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The Fourteenth Ohio
National Guard., 
The Kourth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry.

COMPLETE RECORD OF THIS ORGANIZATION FROM
ITB FOUNDATION TO THE PRESENT DAT.

BY
Sergt. Maj. Clias. E. Creager.

¦WITH FULL. ACCOUNT OF STRIKE, RIOT, AND OOMPILI-
MBNTARY DUTY, AND THE CAMPAIGN IN THB
Spanish-American War.

A COMPLETE ROSTER OF MEMBERS AT THE TIMB OF
MUSTER OUT OF THE UNITED STATES SERVIOB.

INTBODUOTIONa BY
The Presidbnt ok the U. S.
AND
The Governor ok Ohio.

PRESS OF
THE LANDON PRINTIHQ a PUBLISHING OO.,
COLUMBUS, OHIO.
1899.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY BUOHER ENGRAVING OO.

Copyright 1899
WALTER F. CLOWES.

e.cl9.4r550

EXECUTI-VE MANSION,
WASHINGTON.
It is a pleasure io make this ackrufHtledgment of
my appreciation of the sei'hices rendered by the Fourth
Ohio 'Volunteer Infantry, in 'Porto 'iRico and else'kihere,
during the recent tbar.
The officers and men of ihis regiment ha!be
maintained the splendid reputation as sei forth in the
follcfeoing record of the citizen-soldiery of Ohio.
'Very sincerely.

.^^^^TC-^^tifc— w /i*^^7 A — »

STATE OF OHIO,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
OFFICE OF THE OOVERNOR.
The record of the Fourteenth O. N. G. — Fourth
O. V. I. is a mosi admirable one, and these organi
zations are happily deserving ihe perpetuation the fol-
Icjuing pages have given. From the time of its or
ganization to the day of its departure for the front,
the Fourteenth Infantry most loyally and ably sup
ported the State Executive, tfith their influence in peace
or their valor <mhen their active services 'mere required.
And again, 'vohen called into the service of the Na
tional Government, the organization proved itself a
most trust'worthy representative of the State.
My best luish for the regiment vDould be that
its future may be as bright and honorable as its past.

Governor of Ohio.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE I.

EARLY HISTORY.
Citizen Soldiery of Ohio— Ohio in "War — Settlement at Mari
etta — Early Military Laws — Organization and R^ula-
tions — Reorganization of 1821— Military Convention —
Camp at Columbus — Military in Ohio in the Fifties^ — The
Civil 'War- Fear of Invasion— The Ohio National
Guard— The O. N. G. in the Civil 'War— Quick Muster
and Equipment— The Fourth O. Y. I.— Ohio National
Guard Disbanded — Reorganization of 1876 — Labor
Troubles — Unsettled Condition of the Country.
CHAPTEE II.

THE FOURTEENTH INFANTRY.
Formation of Regiments — Meeting at State House — Captain
Ammel's 'Work — Companies Formed — ^Adjutant Groven-
er's Order — The Regiment Organized — First Duty in
Columbus — Chaplain Moore Elected — Trouble in Perry
County — The Gatling Gun — Garfield Funeral at Cleve
land — Colonel Freeman Re-elected — A Busy Year — Jus
tice at Cincinnati — The Cincinnati Riots — Colonel Free
man's Report — Killed and "Wounded.
CHAPTEE III.

AN EPOCH OF EXCURSIONS.
Trouble in Hocking County — Companies K and B on Duty-
Camp at Detroit^ — The Field of Gettysburg— Colonel
Freeman's Proposition — Corporal Grisso Killed — The
Fourteenth at Philadelphia — Inconveniences Suffered by
Ohio's Soldiers — Columbus Armory Burned — Hospital

COMKNTS.
Corps Organizedr-State Encampment at Columbus —
Ohio's Centennial — The Fourteenth in New York — An
nual Encampments.
CHAPTEE IY.

STRIKES AND RIOTS.
Resignation of Colonel Freeman — Election of Colonel Coit — ¦
General Sherman's Funeral at St. Louis — Duty at Chi
cago— Howo on 1894— The Wheeling Creek Campaign —
Causes for the Strike — Troops Called Out— Services of
the B^ourteenth— The Result— Galvin's Army — Trouble
at 'Washington C. H. — Colonel Charged With Murder —
Annual Encampments.
CHAPTEE V.

WAR WITH SPAIN.
Period of Peace — Condition of Army and Navy — American
Peace Policy — Relations Between England and Spain —
Cessions of land from Spain to United States — Cuban
Insurrection — The "Ten Years' War" — Second Rebel
lion — Daily Press Reports — Cuban and Spanish Lead
ers — ^Weyler's "Reconcentrado" Plan — General Lee's
Report — The De Lome Affair — Destruction of the
Maine — The Country Aroused — Cry for War — Prepara
tions for War — President's Proclamation — Declaration
Of War — Dewey's Victory — Ohio's 'Volunteers — Militia
Assembled — The Fourteepth at the Auditorium — Camp
Bushnell.
CHAPTEE VI.

THE FOURTEENTH-FOURTH.
The March to Camp Bushnell — Camp Life — Changes in
Company Organization — Drills and Parades — Growth of
the Camp — Change of Name — Signal Corps Dropped —
The Regimental Band — Bad Weather — Rumors — Order
to Leave — Parting Scenes — Camp Bushnell Left Be
hind — The March to the Depot — Scenes Along the
March — At the Depot — Columbus Left Behind — Arrival
at Chattanooga.

G0NTB¥T8.
CHAPTEE VII.

CAMP GEORGE H. THOMAS.
The Ride to Chickamauga Park — From Lytle to the Camp —
Early Experiences — The Regiment Assigned — Hard
Tack and Bacon — A Military Training School — Facts
About Lytle — Regimental "Canteens" — ^Amusement —
Facts About the Camp — Some of Its Advantages — Vis
itors from Home and from Abroad — Evening Parades —
Cakes, Pies and Sweetmeats — Religious Services — Re-
connoitering Expeditions — A Sham Battle — Setting up
and Breaking Camps — Sink Details — Rumors and Or
ders — Good News at Last.

CHAPTEE VIII.

TO NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.
•The March to Rossville — To Chattanooga — Delays — The
Trip Through Kentucky — Receptions Along the Line —
Up the Alleghenies — Peep at Piedmont Valley — "On to
Richmond" — At New^port News — A "Pup Tent" Camp —
Reception — Dynamite Guns — Company F Becomes a
Battery — Changes of Ofiicers — Delays and More Ru
mors — Transport "St. Paul" — Transferring Baggage-
Waiting Orders— Off to Sea.

CHAPTEE IX.

OFF TO PORTO RICO.
:Sail on Friday— The Trip Through the Harbor— The St.
Paul — "Travel Rations" — "Prime Roast Beef" — Hard
Tack and Coffee — Boston Baked Beans — Tomatoes — One
Dollar Pies — Sea Sickness — Religious Services at Sea —
Fine Weather Voyage — ^Warlike Preparations — At the
Harbor of Ponce-— CTuise to Arroyo — Kragg Jorgensen
Rifies— End of the Voyage — The Landing.

CO^'TENTS.
CHAPTEE X.

THE FOURTH UNDER FIRE.
Arroyo — The People and Climate^— Pir&t Day in Camp —
Native Cigarettes — A Practice March — Orders from
General Haines — Fresh Beef Issue^ — Accident to Colonel
Coit — Major Speaks Takes Advance— Military Terms
Explained — ^A Frenchman's Information — A Funeral
"Procession" — The House "To the left" — Sergeant Rad-
cliffe's Ride — Under Fire — Spanish Bullets and Spanish
Marksmanship — Effect of Spanish Fire — Effect of
American Fire — Line of Battle Formed — Unjust Re
ports — Spaniards Retreat — Capture of Guayama — The
Flag Raising — The Spaniards Rally — Dynamite Guns in
Action — First Night in Guayama.

CHAPTEE XI.

THE ROAD TO CAYEY.
"Battle" of Guayama — Comments on the Capture — Effect of
This Duty Upon the Regiment- — General Haines and the
Fourth Ohio — Restlessness in the City — Reconnoiter of
the Road — Spanish Camp Located— Orders for Second
Reconnoiter — ^A False Alarm^ — A Break for Guayama —
Stories of Ambush — Their Effect — Excitement at Head
quarters — Regiment Made a Rescuing Party — American
versus Spaniard — Dynamite Guns in Action — A Make-
Shift Caisson — Barrio De Las Palmas — Other Expe
ditions.
CHAPTEE XII.

ONE WEEK OF REST.
The Fourth Appreciated by People at Guayama — A General
Cleaning Uj) — Beautiful Scenery — Early Impression of
Porto Rico — Commissary Condition — Fresh Meat at the-
Outposts — The Water Supply — Horses and Reinforce
ments Arrive — Hospital Established — Rumors Again—
Preparations for Advance — Final Orders Issued — Death.
of Sam Hill.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE XIII.

BEGINNING OF THE END.
Imposing Scenes — Breakfast in the Rain — Expedition As
signed to Fourth Ohio — March Begun — Guide "Backs
Out" — Plan of Operations— A Rocky Road— A Hot
Day — Danger in Straggling — Lunch and a Short Rest —
End of the March — Hostilities Suspended — Retraced
Steps — Friday and the Thirteenth— Intense Suffering —
Temporary Camp — Hospital Call — Permanent Camp.
CHAPTEE XIV.

IN CAMP AT GUAYAMA.
Miserable Location — Causes of Dissatisfaction — Health of
the Men — ^Desire to Return Home — Sickness — Condltioa
at Hospital — Changes in Commanders — Market — Finan
cial Condition of Men — The Paymaster — Better Times —
Visit of Mr. Klotts — Orders to Move— Brigade Dis
banded.
CHAPTEE XV.

FROM GUAYAMA TO SAN JUAN.
Regiment Leaves Guayama Camp — "The Girl I Left Behind
Me" — Marching Through Rain — Road to Cayey — ^A
Terrible March — ^Arrived at Cayey — Further Detach
ments — Flag Raising — March to Caguas — Duty There —
Flags Raised — March to Rio Piedros — Arrival at Saa
Juan.
CHAPTEE XVI.

THE HOSPITAL CORPS.
The Corps in the Fourteenth — Its Organization and Effi
ciency — Its Effect on Enlistment — Refused Admittance
as a Body Into the U. S. Service — Members Enlist in
Companies — Details at Camp Thomas — Reserve Ambu-

OONTBNTS.
lance Corps — Detachments From the Regiment — Orders
for Porto Rico — Reunited on Massachusetts — ^Agaln
Separated in Porto Rico — Sent to San Juan — Home
With the Regiment — Stragglers Arrive.

CHAPTEE xvn.

ARMY OF OCCUPATION.
What General Brooke Said of the Fourth Ohio — D Company
to Humacao — ^A Forty Miles' March— M Company by
Sea to Vieques — Duty at Fajardo — Trouble at Carolina —
Beautiful Country at Aibonito — ^An Officer Assaulted
at Cayey — B Company at Rio Pledras — Record of
Events in the Companies Which Americanized the
Eastern Third of Porto Rico.

CHAPTEE xvrn.

HOME AGAIN.
'Orders to Leave — Preparation — Arrival of Forty-seventh
New York— U. S. S. S. Chester at Arroyo— At San
Juan — Leaving the Island — Advantages and Disad
vantages of the Chester— The Homeward Voyage-
Death of Private Vertner — ^Arrival at New York —
Jersey City— Received by the President— To Colum
bus — Reception — Furlough— Assembly— Accident at
Auditorium — Muster Out — Concluding Remarks.

The Fourteenth O. N. G.— The
Fourth O. V. I.

CHAPTEE I.

EARLY HISTORY.
Citizen' Soldiery of Ohio — Ohio in War — Settlement at Mari
etta — Early Military Laws — Organization and RegulSi-
tions — Reorganization of 1821 — Military Convention —
Camp at Columbus — Military in Ohio in the Fifties^ — Tho
Civil War — Fear of Invasion — The Ohio National i
Guard- The O. N. G. in the Civil Wai^Quick Muster
and Equipment — The Fourth O. V. I. — Ohio National
Guard Disbanded — Reorganization of 1876 — Labor
Troubles — Unsettled Condition of the Country.
Th© military spirit of the citizens of the State
of Ohio, the valor of the soldiery made up of the sons
of th© Buckeye state both at home and abroad, have
excited favorable comment from those who have
watched the achievements of Ohioans in every other
state in th© Union. From the fierce struggle for su
premacy with the Indians in the Ohio valley while the
territory now occupied by the state was an unbroken
"wilderness, to th© present time, the people on th© right
bank of the picturesque Ohio have been noted for
their integrity as citizens and their bravery as soldiers.
When the colonial government in the early dayis-
of our history needed assistance in the battles "with
the French and Indians, companies of hardy settlers-

14 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
shouldered their flint-locks, hastened to th© scene of
hostilities and upon them was always thrown the brunt
of the battle. When the struggle for American in
dependence was begun, even though the safety of their
o"wn homes was in peril, the American forces were
strengthened by the brave Ohio Valley volunteers.
They were trained riflemen, invincible as the rocks
over whioh rolled the mighty river which separated
them from the east, and they were bom soldiers.
They were accustomed to all th© hardships attending
the life of a soldier, and ever ready to respond to a
cause which needed their support; they have in every
struggle in which the country has been involved, done
their duty and done it well.
There has never been a war in the history of th©
nation wherein the Ohio valley did not furnish her
full share of soldiers. On the great roll of honor of
the nation, the names of Ohio's sons appear as the
greatest leaders, the firmest supporters of th© general
government and the freest to make any sacrifice re
quired to hasten a desired end.
In the piping times of peace, her fertile valleys
have yielded immense quantities of provisions for her
own citizens as well as for those who were less fortu
nately situated, and by th© good management and
frugal habits of her citizens she has become one of the
most prosperous states in the Union.
The first permanent white settlement made with
in the present Hmits of the state was made at Marietta
in the year 1788, and in that y©ar provisions
were mad© by th© t©rritorial judges "for the best pro-

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 15
teotion of the territory." All male citizens between
the ages of sixteen and fifty were compelled to perform
military duty. The firet general assembly under the
Constitution of Ohio did not meet until March 1, 1803,
and in the following December the first state military
law was passed. This law pro"7ided that all free
white male citizens, "with a few defined exceptions,
between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, and all
emigrants within the ag© limit, and within twenty
days after residence, were compelled to perform mili
tary duty. Each enrolled militiaman was required to provide
himself at his own expense with a good musket or
fusee, a sufficient bayonet and belt, a knapsack and
two spare flints, a pouch "with a box therein to con
tain not le^ than twenty-four cartridges, "suited to
the bore of his mufiket or fusee," or a good rifle "with
powder; each officer to b© armed with a sword or
hanger and spontoon.
Th© militia of the state was organized into di-
¦visions, brigades, regiments, battalions and companies,
with the following officers: To each di"mion a major
general, to each brigade a brigadier general, to each
regiment a lieutenant colonel commandant, to each
battalion a major, to each company a captain, a lieu
tenant, an ensign, four sergeants, four corporals, on©
drummer and one fifer.
Major generals were to be held accountable that
companies beorganized prorata in the towns'within the
districts comprised in the brigade. All officers, ex
cept major generals, were elected. To each brigade

16 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
was to be attached a company of artillery and a troop of
horse, when, in the opinion of the brigadier general,
the companies, or either of them, could be raised and
equipped within his brigade.
The tactics adopted were "Baron Steuben's In
structions" and the Articles of War numbered 26.
These laws were changed very little until 1821,
when the strength of Ohio's military power was
85,000. A reorganization was then effected, but the
general plan remained unchanged. It was about thia
time that the military spirit of central Ohio began to
assert itself and that section of the state has ever
since led all the military movements of the day.
From that time on the military laws of the state
were changed to meet the exigencies of circumstances
as they arose, it was supposed, but to the present idea,
the changes were oftentimes decidedly for the worse.
On February 2, 1854, there was a great military con
vention in Columbus, assembled for the purpose of
arranging from the entanglement of laws which the
early legislatures had managed to impose, a military
code which could b© at least understood by the com
manding officers and to plaoe the military of the state
on a firmer footing.
This convention was held in Neil's New Hall,
afterwards the fam^ous Neil House, of Columbus, for
many years the political Mecca of the state. One of
th© leading figures in that convention was Captain
Stedman, afterwards colonel of th© Fourte©nth regi
ment in the Civil war and who sine© became "General"
Stedman. It seems that this convention was by no

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 17
means barren of results, for, a year later, there began
a revival of th© military spirit of the state, and oi^
ganizations of a military natur© sprang up in all of the
leading counties. On July 4, 1855, a few months
more than a year after the great military convention,
the State Fencibles, which afterwards becam© one of
the best known military bodies of the state, was or
ganized, and in 1857 th© Columbus Vedettes was
organized. The spirit se©ms to have taken firm root, for in
Lhe year 1858, at a camp near Columbus, where the
Hawk hospital now stands, the follo"wing organiza
tions turned out for muster: State Fencibles, Co
lumbus Vedettes, Steuben Guards, Montgomery
Gnards and Captain Ijam's Battery of Artillery.
Miltary companies continued to organize, and
then came that period in the history of the country
known as the Civil war. The two sections of the na
tion were marshalled against each other and every
resource of either di"rision was tried to its utmost in
the struggle for th© preservation of the Union on the
one side and for its destruction on the other. It was
here that the value of the training which the various
militai-y companies had been able to impart, began
to show. Volunteers flocked to the recruiting sta
tions in response to the call by the president, and
thousands of Ohio boys put on the blue and went to
the defense of the starry banner, led to "victory by
officers who had learned something of the art of war in
the organizations which th© scoffer had before pro
nounced fit for ornament and pa.rade rather than for
usefulness.

18 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
The Ohio National Guard, as, suoh, was never
heard of until in 1863, the legislature of that winter,
in its effort to assist the national government in the
mighty struggle then waging, having passed a law
repealing the unintelligent mass of rules and regula
tions governing the state military and establishing an
entirely new insitution. The idea, then a new one,
was favorably received all over the state, and as the
fear that the state would be invaded by Southern
raiders became more general, the National Guard
was soon recruited to a strength which could have de
fended the state against a larger army than it was
possible for Confederate leaders at that time to
command. Still the true worth of the organization was not
known until the following year, 1864, when on April
25 governor Brough, without tho ceremony of calling
for volunteers, offering bounties or leaves of absence
from the National Guard service, or pro"7iding for
any other delay, ordered the entire National Guard
of Ohio to assemble at their ref^pective armories for
the purpose of being mustered into the volunteer ser
vice of the United States. There was no choice left
to the officere or members, so the order was promptly
obeyed, and on Monday, May 2, the entire military
strength of the state was assembled, ready for muster.
On the follo"wing Thursday, eleven days after the first
order had been promulgated. Captain Innis was on his
way to Virginia "with a large body of troops from Ohio,
mustered and fully equipped for immediate service.
Central Ohio had already sent out the gallant
Fourth Ohio, but seven days after the original call

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 19
from Governor Brough, Franklin county alone had
contributed the 133rd Eegiment of Volunteer In
fantry, and a better regiment never did service.
The state troops were all ordered to Columbus in
very disagreeable weather and all the work of ex
amination and muster had to be performed under the
most trying circumstances, but in just sixteen days
Governor Brough telegraphed the adjutant general
of th© army that h© had in th© field at Baltimore,
Cumberland, Washington, Parkersburg, Harper's
Ferry and other places, forty full regiments and one
battalion of seven companies of infantry. This was
a mighty army in itself, and it had been formed ex
clusively from the Ohio National Gniard.
¦ Valuable as had been th© National Guard dur
ing the war, the close of that struggle brought with
it th© close of the ©xistenc© of the 0. N. G. The
legislature in 1865, anticipating a permanent cessa
tion of hostilities of all kinds, had ordered the militia
disbanded, and as the peopl© themselves had had
enough of war and of matters pertaining to the mili
tary in general, the action of the legislature was gen
erally approv©d.
The cloud of Civil war was followed by a dozen
years of peaoe and quiet, undisturbed until the year
1876, when the nation was in the midst of the cele
bration of her on© hundredth birthday anniversary at
Philadelphia. Serious trouble had arisen "with the
Indians in the West and th© attention of almost the
entire regular army was attracted for a time to the
Indian reservations. Following the Centennial cele^

20 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
bration, the country passed through one of the most
serious labor disturbances of its history. Of these
troubles Dr. John Clarke Eidpath, the historian, has
the following to say :
"In the summer of 1877 occurred the great labor
disturbance known as the 'Eailroad Strike.' For
several years the mining districts of the country had
been vexed with disputes and outbreaks, having their
origin in the question of wages. The manufacturing
to"wns and cities had witnessed similar troubles and the
great corporations ha"sdng control of the lines of travel
and commerce were frequently brought to a standstill
by the determined opposition of their employes. The
workingmen and the capitalists of the country had for
some time maintained towards each other a kind of
armed neutrality, alike hurtful to th© interests of both.
In the spring of this year the managers of the great
railways leading from the seaboard to the West, de
clared a reduction of ten per cent, in the wages of their
workmen. This measure, which was to take effect at
the middle of July, was "violently resisted by the em
ployes of the companies and the most active steps taken
to prevent its success. The workmen of the various
roads entered into combinations and the officers stood
firm. On the 16th of July the employes of the Balti
more and Ohio railroad left their post^ and gathered
such strength in Baltimore and at Martinsburg, W.
Va., as to prevent the running of trains and set the
authorities at defiance. * * * *
"In less than a week the trains had been stopped
on all the important roads between the Hudson and

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 21
the Mississippi. Except in the cotton-gro"wing states
the insurrection was universal. ' Travel ceased,
freights perished enroute, business was paralyzed. In
Pittsburg the strikers, rioters and dangerous classes,
gathering in a mob to the number of twenty thousand,
obtained complete control of the city and for two days
held a reign of terror unparalelled in the history of
the country. The lawless violence and madness of the
scene recalled the firey days of the French Eevolu
tion. * * * *
"The insurrection was finally suppressed by the
regular troops and the militia of Pennsylvania, but not
until nearly a hundred lives had been lost and prop
erty destroyed to the value of more than three million
dollars." Similar, but perhaps less terrible riots occurred
about the same time in Chicago, St. Louis and San
Francisco, and for a time all the great cities of the
country were in immient danger. Cincinnati, Co
lumbus and Cleveland did not entirely escape, but the
loss to either life or property was slight as compared
to that at Pittsburg. The labor troubles subsided
"within a month, but at the close of that difficulty the
Indians again became troublesome and the attention of
the military was again attracted to the West.
The young men of Ohio fully appreciated the
seriousness of the general situation, and the question
began to be asked, "What if Ohio were confronted'
with such problems of her o'wn?" The necessity of
a reorganization of the National Guard was at once
apparent to that class of young men which would

22 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
naturally become the rank and file of the organization,
and to th© legislkture. The result was that the gen
eral assembly of the state authorized the re-©stablish-
ment of th© stat© militia, and th©y also pro-vided for the
organization into regiments. The work was soon
placed in the hands of competent officers and soon
iafter the passage of th© law the Ohio National Guard
was again standing on a firm footing.
It was th© possibility of a somothing not ©xpected
yet a something feared, however, that gave to the
people of Columbus and surrounding to"wns a feeling
of unrest. Labor agitators were at work all over the
country doing their best to renew the troubles of '76
and '77, and as the manufacturing interests and other
enterprises calling for the employment of many men
were rapidly growing, it was thought the -wiser plan to
provide for a possible emergency.
There were companies of infantry thoroughly
organized and well drilled, and one by one these com
panies were united into regiments, and with little
trouble the military strength of the state was again
available for duty.

