these difficulties evident. A hot exchange of words accompanied nearly every sale and to us it appeared the shopkeeper was usually victorious. With the exception of possibly half a dozen stores located in the center of town, each one sold liquors in connection witb the other business. The rum and wine, common to all parts of the island, was sold in large quantities. The natives drank it with a relish and without effect, but to the uninitiated soldiers it was the vilest of fire water, a very little of it would start a soldier to wabbling and leave him half sick for a week. The most popular place in town was a wine room con ducted by a young fellow who appeared as a king among the sporting element of the city. He was always flashi ly dressed and reminded us of one who followed the prize ring and race course for a living. He spoke Eng lish quite fluently and was indeed a genial fellow. The place was not a resort, there was no "Ladies Entrance," 256 History of Companies I and E. and women did not frequent the house. The proprietor received the patronage of all classes of people, as in that country the drink habit is as general as that of smok ing- A general store carried a small stock of groceries, hardware, drygoods, tobacco, liquors and fruit. The business represented here, as in all of the towns of any size, which was most distinct in itself, was that of' the druggist. There we found a very intelligent class of clerks and employees, one or more of which could speak English fairly well. They were extremely polite, well dressed and had a business way about them that placed them far in advance of the ordinary merchant in the es timation of the soldiers. The milkman leads his docile cows to the door of his patron and fllls the bottle while you wait. They evi dently are not acquainted with the productive qualities of the town pump as are their brother tradesmen of this country. The city police wear a uniform of white and are armed with the Remington rifle. The police officers carry a side arm in the shape of a large machete', made much like a heavy cavalry saber, incased in a leather scabbard. In patroling the city they usually walk in the middle of the street. The port of Ponce presented a lively scene through out each day and sometimes far into the night. The bay was well filled with transports, relief ships and supply boats, with here and there a war vessel swinging at her anchor. The government had secured the services of a large number of natives to unload the Supplies which were being brought to the island. Huge barges were continually on the move and thousands of dollars worth pf supplies and ammunition was rapidly placed on shore, The company tonsorial artist. " Next." , A Visit TO the Almshouse. 257 Large storage buildings were in the course of consti:uc- tion and "ie very one about the place was busy as a bee. The natives worked like beavers under the eyes of an armed guard. Bullock carts, and army wagons drawn by sleek looking mules, were moving great loads of sup plies out to the various camps. General Miles' head quarters was in a brick building not far from the wharf and he Vvas supervising the work. On coming into the city from camp and while re turning we passed and repassed a small, dingy, stone building. A small, grated window opened out on the street. Thei head and shoulders of a heavy bearded, dark featured man could always be seen at this window. One long, hairy arm dangled through the iron bars and hung limply over the stone window sill. His presence there every day and always in the same position excited the curiosity of the soldiers. One day Captain Lawrie and a party stepped over to the building, which set back from the street several rods, and were admitted by an at tendant. And what a sight met their gaze. They in stantly saw they were in an alms or mad house. They were conducted through a number of filthy rooms. The walls were bare and the only furniture visible was a cot or two on which rested some of the most pitiable objects imaginable. The face which appeared at the window was that of an insane mau. He was larger by consider able than the ordinary native and one close look was suf ficient to decide tbat he was a maniac. In the center of one room stood a young girl. Her legs and arms were crossed, her eyes were closed and her head hung to one side. " Not the first spark of intelligence shone from the white face and she weaved backward and forward as though about to falh Her clothing vvas in tattgfs 258 History of Companies I and E. and hung loosely upon the spare form of tbe unfortun ate girl. She was an idiot, unable to think or do for herself, uncared for and probably unthought of, grinding out a miserable existence among surroundings which could not be worse and yet she was human. Who could imagine a worse lot and for one so young? Fortunately there were but few inmates in the place and the little party, made sick in both mind and body by the sight and repugnant odor of the interior of the bufld- ing, hurried out into the open air and away from it. If one met a native in the neighborhood of the building and pointed inquiringly toward it, he would raise a hand to tbe side of his head and turn it around and around, signifying that the occupants had "wheels in their heads." Out at camp it was a question as to which was the most troublesome, tbe natives or centipedes. During tbe day it was the former and as the gloom of night settled over us the latter made their appearance and broke the rest of many of the volunteers. The natives carried their wares about offering them in exchange for money, hardtack, meat or clothing. Tbey did a thriv ing business in the hardtack line as we were getting extremely tired of tbem and either traded or gave them away. These tbey sold in the town for one cent, (Porto Rican coin) each. A number of enterprising native women did a thriving laundry business among the officers and men. Their manner of washing cloth ing is primitive but the result is very satisfactory. The washboard and tub are unthought of and there is no lugging water. The clothes are carried to the bank of some convenient stream, a large flat stone partially out of the water is selected and on this the clothes are A Trip to Port Ponce. 