GEORGE D, FREEMAN.

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 23

CHAPTEE IJ.

THB FOURTEENTH INFANTRY.
Formation of Regiments — Meeting at State House — Captain
Ammel's Work — Companies Formed — ^AdJutant Groven-
er's Order — The Regiment Organized — First Duty in
Columbus — Chaplain Moore Elected — Trouble in Perry
County — The Gatling Gun — Garfield Funeral at Cleve
land — Colonel Freeman Re-elected — A Busy Year — ^Jus^
tice at Cincinnati — The Cincinnati Riots — Colonel Free
man's Report — Killed and Wounded.
Central Ohio was as much in need of a regiment
of militia as any other section of the state, and in point
of military companies and the enthusiasm of the people
in military mattere, this part of the state excelled, but
the companies having been organized more for social
than public benefit, they were slow in uniting "with
a state institution, making more exacting, but more
uncertain the duty they loved to perform.
The question increased in seriousness. Aeeord-
ingly, in the winter of 1876, a number of Columbus
gentlemen met at the office of the adjutant general of
the state and discussed the organization of a company
or companies of militia in the central part of the state.
It was decided that something should be done in the
matter at once and the governor promptly appointed
Captain Charles Ammel to organize what was to be
known as the Fourteenth Eegiment of Infantry, Ohio
National Guards.
Captain Ammel at once set to work at this task
and in the following March Company A was made the

24 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
nucleus of the new regiment, with Captain Ammel as
its commander. A little later Company B, "with Cap
tain Henry Seibert, was mustered in, immediately fol
lowed by D Company at West Jeffereon, "with Cap
tain Eugene Babb in command. Company E was
next organized at Marysville, with Captain William
L. Curry at its head, and then Captain John Chapin
with Company F at Columbus. Company G came
next, in command of Captain John P. Slemnions, at
Eichwood, and then Company C was organized at
Westerville, Captain Isaac N. Custer.
The following order then completed the organ
ization : October 20, 1877.
Special Order 216:
I. The following companies of infantry will
constitute the Fourteenth Eegiment of Infantry, Ohio
National Guard: Captain Charles S. Ammel's Com
pany, of Columbus, Company A; Thurman Light
Guards, Company B; Captain Isaac N. Custer's Com
pany, of Westerville, Company C; Darby Videttes,
Company D; Captain William L. Curry's Company,
of Marysville, Company E; Converse Guards, Com
pany F; Grosvenor Eifles, Company G.
II. The several companies composing said Four
teenth Eegiment are hereby directed to select dele
gates to put in nomination candidates for colonel, lieu
tenant colonel and major of said regiment. The se
lected delegates are hereby ordered to assemble at the
Armory of Ohio National Guard, in the city of Co
lumbus, on the twenty-seventh day of October, A. D.
1 877, at such hour as may be most convenient.

TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 25
III. The several companies composing said regi
ment and the delegates to nominate candidates are
hereby directed to be governed in all their proceedings
by paragraphs 35, 36 and 37 of the Code of Eegula-
tions for the Ohio National Guard.
DAN. A. GEOSVENOE,
Assistant Adjutant General.
The first election of regimental officers, held Oc
tober 27, 1877, resulted as follows: Henry Hein-
miller, colonel; William L. Curry, lieutenant colonel;
John W. Chapin, major. Cbmmissions were made
to date from October 3, 1877, but owing to his onerous
duties as superintendent of the fire department of
Columbus, Colonel Heinmiller refused to qualify.
Another election for choice of colonel was -conse
quently held, which resulted in the choice of George
D. Freeman as colonel of the new regiment. His
commission was to date from December 29, 1877.
Two elections were necessary for the selection of
the firet colonel of the regiment. Th© candidates.
Colonel Freeman and Isaac N. Potter, had fought a
hard fight and fraud was charged against Colonel
Freeman and his friends. The result was very close
but the second election gave Colonel Freeman a hand
some majority over his opponent, and all parties were
satisfied. The first regimental order was issued from
Colonel Curry's headquarters at Marysville, and an
ticipated participation in the inaugural parade of

26 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
Governor Bishop. This occurred on Janury 14, and
was the first occasion on which the regiment made
an official appearance.
The first actual duty performed by the regiment
was at the time of the railroad riots of 1877, when A
Company was ordered to duty at the State Capitol and
B Company at Newark. Out of the enlistment of
only fifty-three men, fifty-one responded promptly for
duty. Certainly this response bears out all that was
said of the Ohio soldiery at the beginning of this
chapter, and certainly this was a noble example to
set for an Ohio military organization to follow.
Shortly after this, two more companies were added
to the regiment. They were Company H, at Canal
Winchester, "with Captain Philip Game in command,
and Company I, at Plain City, under Captain J. Q.
Converee. Shortly after this General Karr, on be
half of its lady friends, presented to the regiment its
firet stand of colore. These colors were carried on the
day of the first parade, January 14. This was a
most handsome present, and it was valued at $300.
Unfortunately, this beautiful standard was burned in
1888, when the Cblumbus Armory was destroyed
by fire. The first encampment of the regiment was also
held in this year at Marysville. The men were al
lowed one dollar per day by the state for their time
and all the expens© of the encampment had to be
borne by the soldiera themselves.
In the spring of 1878 there was a large number
of incendiary fires in the city of Columbus. Houses

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 27
and factories were ruthlessly burned for no reason
which any one was able to understand, and while the
city authorities were considering what to do. Colonel
Freeman generously offered the services of his regi
ment. The offer was accepted and the whole city was
thoroughly patroled. The result was, that after a
service of this kind lasting for ten days, the incen
diarism was permanently stopped.
In this year Company K, of Delaware, Captain
F. M. Joy, came into the regiment, and a short time
afterwards Eev. W. E. Moore, of Columbus, was made
chaplain of the regiment. Chaplain Moore remained
with the regiment in this capacity until April, 1898,
when, on account of declining years, he thought best
to retire from active military service. In his resigna
tion the regiment suffered a great loss and they felt
it keenly. Company I, of the Twelfth Eegiment, was thia
year transferred to the Fourteenth and given the let
ter E. This company was stationed at Mt. Gilead.
The annual encampment for this year was held at
Delaware and later the Columbus and other companies
turned out to receive General Grant on his return
from his tour around the world.
A pleasing event in the history of the regiment
occurred at the beginning of the year 1880, when the
Columbus Battalion, on the day of the inauguration
of Governor Foster, entertained the retiring Governor
Bishop and the new governor as guests of honor and
th© "visiting mihtaiy organizations. The dinner was
given at the Armory on East To"wn street, and "will

28 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
always be remembered by those who were permitted to
be present. On August 4 the annual encampment
was held at Prospect Park, near Niagara Falls, N. Y.
In S©pt©mber of 1880 th© miners of Perry
county created another disturbance and Colonel Free
man, placing himself at the head of Companies A, B
and F hastened to the scene of the trouble. The
situation was critical, the trouble having arisen
through the employment by coal companies of a num
ber of colored miners. This enraged the white minere,
who had arranged a plot to get all the negroes on the
inside of the mine, tiien set fire to the entrance and kill
the fleeing negroes as fast as they came out of the
burning mine.
The strikers tapped telegraph wires, thus keeping
fully informed as to what was going on at the capital,
and they were rapidly preparing to meet the militia.
They learned that the Fourteenth would have a
Gatling gun in their possession, but they were ig-^
norant as to what that weapon resembled in appearance
or as to what it was capable of accomplishing. A
citizen of Columbus who had formerly been a member
of the militia, and who entertained great fears lest a
clasih between the minere and the soldiers would re
sult in the loss' of many lives, proceeded to tell the
congregated strikers what the Gatling gun could do.
Of course he exaggerated as much as he oould safely
do, but his tales of marvelous destructive powere had
the desired effect.
When the Fourteenth arrived on the scene, the
Gatling gun was in a box car, the murderous-looking

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. 0. 29
barrel extending from the door of the car and a reso
lute squad of men ready to operate it at a moment's
notice. The very sight of this gun and the men who,
by their looks, showed that they had come to perform
the duty of soldiere, had the effect of sending the
men peaceably to their homes, and the danger of an
outbreak was averted.
In 1881 the regiment encamped near Sandusky.
During that year, also, the regiment won another "vic
tory over the other regiments in the National Guard as
to appearance and discipline. The occasion was the
ceremony at Cleveland, in honor of the murdered
President Garfield. When it had been determined
that the governor and his official staff would attend
the Cleveland services. Colonel Freeman tendered sev
eral companies of the Fourteenth as an escort. The
offer was accepted and the colonel at once set to work
getting ready his "several companies." The result
was, of course, that the whole regiment assembled,
prepared to go to Cleveland. As soon as the other
regimental commandere had learned what Colonel
Freeman had done, they all hastened tO' tender the
services of their regiments also. The result was that
practically the whole of the National Guard was rep
resented at the funeral ceremony.
There was at that time considerable jealousy ex
isting against the Fourteenth, and a great deal of this
waa at Cleveland. Colonel Freeman decided to
either overcome this feeling or give the enemies of the
regiment a reason for feeling as they did. The men
were all ordered to wear white collare, black their

30 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
shoes and make every arrangement for appearing at
their best. In addition to this each man was given a
red blanket cover, so that when these were strapped
across the backs of the men the appearance denoted
that the blankets were alike.
The men looked their best, and on the entrance
to the town, instead of leaving the depot and making
a great display on their firet appearance in the city.
Colonel Freeman left the train at a point where he
could follow a course around the depot and pass the
reviewing stand over a descending street, thus sho"wing
to a better advantage the discipline and drill of the
men. A number of regular army officers witnessed
this movement, among them General Schoffield, and as
soon as the rear of th© column had passed, there was
a grand round of applause. When Colonel Freeman
reported for duty, he was assigned by the general in
charge to the post of honor at the cemetery. The
jealousies of the other regiments were by no means
removed at Cleveland, but there was certainly a greater
admiration for the Fourteenth inspired by its fine ap
pearance and the willingness with which they per
formed the duty assigned them made a warm place for
them in the hearts of the army officere.
The following year Lieutenant Colonel Curry re
signed and his place was filled by the election of Cap
tain William M. Liggett, of D Company, MarysvUle.
Major John W. Chapin also resigned during the year
and he was succeeded by Captain Andrew Schwarz, of
B Company. The regimental camp this year was at
Belle Isle.

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 31
The term of office of Colonel Freeman expired
during the following year, 1883, and a convention
was called to place candidates in nomination for elec
tion to succeed him. The convention was called to
order in Columbus, but after a very brief session, it
was unanimously decided to renominate Colonel Free
man by acclamation. The nomination was enthusi
astically received by the companies, and Colonel
Freeman was duly elected. The annual encampment
was held that year at Ctiyahoga Falls.
The year of 1884 was the most eventful so far
as the importance of the service of the regiment is
concerned that had yet passed over the Fourteenth. In
that year its membere tasted warfare in all its frightful
phases; witnessed scenes of bloody carnage even on
the soil of their nativ© state; suffered from fatigue,
privation and danger, and one brave lad gave up his
life for the safety of his neighbore.
For several years preceding the one of which we
"write, the police department at Cincinnati was man
aged in a manner very unsatisfactory to a large portion
of Cincinnati's population. Several heinous crimes
had been committed, but the offendere were permitted
to plead to light charges, or, if found guilty, sentences
imposed were lighter, according to the judgment of
many of the people, than the ciroumBtanoes seemed to
justify. Mattera grew from bad to worse until a
prominent citizen was murdered. One of the mur-
derere told the story of the crime, admitted his guilt
and was sentenced tO' serve twenty years in the Ohio
penitentiary.

32 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
It has since developed that the young man,
"Billy" Bemer, had received' a sentence as heavy as
he really deserved, and before his penitentiary sentence
had expired many prominent citizens signed petitions
to the board of prison managers asking that he be re
leased. He was accordingly paroled and left the
prkon a quiet, peaceful citizen.
There was' a strong sentiment against Bemer in
Cincinnati at th© time of the trial, however, and re
membering th© oases whioh had preceded his, a large
number of citizens united to take the law in their own
hands. The sheriff of Hamilton county was unable
to protect public property and he appealed to Governor
Hoadley for military help. The First Eegiment,
most of which was stationed in Cincinnati, failed to
suppress the trouble, and the Fourteenth was ordered
to the scene. How well they performed their duty
may be seen in the report of Colonel Freeman which,
condensed, is as follows:
Headquarters Fourteenth Regiment, O. N. G.,
Columbus, Ohio, April 7, 1884.
Hon. George Hoadley, Governor and Commander-in-Chief:
"Sir — In obedience to orders received at 12:30
noon, on March 29, 1 caused the riot alarm to be sound
ed in Ctolumbus, and immediately telephoned to Com
pany 0, Westerville; Company D, Marysville; Com
pany H, Canal Winchester, and Company K, Dela
ware, to assemble and to take the first train to Cblum-
bus, equipped for duty. The field and staff, "with the
several Columbus companies. Company A under Capt.
Pugh; Company B, Captain Coit; Company F, Cap-

. THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 33
tain Slack; Governor's Guard, unattached. Lieutenant
Sheppard, and Duffy Gniard, Company B of the Ninth
Battalion, Captain Payne, reported at 2 P. M. ready
for marching orders. I directed them to await ordera.
At 4 P. M. the command marched to the depot, where
Lieutenant Colonel ligget reported with Company 0,
Captain Custer; Company D, Captain Sellere; Com
pany H, Captain Speaks, and Company K, Captain
Brown. "On receipt of "written orders, accompanied by
Colonel Church of your staff, we left for Cincinnati.
At Xenia coffee and sandwiches were served to the
command. At Corwin, Company F, Thirteenth Eegi
ment, Captain Kearney, reported; at Loveland, Com
pany B, Thirteenth Eegiment, Captain Brock, re
ported. Here our first orders from Cincinnati were re
ceived, bearing information that the Court House was
fired in the Treasurer's office and that Captain Des
mond of the First Eegiment had been killed by the
mob. "On arriving at Cincinnati depot, we were met
by Colonel Eyan and a deputy sheriff, with "written
ordere from Colonel Hawkins, sheriff of Hamilton
county, to report at once at the county jail.
"Twenty rounds of ball cartridges having been
issued to each man, special ordere were given to be
cool and especially careful not to fire unless absolutely
necessary, and then only on command. Under escort
of the deputy sheriff and General Eyan, we marched
to the jail.
"We were not molested en route, further than by
the thro"wing of stones and firing of revolvers in the

34 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. 0.
-vicinity of the rear guard, with plenty of swearing and
abuse from the bystandere. Sheriff Hawkins directed
m© to place the battery gun with support, at the barri
cade on Court street in front of the jail, and to clear
M'ain street of the mob. To support the battery gun,
I detailed Cto^mpanies H, K and I, then directed
Qolonel Liggett to take Companies A, F, D and C,
climb the north barricade and march to Main and drive
the mob from that part of Main street between North
Court street and canal bridge, and hold the position.
I also directed Major Schwarz with Companies B of
the Fourteenth, B and F of the Thirteenth, B of the
Ninth Battalion and the Governor's Guards, to clear
Main street from that point to Court street and hold
the position. On reaching Main street, Colonel Lig
gett ordered Company A, supported by Company D,
to move forward and press the mob north over the
canal bridge ; this was done at the point of the bayonet.
I also directed Companies F and C to hold the mob in
front of the Court House in check. As soon as Com
panies A and D had completed the task assigned th©m,
they with a detail from Company C, utilized a lot of
salt, in barrels, to build a barricade across Main street
at the bridge. Major Schwarz marched to Main street
and ordered Company B, Fourteenth, to South Court
street to clear the street and hold the position ; at the
same time ordering Companies B and F, Thirteenth
Eegiment, and Company B, Ninth Battalion, to form
across Main street and hold the crowd from getting
in the rear of his other detachment. Company B, of
the Fourteenth pushed forward, dri"ving the crowd

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O. 35
from them at the point of the bayonet. When near^
ing South Court street, the first manifestations of the
mob were made to resist further progre^ of the sol
diers. The Governor's Giiard were immediately or
dered to the support of Company B. The mob in
front of the Court House pressed forward, throwing
stones and using firearms, and after repeated warn
ings by myself and other officers to fall back, they re
peated their demonstrations and started to press down
on the soldiers, when, seeing there was no other al
ternative, the command was given to the first platoon
to fire. This checked them, and they fell back into
Court street. One pereon, the leader of the party,
was killed and several wounded. I hastened to
Colonel Liggett's command and caused Company F to
be detailed to move forward and assist in clearing Court
street. I then ordered Company B, Fourteenth Eegi
ment, and the Governor's Guard to their support.
The column then moved west on Court street to th©
first alley, th© crowd falling back in front of them.
"Later I was advised that the mob had advanced
to the point where Court street widened, and under
the cover of buildings, had pelted the soldiera "with
stones and fired on them, wounding Colonel Liggett,
Captain Slack and eight othera, and that the command
was given to the firat platoon of Company F to fire, but
with what results to the mob I was not informed. I
immediately detailed Company H, and "with a de-
tachm©nt of police, gathered such material as was on
hand and carried it to Court street to build a barricade.
"The mob had retreated to the Market House
and contented themselves "with firing revolvers and

36 TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
muskets from that point. About 2 A. M. came word
that the mob had got into the Music Hall and bad cap
tured three brass cannon belonging to the Second Bat
tery. Soon after a telephone message was received
from Colonel Church saying that a mob of about 200
had three brass cannon at the comer of Fourth and
Vine streets. I ordered Companies H and K, with the
battery gun, to accompany Sheriff Hawkins and my-
seK in their pursuit. Chief Eeilly of the police de
tailed one company of his command to lead the ad
vance. The police being able to move much faster
than the soldiers, who had the gun to shove over the
pavement, were enabled to get there first and had the
honor of capturing the guns which they pulled by hand
to the jail.
"Little occurred during the remainder of the
night. Surgeons Guerin and Gunsaulus secured
Burdsal's drug store, 400 Main street, as a temporary
hospital, where they attended the wounded soldiere
and did good ser"vice. Sunday moming we were rein
forced by Colonel Picard, of the Thirteenth Eegiment,
with Company A of his command, bringing with him
10,000 rounds of ball cartridges. During the after
noon a barricade was built at the comer of Main and
Ninth streets. The crowds continued to increase at
Ninth and Main, Ninth and Sycamore, at the canal on
Main street, and especially on Court street. During
the afternoon threats -were made and many became
unruly and numerous arrests were made by the police
under cover of the soldiera at the barricades. The
roughs in front of the Court street barricade succeeded

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 37
in covering themselves by pushing forward aU the
women and children to the front, but fortunately for
all, they contented themselves with venting their
wrath in swearing vengeance when night should come
and occasionally hurling a stone or firing a revolver.
At Main street and the canal, under cover of bridge,
stones were continually thro-wn at the soldiers and
many were hit, and it was with the greatest effort that
the mob were restrained from advancing on the bridge
and firing at the guards. At last one fellow advanced,
brandishing a revolver and defying the guard, and fell.
His friends carried him away. The shot had the de
sired effect, stopping all disturbance at this point. Be
tween 2 and 3 P. M. the Fifth Battery, Captain Sintz
commanding, arrived and were assigned position ; also
115 officere and men of the Fourth Eegiment.
"In consultation with Sheriff Hawkins and Col
onel Hunt, it was deemed ad-visable to move forward
and strengthen the barricade on Sycamore and Ninth
streets; also the one on Cburt street facing the canal.
At dusk the positions of the companies were changed
from what they were th© night before. All was com
paratively quiet until between 10 and 11 o'clock, when
the mob, which had gathered at the Market House on
Court and Walnut, commenced firing from this point,
protecting themselves by the stands at the Market
House and by the buildings at the comer. When the
aim of the mob became too accurate for endurance, it
being e-vident by the balls striking the barricade and
the Court House beyond, that larger weapons than re
volvers were being used, it was thought best, at least.

38 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
to give the mob the benefit of one case of cartridges
from the battery gun by firing it into the Market
House; but before this was done, due warning was
given by the officers that it would be done if the firing
did not cease. Oaths and a volley from the mob was
the response; then the twenty shots were fired from
the gun. A number of casualties was the result.
This caused the mob to scatter for the time and -with
the exception of random shots from them, there was
comparative quiet until about midnight. Ordere were
received from General Finley and the mayor, ordering
a detachment to be sent to Walnut Hills to guard the
powder magazine at that point. Cblonel Picard, of
the Thirteenth Eegiment, with three companies of his
regiment, were detailed for that purpose and remained
there until about 5 o'clock A. M. After firing the
battery gun at 11 o'clock, positive ordere were issued
against the firing of any single shots by the soldiers
and that no firing should be done unless some soldier
was shot or the mob endeavored to charge the works.
Near 1 o'clock it became e-vident that another attack
would be made. I took my station at the comer of
Court and Main with Sheriff Hawkins, Colonel Hunt,
Major Schwarz, Captain Sintz and other officers, and
in speaking distance -with the officers in charge of the
barricade. A fusilade was opened by the mob from
their old poeition at the comer of Walnut and Oouit.
No response was mad© by the soldiere, and after per
haps fifteen minutes over fifty shots had been counted
striking the Ctourt House, othere ha-ving hit th© barri
cade, the mob became bold and decided to charge, and

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 39
as they expressed it with oaths, 'Clean out those blue
coats.' The soldiers obeying orders remained quiet
and not until the mob came forward firing and yelling
was the order given to fire, when two volleys, in quick
succession were fired. Five persons were known to
have been wounded. This was th© last firing done
and gradually all became quiet.
"At 7 o'clock Monday moming it became evi
dent that the rioting for the day was over and orders
were given to unload pieces.
"During the day, ordera were received for Com
pany B of the Ninth Battalion to join the other com
panies of the command at the City Building. Com
pany E and a detachment of Company ~K of the Four
teenth Eegiment and two companies of the Thirteenth
Eegiment arrived and reported for duty. By orders
from General Finley the Seventeenth Eegiment re
ported at the jail for duty. Monday night was quiet
and in marked contrast with the night previous, the
men doing their duty -without loads in their pieces.
The men of the companies that had been on continuous
duty since Saturday were relieved and allowed to se
cure such quartere as were available for rest. Tues
day moming Company D was detailed to represent
the regiment at Captain Desmond's funeral as per
General Finley's order.
"At 2 P. M. orders were received relieving us
from further duty and we left for home at 4:30 P. M.
Two companies of the Thirteenth Eegiment were left
at Loveland and Corwin respectively. The remainder
of the command arrived at Columbus about 1 0 o'clock.

40 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
where we proceeded to our armory and dismissed the
city companies. The companies outside the city were
quartered in the armory for the night and returned to
their respective homes Wednesday moming. It is
my painful duty to report one fatal casualty in my
command, that of Private Israel G©tz, of the Gov
ernor's Guard, who lost his life by the accidental dis
charge of a gun while on duty Mondav afternoon.
I here desire to express my thanks for the courtesies
extended to me by my superiors while at Cincinnati and
10 ev©ry officer and man under my command for their
alacrity and promptness in doing every duty assigned
them and for their coolness and soldierly bearing
under the most trying circumstances.
"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"GEO. D. FEEEMAN,
"Colonel Fourteenth Eegiment."
The regiment suffered heavily in the duty at
Cincinnati. Their suffering from loss of sleep, con
tinued fatigue and the great mental strain, however,
was as nothing as compared to the casualties. The
effect of the fighting was as follows:
KILLED.
Private Israel Getz, Govemor's Guard, accident
ally shot. Ball entered right eye, penetrating brain,
death ensuing in almost twelve hours.
WOUNDED.
Lieutenant Colonel Liggett, shot through caK of
leg, presumed to be a No. 32 pistol ball; Captain Slack,
Company F, Fourteenth Eegiment, shot in rigiht hand

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 41
with medium size shot; Sergeant C. S. Amy, Com
pany F, Fourteenth Eegiment, shot in head, neck and
shoulder, receiving a full load of medium sized shot;
Corporal Morrison, Company F, Fourteenth Eegi
ment, shot in faoe and hand -with medium sized shot;
Corporal U. S. Eogers, Company F, Fourteenth Eegi
ment, shot in face and leg with small shot and struck
in chest with boulder, and in falling injured his back;
Charles W. Berry, private Company F, Fourteenth
Eegiment, contused wound of left knee from boulder;
Charles Yeiser, Private Company F, Fourteenth
Eegiment, shot in center of forehead with pistol ball;
AVilliam Scobey, private Company F, Fourteenth
Eegiment, lacerated wound of left upper lip produced
by brick or boulder; J. F. Kelly, Private company F,
Fourteenth Eegiment, slight wound in leg produced
by small shot; George Borches, private Company F,
Fourteenth Eegiment, contused wound of scalp pro
duced by small shot; George Dowdall, private Com
pany F, Fourteenth Eegiment, contused wound of
face produced by a blow of the fist; E. C. Neiderlander,
private Company F, Fourteenth Eegiment contused
wound of shoulder produced by club; Grant Thomas,
private Company F, Fourteenth Eegiment, shot in
both hands -with small shot, one shot penetrating joint,
producing a painful wound; Oakey Armsted, private
of Govemor's Guard, wounded in leg by the accidental
discharge of musket.

42 TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G.

CHAPTEE III.

AN EPOCH OF EXCURSIONS.
Trouble in Hocking County — Companies K and B on Duty —
Camp at Detroit— The Field of Gettysburg— Colonel
Freeman's Proposition — Corporal Grisso Killed — The
Fourteenth at Philadelphia — Inconveniences Suffered by
Ohio's Soldiers — Columbus Armory Burned — ^Hospital
Corps Organized — State Encampment at Columbus —
Ohio's Centennial — The Fourteenth in New York — An
nual Encampments.
Colonel Freeman in his report has told as fully
as could be related^ in so few words of the excellent
service performed by the regiment in the times which
certainly "tried men's souls" in Cincinnati. It is very
gratifying indeed to note that in all the state and par
ticularly in Cincinnati there has not since been so
troublesome a period. The regiment had another
opportunity of showing "What they were and what they
could do in a call to Ashland, where Company G was
sent to protect the county Court House from mob
violence. As the regiment had been successful at
Cincinnati, so were the boys who- went to Ashland,
and the press of the whole country paid glowing
tributes to the bravery of the "Gallant Fourteenth."
The echoes of the Cincinnati riots were still re
verberating through the state when the minere of
Hocking, Perry and Athens counties rose up in their
might against a reduction in the wages paid for the
mining of coal. They were thoroughly organized

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TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. O. 43
and at a fixed day every one of them stopped work and
refused to resume operations in the minies until their
employers should agree to restore their former wages.
This was in June and the trouble continued through
out the summer until the following August.
In the meantime, the mining companies had em
ployed men to take the places of the strikers, and this
move was met "with determined opposition on the part
of th© minera. No demonstrations were made, how
ever, until in August, when, on the 30th, mattera
assumed a very serious phase at Longstreth and Snake
Hollow in Hocking county and at Straitsville in Perry
county. The old minere here had determined to
compel the "scabs," as those who had taken their
places were called, to quit work. They had tried
reason and pureuasion, and these methods failing, force
was resorted to.
Telephone and telegraph "wires were cut, and
"with communication thus shut off, the strikers imag
ined that they commanded the situation. Armed
with shotguns, revolvera and other weapons, an assault
was made at Snake Hollow and one man killed. A
house in which quite a number of people were asleep
was attacked, but fortunately no casualties resulted.
A four thousand dollar hopper was burned with a large
quantity of coal and some other property destroyed.
Fearing that further trouble would follow. Sheriff
McCarthy, of Hocking county, appealed to the gov
ernor for military aid. The appeal was joined in by
the prosecuting attorney of the county and the mayor
of the to-wn where the rioters were in force.

44 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
Colonel Freeman was at once ordered to get his
command ready to move at a moment's notice and the
regiment was accordingly assembled ready for duty.
Companies of the Sixth and Seventeenth regiments
wre sent to the scene of the trouble, and at firat it ap
peared as though the trouble would soon end. All of
the Fourteenth except Company K was relieved, the
company mentioned having received ordera to report
to Assistant Adjutant General Colonel Dill, who took
command of all the troops in the field. Eumora ob
tained general circulation that the situation was be
coming more serious and a great deal of uneasiness
was felt among the troops and at the State House.
The companies above mentioned remained on duty
with Colonel Dill until September 12th, when they
were relieved by companies of the Second and Eighth
regiments and B of the Fourteenth, Captain Coit
commanding. When E company reported it was as
signed to duty at Sand Eun, a detail also being made
to report for duty at Murray City. The company
remained on duty until September 27th, when the
trouble was all over. Lieutenant H. A. Guitner, of
the Fourteenth, acted as quartermaster for the troops
during the time they were at the mines, and Dr. F.
Gunsaulus, of the Fourteenth, acted as surgeon.
Flushed with victory and feeling justly proud of
the record they had made, but still suffering from the
severe loss which they had sustained during the past
year, the boys went into camp at Columbus in August.
There was no official duty to perform after the en
campment, and what had been the busiest year in the

THE FOURTEENTB, O. K. 0. 45
history of the regiment was quietly ushered out -with
nothing to occupy the minds or the time of the boys
as soldiera, but regular drill and application to the
study of military mattera.
In 1885 Lieutenant Colonel Liggett severed his
connection with the regiment and his place was filled
in June by the promotion of Major Andrew Schwarz.
The regiment was treated to a pleasant excureion in
the autumn of this year, ha"ving been sent to Belle
Isle, near Detroit, for the annual encampment.-
AVhile there the regiment participated in the memorial
service at the time of the death of General Grant.
Their fine appearance and soldierly bearing was favor
ably commented upon by the people and the press at
Detroit. The next year the Govemor's Guard, or as it was
"officially" called, "The Govemor's Guard Gatling
Gun Company," was attached to the regiment and
designated as Company L. It was not long
after the regiment had been thus strengthened
that another riot was threatened at Cincinnati,
and it was feared that the trying experience
of two yeara before would be repeated, but fortu
nately the trouble was settled "without the service of the
regiment. The boys had been ordered into camp,
however, at Carthage, and had their services been need
ed they would have been ready to go "where duty
called." It was this willingness and this spirit which
has won for the regiment the reputation it enjoys now,
even beyond the continent. The annual encampment
was held in this year at Springfield and was a brigade

46 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
camp, with Colonel Freeman in command. In July,
Captain A. B. Coit of B Company was madfe major.
The encampment in 1887 was held in the Fair
Grounds near Lancaster, O., and the tents stood in the
shadow of the historic old Mt. Pleasant. On the ar
rival of the train, September 6, arches were found over
th© streets, houses, private and business were dec
orated, and an immense crowd cheered the boys con
tinually. At the camp grounds it was found that
floore had been pro"vided for every tent. Until Sat
urday the time was spent in the most severe drill and
preparation for the most pleasant and extensive trip
ever enjoyed by a regiment of O. N. G.
The dedication of the Ohio monuments at Gettys
burg, Pa., and the Constitutional Centennial celebra
tion at Philadelphia, wer© the two occasions in which
th© Fourteenth was to officially represent the state,
but at their own expense.
The regiment was sadly in need of new service
uniforms and equipment. Many of those in use had
been worn since the organization of the regiment, and
in that time many calls for active duty had put them
to the most severe tests. In a conversation between
Colonel Freeman and G©neral Axline, the latter re-'
marked that it was unfortunate that the legislature
had made no appropriation to defray the expenses of
a regiment or a portion of one to represent the state.
Colonel Freeman thereupon tendered the services of
the Fourteenth at their own expense, providine the
state would properly equip those needing it.
The offer was accepted, the officere and men
turned their camp pay into a common fund and Ohio

THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. O. 47
was represented at an expense to the mem'bers of the
Fourteenth regiment of over $5000. At 8 o'clock
Sunday evening, a special train was boarded and with
a short stop in Columbus, the run was made over the
picturesque Baltimore and Ohio to Gettysburg, which
was reached on Tuesday moming, September 13.
The boys disembarked in a drizzling rain, marched
through the old town and pitched their tents on East
Cemetery Hill. The location of the camp was in the
rear of the position occupied by Weidrick's New York
Battery, and was near the point where the famous
Ohio Brigade under General Carroll repelled and for
the first time defeated the Louisiana Tigers.
In honor of General W. S. Hancock the camp
was named after him. The tents had scarcely been
pitched when the rain descended in torrents and every
thing was thoroughly soaked. On account of the
condition of the ground, the rink was secured as a
sleeping place, but in all other respects the camp was
maintained. The day for exercises, Wednesday,
opened clear and bright and was ushered in by a salute
by a section of Battery E of the Firat Artillery, which
accompanied the regiment. The boys brushed and
cleaned up to receive Governor Foraker and the Ohio
Memorial Commission, and to escort them to the Na
tional Ctemetery, where the formal dedicatory exeiv
cises were held.
Upon the conclusion a salute of nineteen guns
was fired. While this was in progress a sad accident
marred what would otherwise have been a trip of un
alloyed pleasure. On the fifteenth discharge, Cor-

48 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
poral Orris Grisso was fatally injured by the premature
discharge of the gun. Grass and weeds were beii^
used as wadding and while Corporal Grisso was in the
act of ramming it home, the discharge took place.
His right arm and shoulder were almost torn off. H©
lingered for eight days, when death relieved him. He
was not at any time able to be taken to his home. A
delegation from Columbus formally represented the
regiment at his funeral services in Springfield.
At 5 o'clock that afternoon tents were struck and
the train again boarded for Philadelphia, where the
Fourteenth was Ohio's only military representative in
one of the most magnificent military pageants since the
close of the war. Thursday morning the train rolled
into Philadelphia and the regiment took possession of
its quarters. The state had made no provision for the trip
whatever and the regiment was tendered their quarters
by the Baltimore and Ohio Eailroad Company.
These consisted of the depot, platforms and an en
closed yard. On these the boys nightly rolled up in
their blankets and slept soundly. In striking contrast
to these quarters were those of the Firat Massachusetts
Eegiment, which was located directly across the street.
Massachusetts had appropriated $40,000 for a proper
and fitting representation. Housed in an elegant and
well built rink, the members of the First Massachusetts
slept on mattresses, those of the Fourteenth Ohio were
housed in blankets and slept on the ground. Long
tables were provided by Massachusetts from which
her representatives ate from china dishes and were

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o ¦nOmHHPI•<nCD
c 31DI

ill:^,y'^/~ w. ,','!»))",»

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 49
waited upon by colored servants. Frugal Ohio had
her men eat from the tin plates and tin cups that they
had brought with them. Massachusetts paid her rep
resentatives for going, while Ohio permitted hera to
pay all the expenses for the trip out of their own
pockets. On Friday moming the regiment formed at the
Baltimore and Ohio depot on Chestnut street bridge
and proceeded to the rendesvous after formally re-
cei-ving Governor Foraker and staff.
At midnight of the same day the regiment board
ed the special train and left for Washington City,
where Saturday was spent in sight-seeing. Sunday
noon, after a long ride, the Fourteenth pulled into Co-
l"ambus after two weeks of continuous ser"vice and
travel. Several changes in the organization of the regi
ment took place at the beginning of the year 1888.
Major A. B. Coit was promoted to the rank of lieuten
ant colonel. He was succeeded by Adjutant Thad.
E. Fletcher. In January of this year the Columbus Battalion
met "with a severe loss. Its Armory on Spring street,
at the comer of Front, which had been purchased two
yeara pre-vious, was entirely consumed by fire -with all
its contents. Among the property lost by the fire was
the stand of colore pres©nt©d to the regiment and car
ried through the several engagements. In addition
to these, a new stand was also burned which had been
presented by the ladies of Columbus that -winter and
had only been carried once, on the inauguration of

50 THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. 0.
Governor Foraker for his second term. It was in the
same week that they were burned.
On March 3 an order was issued from general
headquartera for the formation of a hospital corps.
This regiment was the only one in the service which
complied promptly with the order, and it went into
camp with a well drilled corps. It had also a regula
tion ambulance and equipage for field work. "Com
pany bearere" had hitherto performed the work whioh
now came in as the duty of the hospital corps.
For the first time in the history of the Guard all
the troops in the state were brought together in gen
eral encampment, from August 28 to September 4 in
clusive. The camp was located two miles north of
Columbus on the Bee Line Eoad. It contained 500
acres and was under the command of Major General
Axline. Special attention was given to di-vision work.
The purpose in bringing the organizations together
was for the companies and regiments to see the degree
of efficiency reached by the others. Special attention
was given to the formation and maintainance of all
forms of guard duty applicable to a division in active
service. In the evening paradtes, by special arrange
ment, men would often become overcome -with heat
or get suddenly sick, so the other regiments could see
the value of an efficient hospital corps.
This being the Ohio Centennial year, a large
demonstration was held in Columbus, and on breaking
camp the entire division made a parade in honor of
the event. On September 9, 10 and 11 the regiment was or
dered on snecial duty in Columbus incident to the

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. 0. 51
general encampment of the Grand Army of the
EepubHc. In 1889 regimental camps were entirely dis
pensed with and the entire Guard was ordered to rep
resent th© state at the centennial celebration of the
inauguration of Washington as President of the
United States, in New York City. The Guard waa
di-vided into brigades, the Fourteenth being placed tn
the Second Brigade, of which Colonel Freeman waa
in command. The Fourteenth left Columbus on
Sunday, April 28, -via the Columbus, Hocking Valley
and Toledo and the Erie Eoads, and arrived in New
York on Monday at 3 P. M. On Tuesday, the 30th,
the parade was held. AU other Ohio regiments left
for home on Tuesday night or during Wednesday,
but the Fourteenth remained until Saturday evening
and arrived home on Sunday night. The boys were
thus given an opportunity to visit the places of in
terest in and about New York. A very pleasant treat
was accorded by the commanding officer, who char
tered a boat and took the command out to sea.
Quarters were fumished by the committee of arrange
ments until Wednesday moming. The regiment
then moved over to Jersey City, s-wung cranes and
went into camp. The Erie Eailroad and the Pullman
Car Company officials did everything in their power
to make the boys comfortable. They placed extra
care at their dfeposal, so that each man had plenty of
room to lie in at night and they arranged room for
cooking purposes in the yards.

52 THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G.
The Fourteenth had no reason to feel ashamed
of its appearance in the parade here. The usual de
gree of efficiency was maintained and brought forth
praise from all who were conversant with military
mattere. The entire cornmand appeared in heavy
marching order and prepared for field work.

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 53

CHAPTEE IV.

STRIKES AND RIOTS.
Resignation of Colonel Freeman — Election of Colonel Coit —
General Sherman's Funeral at St. Louis — Duty at Chi
cago — Hq-wo on 1894 — The Wheeling Creek Campaign —
Causes for the Strike — Troops Called Out — Services of
the Fourteenth — The Result — Galvin's Army — Trouble
at "Washington C. H. — Colonel Charged 'With Murder-
Annual Encampments.
For almost twelve yeare the destinies of the regi-
m©nt had been in the hands of Colonel George D.
Freeman. He had received every success, every re-
veree, with the fond interest of a father. He had sur
mounted difficulties which would have driven many a
Napoleon to despair. He had taken charge of the
regiment when it was made up of scattering groups of
awkward men, and with this material he had con
structed a military organization which was now kno-wn
and loved all over the United States. It had been the
hope of his early military experience and it has ever
since been the pride of his ripened career. Other
duties made it impossible for him to devote the time
and energy which according to his ideas of administra
tion were essential in keeping the regiment what he
had made it, so on October 9, 1889, he tendered his
resignation. The regiment lost his presence and abil
ity, but never his interest or his sympathy. He has
watched with a jealous eye every movement of the
command, and when it became a part of the United

64 'THE FOVRTEEN'TB, 0. N. G.
States army, no one more than he offered every possible
assistance. Even while in a foreign land his influence
was ever manifest, and when the regiment returned
home covered with glory, no hand of welcome was
offered -with a warmer heart than his.
When officers and men realized the loss they had
oustained, they began to look about for material with
which to repair the breach. In this effort they were
exceptionately fortunate. On November 8, the next
in command stepped forward and upward, and at the
call of the regiment took up the work where their be
loved leader had left off. Lieutenant Colonel Coit
immediately assumed command and when the war
with Spain came on he was found at his post of duty,
where he remained until the close of the war. He
was succeeded as lieutenant colonel by Major Fletcher
who in turn was succeeded by Captain Speaks.
The following year, 1890, the miltary laws of
the state were changed, making fewer but stronger
regiments. The Sixths regiment was disbanded, and
the companies at Mt. Sterling, Washington C. H. and
CircleviUe were attached to the Fourteenth. The
organization was patterned after that of the Gei-man
army, comprising three battalions of four companies
each. This organization differed from that observed
in the regular army, but it was maintained throughout
the war. The regiment encamped in 1891 at Presque
Isle and did no duty of any consequence until Febru
ary of 1892, when on the 20th, they left Columbus
to attend the funeral of General William T. Sherman
at St. Louis, Mo. The annual encampment was held

ALONZO B. COIT.

TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 55
at Marion. Colonel Coit at this time was assistant
adjutant general of the state. The next year the regi
ment went to camp at Logan, 0. In October they
attended the dedication of the World's Fair Grounds
at Chicago and the following year went to Chicago to
camp and attend the World's Columbian Exposition.
In his report for 1894, Adjutant General Howe
said: "The year has made history for the Ohio Na
tional Guard more extensive in operations, exacting
and arduous in execution than any year since its or
ganization. The unsettled conditions existing not
only in Ohio, but throughout the whole coimtry,
seemed to bring -with the idleness imposed, lawlessness
in different forms, and in different counties civil au-
thority was set at naught, and the strong arm of the
state government was called upon to aid and uphold
law and order."
The firat trouble of the year occurred at Toledo
on January 4. On the 19th a great fire at Springfield
made it necessary to call out the militia. Again on
February 23, trouble was feared at Cincinnati, but fif
teen men were all that were needed to restore order.
On April 15, the sheriff of Logan county was com
pelled to call upon the Second Infantry to aid in
protecting a prisoner from mob -violence.
Again Adjutant General Howe is quoted : "Fol
lowing this trouble came the holding up of a train on
the Bailtimore and Ohio Eailway, at Mt. Sterling, by a
body of men calling themselves "Galvin's Army."
These men, 215 in number, had taken possession of
a train of sixteen care, and would not leave the same,

56 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
even after the ci-vil authorities had caUed to their aid
as many deputies as they could secure to serve. Th©
railroad company also selected a picked body of men
from the city of Columbus, and had them sworn in as
special deputies and tried to eject the men, but failed
in their efforts. The sheriff of Madison county, seeing
his inability to enforce law, called upon the Governor
for military assistance, and there was ordered to Mt.
Sterling on the moming of April 28, the Firat Bat-
taUon, Companies A, B. 0 and F, and Company L,
14th Infantry, and Battery H, First Light Artillery,
under command of Colonel Coit. The troops arrived
at Mt. Sterling and, after warning the offenders to
vacate the property they were unlawfully holding, in
a good, soldierly way proceeded to displace them,
which was done without serious resistance, and trains
were at once started on schedule time. The conduct
in this affair of both officere and men is to be com
mended, and the summary dealing with these offend
ers of Ohio's laws, we believe, saved the State much
expense during the year from the same class of people,
of whom many bands entered the State and departed
without conflict with the civil authorities."
No comment is needed to these words of praise.
The regiment had again done its duty and the glowing
report quoted above is merely the official one of many
favorable reports of this tour of duty.
The call for troops coming from the sheriff of
Guernsey county, June 6, 1894, proved the greatest
of the year. There was called into ser-vice besides the
14th, the 8th Infantry, seven companies of the 17th

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 57
Infantry, the 2nd Infantry, the 16th Infantry, the 5th
Infantry, three companies of the 3d Infantry,
the Toledo Cadets and three Batteries First
Eegiment Light Artillery, making a total of
3,371 officera and men in the field. In addition to
these, six companies of the 3rd Infantry were as
sembled in their armories, making a total of officera
and men under call, of 3,647.
The cause for this array of military strength was
a general "strike" of the miners and the National
Guard duty is known as the "Wheeling Creek Cam
paign." The first official information Governor McKinley
received was a telegram from the sheriff of Guernsey
county, dated June 6, stating that a force of miners es
timated at from 400 to 600 men had taken possession
of the Baltimore and Ohio Eailroad at Mineral Siding
and that they were interfering with trains by placing
obstructions on the track and compelling freight trains
to run in on the switches and take off all coal care be
fore being permitted to proceed. The sheriff added
that the minera were armed with clubs and more dan--
gerous weapons, and that threats were being made to
do still greater damage. He also stated that he could
not possibly organize a posse capable of coping with
the miners and fearing that they would be reinforced,
asked help from the governor.
Orders were at onoe promulgated to assemble the
various regiments and by the next moming, June 7,
another appeal was made by the sheriff of Belmont
county, giving the same reason. In this county the