259 pounded and rubbed until every particle of dirt has been taken out, then the clothing is spread out upon the grass to dry. The duties while at Ponce were light as they con sisted mostly of guard duty. Full companies relieved each other on outpost duty and shortly after we ar rived in camp we were advised that we were to be equipped witb the U. S. Magazine rifles. We were given target practice with the Springfield rifles and shot away thousands of rounds of the ammunition which we bad packed' from Guanica. The men detailed to guard the ammunition on the wharf at Guanica, made tbe trip to Ponce by boat and joined us later on. On the sixth of August we were issued the new rifles and belts with a supply of ammunition. The guns w ere some lighter than the old Springfields and the difference in weight of the same number of rounds of ammunition was considerable. We had been using tbe shelter tents, consequently our quarters were rather cramped. After four or five days in camp we were informed that the heavy tentage was being unloaded at the port and each company was given a couple of bullock carts, and with a detail of men were sent after them. Arriving at the wharf they found sucb a congestion of carts and wagons that it was impossible to get near the sheds. They lined their teams up by the curb and awaited their turn. The noon hour came and they were still waiting, the scanty rations were divided wifh the native drivers. Another long wait and darkness was upon them with the long line of teams ahead of them gradually growing smaller. The native drivers began to get restless. The an imals had not been fed or watered since early morning. 260 History of Companies I and E. The soldiers rations had afl disappeared as they had fully expected that they would be back at camp in the eariy evening at the latest. The drivers became uglier with each passing moment and after consulting together a few moments they took the bullocks from the carts and started down a by street with them, leaving the soldiers guarding the lone carts. They attempted to in duce the natives to remain but failing in this, they used force and after a time the teams were once more at tached to the carts. About nine o'clock a portion of tbe carts were sent for and pulling up at the wharf they were partly loaded with tent poles and they returned to camp. The tents were not ah unloaded from the boat and tbe next morning we received orders to continue the march. The tent poles, which had caused so much trouble were not taken from the carts at all. The volunteers who were sick were ordered to report to the surgeons for an examination, and those who were physically unable to continue the march were to be re turned to tbe United States. A number from each company took this examination and several of them were found to be in such condition as to make it im practicable for them to remain with the regiment for a time at least, during the bard march which was expect ed would be a severe one even for those who were in good condition. In the meantime Brigadier General Schwan had arrived at Guanica and was ordered to disembark bis troops, and march to Yauco and thence west witb an additional force of two batteries of artifiery and one troop of cavalry. This force was to occupy the western portion of tbe island and drive out or capture aU of the Spanish troops in that territory. From August seventh Maneuvers of Various Commands. 261 to fifteenth General Schwan's troops had several engage ments with the Spanish, made prisoners of war one hundred and sixty-two regulars, captured and paroled two hundred volunteers, captured much valuable mater ial, and cleared the western part of the island of the enemy. Major General Brooke arrived on July thirty-first and disembarked at Arroyo, on the southeastern coast of the island. On August fifth his troops had a sharp engagement with the enemy at Guayama, which was finally occupied by our forces. On the eighth, another action took place near this poirit and the Spanish troops were driven to the north in the direction of San Juan. The order for cessation of hostilities arrived at about this period and stopped farther action. General Wil son's troops, which bad landed at Ponce previous to the arrival of General Henry's division, had been advanced in a northeasterly direction, and at Coamo a sharp en gagement took place between his command and the Spanish. Our troops were successful in the action and a number of the enemy were kflled and nearly two- hun dred taken prisoners. The Spanish troops had taken a position at Asomante, in the mountains some fifteen iniles in advance of General Wilson's command, in the direction of San Juan. On the twelfth of August, Gen eral Wilson's artillery began shelling the enemy's pos ition, preparatory to an advance, and were under arms and ready to move when orders were received suspend ing hostilities. The western and soutbern portions of the island was well invested by our troops and the enemy had been driven in the direction of San Juan. Our division, under command of General Henry, was to march direct- -282 - History of Companies I and E. ly north from Ponce in the .direction of Arecibo, which is located on the northern coast of the island. There we were to join General Schwan's brigade. The ob- - ject of this movement was to intercept the enemy