58 TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
B. and O. and the C, L. and W. Eailways -were at^
tacked, the latter by about fifteen hundred men, mostly
f oreignera, so the sheriff stated.
The regiment was scattered all over Central
Ohio, many of the men residing in the country and at
small inland towns, so that it was three o'clock in the
moming before ordera were i^ued to the entire regi
ment. Major Speaks was then a clerk in General
Howe's office and had it not been for his energetic ef
fort, the regiment could not possibly have been as
sembled so soon.
Everything was gotten in readiness and on the
moming of the seventh, the Fourteenth left Columbus
for Cambridge, where they arrived next moming.
General Howe accompanied the regiment in order to
be on th© scene of the trouble and thus be better
enabled to assume personal charge of general opera
tions. At eleven o'clock the regiment arrived at
Morris Station. There they found that eara had been
knocked to pieces, coal dumped on the tracks and
everything in turmoil. At a quarter after one, how
ever, the trains were runniag for the first time in three
days, but the strikers were in the hills near by, ready to
sweep down on the railroad property as soon as the
soldiera had left.
The danger at St. daire-ville Junction had be
come greater, consequently the Seventeenth was left
on guard at Mineral Siding and the Fourteenth and
Eighth, with Battery H started for the new scene.
Telegrams were fast coming in to the governor and the
situation became serious. More troops were ordered to

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 59
prepare to move at a moment's notice, and the whole
state became excited. It was reported to the governor
that near a cut through which the Fourteenth would
have to pass, the minere were located and that they
had prepared to roll down a huge boulder on the train
bearing the troops as it passed them. The train pro
ceeded, however, and was not seriously molested until
it reached Wheeling Creek, six miles east of Bellaire.
The train had proceeded along the banks of the stream
through the hills until it reached a point where the
valley -widened into a basin. It was a beautiful spot,
an ideal location for the little mining to-wn, which
nestled snugly here among the rugged hills. Across
the valley, perhaps a mile, stood a little church,
around which 600 men were assembled. The regiment
was formed and immediately deployed into battle lines
and excitement reigned everywhere. It looked as
though there was to be a pitched battle and many ex
pected that the banks of the picturesque rivulet which
flowed peacefully through the rocky hills, would soon
be gorged -with a stream of blood.
As the regiment advanced slowly across the little
valley, ho-wever, the crowd disperaed. The regiment
went into camp and threw out pickets. The soldiere
and miners came into constant contact, but at no time
did a clash become general. Several times crowds had
to be dispersed, but no fatalities resulted from the dis
charge of any duty.
Onthemoming of the9th Sheriff Scott announced
that trains would start on the C, L. & W. from Bridge
port, where coal trains had been detained by the strik-

60 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
ers. The sheriff requested that ample protection be
given coal trains throughout Belmont county. A
guard was ordered consisting of the Second Battalion
of the Fourteenth and the Second Battalion of the
Second regiments, and Colonel Coit placed in com
mand with instructions to follow trains and permit no
interference. The firet train was somewhat delayed
just before reaching camp, and before the soldiers had
boarded it. It had been stopped for an instant just be
yond the lines, and was' immediately attacked by a
crowd of -women, who pulled the couplings and carried
them away. They were encouraged in their actions
by a large crowd of men congregated near, but not on
railroad property. A detachment was sent from camp
who disperaed the crowd and enabled th© train men to
recouple the care and proceed.
¦The coal trains guarded by the Fourteenth were
molested, but so well did the boys perform their duty
that no damage was done except at Burton, where the
strikera succeeded in disconnecting one of the trains
by drawing coupling pins. The train was gotten safe
ly through Belmont county, however, and the soldiere
reported back to Wheeling Creek, tired and worn out
but ready for duty wherever their services were
needed. The strike soon became more general and the sit
uation became more serious in proportion. Canal
lOover was made the base of supplies and the governor
decided to push a -vigorous campaign against the
strikera unless they gave up the idea of destroying
property. Th© Fourteenth Eegiment was scattered

THE F0URTEENTH;AT WHEELING CREEK.

'IHE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 61
over almost the whole of the mining district, one part
of the detached companies being placed under Colonel
Darrow at Canal Dover, and the others under the im
mediate command of Colonel Coit, with headquarters
at New Philadelphia.
There was at no time what could be called a
pitched battle, but shots wore actually fired on several
occasions, but fortunately there were no lives lost ex
cept that of Private Gerber, of Coluinbus, who struck
his head on a rock while diving in the Tuscarawas
river. His body was embalmed and sent home under
escort for military burial.
The miners pursued a sort of guerilla policy,
keeping as much as they could out of sight of the sol
diere and making raids on railway and mining prop
erty. Bridges were burned and trains were stopped,
but as soon as the troops approached they would re
treat to some place of safety. Colonel Coit gave or
dera to the sentries on duty to allow no one to approach
nearer than 200 yards of the picket lines and then to
advance singly and be identified by one of the mem
bers or employes of one of the mining companies.
Several skirmishes were engaged in but nothing seri
ous occurred. Private Jacob Stinnell had the honor
of capturing a banner from a party of minera and the
act of himself and comrades was regarded as one of
unusual bravery.
At Canal Dover several drunken peraons and
some of the colored cooks and camp followers engaged
in a quarrel and trouble seemed imminent, but prompt
action on the part of the officere quieted all the trouble.

62 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
The drunken persons were arrested and under escort
were turned over to the civil authorities. Bridges were
burned in all parts of the mining district and the en
tire force of miUtia on duty were kept dodging from
one point to another. Colonel Coit was at one time cut
off from his base of supplies by the burning of a bridge,
but he managed to get into communication with head
quartera by a round-about way.
Finally, on the seventeenth, the miners and oper-
atore, having come to an agreement, matters became
more quiet and Colonel Coit wired that part of his
command could be dismissed. Companies H, G, M and
L were accordingly reheved and the next day the en
tire regiment was called back to Columbus, where the
boys were glad to join their families and friends. At
Columbus the regiment was re-viewed by Governor
McKinley and the men publicly thanked for their ser
vices. The regiment had been on continuous duty for
nearly two weeks and in a seiwice that was far from
being a pleasant one. There was danger, privation and
hard labor to perform, but the men suffered all their
trials as real soldiers and the people of Central Ohio
were justly proud of them.
While the services of the regiment in the Wheel
ing Creek campaign were still fresh in th© minds of
the people, a most distressing occurrence became part
of the history of Fayette county. A negro named
Dolby had committed a criminal assault near Wash
ington Court House, and as all indications seemed to
point clearly to the man's guilt, public sentiment be-

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 63
came uncontrollable. The negro had been duly ai^
rested and was confined in the county jail, but as the
records of Fayette county were -without the stain of
such crimes, the people declared that no one should
break th© record and live. Crowds gathered to discuss
the situation and as the law did not provide for the ex
ecution by capital punishment of these crimes, many
of the enraged citizens concluded that the best plan
would be to adopt lynch law in the case.
They were soon joined in this opinion by others
and before even they themselves were aware of the
fact, a dangerous crowd had collected. As life and
])roperty seemed to be in danger the sheriff' called in
to servic© E Company of the Fourteenth Eegiment,
stationed at Washington Court House, but they did
not present force enough to cope -with the crowd, so
lhe governor was called upon for more troops. Com
panies A and B, of the Fourteenth, under Colonel
Coit, were at once ordered to the scene of the trouble.
They left on the afternoon of the I7th of Octo
ber and arrived in Washington Court House a few
houra later. The official report has the following to
say of the affair:
"During the day of the seventeenth but little
trouble occurred except at the time the prisoner was
taken from the court house to the jail for trial. As
the sheriff, with his prisoner, left the jail, the crowd
assembled, made a rush and but for the cool, solid and
effective work of the military, would have secured the
prisoner and accomplished their purpose. Officera and
men in this afternoon engagement proved themselves

64 TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G.
good soldiere and, -without exercising severe punish
ment upon those unlawfully assembled, prevented the
mob from carrying out their intentions. The prisoner,
having been arraigned before a grand jury especiaUy
convened, pleaded guilty to the charge and was at one©
sentenced to the penitentiary for the maximum term
of years provided by law.
"The crowd had constantiy been increasing dur
ing the day and, in consequence of the fierce struggle
that had occurred in the aftemoon, the sheriff was of
the opinion that it would not be safe to take the pris
oner from the court house with the number of troops
on duty. He therefore asked that more troops be sent
so that the prisoner might be moved -with safety to the
train and transported to Columbus. While awaiting
re-enforcements, Colonel Coit had the court house
cleared of citizens and he, together with Major Speaks
and the sheriff, begged and urged the crowd to dia-
perae and leave the court house grounds. These ap
peals were frequently made to the crowds outside and
each time they were met by jeera and taunts. Dark
ness coining on. Colonel Coit concluded to -withdraw
all guards from outside the building and station them
within. He barricaded the doore and then warned the
besiegers to not molest or attempt to break them dewn,
clearly advising them that if such an attempt were
made, the troops would fire.
"The colonel then went into the building and,
after ha-ving guards placed at each entrance, gave or
ders that if the doore were broken in by the mob, to
fire. Unlawful demonstrations were still kept up, and

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 65
at about 7:15 o'clock of the evening of the seventeenth
of October, -with a battering ram of large dimensions,
the south doore of the building were buret in and the
detail stationed at this point fired a volley into the
mob, which proved quite destructive, killing outright
two pereons and maiming and wounding some twelve
or fourteen others. Eeinforcements had been ordered
to report to the sheriff.
"These commands were readily assembled and
reached Washington C. H. in the early morning of the
eighteenth. Forming the entire force, the prisoner was
taken from the court house and escorted to the depot,
where the troops under command of Colonel Coit em
barked, the sheriff ha-ving in charge his prisoner, and
all proceeded to Columbus, where they arrived at
about seven o'clock on tbe morning of the eighteenth.
After .seeing the prisoner safely landed in the peni
tentiary, the troops marched to the armory and were
dismissed. Colonel Hunt, commanding the forces left
at Washington C. IL, remained until about 11 o'clock
a. m. of the eighteenth, when they were dismissed by
the sheriff and returned to their respective homes.
The conduct of the troops throughout was commen
dable, and press and public, not only of the state, but of
<be entire country, sustained their action and in the
strongest terms have spoken praise of Ohio's citizen
soldiery." Although the troops had don© their duty, it was
a sad sight to the citizens of Washington Cburt House
to see their neighbore thus shot down and they felt
very much grieved in the matter. Colonel Coit was

66 TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
blamed for the deaths, having given the order to fire,.
and the sympathizers -with the intended lynchers -were
very angry. To even up mattera, the colonel was
charged with murder and indicted by a grand jury.
When the time set for his trial arrived, he secured a
change of venue and the case was taken into the courts
of Pickaway county. The trial lasted several weeks
and cost both the county and the colonel considerable
money, but it finally ended -with a verdict of acquittal.
Thus ended the history of the regiment as a Na
tional Guard organization so far as active service is
concerned. The annual encampment in 1895 was at
Chattanooga, near where, three years later, the men
received their first experience as United States volun-
teera. The next year, 1896, the encampment was at
Cleveland, and in 1897 the boys were given an excur
sion to Nash-ville, where the last annual encampment
was made before the war.
The year of 1898 brought with it experiences
with which very few of the membera of the Fourteenth
were familiar. Some of the older members remember
ed the trying times of the great CivU War aud to the
younger membera this year brought with ir all the
trials and hardships of actual warfare as will be seen
in the foUo-wing pages.

THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 67

CHAPTEE V.

"WAR "WITH SPAIN.
Period of Peace — Condition of Army and Navy — American
Peace Policy — Relations Between England and Spain —
Cessions of land from Spain to United States — Cuban
Insurrection — The "Ten Years' War" — Second Rebel
lion — Daily Press Reports — Cuban and Spanish Lead
ers — "Weyler's "Reconcentrado" Plan — General Lee's
Report — The De Lome Affair — ^Destruction of the
Maine — The Country Aroused — Cry for "War — Prepara
tions for "War— President's Proclamation — Declaration
of "War — De-wey's Victory — Ohio's Volunteers — Militia
Assembled — The Fourteenth at the Auditorium — Camp
Bushnell. A period covering more than thirty years of
absolute peace within her own borders and with all
the world found the United States at the beginning of
the year 1898 about as unprepared for war as she had
been at any time in her history. During that period
she had courted peace with all nations and it seemed
that no one had so much as dreamed that anything
but the same blissful happiness enjoyed so long and so
well should ever be disturbed by the howling of the
storm of war. The army had been allowed to d"windle
down to a minimum strength, the navy had been neg
lected, at least when compared to that of European
powers, the military forces of the various states had re
ceived but half the encouraerement they should have
received and the idea of a naval reserve had just be
gun to be considered.

68 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. 0.
In its general foreign policy, peace and good will
was the firet relation to be desired by our government
under all administrations with all the nations of the
earth. War had never come by solicitation, and hav
ing in all conquests been eminently successful, there
seemed to be no need for any special pro"vision for de
fense and the idea of conquest had never ben consid
ered. It seems that with Spain, however, the United
States inherited war from the mother country. For
centuries the navy, the soldiery and the citizens of the
kingdoms of Great Britain and of Spain had tormented
and insulted each other "with a "view of hastening war,
and it seems that when the American colonies threw
off the yoke of government by the crown, Spain, while
inwardly rejoicing at the trouble England was ha"ving
on her hands, was too jealous of her own Western
po^ibilities to lend a helping hand to the struggling
colonists. She hated England and everything that
was English, and merely looked upon the contest be
tween oppressor and oppressed with an inward satis
faction she dared not express.
The firet treaty ever entered into between the
United States and Spain was ratified during the firat
administration of American government in 1795, at
the time Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state. It
will be remembered that at that time the Spanish
govomment had important colonial possessions in the
southern part of what is now the United States, and
as trouble between thes© colonies and the United
States seemed to be never ceasing, it was deemed best
to secure as much of these possessions as possible. Ac-

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. O. 69
cordingly, Spain ceded the territory of Florida to this
country. This had a tendency to ease the relations
between the two countries and everything passed off
quietly until 1848, when an invasion of Cuba and
Porto Eico was contemplated by Mexico and Colom
bia. As intervention on behalf of these islands at
that time would have been a blow to slavery as it
then existed in th© United States, nothing was done by
the American government. Prominent statesmen
and the country in general, however, constantly cast
"wistful glances toward the wealthy island of Cuba,
and a few years later an attempt was made to secure
possession of Cuba by purchase and even the snug
sum of $100,000,000 was offered the Spanish gov
ernment for her equity in Cuba, but every effort at
purchase proved futile. This attempt at purchase was
made in good faith by both parties and was carried on
very peaceably, but there was a party in the United
States which was rather un"wisely anxious to see Cuba
pass into the hands of the United States and an effort
was made to secure the island by force.
Accordingly the filibustering expedition of 1851
was organized and started to Cliba under the com
mand of Lopez, but the result was rather disastrous
and many brave American boys lost their lives. The
United States of couree disavowed this action on the
part of some of her citizens, and then it became the
Spaniards' turn to offend. This she did in 1854 when
the "Black Warrior," an American vessel, was seized
in the harbor of Havana, and war was again threat
ened. The slavery question again had a tendency to

70 THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G.
repress any undue enthusiasm, and the matter was
peaceably adjusted.
Another period of good feeling between the two
countries then began and existed for nearly twentv
yeara to be again broken by Spain during the much-
talked of "Ten Years' War," when Cuba had made an
effort to throw off the yoke of Spanish oppression and
for ten long yeara struggled for her liberty. It was
during the fifth year of this war that Spanish vessels
captured the American "Virginius" and towed her to
Santiago, where nearly a score of the men and officera
of the American ship were rather irregularly executed.
Trouble again seemed imminent, but it developed that
the register of the "Virginius" was a "fake" and settie-
ment was arranged by the Spanish government agree
ing to pay an indemnity to the relatives of those sea
men whose lives had been taken. The Cubans in this
war, which lasted from 1868 to 1878, had many sym-
pathizera in this country, but public opinion at no
time seemed to reach alarming proportions.
This had been an expensive war, and w'hen the
island had been completely subdued, as the Spaniards
thought, it was decided that the Cubans themselves
should pay the whole expense of the war. Unreason
able as this was, Cuba was helpless; but the increased
burden was a breath in the smoldering ruins of Cuban
patriotism, and in 1895 another insurrection was be
gun. The "Ten Years' War" had not been barren
of results even if the Cubans had been defeated. They
had learned much of the art of war, and during the
interval preceding the insurrection of 1895 an or-

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 71
ganization almost perfect was effected. Local leaders
acted quietly but effectively, and the Junta took the
responsibility of perfecting all plans.
The result of combined efforts was that at the
beginning of the insurrection in 1895, General An
tonio Maceo was ready to take the lead and a -vigorous
campaign was at once begun. Captain General
Campos placed himself at the head of a strong Spanish
force, but they were no better organized and little bet
ter handled than the insurgents, and as all military
operation was that of guerilla warfare. General
Campos and the king's troops did very little indeed
toward squelching the rebellion.
The financial condition of Spain was by no means
encouraging, but being naturally one of the proudest
nations of the globe, she put forth every effort to put
an end to the insurrection in her western colony. The
Cubans were practically without funds and without a
government which any government, though willing,
could recognize. The dusky patriots made every pos
sible sacrifice for the common cause, and with what as
sistance they could receive from private indi-viduals
in the United States and other countries, they man
aged to carry on a warfare which was anxiously
watched by all the civilized world. The daily press
in Europe and America made dilligent records of
every step made by either side, and millions of inter
ested readers watched for the accounts of the brilliant
dashes and patient marches made by the Cuban leader
and his scattered bands.
The Spanish leadere made every effort within
their power to tone down these accounts and to send

72 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
out conflicting reports to th© press of their own ooun
try. This effort was made for the two-fold purpose
of arresting sympathy for the Ctibans in the United
States and Europe and to deceive the taxpaying public
of their own country as to the exact condition of af
fairs in the incorrigible colony. Eeports were sent
out one day that the gallant Maceo had been killed
and the next day the report was denied. This was
kept up until the reading public was in great fear for
the safety of the general, but to their great regret it
was flnally definitely learned that the brave leader
had been killed in December of 1896. It has since
been definitely learned also that he was shot
and that he died as a soldier, but some reports
at the time said that he had been stabbed by
members of his own command. He was succeeded
soon afterward by General Gomez and the war con
tinued. While the loss of Maceo was a severe blow to
the Cubans, they were none the less discouraged and
pereisted in their resistance to the rule of the Casr
tilian crown.
The government at Madrid finding that Campos
was making little if any headway in crushing the
Cubans, sent General Weyler to relieve him. The
Cubans, who had heard of General Weyler, shuddered
at the thought of ha-ving to oppose him, but they soon
had better reason to shudder at the mere mention of
his name. So cruel and so unmilitary were the opera
tions of the Spanish army that its leader became gen
erally known as "Butcher" Weyler. The method of
warfare was absolutely criminal and the "execution"

TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 73
of his army nothing short of murder. At least it is
hardly considered by ci-vilized nations within the rights
of an army to slay helpless women and innocent chil
dren and to commit the outrages that reflect even on
the character of the men composing a nation's soldiery,
yet these methods were constantly pursued by Weyler
and these crimes were committed in the name of the
Spanish government.
Finding that he was accomplishing nothing, but
on the contrary that he was constantly loosing
ground. General Weyler decided to resort to "ex
treme" measures. His own troops were poorly fed
and while those in the Cuban army could not possibly
leave the camp for the field, he knew that the peasantry
must be furnishing them with subsistence. He also
learned that his own soldiera were gi-ving in exchange
for sweet potatoes and cured meats, cartridges and
other nulitary supplies which were carried directly to
the insurgent army. Eealizing that he could do noth
ing under these circumstances he decided that instead
of feeding his own men and maintaining discipline in
his own ranks that he would further punish the rebels.
He therefore published in October, 1896, his famous
"bando," an order by which all the peasantry of the
island was gathered into the large cities and placed
under guard as "reconcentrados," to prevent them
from operating the plan'tations. This, as a matter of
course, created an indescribable suffering, but in his
obstinacy and cruelty he imagined that he had struck
a serious blow at the rebellion. In fact he had only
augmented the hatred of the Cubans for Spain and had

74 THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G.
enlivened the sympathy that had already existed for
the struggling patriots.
After a vigorous campaign in which absolutely
nothing had been accomplished by Spanish arms,
Weyler was recalled to be succeeded by General
Blanco, who proceeded muoh after the fashion of his
cruel and unsuccessful predecessor.
Blanco was instructed by his government, after
they saw that it was impossible to defeat them by force
of arms, to offer the C^ubans a government of Au
tonomy. But having suffered too much already from
Spanish deceit, the p'roposed compromise was scorn
fully rejected and the 'Spanish officer who conveyed
the offer of General Blanco was killed.
While all these things were going on in Cuba the
people of the United States were doing all they could
consistently to aid the insurgents. Funds were se
cretly subscribed and sent over in many mysterious
ways, and so intense and so general was the feeling in
America that even the governors of states were kno-wn
to subscribe large funds to be sent to Cuba in such
ways that the act would not become generally kno-wn.
The Junta also did good work, organizing societies
all over the country and agitating a spirit of interven
tion on the part of the United States by recognizing
Cuba as a republic of itself. Enthusiasm ran high,
and when it was finally arranged by a sort of tacit
agreement that the people of the United States could,
through their consuls in Cuba, send provisions and
money, the laborer and the capitalist united their
offering and liberal donations were sent not only to

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 75
the "reconcentrados," but as weU to those who were
known to be fighting in the Cuban army. Later on
United States vessels openly carried these supplies
and United States consuls aided in their distribution.
These acts of sympathy as a matter of courae
created no little indignation in Spain and in Spanish
countries. England looked on the struggle in C^uba
much as did the United States, but as her interests
wer© not at stake nearly so muoh as our o-wn, very little
if anything was done in that country to aid the Cubans
except to show in a quiet way that her sympathies were
-with them. This may be accounted for in the fact
mentioned before that the interests of Spain and
of England have been for centuries arrayed against
each other. England was in this case "getting even"
for the attitude of Spain at the time her own western
colonies were in open and armed rebellion. It might
be stated in this connection that in the contest between
Spain and the United States, England, although she
announced and maintained a neutrality in the real
sense of the word, showed in many ways a remarkable
friendliness for the United States. It was a strange
coincidence that nearly every report, and many there
were, that toucbed on the likelihood of a European
power entering into an alliance with Spain, was sup
plemented by another to the effect that Great Britain
had made overtures or was considering a plan to enter
into an alliance -with the United States. Indeed it is
still thought by many that the attitude of Great
Britain had a great deal to do with the carrying on of