re treating before the advance of General Schwan's troops. This operation would have formed a strong division on the line of retreat of tbe Spanish troops occupying the western portion of the island. On August ninth our brigade began the march in the direction of Arecibo. For a few miles north of Ponce the military road was in excellent condition, biit beyond that the trail had at first been considered almost impassable for an army. General Stone had been en- i. gaged for several days, with a force of natives, in open ing the trail for the passage of our troops. The new ly made trails were in horrible condition and the men could make but little headway at times. In the march to Utuado and their subsequent return, the troops of General Henry's command covered more miles than those of any other division of the invading army bf Porto Rico, and this over mountain trails, which were poor enough at their best, and made much worse by the daily downpour of rain which we encountered. Marching Out OF PtrNCE. 263- CHAPTER XX. On the 'morning of the ninth of August, our division broke camp and marching through the town, took' a northerly course with Arecibo as itS' final 'destination, as far as we then knew,- Atecibb is located on- the northern- coast of the island, about half way between the eastern' and western coasts and almost directly north of Pbnce as -the crow flies. The island is about forty miles in- width at this point but the trail wound in, out, and around the mountains in sucb a crazy fashion as to make the actual distance between thte two cities several times forty miles. Tbe campaign,- as mapped out by Geineral Miles, was intended to drive out or capture all bf thte Spattish troops in -the southern and eastern portions of the island, thus forcing tbem toward a common center, and event-i ually drawing the lines of the advancing tfoops - closer until the enemy's forces were practically hemmed in, m the vicinity of San, Juan, the capital city of Porto Ritio, and located on the northeastern coast of the island. Witb the Spaniards driven together and our land troops menacing themin the rear and on both flanks, while the guns of our war-ships were trained on the city and neighboring country, the position of thte enemy would soon have btecome untenable ^nd the result mUst have been the surrender -of their- forces. 264 History of Companies I and E. The natural consequence of the movements of the commands of Generals Wilson and Brooks, on our right and General Schwan's troops on our left, would be to gradually force the troops of the enemy back into the center of the island and toward our line of march, and we fully expected to have a brush with^them "most any time after we had gotten well away from the coast. The mihtary road running north from Ponce sev eral miles, was far superior to any country road we had ever seen in the states. In many places it was blasted and built from solid rock witb a generous growth of fine shade trees on either side. As we drew away from the coast the roadway gradually inclined upward and made abrupt turns around the footbifis of the mountains which we were approaching. The steady climb soon began to tell on the men and they began to drop by the [road side. The Massachusetts boys were in advaiice of us and as we plodded along we passed numbers of their regiment who had been beaten down by the fierce heat. These men were readily recognized by the browp uni forms which tbey wore. We found the nights to be very cool, and before dawn a heavy dew fefl. As the sun rose over the hill tops the dew was condensed and a heavy vapor envel oped everything. By this the men were given a thor ough broiling early each morning and left them soft and weak for the remainder of the. day. The heat was more intense and did more execution between the hours of eight and ten o'clock in the morning than at any other time during the day. At the commencement of this march the officers had been instructed to watch their men carefully and no man would be allowed to fafl out of the column without a written permit from a On the march in Porto Rico. Climbing the Mountains. 265 commissioned officer of his company. We were given ten minutes rest each hour, march twenty.five minutes and, rest five, repeating this each half hour whfle on the march. At about the noon hour, as the column was taking its five minutes rest, the men were ordered to an atten tion and General Henry, accompanied- by two staff oificers, came riding towards us. By this time the men were in hard shape and General Henry must have passed a large number of them who were lying by the rpadside overcome by the heat. The cafl for a doctor or a hospital attendant was being continually passed up and down the-hne as some of the weaker ones fell faint ing in a comrades arms or at his feet. As the General rode by our., battahon he was beard to remark, "This is terrible, if, the heat continues we must put these men on night marches." Nothing more was heard from it however. We were then well into the mountains and were passing through a very productive part of the island. Coffee plantations, covering several thousand acres each, were located along the route. They extended partly up the mountain side, midst what appeared to us to be a heavy growth of timber. Upon getting into tbe wood land we saw that the trees were kept thinned out and just enough remained standing .to make a good shade for the coffee plant. These plants attain a height of from six to ten feet, branching out at the top, the berry growing in a pod at the extreme end of the branches. The pods were just turning lo a, reddish color and in a short time would be in condition to^.