76 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
the war, as the other European powers were supposed
to be afraid of the strong alliance this would have
made. In January, 1898, the American consul at Ha
vana, General Fitzhugh Lee, of Virginia, reported
that the situation was becoming serious. There were
riots in the Cuban capital and American life and prop
erty had become endangered. A delegation directly
representing the American government had -visited
the seat of war and had reported that the pictures of
cruelty and the consequent suffering reported in the
daily papers had not by any means been exaggerated.
Indeed they said the condition of affairs on the island
was absolutely beyond description. Something had
to be done in the name of humanity, and it was plain
that public sentiment could not be restrained much
longer. War with Spain was talked of on every hand
and each dav it became more e-vident that war was
inevitable. When the seriousness of affaire was assured by the
report of General Lee, the government authorities
acted promptly and the North Atlantic squadron was
ordered together at Dry Tortugas, a distance of six
hours' sail to Havana. Had the life or property of
American citizens been jeopardized at any time. Uncle
Sam's war dogs could have fumished protection in
very short order.
On January 25 the "Maine," in command of
Captain Sigsbee, entered the harbor of Havana. Her
arrival had been announced and she was assigned by
the Spanish port officials to position. The officere of

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. 0. 77
the "Maine" were given a reception on shore and every
one seemed to be pleased that the vessel had come.
It should be stated here also that the presence of the
"Maine" had nothing whatever to do -with the situa
tion as to peace or war, as the visit was a friendly one
and was so regarded by the Spanish officials both at
Havana and at Madrid.
Senor De Lome, the representative of the Spanish
government at Washington, about this time committed
a grave offense by rather -vigorously criticising the
people of the United States in general and the presi
dent in particular for the attitude taken toward his
government and her interests in a letter whioh was
afterwards published. As soon as the contents be
came known. Minister De Lome was told in so many
words that he would have to "git" and he "got." The
letter was published on February 9 and in a few days
afterward Spanish affaire were in the hands of a
"charge d'affaires," and remained so until March 12,
when Senor Polo y Bamabe arrived to succeed De
Lome. On the morning of February 15 the daily press
came out with the most startUng bit of information
that had been published at any time since the great
Civil War had closed. Tlie "Maine," one of the most
valuable vessels in the United States navy, had been
blown to atoms the night before while lying at anchor
in the position to which she had been assigned by
Spanish port officials at Havana a few weeks before.
Not only was the great vessel totally destroyed, but
two hundred and fifty-one American seamen lost their

78 TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
lives and ninety-nine othera were injured. The whole
country was now thoroughly aroused, and it was nO'
longer a question of "war or no war," but "when will
it come?" Considering the feeUng the people of
the two nations had had for each other no one doubted
but that the explosion was a result of Spanish treach
ery and the Spanish were accused on every hand of
having purposely pUoted the "Maine" to a position
over a submarine mine. On the I7th a commission of
four prominent naval officere were appointed by the
president to investigate the explosion and the causes,
and they at once took up the work. On the following
day the "Viscaya," a formidable Spanish war vessel,
made her appearance, also on a friendly -visit, in the
harbor of New York.
It was feared by many that some over indignant
American would seek revenge for the loss of the
"Maine" and commit some rash act, but tiie "Viscaya"
was not molested in any way during her stay in
American waters. On the day following the arrival
of the "Viscaya" the Spanish government asked that
the investigation of the "Maine" affair be carried on
by a commission made up of representatives of both
governments, but the proposition was not favorably
considered. While the investigation was being carried on
ther© was a general clamor for war among the masses.
Cooler heads ad-vised more deliberation and the presi
dent asked that public opinion be suspended until the
report of the examining board should be filed. It now
became an absolute certainty that if the examiners-

TBE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 79
found that the explosion of the "Maine" had been
clearly an act of Spanish treachery, war could not
possibly be averted. Preparations for the inevitable
were instituted and the homes of the army and na-vy
-departments changed from the usual scene of quiet and
serenity they had presented for the last thirty yeara
to scenes of busy acti-vity.
While the country was awaiting with almost
breathless suspense the action and report of the board
•of naval examinera, congress, on March 8, appropriated
$50,000,000 to be used for purposes of defense, and
of couree, if necessary, for carrying on the war which
was rapidly forcing itself. On the next day -this ac
tion was concurred in by the senate and preparations
were more vigorously pursued. On March 21 the
naval examinere finished their labors and completed
their report, which was firet re-viewed by the presi
dent and his cabinet, and on March 28 presented to
•congress. On April 1st congress passed the Naval
Appropriations bill and the condition of the country
soon presented a more war-like aspect. On the 20th
¦of the same month an ultimatum was cabled to Spain,
announcing that the patience of the United States had
been too severely tested and that Spain would have to
relinquish her claims on Cuba or fight. Three days
were given the Spanish for a reply and it was under-
rstood that if at noon on the 23rd Spain continued to
push her campaign in Cuba, war would be formally
declared. When the ultimatum reached Spain the
United States minister to that country. General
Woodford, was informed by Spain that diplomatic

80 TBE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G.
relations with the United States had ceased and he
was given his pass ports. General Woodford left his
papere and business -with the British minister ahd left
for France at once.
On April 23 the president issued the following
appeal for volunteers :
A PROCLAMATION.
"Whereas, By a joint resolution of congress, ap
proved on the 20th day of April, 1898, entitled, 'Joint
Eesolution for the Independence of the People of
Cuba,' demanding that the government of Spain re
linquish its authority and government in the island of
Cuba, and withdraw its land and naval forces from
Cuba and Cuban watere, and directing the president of
the United States to use the land and naval forces of the
United States to carry this resolution into effect; and
"Whereas, By an act of congress entitled 'An Act
to Pro-vide for Temporarily Increasing the Military
Establishment of the United States in Time of War
and for Other Purposes,' approved April 22, 1898,
the president is authorized, in order to raise a volun
teer army, to issue this proclamation calling for volun-
teere to serve in the army of the United States:
"Now therefore I, William McKinley, president
of the United States, by virtue of power vested in me
by the Constitution and the laws and deeming suf
ficient occasion to exist, have thought fit to call forth
volunteers to the aggregate number of 125,000 in
order to carry into effect the purpose of the said resolu
tion; the same to be apportioned as far as practicable.

THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 81
among the several states and territories and the District
of Columbia, according to population, and to serve for
two years unless sooner discharged. The details for
this object ^vUl be immediately communicated to the
proper authorities through the War Department.
"In -witness whereof, I have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the United States to be
affixed. "Done at the City of Washington this twenty-
third day of April, A. D. 1898, and of the inde
pendence of the United States, the one hundred and
twenty-second.
"WILLIAM M'KINLEY.
"By the President: "JOHN SHEEMAN,
"Secretary of State."
On the same day there was presented to congress
a measure for the purpose of raising funds for carry
ing on the war. On the next day, April 25, the presi
dent sent a message to congress asking that a declara
tion of war be made against the kingdom of Spain.
Congress promptly took the action recommended and
proclaimed "that war be and the same is hereby de
clared to exist, and that war has existed since the 21st
day of April, 1898, including said day, between the
United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain."
Now that war existed and was an established fact,
the people began to prepare themselves for the woret.
The armies and na"vies of both nations were ready
and waiting for the word to begin the struggle and only
two days after the proclamation had been mad© thf

82 TBE FOURTEENTH, O. N. G.
firat action of the war occurred, on April 27, when
several American gun boats fired on and silenced the
forts at Matanzas in Ctiba. On the same after
noon Commodore Dewey sailed from Mirs Bay to
Manila. He was not heard of from that on until
May 1st, when he had entered the bay of Manila, de
stroyed eleven Spanish vessels, killed 700 men, in
cluding two commanders, and "virtually "captured an
©mpire," all without the loss of a man or ship and
sustaining an injury of but six men wounded.
The news of the great "victory was flashed across
the globe and the whole world began to sound the
praises of American seamen. They had already
showed that the foe before them was less than a
handful. As soon as the proclamation calling for volun
teers was issued, the various states began to figure on
th© apportionmont they would receive, each state
anxious to furnish as many men and as much money
as would be needed.
Ohio came to the front in her effort to furnish
soldiers and money in the same energetic manner
which had characterized her history in aU of the previ
ous wars. The general assembly was in session at the
time and authority was at once issued for the sale of a
mUlion dollars worth of bonds to be used for war
purposes. The quota of troops apportioned to Ohio
was 7752 on the firat call and 3917 on the second, but
this did not permit the enlistment of all the regiments,
so the authorities at the national capital were induced
to increase the apportionment to about 1500 more.

THE FOURTEENTB, 0. N. G. 83
This included one regiment of cavalry, on© of artUlery
and eight regiments and one battaUon (colored) of
infantry. Each regiment was anxious to get to the front
firat. They were also very anxious to preserve their
National Guard organizations in the volunteer service.
Their experiences in other services had learned them
that their officers were able to take full control, and
if they were to engage in any active services, as all
firmly beUeved they would be, they wanted to be led
to victory by the same officers who had commanded
them in their previous drills and toura of duty.
The officere of the regiment met at the Columbus
Auditorium and for a time it looked as though the
regiment would have to go intact or stay at home, but
it was finaUy agreed that they offer their services to be
accepted in just such shape as the government saw fit
to use them. The War Department agreed to take
the regiments as they were then organized, and accord
ingly the companies began to get ready for the call.
The regiment was not quite full, but recruits were
soon enlisted, one whole company (F) ha"ving been
enlisted and organized in a few days by Captain
Harry M. Taylor, who afterwards became one of the
assistant surgeons of the regiment. The companies
of the regiment were stationed as follo"ws: A, B, C
and F at Columbus; D at Marysville; E at Washington
Court House; G at Marion; H at Portsmouth; I at
Lancaster; K at Delaware; L at Mt. Vemon; M at
Circle"ville.' These companies were ordered to a^em-
ble at the Armory at Columbus, which they did as
soon as practicable.

84 THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. O.
The Columbus companies assembled on Monday,
April 24, and the next day the other companies came
under arms and ready to go to any part of the world
if necessary. The Auditorium at Columbus was a
splendid place for the accommodation of so many sol
diers. There was plenty of floor space for the men to
sleep and apartments for the storing and distribution
of subsistence. Goodale park, with its grass plots and
shade trees was an excellent parade ground, and as soon
as the companies arrived all the routine of camp life
was adopted. Dress parade was the order of each
evening in the park, and throughout aU the day the
recruits were drilled either on the floor of the Au
ditorium or in the streets and the park.
This part of the city soon became a popular re
sort for all Columbus. Crowds flocked in to see the
boys and when the time for dress parade came, the
park was filled with -visitors.
At the same time the Fourteenth was ordered to
assemble, the other regiments of the state received
similar ordere. It was e-vident, of course, that the
state troops would have to be together, so the entire
guard was ordered to mobilize at Columbus. Other
cities came forward with claims for the honor and to
offer inducements for the state authorities to acknowl
edge their claims, but this was no time to distribute
honors, and the capital being the most centrally lo
cated of all the Ohio cities, was at once selected.
There was not room anywhere in th© city to
quarter all the troops in houses, so it became necessary
to select a place for an encampment. After con
siderable looking around, BuUit park was chosen.

THE FOURTEENTH, 0. N. G. 85
This park was an idoal place for such use, cover
ing as it did several hundred acres, and situated near
Alumn creek, which, it was supposed, would furnish
an abunant supply of water for cooking and bathing.
This proved not to be the case, however, but water
was soon piped from the city water mains to the camp
and there was at no time any danger of a water famine.
The signal corps of the Fourteenth Eegiment was
sent out to the grounds and the park was divided into
regimental camps. Each regiment was allotted a cer
tain space, with arrangements for regimental and
company streets, and the location of the various head
quarters was also marked. The whole was named
"Camp Bushnell," in honor of Hon. Asa S. Bushnell,
then governor of the state.
Although this work was carried on as rapidly as
possible, it could not be finished for the accommoda
tion of the troops before the 28th. In the meantime
the soldiere at the Auditorium were becoming tired.
The floor was dry, but it was a hard place for a bed;
the town was very convenient, but there were guards
to prevent them from enjoying any of the advantages
it offered ; the park was a pleasant place, but they were
not permitted to lie in the shade of the stately trees
or to pluck the buds from the fragrant plants. It was
a constant drill from moming to night and the men
could hardly wait for the time to leave the place.
How glad they were to return to the Auditorium and
how different were the circumstances surrounding
their return will be seen later on.

THE FOURTH 0. T. I.

CHAPTEE VI.

THE FOURTEENTH-FOURTH.
The March to Camp Bushnell— Camp Life— Changes in
Company Organization — Drills and Parades — Gro-wth of
the Camp — Change of Name — Signal Corps Dropped —
The Regimental Band — Bad -Weather — Rumors — Order
to Leave — Parting Scenes — Camp Bushnell Left Be
hind — The March to the Depot — Scenes Along the
March— At the Depot— Columbus Left Behind — Arrival
at Chattanooga.
The 28th of April was hailed with delight by
every man in the regiment. Life in the Auditorium,
while it was by no means an uncomfortable place to
live, was not that of the typical soldier. The boys
wanted to be out of doors. They wanted to live in
tents, to sleep on the ground, and in fact to do and Uve
as soldiers. They did not want to play soldier in any
sense of the word, but it was the height of their am
bition to be soldiers, and if a veritable Valley Forge
were necessary to the change they were perfectly
willing to receive it. Anything bearing real sem
blance to active military existence was preferred to
sleeping on the floor of the Auditorium or turning
out for dress parade in the adjoining park.
Finally when all the preliminaries had been ar
ranged "assembly" was sounded and thecompanies were
formed in the spacious hall. As soon as all was ready,
they were each marched to Park street and the regi
ment was formed for the march to camp. There was

THE FOURTH O. 7. /. 87
no escort and no attempt at parade had been made
either by those in the regiment or by the citizens of
Columbus. Even the daily papera, crowded as they
were -with telegraph news from Washington and the
seat of the war, said little of the trip to BuUit park,
but the streets were lined with enthusiastic citizens
who crowded out to see the boys "go to war" and to
cheer them on the way.
The old regimental band started the boys off to
th© tun© of "Marching Through Georgia," and the line
of march was the nearest route to the new camp:
From Park street south to Goodale, east to High street,
south to Broad street and east to th© camp on the north
side of the street and perhaps a half mile away
from it.
The position assigned to the regiment was at the
extreme southwestern comer of the entire camp.
When the Fourteenth reached the ground assigned to
it, however, there was no camp there. None of the
state troops had yet reported and no tents had yet been
pitched on the park. The day was warm and under
the rays of the bright spring sun, the "soldierines" aa
they sometimes called themselves, began to realize
that the life of the soldier is attended -with some labor.
They had been cheered to the echo all along the line
of march, but that did not keep the sun from burning
their soft white faces nor did it fan their sweated brows,
but -without dinner and without sympathy they car
ried tents and tent floora with all the might and main
of veterans and by the middle of the aftemoon, what
had that moming been a vacant field gave aU the ap-

88 THE FOURTH 0, V. I.
pearance of a military camp. Supper was soon pre
pared and before night comfortable quartera had been
made up for everybody in the regiment.
The exertion of the day and the exhilarating effect
of the vernal evening had a tendency to induce sleep,
so all retired early. Not -without firet liberally patron
izing th© sutler who had laid in a large supply of fresh
pies and cakes and placed them on sale in a tent on the
lot adjoining the camp. The first night at Camp
Bushnell was more fully and mor© univereally enjoyed
perhaps than any other night in the six months in
which the regiment was in the field.
The Fourteenth was not long to be the only regi
ment at the camp. Soon the regiments from different
parts of the state began to com© in and -within a few
days two brigades had been fully organized -with Major
General Axline in command. He established his
headquarters on East Broad street at a central location
as to the general camp. Two brigades had been or
ganized, the first under Colonel Hunt, of the First
Eegiment, and the second under command of Colonel
Cto'it, of the Fourteenth. Colonel Ooit's regiment was
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Adams, who had
already established the reputation of being one of the
best disciplinarians in the state.
Colonel Adams began at once to exert his in
fluence over the regiment and the work of drilling
was begun where it had been left off at Goodale park,
but it was begun in far more earnest. T-wice each
day the companies were taken to a field at the north
side of the camp and there put through the school of

THE FOURTH 0. Y. I. 89
the soldier, of the squad, the company and the bat
talion. As soon as the recruits had learned the "right
shoulder" and "fours right," "extended order" drills
were begun and many was the charge that was made
against an imaginary foe on the banks of now historic
Alum Creek. Parade at retreat soon made the camp
a popular resort not only to those who had friends or
relatives at the camp, but to all Columbus. On the
firet Sunday the camp was in existence the railroads
arranged for excursions to Columbus and all day the
street railway leading to the camp, all the hacks, om
nibuses and even transfer wagons were busy carrying
visitors to and from the camp. The newspapera took
a great interest in the boys and established branch of
fices near General Axline's headquarters. This in
terest kept up as long as there were any troops at the
park. While the drills were going on, and while the
men improved in their knowledge of military tactics,
other changes were being made. Sergeants and cor
porals had dropped out for various reasons, othera
proved incompetent in the field and were reduced so
that every private in the regiment who had any am
bition to become great, aspired to the chevrons. Many
a disappointment was suffered during those hours and
many a good "non-com" received his chevrons.
This state of affairs existed for twelve days.
During that time, however, the boys had been given
an idea of every imaginable kind of weather known to
a continental climate from summer to winter, to say
nothing of the pouring rains which made the camp a

90 THE FOURTH 0. Y. I.
veritable pond and the boys who existed in it water
soaked heroes. They had wanted all that goes -with
the life of a soldier and with a few exceptions they
received all they had bargained for. All that was
lacking was hardtack and the presence of an armed
enemy. Within a week after the regiment had taken its
position in Camp Bushnell C&ptain Eockefellar, of
the United States army, had arrived to muster the
militiamen into the volunteer service of the United
States. It was decided that the Fourteenth Eegiment
should become the "Fourth" in the federal service, the
Sixteenth the "Sixth" and th© Seventeenth the
"Seventh." The First, Second and Third regiments
were mustered and then came the Fourth on May
ninth. First Ctolonel Coit and his staff and noncom
missioned staff took the oath which made them volun
teer soldiers. Then the twelve companies in order of
the rank of their captains marched to the headquar
ters of the mustering officer, near general headquar
ters and all those who had successfully borne the phy
sical examination required by the government, were
sworn in.
As has been stated elsewhere, it had been de
cided that the regiment would be received into the
service as it had been organized in the National Guard,
but trouble arose as to the Hospital and Signal corps.
Lieutenant Miller, who had made the Signal corps al
most a perfect organization of its land, was not mus
tered into the service and the men he had trained so
well, although they were telegraph operatore and ci-vil

THE FOURTH 0. 7, I, 91
engineere, had to enlist as privates in the various com
panies or remain out of the service. Most of them
chose the former and Lieutenant Miller was afterwards
given a commission in the U. S. Volunteer service.
The physicians, one major surgeon and two assistant
surgeons. Major Seamans, of Delaware, and Captains
Wright, of Circle-ville, and Taylor, of Columbus,
were mustered in but no pro-vision was made for the
Hospital corps as it had existed in the miUtia service.
The greater number of the members, however, enlisted
as members of companies under the promise that they
would be detailed to the hospital, but later in the ser-
-vice they were detached from the regiment and some.
of them did not return to the regiment until long after
the command had been returned to the United States.
Several of them were fortunate in this, however, as
they afterwards received the rank of hospital steward
and commissary sergeant, something that would hardly
hr.ve happened had they been allowed to remain with
the regiment, from the fact that no vacancies occurred.
3Iore -will be said of these thoroughly patriotic and
J atient young men later on.
In the struggle for recognition as an organization
the band came in for its share of trouble also. Many
of the men who had been members of the old regi
mental band in the National Guard felt unable to leave
their families and other interests for th© componsation
offered by the government to private soldiere and
while Bandmaster Jesse Worthington and Principal
Musician Charles Eulo had been mustered into the
federal service as membere of the noncommissioned

92 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
staff, no special provision was made for music except
the two trumpetere allowed to each company. Many
plans were discussed and many were the offers that
were made, but the only way to get a band was for the
musicians of the old band to enlist as privates and ef
fect the musical organization afterwards. It was
agreed that all the other men of the regiment would
pay two per cent, of their wages to the band. With
the exception of the adjustment of a few complica
tions, this arrangement continued until the regiment
was mustered out of the service.
This state of living in an alternate state of
fear and hope lasted for several days when the
peace of the boys began to be perturbed by ru-
more of ordere to leave. Dewey had given the
Dons the first defeat in his memorable accomplish
ment at Manila and everybody was singing the praise
of the great naval commander and his brave jacktars.
One minute it would be thoroughly underetood that
the regiment would go at once to Tampa, Florida, and
there embark for Cuba and then plans had changed
and the Ohio troops would be sent to Washington to
protect the capital against a possible attack which the
Spaniards were said to be contemplating. The next
minute some one would get from a "reliable source"
that something else would be done and thus between
tormenting the guards on duty around the camp of
the Eighth Eegiment and hearing of "ware and rumora
of ware"- — especially the rumora — the men lived in a
state of anxiety until Saturday, May 14, when Colonel
Coit received definite ordere to report at Camp George

THE FOURTH 0. V. ]. 93
H. Thomas, at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, about
ten miles south of the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The night of the fourteenth was an unusually
bad one. The rains had fallen in torrents, the com
pany streets were little more than ditches and the
tents were little more than pools of water. The tent-
age had seen too much service and as they were not in
tended to be used in anything but fair weather, the
boys suffered more than a little on account of the leaky
canvas. Ordera for the night were merely nominal so far
as the passing of men in and out of the guard lines was
concerned. Passes were granted, ©sp©ciaUy to the Co
lumbus men and most of them spent their last night
in Ohio as they thought, and which indeed was to some
of them, -with their families at home. Those from the
other towns wer© granted permission to go to their
homes in cases where it was possible to return to camp
before the time set for mo-ving and those who could
not get away were made as comfortable as possible.
The moming of the fifteenth dawned bright and
fair. The sun broke through the thick clouds and
scattered them away as though a special effort were
being made to cheer the men in the hour of parting
-with friends and loved ones. The camp of the Fourth
was the scene of hurry and bustle everywhere. Friends
came out from Columbus and from the other cities to
see the boys before they had made all arrangements
for packing and to take a final handshake before the
regiment was formed. Baskets and boxes filled tb
their utmost with the good things of life were carried

94 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
in, but in many cases it was disposed of before the
tents were torn down.
Finally the order came to get ready and then
there was a fiurry. Officers and their assistants, the
"non-coms," were busy giving ordera and the men
were kept on the run obeying them. DetaUs were
made for this and for that so that the boys had not a
minute which they oould safely call their own. The
baggage was loaded on wagons and the tents were torn
down and in less time than is required to read this
meager account, the camp of the Fourth Ohio was
known no more to Camp BushneU.
As soon as everything could be gotten in shape,
"assembly" was sounded and the regiment was formed
on the ground where it had been paraded each day
when the weather would permit. It was a little muddy,
of course, but the sun continued to shine brightly and
little inconvenience was suffered by anyone. Th©
Eighth Ohio, which had been part of the second bri
gade under Colonel Coit, acted as escort as far as the
limits of the camp and there the regiment was taken
charge of by all the military and ci-vic societies of the
city of Cblumbus.
A mass of people lined the route of march from
the camp along Broad and High streets to the depot.
Flags and bunting stretched over the streets, bannera
strung from every house and everything took on a
gala appearance in honor of the departure for the
front of the "pride of Central Ohio." Bands of music
heralded the approach of the Fourth and at every
point along the line of march, men women and chil-

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 95
dren cheered, shouted and wept as they saw the boys
marching steadUy down the street, no one knew to
where, how many would return or what trials would
be endured before any of the faces passing before them
would be seen again.
It was the greatest day the city of Columbus
had ever seen. Whistles all over the city screamed out
the news that the regiment was leaving; bells from
the churches, shops and engine houses rang out their
musical peals of farewell; cannon boomed their sonor
ous but significant salutes, but all this turmoU could
not suppress the sobs that persistently rose to the
breast of the soldier as he recognized through the
mass of humanity the -wife, the mother or the sweet
heart he was lea-ving behind, perhaps forever. Strong
men wept as they saw their sons march from their
sight, li-ving sacrifices to a noble cause; children cried
out -with pain as they saw their fathers disappear in
the distance, going, they knew not where or why;
mothers hid their eyes as they saw the pride of their
lives among the masses marching proudly do-wn the
street -with a musket on his shoulder. The only happy
face to be seen anywhere was that of the Usping babe,
too tender to realize the a-wfulness of the scene being
enacted before its innocent eyes.
When the regiment reached the Broad Street
Methodist church, the voice of the colonel rang out
above the din and the command "halt" was repeated
do-wn the line. The noises seemed to cease for the
time being and there in the open air, beneath the rays
of the bright spring sun. Bishop Joyce, of the Metho-

96 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
dist church, asked that the blessing of the Heavenly
Father rest upon the men and officera of the regiment
wherever duty called them. How nearly that prayer
was answered, it is the purpose of the foUo-wing pages
to relate. Governor Bushnell had taken place on the box
of a coupe near the corner of Broad and High streets
to review the regiment as it passed by. Tears rolled
down his cheeks as h© saw the boys pass down the
street to go out tO' represent the state at the front, and
it may be said here that as long as the regiment was
out of the limits of its native state or when it returned,
flushed with -victory, it had no better friend than he
who stood there to give the boys a sad farewell.
Finally working its way through the dense crowd
of people, the regiment arrived at the depot and there
boarded a train divided into three sections, bound for
Chickamauga Park. It was then aftemoon and sad as
the parting had been the boys were glad to throw
themselves down on the car seats to rest. They had
gone without dinner and the boxes which loving hands
had filled with good things to eat were soon opened
only to see the contents disappear as if by magic. The
train soon left, however, amid the same patriotic dem
onstration which had marked the march through the
streets of the city and when the -view of the capital
faded away the men reluctantly stretched themselves
out on the soft seats to give up their thoughts to the
scenes they had just witnessed and to the future.
The trip through th© picturesque hills of Ken
tucky was mostly after night, but the moming brought

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 97
with it a sight of historic old Lookout mountain and
the boys breakfasted within the city Umits of Chat
tanooga, Tennessee. Considerable time was spent
here before th© trip could be resumed, but before noon
all was arranged and the regiment was soon bounding
across the hills to the national park.

98 THE FOURTH 0.

CHAPTEE VII.

CAMP GEORGE H. THOMAS.
The Ride to Chickamauga Park— From Lytle to the Camp-
Early Experiences — The Regiment Assigned — Hard
Tack and Bacon— A Military Training School— Facts
About Lytle — Regimental "Canteens" — ^Amusement-
Facts About the Camp — Some of Its Advantages — Vis
itors from Home and from Abroad — Evening Parades —
Cakes, Pies and S-weetmeats — Religious Services — Re-
connoitering Expeditions — A Sham Battle — Setting up
and Breaking Camps — Sink Details — Rumors and Or
ders — Good Ne-ws at Last.
There was but one railroad leading to the camp
ing place. Trains stopped to discharge passengers for
the park at a small station called Lytle. There was a
small depot and two dwellings at the station when the
regiment arrived there and the only business houses
were a grocery where the postoffice was located and
several frame structures where enterprising Chatta
nooga restauranteurs had started branches. The gov
ernment had constructed a board platform for the
unloading of horses and mules and near the platform
was the government coral where were penned hun
dreds of the longeared "soldiera" waiting to be dis
tributed to the volunteer regiments which soon began
to mobilize at the park. The corral in itself was a
great sight as well as the surrounding scenery, where,
nearly half a century before, had been fought one of
the greatest battles in history.
As soon a!B the unloading was completed the reg
iment was formed and marched for the position to b©

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 99
occupied in the great camp which was daUy becoming
greater. Several regiments of regular troops had been
encamped there before, but they had all been taken
further south. There were several regiments of vol
unteer troops ahead of the Fourth, but it was among
the very firat to reach the great rendezvous.
Marching across the red clay hills of Chicka
mauga field the regiment presented a brilUant sight.
The colore spread proudly before the gentle southern
breeze, the band played the same stirring tunes to
which two armies had marched out to meet each other
on the field of battle long years before, and the boys
marched away with the steady tread that becomes
worthy sons of noble sires.
Although the train bearing the Ohio troops
reached Lytle about ten o'clock in the moming, the
spot selected for camp was not reached until late in
the aftemoon. The camp was laid out in due form and by the
time the boys had prepared their future homes, it was
time for them to put the hastily prepared couches to
ser-vice. Ther© were no folding beds, no springs and
no place to put these or other comforts if they could
have been secured. The boys wrapped themselves up
in their blankets and lay down on the bosom of mother
earth to dream of home and loved ones. The firat
night was greatly enjoyed even if the lizards did in
sist on intruding upon the peace of the tire-wom sol
dier. It was not long before the boys learned that the
Uzards were harmless and that mosquito bites were not
dangerous.

100 THE FOURTH 0. V. I.
The next moming the boys learned that they
were a part of the second brigade of the firat division
of the firat corps of the Army of the Gulf, the military
di-vision of the United States, of which General
Brooke had been commander with headquarters at
Atlanta. It was but a few days until the rest of the
second brigade came in and took position on either
side of the Fourth, the Third Illinois at the west and
the Fourth Pennsylvania at the east. These three
regiments were together and Uved as peaceable neigh
bore until the close of the war.
There was Uttle interest to the camp at Chicka
mauga Park except its magnitude. There were sol
diere there from almost every part of the United
States, north, south, east and west. There was no di
vision as to the existence of sympathies in former wara
— all were Americans.
One of the first novelties introduced to the boys
was part of the firat ration. It was the old fashioned
hardtack. They had read of that feature of military
life in both prose and verae. They had heard it
praised and cursed, lauded to the skies and carried
down into the blackest recesses of the great beyond,
but few of them had ever "broken bread when it was
hardtack." Of couree the hardtack did not come
alone. Troubles never do come singly, and when the
regular old fashioned army bacon, "sow belly," as it
was called by the majority or "pig stomach," as it
was known by the less -vulgar class, came, the boys
realized that their troubles had actually begun. These
two evils were well received as long as they -were nov-

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. lOl
elties, but for some reason not explained in the armj
regulations, soldiers become tired of this menu if it is
served three times each day and for seven days in each
week. In defense of hardtack it must be said, however,
that for troops in the field, it is the best possible sub
stitute for bread that could be secured. It can be eaten
"raw" or just as it comes from the bakery, it can be
soaked in water and broiled, it can be broken to pieces
and moistened in coffee, or it can form part of a mess
made of beans, hardtack and other things, which,
when ready to serve, bears a name, that when applied
by one person to another precipitates a fight.
This was the only Mnd of bread that could be
procured for a while but the government soon estab
lished a mammoth bakery at Lytle and fresh bread
was served to all of the regiments each day. Potatoes,
fresh meat, vegetables and sugar came from the com
missary department, while the markets of Chattanooga
and vicinity fumished milk, fruit and other pro-visions.
Camp Thomas was designed to be nothing more
nor less than a military training school on a large
basis. The men were drilled from moming to night.
They were trained in the manual of arms, in all the
evolutions known to military science, and they were
educated in th© performance of guard duty. In fact,
they were taught all that it is necessary for the typical
American soldier to know.
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
was applied in a way at the camp. There were amuse
ments of various kinds, and tO' a limited extent the

102 THE FOURTH 0, 7. I.
men were permitted to enjoy them. Lytle, the station
at the railroad, grew in a phenomenally short period of
time from the Uttle hamlet described, to a very metro
politan but temporary little city. There were all sorts
of business enterprises represented, newspaper branch
offices, telegraph and ec^ress companies, military sup
ply stores, photographera, hotels and restaurants,
gambling dens and all the catch-penny schemes known
to the fakir's art. In the midst of the camp a theatre
had been constructed but it never met with marked
success. The greater number of the regiments had
"canteens" or restaurants, the profits of which were
set apart for the benefit of the regiment at large. In
the oase of the Fourth Ohio, the proceeds of the sale
of canned goods, refreshments, etc., were used to pay
the obligation offered the band when the regiment was
at Camp Bushnell.
One of the most interesting forms of amusement
was the collecting of relics of the Civil war. It -will
be remembered that the soldiers of General Brooke
were not the first to occupy positions on the field of
Chickamauga, but that those hills had been stained
by the blood of one of the most terrible battles re
corded in the pages of history. In every part of the
park could be picked up parts of rifles, bayonets, pieces
of shell, bullets, canon balls, swords, ordnance suppUes
of all kinds and even human bones. The trees them
selves bore evidence of the fierce struggle between the
forces of the north and the south and the rocks and
decayed logs gave mute testimony of the terrible trag
edy which had been played on this scene less than a
half century before.

THE FOURTH 0. V. I. 103
Some of the members of the Fourth Ohio had
been on this very field and to them the work of time
and the hand of man was unable to change the ap
pearance of the hills and the surrounding oountry.
They would often pick out the positions of their reg
iments in the great battle and relate the experiences
of that fight to their younger comrades, partly for
their amusement and instruction and partiy to get
them familiar with the scenes and duties of the bat
tlefield. Chickamauga Park had more than one advan
tage over almoet any other place in the country for
such a camp. There was not only a good water supply,
plenty of fresh air, parade and camp grounds, market
f aciUties, convenience to the sea board, a climate prac
tically semi-tropical at that season of the year, but the
very position of the park, the surrounding country and
the history of the place had a smack of war which was
absolutely wholesome for the young men who were
training for the battlefield.
Th© concentration of so many troops and the
congregation of so many pereons had a marked effect
on the general intellectual welfare of the soldiere, for
here they were able to meet and exchange ideas on
subjects whioh have since proved valuable to them as
citizens as well as soldiers. One of the effects of this
camp on the soldiere there and in fact of the war and
the people of the United States generally, was the re
moval of the old prejudices of the Civil War. Stand
ing here as they did, shoulder to shoulder, preparing
to fight under one flag and for one country, the union

104 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
of men from every part of the country, but from the
two great sections especially, removed more perman
ently than any other cause could have done the iU-
feeUng which had once precipitated a long and bloody
oi-vil war and which had ever since had the effect of
keeping the people of these sections at more than a
brotherly distance apart.
The camp was -visited by the friends of the sol
diere there and by foreign soldiere who had come there
to study American ideas of warfare. Even China had
sent one of her brightest intellectual lights to leam
something of the art of war from the young but sub
stantial America. English, German, French and
Eussian experts pronounced the camp perfect in every
particular as to natural appointments, but after the
camp was abandoned many defects were pointed out
as to the general management of the camp.
The occasion of a visit from friends at home was
the source of great pleasure to the boys. These -visits
were not restricted in any manner, but the camp was
open to all at any time. Excursions were run to the
park from almost every to-wn which was represented
there and the camp was usually crowded on Sundays.
The people of Chattanooga and Atlanta flocked to the
park in the evening to -witness the evening parades and
it is very pleasing indeed to note that the Fourth Ohio
drew as much, if not more, attention than any other
regiment on the field. The regiment had been so weU
drilled and so thoroughly disciplined while a National
Guard organization that the parade ceremony of the
regiment was as nearly perfect as it was possible for a

PAMP LOGAN, 1892.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 105
single body of men to make it. There were very few
occasions, indeed, when the Fourth Ohio did not en
tertain a host of admirere at "retreat."
One of the disadvantages, not from a soldier's
point of -view, however, was the absence of the things
which mak© th© epicure happy. Mothers, sisters and
sweethearts did all they could to gladden the hearts of
their loved ones at the park, but their efforts in this
Une were entirely fruitless, for as fast as the express
wagons would deliver the loads of boxes of pies, cakes
and pastry, the regimental surgeons would dump it
into a sink dug for the purpose. The practice of this
apparent "cruelty," hard as it seemed at the time to
the boys, was the means of not only preserving the
health and efficiency of the regiment, but undoubtedly
sf ved lives. Plain bacon and beans is a very coaree
diet to be sure, but the addition of desserts promiscu
ously selected is not conducive to the best results of a
military camp, and this was one of the lessons which
the Chickamauga training school taught its pupils.
There were many attractions at Chattanooga also,
but it was the policy of the higher officials to discour
age trips to the city as much as possible. Military
regulations are so fixed that when an officer of high
rank desires the men in his command to do a certain
thing, that thing is usually done, or some one receives
an opportunity to explain why it is not done. The
men of the Fourth soon learned this and at no time
was there any trouble in the regiment on account of
the disobedience of these orders.
Each Sunday was made the day it should have
been. A branch of the Young Men's Christian As-

106 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
sociation erected a canvas tabernacle at which services
were held at stated times during the week and also on
each Sunday. Some of the most noted evangelists in
the country came to the park to hold religious services
and they were the means of accomplishing much good.
Chaplain Shindel also conducted di-vine ser-vices each
Sunday, and owing to the efforts of Captain Joseph J.
Walsh, of Company A, the professors of the CathoUo
faith were permitted to attend services in Chatta
nooga. Thus it -will be seen that the moral welfare
of the soldiere was not overlooked by the officers of the
regiment or by the public.
As soon as the men became efficient in the ordin
ary drills, their education in warfare was broadened by
long marches. The regiment, or sometimes only bat
talions and even companies were' formed and often
started out on various sorts of expeditions. At one
time the First BattaUon was given sealed ordere and a
day's rations and told to pack up and go to McFarland's
gap to see how many men could be forced through it
in a given length of time under certain circumstances.
They were instructed to ascertain the best route to the
gap and also other routes, and it was made a part of
their duty to make a topographical map of the country
through which they passed. In a day or two after that
the Second Battalion was started in a different direc
tion and then the Third Battalion was given similar
ordera. Companies were taken out to be drilled in
"extended order," and often the drill was "extended"
to the furthermost parts of the park. Many an
imaginary foe was driven from its position by a terrific

TBB FOURTB 0. 7. I. 107
charge up Snodgra^ hill, one of the more elevated
points of the park.
On several occasions the whole regiment and even
the whole brigade was taken out on such expeditions.
Two divisions once formed two armies to oppose each
other in a sham battle. The men were given pro
visions and blank cartridges and the division to which
the Fourth Ohio belonged was started out to find the
other di-vision and drive it from its position. This was
fun in a way, but the battle came very near to being
more than a mere "sham."
The lines of battle were formed much as they
would have been in an enemy's country and started
through the camp. All went well until Captain
White and his company (B) started to pass through the
camp of a Pennsylvania battery. The sentry on one
of the posts thought that he should not permit the
grass to be trampled upon promiscuously in his camp
and he promptly ordered Company B to halt. The
company had not made a reputation for halting unless
so ordered by its captain and the boys of Company B
were not disposed in any way to break the record on
this occasion. Consequently they did not halt and the
Pennsylvanian called out "the guard." The guard
responded very well and so did the officer of the guard,
but Captain White ordered his company forward. It
seemed for a moment that something would happen,
and even as it was Sergeant Hunt would have been
thrust with an artillery sabre had it not been for the
plate buckle on his belt. While this was going on
Colonel Coit came up and put the officer of the Penn-

108 TBE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
sylvania guard under arrest and the company went on,
winning the first blood for the regiment in the Spanish
war. The battle must have been very interesting to the
officers who occupied a cool position at the top of the
hill, where they could see all the operations, but it was
not so pleasant for the fellows who had to move from
one point to the other under the rays of the boiling
Georgia sun. The enemy was duly discovered and
fired upon, but the officera in charge decided the battle
in favor of the defense.
The funniest part of the whole expedition oc
curred after the battle had been declared off and the
troops started back to camp. The general and his staff
were completely lost. In some way they had wan
dered out in the bushes to "reconnoiter" and before
they were aware they could not find the way back to
the line of march. The line waited some time, but no
officers appearing. Colonel Coit assumed command of
the brigade and took them back to camp.
One of the lessons in the art of war which was
thought to be among the more valuable, was the in
struction in the quickness and regularity of forming
camp. Companies at first and then battalions and the
regiment was taken out to the parade ground and ex
ercised in the setting up of shelter tents. By the
execution of given ordera it became possible, after a
few days' practice, for the Fourth Ohio to stop from
the march, stack arms, set up their tents and arrange
a regular camp in less than five minutes. Then at
the sounding of the "general," the bugle signal for

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 109
breaking camp, the regiment could be formed and
ready for marching in almost as remarkably quick
time. Had the regiment engaged in the long campaign,
which, at that time seemed more than probable, this
driU would certainly have been very valuable, but as it
was, shelter tent camps were only pitched at Newport
News on the moming of arrival there and near
Guayama on the evening of August 13. On neither
occasion was there any particular haste required and
on neither occasion did every man of the command
have his shelter tent.
No one who lived at the camp -will ever forget the
way in which the surface of Chickamauga park was
disturbed by the fatigue details. If a man did not
respond to roll call without an excuse, or if he -violated
the thousand and one other rules of camp, he was
slated for a fatigue detail. In charge of a non-com
missioned officer, the men were given picks and shovels
and put to work digging sinks. There were sinks
from four to seven feet deep for all imaginable pur
poses and many a hard day's task was required to com
plete them.
As it had been at Camp Bushnell and as it is in
all miUtary camps, there were all sorts of rumora
floated at all times. Strange to say, the further from
the probable truth the rumors were, the more believera
they had. Many of these rumors, however, were well
founded. Headquartera actually fumished material
for a large majority of them, and what part of the re
mainder the newspapera did not supply the fertile

110 TBE FOURTH 0. 7. 1.
brain of some designing soldier did. Orders came in
one day to prepare to move on the next. The prepara
tions would be made and then the order was revoked,
only to be succeeded by another order within a day or
two. It was at one time intended to send the regiment
to Cuba, and shortly before the first expedition was
started for Cuba the strength of the regiment was in
creased to 106 men to each company. Officera wer©
sent back to Ohio to do the recruiting. BattaUon
Adjutant Harry W. Krumm represented the firat bat
talion. Captain W. L. Vincent the second and Major
John L. Sellers the third. The recruits had not been
drilled into thorough soldiers when ordera came to
drop certain of them in order to reduce the strength
of the regiment, and thus it went until the expedition
to Cuba had left and Santiago had fallen.
The receipt of the news of this event was the ocr
casion of great demonstrations in Chickamauga park.
Headed by the band and the regimental colore, the
officera of the regiment called at brigade headquartera
to congratulate General Haines. After paying their
respects to the general they proceeded to the camp of
the Fourth Pennsylvania, where they were joined by
the drum corps and the officers and men of that regi
ment and a parade was formed through the Fourth
Ohio camp to the Third Illinois. Here the bands
played, the men cheered and each of the three colonels
made addresses. After all had quieted down, the
men went to their tents to drown their sorrow at not
being abl© to h©lp, in the solitude of their tents.
After the fall of Santiago, rumore came thick and
fast. Orders were likewise numerous, but the plan

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /. Ill
of issuing and immediately revoking orders was con
tinued, so that things generally were in a very un
settled condition to say the least. Finally an order
came which was never revoked. This order directed
the Second brigade to take transportation at EossvUle,
a small station between Lytle and Chattanooga, and
from there proceed through Lexington, Kentucky, to
Newport News, Virginia, where transportation would
be in waiting to take the regiment to Porto Eico under
an expedition in command of General Brooke. So
many ordere had been received and then revoked that
the men did not really believe that they would leave
the park at all, hence the order did not create a con
siderable stir. Travel rations, of which more -will be
said later on, were issued to the regiment and all th©
baggage packed and made ready to be transported.
No one was to be left behind on this expedition and
everybody was happy.

112 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

CHAPTEE VIII.