^arvest. The residences, and buildings which surrounded tbem,, were r^uch handsomer and . more substantially 266 History of Companies I and E. built'than those found along thecoast. Coffeehouses were usually of large dimensions and well buUt. In the front of the store houses, dry beds were madte of cement and slightly raised from the ground. Small cars, built on trucks, were run out to tbte dry bte^s on platforms buflt of plank. Sugar miffs btecame more fre quent and here and there a native would have his corn crop harvested and strung on poles very close tb his abode* We had been informed that corn was one of the principle products of the island but never saw more than five or six bushels of ear corn in one mans gathi ering for the season; The first night out from Police we bivouaced in and about a coffee house. A small store building and a coU' pie of native homes were in the neighborhood and the village bore the name of Gagos, On the opposite side of the road from the coffee house an excellent grazing ground for the bullocks and mules was found. This was on the mountain side and quite steep. An embankment ten feet high bordered the inner side of the roadway. Just over the outer edge of this bank the men had rolled themselves in their blankets and were sleeping soundly. Back of them and farther up the slope the mules and bullocks were feeding. During the middle of the night the cattle stampeded and rushed about in the wildest confusion. The startled sleepers 'awoke, and tak ing in the situation made a break to get out of the path of the oncoming, half crazed bullocks. In the hurry and excitement they forgot the abrupt drop into the roadway directly in front of them and the darkness of the night prevented them from seeing it. Rushing straight ahead many of -them suddenly found themselves treading the air and the next instant dropped in a heap in the road- Camp "Bull RtrN" at Gag-os. &&1 way below, or went sprawling half way -acrass it. Several of the men were bruised considerable and one of our reg iment had a leg broken. Major Anthony set the frac tured limb the next morning and the injured man was sent back to Ponce. From this occurance the eamp de rived its name of "Bull Run." The rations did not get to us until after nine o'clock that night; there was nothing to forage and the scarcity of wood for making fires made it difficult to se cure a cup of coffee. ' I say there was nothing to forage and, generally speaking, there was nothing, but upon skirmishing around,- the proprietor of the store was found to have three half grown chickens and a duck hid den under his house. After some dickering, two of the boys purchased a couple of chickens, paying an outrageous price for them, while the remaining chicken and duck was secured' by a pair of comrades. With much difficulty the boys gath ered a limited supply of wood and securing a couple bf tin buckets, the fowls' were placed in them and swung over the fires. They sat about the impromptu fire-places eagerly watching for the first sign of broiling, alternate ly stirring the fire and removing the cover of the pot to take a peep at the contents. As the odor of the broiling fowls filled the nostrils of the hungry men, they sat back in the shadows and patiently awaited for the end, aiid for one of the groups it soon came. As they sat with closed eyes, their' hunger increas ing with each moment, and anticipating the feast which was soon to be theirs; their attention was attracted to the fire bythe smell ofc something like that of burning' leath er arising from the pot while the delicious odor which bad so recently pervaded the bir, had disappeared. Hur- 268 History of Companies I and E, rying to the fire they were just in "time to see the bottom fall out of the pot and the badly burned chicken and duck drop into the fire. Dragging them from the blaze they found them burned to a crisp and cursing their ill luck and stupidity, they tossed the remainder of the fowls iu to the darkness, and kicking the glowing embers of the fire in a dozen directions they returned to the crffee house to await the coming of the wagon train which would bring them sowbelly and hardtack. In their inexperience they had overlooked the fact that during the broiling process the water was rapidly passing away, and the pleasure derived from the pros pects for a good feed, lulled them into semi-conscious ness, from which they were aroused too late, and. they SHW their feast disappear in a moment. The boys about the other fire took warning from the experience of their unfortunate comrades and were soon devouring their chickens. Salt and pepper were both lacking but such trifles were overlooked and in a short time a small stack of bones, picked clean, lay on the ground, the only visi ble evidence of the repast remaining. At one o'clock, the following afternoon, the division broke camp and in a downpour of rain, continued the march. Company E, acting as rear guard, remained motionless the remainder of the day. The march before had been difficult but was now doubly so as the hard military road terminated at the coffee house and the re mainder of the march was made over freshly made trails. The trail was kept soft by the, heavy rains and after the first few companies had passed over it, became a perfect sea of sticky mud, the men going in above their ankles at every step, nearly pulling off their shoes in extricating their feet. It was just a trifle the strongest case of "leg- " Resting." A group of Co. I boys taking a five minute respite from the wearying march, in Porto Rico. "Sleeping Pass." 269 p'llling" which we had as yet experienced. We had covered hut a short dislance when we were baited on the bank of a stream and held in a column of fours. We had been steadily climbin.q- upwards since leaving Ponce and by this time were well up iu the mountains. The rain poured down and we were soon wet to the skin and shiverin