TO NE-WPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.
The March to Rossville— To Chattanooga— Delays— Thei
Trip Through Kentucky— Receptions Along the Line—
Up the Alleghenies — Peep at Piedmont Valley — "On, to
Richmond" — At Ne-wport Ne-ws — A "Pup Tent" Camp —
Reception — Dynamite Guns — Company F Becomes a
Battery — Changes of Officers — Delays and More Ru
mors — Transport "St. Paul" — Transferring Baggage-
Waiting Orders— Oft to Sea.
On the moming of July 22, the camp of the
Fourth Ohio at Chickamauga park ceased to exist.
To the music of the most stirring tunes which the
band could play, the boye bid farewell to the camp
that had been their home for sixty-seven days. The
road over which the march was made to Eoss-viUe was
probably the worst that the most of the men had
ever seen. The dust was from three to eight inches
deep and when the feet of the men struck the bottom,
the dust raised so thick that it was utterly impossible
to distinguish persons four feet away. It can well be
imagined that the men suffered terribly under these
circumstances, but the number who dropped out of
ranks was very small. Considering the dust, the con
dition of the weather and the rate at which the march
was started, the Fourth Ohio made a record in that
march of which they may well feel proud.
Thev reached the station in good' time, but it
was late before the train reached Chattanooga and

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 113
even then the delays were aUnost innumerable, 90 that
it was long after morning of the next day when the
train bearing the Fourth reached Lexington. The
route thus far had been over the "Queen and Crescent"
line, but at this point the trains were transferred to the
line of the Chesapeake and Ohio. Quite a number
of Ohio people had come as far as Lexington to take a
final farewell to the boys they loved so well, and when
the heavy-laden trains steamed out of Camp Bradley
to the cheer of the boys of the Fourth Kentucky who
were camped there, many were the eyes that were
moistened with an impulsive tear and many -were the
misgi-vings that prevailed within an heroic breast.
The route from Lexington covered the most pic
turesque section of beautiful Kentucky. The line of
the railway stretched through the heart of the blue-
grass region and then plunged into the heart of the
massive Kentucky hills as though the fate of the war
itself was actually in the hands that held the throttle.
The panarama thus stretched before the view
of the boys who were going forth to do battle,
certainly did a great part in teaching them what a
grand and beautiful country they were really fighting
for. At Ashland a large party of Portsmouth people
came down to see the boys of Company H. They
came -with well-filled baskets and the soldiers disposed
of them in regulation miUtary style.
An amusing circumstance occurred here which
served the people of Portsmouth as a lesson in the ap
propriating powers of the soldier. The train was di-

114 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
-vided into three sections, one battalion to each. Com
pany H being part of the second battalion was there
fore aboard the second section, but the Portsmouth
enthusiasts had not been apprised of that fact. Going
up to the first section a pretty Buckeye maid handed
up a large basket to one of the boys whose head hung
out of the car window and sweetly asked him to give
the basket to "my brother." "Why certainly," re
plied the gallant soldier, and reaching down, he pulled
into the car one of the handsomest "layouts" that ever
came into the -view or the stomach of a hungry in
fantryman. Another maid had a cousin for whom she
had a basket and the same hard hearted rascal agreed
to deliver that basket also, and then the third came
from a blushing lass of nineteen who simply -wished
to remember "a friend." An officer happened just
then to see what was going on and the game was
spoiled, but there were three baskets of picnic dinner
di-vided among a haH dozen Fourth Ohio soldiera be
fore the train had left Kentucky soil, and that officer
was not one of the half dozen either.
Just before dusk the train passed along the Ohio
river and the men involuntarily flocked to the west
side of the train to take a last sight of their native
state. The blue Ohio hills stretched away into the
lengthening shadows -with a grandeur they were never
known before to have possessed, and -with three lusty
cheera for the grand old Buckeye state, the train
pulled into West Virginia.
At Huntington, where the firat stop was made, a
glad surprise was made a feature of the whole trip.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 115
The history of the regiment as a National Guard o]>
ganization was kno-wn in Huntington and the people
of that town did honor to its membera by meeting
them at the station -with hot coffee and fresh sand
wiches for all. The train stopped some minutes for
the reception, which was enlivened by a band concert
and the exchange of three cheers and a "tiger" for the
Fourth Ohio by the Huntingtonians and for the same
compliment by the regiment for their West Virginia
friends. While this was going on the boys on the
train and the girls on the platform were trading roses,
fans, handkerchiefs and hair ribbons for brass buttons,
hard tack and all sorts of souvenirs.
It was dark when the train bearing the first bat
taUon left Huntington, hence there was little interest
to the trip from that on until daylight. The train
made slow progress in getting up the steep grade
during the night, some of the connections being rather
bad, so that it was necessary to make numerous stops
for repairs. Daylight found the regiment well to the
top of the hill, near Cliffton Forge.
Here the most delightful journey that could have
been enjoyed anywhere at that season of the year was
begun. The train bounded over the hills, across the
narrow valleys, through woodland and by the side of
rich pastures. It dashed by the way stations where,
as had been the case in Kentucky, the -village people
gathered to see the boys "going to war," and at some
of the littie mountain -villages, the train fairly bmshed
the bunting, flags and flowers which decorated the
buildings and trees in honor of the regiment.

116 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
The men of th© Fourth Ohio were treated on that
day to the finest views that nature ever spread upon a
landscape. On one side the hills towered up into the
very bosom of the clouds while on the other side the
deep fertile valleys spread out far below the tracks
into the distance. Passing through Staunton the
train darted through the heart of the mountain, then
curved sharply around peaks and cliffs and finally
pushed along the side of a steep bluff, where to the
right lay the beautiful Piedmont valley, clothed in
the most beautiful array which nature could bestow.
The gracefully -winding tum pike seemed to creep
companion-like with the sparkling stream, off to the
gentle south, their path leading through fields of ripen
ing grain and wa-ving com, where were nestled Uttle
groves and comfortable farm houses, snugly ensconced
in the happy scene as if placed there by the Creator to
show above all other places how truly "the heavens
declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth
His handy work."
Speeding do-wn the mountain side the train soon
reached Charlottes-ville, where it stopped long enough
for the sections to get together and for the m©n to
invest in pies and other delicacies at the near-by res
taurants. The delay was longer here than had been
intended on account of a breakdown of one of the
trucks. The repair was soon made, however, and the
journey resumed, so that as it was growing dark, the
boys found themselves wher© their fathers had tried
hard to get thirty years before — ^within the city limits
of Eiehmond. They received a very different recep-

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 117
tion, however, than their ancestors had received, for
the boys in blue were welcomed on every hand, and
although the stop at Eiehmond was very short, the
town while they were there belonged to the Fourth
Ohio. It was dark when the train left Eiehmond, so that
the scenery from that point was lost, but so much had
been enjoyed through the busy day that the boys were
glad to retire to their apartments in the tourist sleep-
era to get the third and last night's sleep as the guests
of the Chesapeake and Ohio.
The train arrived at Newport News about mid
night, but there was no attempt made to unload until
daylight. "Eeveille" was sounded earlier than usual,
however, and as soon as the boys could be summoned
out of their comfortable bunks, the regiment was
formed and marched to an assigned camping place in
a field near the outskirts of the city and on the banka
of the James river.
As soon as the camp was laid out and the work of
putting up the shelter tents, or "pup tents," as the
boys preferred to call them, was under way, details
were made to unload such baggage as was absolutely
necessary for the temporary camp. A few cooking
utensils, besides the personal baggage of the men and
officere was all that was taken off the train at that
time. Breakfast was hastily prepared, the old story
of digging sinks was completed and the men were
allowed the privilege of the James river for bathing
purposes. The salt water brought up by the tide was
exactly what the boys needed, and the dirt and dust

118 THE FOURTH 0. V. I.
that had beeu collected in the long trip from Chicka
mauga park was afterward refei*red to as a sand bar in
the stream. The shipping industry of Ne-wport News is very
interesting, and the big dry docks near the camp were
the first places -visited. There were several govern
ment vessels there and many of the boys went aboard
to see just what they really were and to leam from
personal observation if the na-vy about which they
had heard and read so much and for which they had
cheered so loudly and so often, were really all that was
represented. It is needless to say that any suspicions
that might have been entertained were hastily and
permanently removed.
While some of the men were bathing in the river
or -visiting the dry docks, others took hasty trips to
Old Point Comfort and other near-by places of inter- •
est. The novelty of this also soon wore away and the
boys were compelled to resort to the quiet of the camp
and simply wait for orders. The weather was the
hottest any of them had ever experienced and certainly
with the thermometer at one hundred in the shade
in a camp on sandy, unshaded soil where rain had not
fallen for weeks, it was not to be wondered at that
some of the men had no more energy than "the law
allowed." It was here that the first real war-like order was
received. It came to Colonel Coit, who was directed
to designate one of the companies of his regiment to
take charge of some dynamite guns that had been
placed in the hands of the brigade. Captain Potter

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 119
having had considerable experience as an artillery
officer in the Firet Ohio Light Artillery when it was a
National Guard organization, was made one of the
officers and his company (F) was made the "dynamite"
company of the brigade.
Acting Ordance Officer Firat Lieutenant Harry
Graham was assigned to the new company and Lieuten
ant Clyde Modie was assigned to A Company to fill
the vacancy made by the assignment of Lieutenant
Graham. This made the company weU equipped fol
the work they were expected to do and the boys ol
Company F soon became expert artillerymen. The
only other change in the regiment was the discharge
of Captain Pritchard of Company H. This placed the
command of the company upon Lieutenant Smith,
who retained command until after the regiment re
turned home.
The parade grounds at Newport News were hot,
si^ndy weed fields. The brigade camp was arranged
just as it hi:.d been in Camp Thomas, but there was
not room for more than one regiment at a time on the
parade ground. The regular evening dress parade
came off as usual, however, the Third Illinois taking
the field first as the ranking regiment, and the Fourth
Ohio next, which in tum was followed by the Fourth
Pennsylvania. In this way each regiment was per
mitted to watch the parade of the other two.
A delay at Ne-wport News had not been expected
by any means, and when orders were not forthcoming
to board the transports for Porto Eico, the boys began
to get uneasy. No complaints were offered th© firet

120 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
night, but when the boys found that they must lie in
their "pup tents" on Tuesday night as well, there was
considerable growling. As a matter of course the
authorities at Washington lost little sleep on this ac
count, and those who did not like the idea of staying,
staid just the same as those who did. Finally the
order came on Tuesday to load all necessary baggage
on the transport St. Paul. The Fourth Pennsylvania
was ordered to the Seneca and the City of Wash
ington and the Third Illinois to the St. Louis.
The St. Louis and the St. Paul were sister ships
and had been used before the war as pasr
senger ships on the Atlantic ocean. They had
been leased by the government, however, and they
were at this time classed as auxiliary cruisera. They
were heavily armed and protected and the St. Paul
had been placed in command of Captain Sigsbee, the
naval officer who had grown in public favor from
ha-ving been in command of the battieship Maine at the
time she was blown up in Havana harbor. The dis^
tinction of being taken away by this officer afforded the
boys considerable satisfaction.
Large details were made and placed at the hands
of Captain Vincent and several lieutenants and the
work of loading the transports was begun. The cars
were taken to the piers of the C. & O. E'y and there
loaded on barges or lightere and taken out to the
transport. In the meantime the camp on the out
skirts of the city was broken up and the regiment
marched down to the piere to wait for lightere to take
the companies out also. It was expected that the

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 12I
Ughters would be there and that the regiment would
board the St. Paul at once, but after a long and weary
wait, it was found that the men would have to sleep
on shore at least one more night. The camp broken
up, the baggage all packed, and everything in an un
settled condition, the regiment was in as unhappy
plight as it could have been on American soil. Those
who had retained their tents, put them up on th©
campus surrounding a beautiful summer casino. The
owners of the building very kindly consented to the
use of the veranda and the upper floor for the accom
modation of those who did not have shelter tents.
The arrangement was as satisfactory as it could well
have been, and -with a few exceptions, where the boys
got too near each other or where the boards of the
floor were laid "hard side up," they spent the night
as happily as the existing state of expectancy would
permit Thuraday moming did not bring with it the
encouragement the boys had expected, but another
long day of expectant waiting. Every time a whistle
blew or a boat approached, everybody strained his eyes
to see if it were the lighter. Dinner was served
and still the boat did not come, but as suddenly
as a summer shower, at 2 o'clock the regiment was
called together by the sounding of "assembly," and
when the "forward march" was commanded, the regi
ment followed the colors to the wharf, where in a few
minutes one lighter took on the whole command.
Several Columbus people had come to Newport News,
and of course they were on hand to see the regiment

122 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
"heave away." Half the city, where by their gentle
manly manner and soldierly conduct the boys had
formed many acquaintances and friends, turned out to
give the regiment a parting cheer.
The trip from the pier to the St. Paul was of little
interest. The transport could not get near the pier,
of couree, and she was anchored out in the bay near
Old Point Comfort. The baggage had been loaded
when the regiment reached the boat and the work of
boarding the monster transport took but little time.
When the regiment was all on the boys thought
it was time to go, but there was a large supply of
Kragg-Jorgensen rifles to load, so that it was not until
the next morning that the crew of the St. Paul weighed,
anchor and started on the voyage to the scene of the
conflict. The first night (Thuraday) was not given up
entirely to sleep by any means. There was too much
to see and talk about. The great vessel had to be ex
plored as a matter of couree and the seamen and
marines had to be interviewed about the thousands of
details, so that few indeed were the eyes that closed
in sleep. that night.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 123

CHAPTEE IX.

OFF TO PORTO RICO.
Sail on Friday — The Trip Through the Harbor — The St.
Paul — "Travel Rations"— "Prime Roast Beef"— Hard
Tack and CofEee* — Boston Baked Beans — Tomatoes — One
Dollar Pies — Sea Sickness — Religious Services at Sea —
Fine Weather Voyage — Warlike Preparations — ^At the
Harbor of Ponce — Cruise to Arroyo — Kragg Jorgensen
Rifles — EJnd of the Voyage — The Landing.
Friday moming came one of the brightest of the
year. The delightful sea breeze was cool, refreshing
and invigorating and the boys were happy. The long
wait at Newport News had worked their nervous
systems into such condition that anything in the way
of a change was welcome. When the beating of the
huge engines was firat felt, like the pulse of a strong
animal, the boys all flocked to the rails to watch de
velopments. Certainly they did not watch in vain,
for everything was new. The sight of the huge
vessel pushing its big nose through the light swelling
waves is a pretty sight at any time and especially to
those who had never before seen the sea. The vessel
passed on out the bay, passing Fortress Monroe and
other places of interest, finally pushing itself out of the
limits of Hampton Eoads and into the open sea.
Here her couree was set and gradually she passed out
of view of land. The boys watched the fading out
lines of houses, steeples and hills -syith an interest that
one who is lea-ving his native land can only feel, and

124 THE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
when the last trace of America died away, the boys
slowly retired to "secret places" to relieve themselves
of the many misgi-vings occasioned by the "strange
surroundings." The St. Paul could not have been made more
comfortable for troops had she been built expressly
for the purpose. The deep, roomy hold fumished
storage room for the subsistence and other supplies,
the snug, well-fitted state rooms fumished excellent
quartere for the men, and the white smooth decks
fumished splendid room for promenading. Now this
would have been exactly true if the regiment had con
sisted of six hundred men instead of thirteen hundred,
and if the subsistence referred to had been of a dif
ferent kind than that about to be described. As it was
the men were crowded. The decks were reserved for
the officers, with the insignificant exception of the
lower deck and the space "fore" and "aft," which was
devoted to the storage of quartermaster's stores and
to the quartering of two companies. What deck
room was left was devoted to the use of the companies
alternately — whose sergeants took them up to air out
their clothing and for exercise.
When the regiment left Chickamauga park
"travel rations" were issued. By travel rations was
meant at that time, "Prime Eoast Beef," "Boston
Baked Beans," "Finest Quality Tomatoes," hard tack,
coffee and sugar. This would have made an excellent
luncheon for a hungry man, provided that it came as
the menu would appear, taken from the labels as
above, and only administered once, say each week;

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 125
but when it came three times each day, seven days in
the week and for more than four weeks in succe^ion,
there was room for complaint and every available part
of the "room" was used.
"The Prime Eoast Beef" will remain in the
memory of every member of the Fourth Ohio who was
on that voyage as long as he lives. The English
language absolutely dfies not contain an expression
more deceptive than that combination. It was the
lowest grade of beef that could have been placed on
the market, packed in tin cans, and after it laid in
store rooms, freight depots and other repositories for
unknown periods of time, it was handed to the enlisted
men of the American army and they were expected to
feel happy. In many cases the stuff was spoiled, if
indeed it ever had been fit for the use of human beings,
and that which was pronounced "sound and all right"
had laid around in the sun or hot shade so long that it
was absolutely sickening to look at, to say nothing of
its use as a diet for men who were expected to perform
the hardest kind of physical labor.
"Boston Baked Beans" — the name itself is sug
gestive as a delicate morsel, but when it comes to a
hungry man in tin cans after ha-ving laid days, weeks
and months where ice was not known, it did not appear
as a strengthening food or as a tempting -viand. The
beans, too, were often spoiled and disgusting even to
think of, and served, as they were, -without cooking
or even seasoning, it is not to be wondered at that the
boys became tired of that sort of li-ving.
The hard tack was the same variety that had been
used at Cfemp Thomas and as long as the bread had to

126 THE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
be hard, there was no just cause for complaint, but
the coffee was simply horrifying. This was all that
was given the boys warm. "Hot" would be a better
sounding word to use in the connection, but it woidd be
misleading. A detail from each mess was sent to on©
of the ship's galleys, where buckets of water little more
than tepid were issued. These buckets were carried
back to the messes, where crushed coffee grains were
thrown, in, and after being allowed to remain undis
turbed for a few minutes, the concoction received a
small addition of sugar and the slightly colored fluid
was called "coffee." It was all that there was to be
had and of course all the "kicking" that could have
been done availed nothing.
All attempts to describe the "Finest QuaUty To
matoes" could but be futile. Less narrow-minded
gastronomic critics than vegetarians have pronounced
tomatoes an excellent food, but had any one advanced
such an argument before the enlisted men of tiie
Fourth Ohio at that time, he would have been thrown
overboard in less time than he could have apologized,
even could one have been accepted. These tomatoes
were stale, sometimes spoiled, sickening at best, and
their effect on the moral and physical soldier was de
teriorating in the extreme.
Who was responsible for this unnecessary suffer
ing it is not the object of this work to determine, but
suffice it to say that the officers of the Fourth Ohio did
all in their power to prevent it. Cblonel Coit even
placed his own standing in jeopardy by objecting to
such rations, but his efforts were in vain. The regi-

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 127
mental officera were compeUed to take what was given
them, hence the men were forced to accept that or
none. While the regiment was enroute from Chicka
mauga park it was often possible for the men to -visit
restaurants or provision stores and spend part of their
$15.60 per month for something to eat, but out in
the "midst of the sea" there were no stores to be -visited
and he who could not eat what he was given was com
pelled to go without eating anything.
Some of the ship's bakera proved to be generous
individuals, and taking pity on the men offered to bake
ordinary-sized peach pies at from twenty-five cents to
a dollar. It is needless to say that few pies were sold.
It might be added, however, that some were stolen.
The officers of the regiment appreciated the cir
cumstances under which the men were placed, but
they were unable to reUeve the suffering.
There was a time in the experience of many of
the boys when the subject of food did not interest them
in the slightest degree. The inevitable sea sickness
came over them in spite of aU their manly efforts to
avoid it, and it was no uncommon sight to see an ex
pectant hero deUvering all his stomach or his future
contained into the deep blue sea.
When the last dim outUnes of Fair Columbia
faded away beneath the horizon, the boys began to
acquire an experience entirely novel. Aside from the
-view of the vessel and her spars and masts, her decks,
huge stacks and intricate machinery, there was abso
lutely nothing on which the boys could feast their gaze

128 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
except the sky above and the water below. Some of
them watched the waves, but those who did were soon
forced to go below to their bunks and wrestle with the
agonies of sea sickness. It was soon learned that there
are two stages of the disease: At the firet the patient
fears that he will die and at the second he is afraid
that he -will not die. There were a few of the men of
the Fourth Ohio who did not suffer in either stage and
these fortunate individuals found it the source of an
exquisite but certainly a wicked pleasure in tormenting
the poor fellows who struggled so nobly but so use
lessly to keep their heads up and their feet on the
decks. An interesting as well as profitable incident of
the voyage on the St. Paul was the reUgious service
conducted by Chaplain Schindel on Sunday, July
31. The service was not as largely attended as those
at Camp Thomas, perhaps, one reason being that there
was not room to accommodate all the regiment and the
other being that it was at that time a physical ini-
possibility for the men to stand or even sit in one
place long enough to Usten to all of an ordinary re
ligious discourse. Chaplain Schindel himself suffered
some of the agonies of coming sea sickness, and had he
not reached his "lastly" at the time he did, the sermon
would probably have been continued at another date.
As had been done at Camp Thomas, the music
for the service waa fumished by the regimental band.
Captain Sigsbee had suggested the text: Eevelation
xxi, 1, "There shall be no more sea." A touching
reference was made to the life of Captain Sigsbee and

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 129
the other seamen on board the St. Paul, and when the
chaplain drew out the thought in his discourse that
the sea represented shattered hopes, unfulfilled plans,
etc., the desctruction of th© battleship Maine was
made an illustration that moistened every eye -within
the sound of the chaplain's voice. One of the
thoughts brought out in the sermon was suggested by
the regimental clerk. Will Markeson. The sight of
the waves as they rolled Ustlessly about, ever and
anon striking each other and wasting their forces in an
endless but fruitless struggle, thus illustrating the loss
of many of the forces which are allowed to waste in the
life of the average man, had suggested to the clerk
a valuable lesson, and the chaplain decided that his
hearers should profit by it. The sermon was an in
teresting and a valuable one, and will remain a lasting
impression on the minds of those who heard it.
This service is also interesting from the fact that
it was the only one conducted by troops transported
on the St. Paul while she was- in the government
service and the last one conducted on her decks be
fore she went back into service as a commercial liner.
The weather was fine during the entire trip.
There was a slight shower Monday evening, but the
only effect was to cool and purify the atmosphere, and
this was a most welcome change. Time drug hea-vily
on the officers and men, and the few forms of amuse
ment that were possible to adopt soon became mon
otonous. Finally the boys who were on the lower decks
heard a shout from the upper part of the vessel.

130 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
Those who were above flocked to the rails; the band
struck up a merry tune and the word was soon passed
to those who were in that part of the vessel where a
view of the horizon could not be obtained, that land
was in sight. It was indeed a grand sight, although
the land that could be seen was merely the outlines
of a small island off San Domingo, but the early
moming sun lit up the tops of the broken hills so that
the boys who had not seen anything but sky and water
for three days, considered even that a most welcome
sight. This was on the morning of Monday, August
1st, and at about 6 o'clock.
Land was almost constantly in sight from that on,
but when the port of Guanico was reached a strange
experience passed into the history of each man. The
entrance to the harbor of the village could be seen
very plainly and back in the harbor could be outlined
the mastheads and bulk of a large vessel. The ¦village
of Guanico is only a small one, but the harbor is a
good one and as heavy storms are of frequent occur
rence in Porto Eico and the surrounding watere, the
possession of this harbor was at that time considered
quite important. At the side of the large vessel could
be seen a smaller one, presumably a gun boat, but
even with the aid of glasses these vessels could not be
distinctly made out. All the ship's guns were loaded
and Captain Sigsbee took his place at the bridge. The
St. Paul crept cautiously up to the harbor, signals
being made to the strange craft, but without answer.
Finally the gunboat started out to sea toward the St.
Paul and the Ohio boys began to think that the time
had at last come for them to see real action.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 131
As the gunboat approached nearer, however, it
proved to be the United States monitor "Terror," and
the larger vessel in the port of Guanico was the "City
of Washington," loaded with supplies for our army.
The sensations experienced by every one on board,
however, while the identity of the vessel was in doubt,
were the firet of what was afterwards a series long to
be remembered. Guanico is but an hour's sail from Ponce, the
port at which General Brooke intended to land his
troops in Porto Eico. After a brief code conversation
with the Terror, the St. Paul steamed down the coast.
It was but a short time until the Massachusetts came
alongside and delivered mail to the officere and sailors
on board the St. Paul. A few miles further sail
landed the St. Paul in sight of Ponce, and in the har
bor could plainly be seen the St. Louis lying in the
protecting shadows of a strong American fleet.
The first thing learned by the Ohio boys was a bit
of news somewhat disappointing when considered in
the light of their ambition to fight, that Ponce had
surrendered without a struggle; that the people had
actually cheered the approach of the stars and stripes.
Nevertheless, the band played "The Star Spangled
Banner" as it never played it before and the St. Paul
anchored for the night.
It was rather disappointing to the men to listen to
"taps" on board the ship. So near the presence of the
enemy, they had hoped to sleep under arms, with a
double strength of guards around an actual camp on
Spanish soil. They accepted their fate with a fair

182 TEE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
degree of submission, merely vowing that when they
got a chance they would make up for all these houra
of monotonous waiting.
The regiment heard the first words of welcome
early the next morning when a dusky native was
rowed to the St. Paul. The skiff which bore him
across the waves was protected by a sort of box canopy,
the only evidence that he was more than an ordinary
Porto Eican. He might have been the mayor of the
city, and he might have been the governor of the
province for all anybody knew or cared, but clamoring
up the sides of the great vessel, he crawled over the
rail onto the upper deck, and swelling up at the chest,
he pointed to his home across the bay and grunted:
"Ponce! Porto Eico! 'Mericano!" Then punching
himself in the ribs, he pointed toward the scene of the
¦victory in southern Cuba a month before and ora-
torically remarked, "Santiag' surren', surren'." He
had evidently prepared an eloquent address of wel
come, but that was as far as he could go and accepting
the cheere the boys gave him as gracefully as a back
county politician, he bowed another welcome and
climbed back into his skiff as mysteriously as he had
boarded the St. Paul.
Thus finding that there was nothing for soldiere
to do at that time at Ponce, General Haines -was in
structed to take his brigade forty miles further do-wn
the coast and effect a landing at the small port at
Arroyo. It was night when the regiment arrived
there, so of couree it was useless to attempt to land
troops before moming. This was still worse to

THE FOURTH 0, 7. /. 133
the boys and the growling was proportionately fiercer,
but the effect was the same. The Seneca with the
Fourth Pennsylvania lay nearest the shore, except the
United States battleship Cincinnati, which occupied
a commanding position of the port and the country
immediately adjoining. Then came th© St. Louis
-with the Third Illinois and the St. Paul with the
Fourth Ohio, at least five miles further from shore than
the other vessels. Lying peacefully at anchor near by,
were the tugboats Stillwater, of Philadelphia, and the
Gussie, of New Orleans. Swinging with the sweU
behind the larger vessels were a number of low, hea-vy
Ughters used by the natives of the island for drifting
sugar from the shore to the large freighting vessels
which took the principal product of the country to
foreign consumers. The lighters were called "sugar
bowls" by the sailors, because of their use. Those
secured by the navy, however, had been used at Ponce
for unloading horses and mules, forage and all sorts of
supplies and stores. These were brought along for the
purpose of transporting the men from the larger ves
sels to the shore.
While the vessel was cruising along the coast to
Arroyo, th© ordnance officer. Lieutenant Graham, was
busily engaged in collecting the old Springfield rifles,
belts and bayonets which had been taken from Ohio
and issuing in their stead the new Kragg-Jorgensen
arms. The men were also given fine web belts -with
capacity for holding one hundred cartridges each, and
new bayonets. The officers were at once set to work
instructing their men in the use of the new guns and
everything was bustie on the ship.

134 THE FOURTH 0, 7. I.
On Wednesday moming, August 3, arrange
ments were begun for unloading the men. The Still
water and the Gussie came along side the St. Paul,
the lighters were towed into position and after the
Stillwater had pushed too near the big transport and
had torn away the passageway on her port side, the
Third Battalion and the non-commissioned staff and
band, in command of the colonel and Major SeUera,
cUmbed down the sides of the St. Paul and then into
the lightere. The Gussie towed them to the shore
and they were at once assigned to quartera on the
outskirts of the village.
The Third Battalion and headquartera had hardly
reached shore when it was reported to the officera of
the Cincinnati that the Spanish forces just beyond the
to-wn were thro-wing up earthworks. The Cincinnati
at once began to investigate and seeing through glasses
what appeared to be a number of men at work, she
began to pump shells into the hills. Those back on
the St. Paul could see the great volumes of smoke
belch forth from the mouths of the guns of the Cin
cinnati and they could hear the sonorous report dis
tinctly enough, but they could not make out what oc
casioned the shooting. The St. Paul was too far from
shore for rifle reports to have been heard and con
siderable fear was entertained lest the Third Battalion
might have gotten into trouble. The fact that the
lighters had all gone and that there was no possible
way of assisting their comrades only made mattera
worse for the boys, and then when the St. Paul began
to push still further out to sea, th© disgust of those
who were left aboard could not be concealed.

THE FOURTH 0, 7. I, 135
"See here," said a stalwart soldier of C Company
when some one suggested that the Third Battalion
might need help, "them there fellers belongs to the
Fourth Ohio. That's the fightin' reg'ment of this
here bregade, and Maje Sellers is right there with 'em.
Any time they ain't able to take care of their selves,
somebod'U let us know." This patriotic remark had
a good effect and the idea was carried from one to the
other until the point discussed was what kind of noise
these shells were making after they left the cannon.
In the meantime the Third BattaUon was also
wondering what the mark of the Cincinnati reaUy was,
but they knew as well as they cared to know how the
shells sounded as they sailed through the air. They
went directly over the heads of the boys in camp and
they made a noise that none of them care to hear
again. It developed later on that the fears of the of
ficers were wholly unfounded, as no earthworks were
found in the hills at that point after hostilities had
ceased. As soon as the Third Battalion had been taken
safely ashore, the Gussie came back for the First.
Major Speaks was in command of this trip, assisted
by members of General Haines' staff, the general
having gone ashore before. This time the Gussie
started for the open sea instead of toward the land
and she made a circle of at least two miles before she
started toward shore. The waves were high and the
lighters were tossed about as though they were but
chips. Each one contained about a hundred men,
the most of whom were so sea sick that they did not

138 THE FOURTH O. 7. I.
care whether they ever reached shore or not. Every
body was sick, from the major down to the ugliest pri
vate in the ranks, and if there were an occasional weU
man, he was too busy keeping out of the way of th©
fellows who were less fortunate, to appreciate the
humor of the case, if indeed there could be anything
humorous in such matters.
Just why the St. Paul could not get as near the
shore as the St. Louis, which was exactly like her and
which lay at least five miles nearer shore, is a matter
which the Fourth Ohio boys could not understand
then and which has not been fully explained yet.
It was dark when the First Battalion reached
shore, but they were taken at once to the camp assigned
in the morning.
From no fault of their own by any means, the
companies of the Second Battalion remained on the
St. Paul one more night than the othera. They em
barked under Major Baker as early Thursday moming
as it was possible to leave, and indeed they were glad
to return to the regiment. By direction of Colonel
Coit, Companies H and M remained on board the St.
Paul and under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel
Adams and Captain Vincent unloaded all the officera'
personal and the headquarters baggage. This was
by no means an easy task, as the members of thes©
companies voluntarily testified when they rejoined the
command after it had reached Guayama.
The first camp of the Fourth Ohio on Spanish
soil was about three-quarters of a mile from the coast,
on the site of an abandoned sugar mill and on the

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 137
plantation of a Captain in the Spanish volunteer army.
He had occupied the house up to within the time the
American ships came in sight, when he took his family
and his household effects and fled. The residence
which he thus deserted became the headquartera of
the Fourth Ohio on the moming of August 3.
The house was built after the fashion common in
tropical countries, set up on posts or supportera. "A
house on stilts" was the description given by one man.
The residence part of the house was reached by
a flight of stairs from the outside with a landing on
an overhanging veranda which commanded a view
of the sea and the beautiful landscape toward the vil
lage. Near the house was a long shed used for shelter
for the oxen and other animals belonging to the plan
tation. As many as could be crowded into this shed
spent the firat night there, whUe the othera pitched
their shelter tents or wrapped themselves up in their
blankets and crawled into a cart or the old mill.
There was another small building, but this was used
as guard headquarters. The band and non-commia-
sioned staff, established their mess in the lower part of
the house. As soon as the men reached shore, a strong guard
was placed around the new camp. The exercise of
the march from the shore to the site of the camp wor©
off th© sea sickness and the firet thing the men did
when they had secured quarters for the night was to
look for something to eat. Fires were kindled and
coffee was ground. Vessels of every description
were put to use and before any one was hardly aware,

138 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
the whole plantation was filled with the in-vigorating
odor of coffee. C^ns of beans, tomatoes and beef
were opened and actually cooked, and while this was
not the diet the appetites of the boys really craved,
it was nevertheless most tempting food when it was
heated and thoroughly cooked to be served to men
who had lived on cold rations for almost a week. Be
fore moming a pig and a calf and several other ani
mals died in a very mysterious way and fresh meat
formed a part of the breakfast of some. Strict orders
were at once issued against foraging, and indeed dur
ing all the time the regiment was on the island there
was very littie if any thieving done, at least by the
members of the Fourth Ohio.
As soon as the routine of camp work was com
pleted, the men were permitted to go to, Arroyo.
There the Uttle provision stores suddenly experienced
a flood of prosperity they had never seen before. The
British consul at Arroyo exchanged the American
money for the soldiers for the native Porto Eican
coin at the rate of two pesos for one dollar. At the
stores could be bought eggs, fresh bread, cheese made
of goats' milk, Spanish sausage, wines of every age
and variety, cigara, tobacco that no American could
use and dried vegetables. At the market places were
offered for sale at what to Americans seemed phenom
enally small prices, cocoa nuts, oranges, bananas,
limes, mangoes and other tropical fruits, although it
was the ad-vice of the surgeons that none of this be
used. The advice was not heeded altogether, but
it must be said that the men were very temperate in
the use of the native fruits and vegetables and as a
consequence, there were no e-vil results.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 139

CHAPTEE X.

THE FOURTH UNDER FIRE.
Arroyo — The People and Climate^First Day in Camp —
Native Cigarettes — ^A Practice March — Orders from
General Haines — Fresh Beef Issue — ^Accident to Colonel
Coit — Major Speaks Takes Advance —Military Terms
Explained — A Frenchman's Information — A Funeral
"Procession"— The House "To the left" — Sergeant Rad-
clifCe's Ride — Under Fire — Spanish Bullets and Spanish
Marksmanship — Effect of Spanish Fire — Effect of
American Fir© — Line of Battle Formed — Unjust Re
ports — Spaniards Retreat — Capture of Guayama — The
Flag Raising — The Spaniards Rally — Dynamite Guns in
Action — First Night in Guayama.
Arroyo was found to be a village of about three
hundred people who depended for their living, such
as it was, upon the work afforded by the near-by
plantations and by loading freighting vessels by
means of the lighters which were used in transporting
the regiment from the St. Paul to the shore. The
-village and the natives made a combination that only
one man in the regiment had ever seen before. He
was corporal Ed. O. Thompson, whose home was in
South America, but who had graduated from Ohio
Wesleyan university at Delaware just before the war.
He could read, write and speak the Spanish language
very fluently and he was at once made regimental in
terpreter. Another member of the regiment whose
lingual accomplishments stood him and -the whole
regiment in good stead was Private, afterwards
"Corporal" Will Markeson. The service rendered

140 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
by these two men were especially valuable, not only
to themselves and the regiment, but to the cause of
the United States in Porto Eico as well.
The houses at Arroyo, and in fact all over th©
island, are the typical low, flat-roofed cottages of
Spanish countries. Houses were occasionally built
high, but in most cases of this kind there were but two
stories, the lower floor being a sort of surface base
ment. This part of the family residence was de
voted to the use of the goats, chickens, ponies and
other family animals. The people were of all imag
inable shades of complexion, from the mythical black
to the fairest. All spoke Spanish or French, with the
exception of a few natives of the island of St. Thomas,
formerly an English possession. These were aU
negroes, but they served with some degree of satisfac
tion as interpreters.
Although the latitude is considerably nearer the
equator than any point at which most of the men had
ever reached, the climate was not nearly so hot as had
often been experienced within the borders of th©
United States, and with a constant sea breeze stirring,
the weather was fairly comfortable, pro-vided one re
mained in the shade. Surrounding many of the
houses were beautiful flower gardens, and the fragr
ranee from the plants gave the air a pleasant odor
which added much to the pleasure of the day in camp.
The first day in camp was passed for the most
part in sight seeing. Notwithstanding the fact that
the enemy was known to be in almost firing distance,
the brigade officere were very lenient as to restrictions.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 141
and with th© exception of strong picket lines and out
posts, there were few strict camp orders given. It
was the wish of the officers that the men be given an
opportunity to completely rest up from their long
ocean voyage and to prepare for the hazardous work
before them.
The camp on Thursday night was more com
fortable than it had been the previous night, the sol
diera ha-ving had a better opportunity to arrange mat
tera. With fires and the additional rations that could
be purchased from the native market, existence was
much sweeter than it had been aboard the St. Paul.
One of the most popular novelties of the new
surroundings was the native cigarette. They were
found to be stronger and of an entirely different flavor
than the American article, but strange to say, many
of the users of this form of narcotic learned to prefer
them to the "coffin nails" of their native land.
Early the next moming the boys were told to
pack up all their personal baggage and each one was
given two days' travel rations. All that was said
in explanation to this was that there was to be a
practice march much the same as those at Camp
Thomas, but embracing more time and territory.
At regimental headquarters, however, the fol
io-wing communication had been received:
Arroyo, Porto Eico, Aug. 5, 1898.
Colonel Coit, Fourth Ohio:
You will move out your command toward
Guayama as soon as you are ready. Have your ad-

142 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
vance guard well ahead and keep point well in ad
vance of support. Two of the Sims-'Dudley guns
-wdll foUow your regiment well closed up. They
should not take more than sixty rounds to the gun.
Be careful to keep a good lookout on each flank.
Your flank should be double the ordinary number.
Kgep me posted as to progTess. I wUl be on the road.
The Third Illinois will support your movement.
P. C. HAINES,
Brigadier General.
About the time the regiment left camp, a load
of fresh beef arrived from one of the supply ships
which lay in the harbor at Arroyo. Company F,
which did not leave at the same time as did the main
column of the regiment, was given charge of this
issue, with the understanding that teams be secured
and the supply forwarded to the regiment at its first
camp. The start for the "practice" march was not made
as early in the day as had been expected on account
of several unavoidable but unimportant delays. The
regiment was formed, however, in due time, so that
before 8 o'clock the rear of the column left the Arroyo
camp. Instead of going east to take the main road.
General Haines directed that the regiment follow a
plantation trail which lead in a northwesterly direc
tion to a point in the road leading to Guayama, the
capital of the pro-vince of Guayama. This province
embraced that portion of central Porto Eico which
extended along the southern coast.

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I, 143
The appearance of the regiment as it started
across the field was not unlike that presented at Camp
Thomas except the mounts of the field and staff of
ficers. The horses belonging to the regiment and to
all the officers had been sent on another transport and
had not yet reached the regiment. They had landed,
however, but they were at Ponce at the time now re
ferred to. There are no large horses in the island, but
there is a small Spanish pony, and on these honey
creatures the officers mounted, their feet extending
almost to the ground.
During the night of August 4th a battery of
Pennsylvania artillery had arrived and gone into
camp a short distance from the Fourth Ohio, and as
the latter regiment was mo-ving along toward the main
road mentioned above, the artillerymen were leading
their horees across the field to a nearby stream for
water. Colonel Coit started to ride his pony around
one of these horaes, but while he was doing so the ar
tillery horse kicked at the pony and the hoof struck
the colonel on the leg. The blow was a severe one
and the colonel had to be lifted down from his Uttle
steed. He ordered the regiment to proceed, however,
and Major Speaks of the First Battalion assumed
temporary command of the regiment. A surgeon waa
hastily summoned from the artillery camp to attend
Colonel Coit, but Major Semeans, the regimental
surgeon, also appeared on the scene. It was seen that
th© injury sustained to the colonel's leg might prove
serious and he was ad-vised to return to Arroyo, but
he refused to do so, and followed the regiment, assum
ing peraonal command a few hours later.

144 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.

REFERENCE MARKS.
5J Cemetery.
<> First camp in Porto Rico.
t Point at whieh extreme "point" of ad
vance guard was first fired upon.
+ Position of "C" Company when' flr^
opened.
-|- Position main column when fire opened
itts "A" Company deployed lines.
Q " C " Company deployed lines.
n " B " Company deployed lines.
A "I" Company deployed lines.
QP ". E " Company deployed lines.
• • Dynamite Gun's position.
J Out Posts (Fourth Ohio.)
(-) Out Posts iThlrd Illinois. >
X Positions ot Companies "D." "G," "K"
«nd " L."

DIAGRAM OF FIELD OPERATIONS BEFORE GUAYAMA AND VICINITY.
DRAWINQ BY OORP. BARLOW, OO. F.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 145
As soon as the regiment reached the main road, it
was halted and Major Speaks reported to General
Haines, who had been waiting. The general directed
that one company act as advance guard and that
Major Speaks assume personal charge of this duty.
Company A was at once designated to take the ad
vance and it proceeded several hundred yards in ad
vance of the main column.
A Company had not proceeded far until Major
Speaks directed that with loaded pieces "flankers" and
a "point" be thrown out. For the benefit of those
readers who know nothing of miUtary matters it is
explained that "flankers" are detachments of troops
deployed to the right and to the left of advancing
columns to discover anything that might impede the
progress of the advancing column, whether it be a
large stream, a fortiflcation or an enemy. The
"point" is the extreme advance or "head" of the ad
vancing column. When a line of battle is formed,
however, the presence and in most cases the exact lo
cation of the enemy is kno-wn and of courae there is,
no need of an advance or skirmish Une to locate him
or to determine in any way his strength.
As the line of march was followed, all natives
were closely questioned either by means of signs or
through interpreters as to the location of the Spanish
forces. It is a fact, surprising perhaps to most read
ers, that it was really not expected that there was at
that time an enemy of any consequence within any
significant distance.
After an advance of perhaps a mile had been
made, the flankera were strengthened in numbers and

14(1 THE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
C Company was brought forward to serve aa support
of the advance. C Company advanced within about
500 yards of A Company and at about the same dis
tance in advance of the main column, at that time
consisting of B Company of the Firat Battalion and
E and I of the Second and the whole of the Third
BattaUon. When this disposition of the advance had been
made, the march was pushed with considerably more
caution than had b©©n hitherto observed. FinaUy a
house was reached, over which the colora of the
French nation were flying. The occupant of the
house spoke English, but with a strong French ac
cent, and in his characteristic way explained to Major
Speaks and Captain Wilson that the Spaniards would
be found in trenches about two thousand yards fur
ther up the road. Their position, he said, could be
distinguished by the presence of a cluster of treea
bearing red blossoms.
There were only a few soldiers besides the officera
mentioned who had any knowledge of the information
gained here, but those who were not had very strong
suspicions that something was going to happen when.
they saw the preparation for trouble going on about
them. The flankers were warned to proceed cau
tiously and they were ad'vised as to the carrying of
their pieces, barrels and magazines loaded. The ex
treme advance was again strengthened and the Une
lengthened so that the whole of Company A was now
in the skirmish line, the extreme right extending as
far as the hills to the right of the road, a distance of
.about three-quartera of a mile.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. I47
A short distance beyond the house where the
Frenchman gave the important information as to the
position of the enemy, a strange experience was
gained by "those in the road. It was the firet time for
them to witness a Porto Eican funeral procession.
The corpse in this instance was a sm.all child; the
CEisket which contained the remains was a rude wood
en box and the bier was the shoulder of the father.
Several half-dressed natives followed on behind jab
bering away in their native tongue at a rate too lively
to characterize any sorrow by any means. The party
had passed the regiment, and not ha-ving the slightest
idea that it was a funeral procession, the attention of
th© officers was not attracted to it. They were going
in the direction of Guayama, the town which lay at the
end of the proposed march, and not thinking it ad-vis
able for any one to go ahead to inform the enemy, if
indeed one existed, as to the approach of the regiment,
the party was halted. They made a series of inco
herent exclamations and doubled themselves up so
hysterically in making signs that the officers in charge
of the advance asked them in the wordless language
to open the box. They did so and there was exposed to
view a sight which none who witnessed it will ever for
get. If any had entertained doubts as to th© fact that
the men composed a funeral party, those doubts were
removed more forcibly than eloquently when they
saw the half decomposed body of the child.
Some of those officers had little ones in their o-wn
homes and they easily considered the sorrow of the
broken-hearted mother who had spared this little one.

148 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
and the funeral was permitted to proceed, with strict
ordera to tell no one what they had seen on the road.
It was evident from the expression of their faces and
the signs made by the men that they promised not to
say anything, but they evidently did not redeem their
promises, for when the "point" reached the Spanish
outposts, it was given a reception that showed that the
enemy knew just about where and when the advance.
would reach the most desirable point for firing pur
poses. Passing on toward Guayama a few rods. Captain
Wilson called th© attention of Major Speaks to a party
of people near a house to the left of the road. It was
but about two hundred yards from the main road and
opposite a point about one hundred rods in advance of
where the "point" had then reached. The party
seemed to be composed of people dressed in white and
they appeared at that distance to be women. Field
glasses were trained on th© spot, but nothing definite
could be made out. Finally con-vincing himself that
the party was not one of Spanish soldiers, the major
directed Eegimental Sergeant Major Eadcliffe to ride
across to the house and see what was there and to get
any information he might be able to gather. It was
the sergeant's birthday anniversary, and he did not
consider tiie presentation of this order as very com
plimentary to the occasion, but he went over, think
ing as he did so of the many good times he had had
back in Ohio and wondering if history in Ohio would
ever repeat itself.
He rode towards the house, but the firat informa
tion he received was from obaervation, for h© rode

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 149
through the party of "women," who in that case were
goats. There were some people at the house, however,
and from these he learned that there were Spanish sol
diers at Guayama. While Sergeant Eadcliffe was
making this reconnoiter, the point of the advance was
ascending a gentle slope just west of a small stream.
There was a culvert across the stream at the road and
the major and those -with him had just reached this
point. The culvert was undergoing repairs at the
time and was temporarily out of use, but a by-road
led into the field at the right and out again to the road
a few rods across the stream.
Just about the time Sergeant Eadcliffe returned
from his Uttle trip, and about the time the point had
reached the top of th© slope and the officers and
party had reached the point where the road parted into
the field, a sharp crack was heard from the top of the
hill. An instant later a shrill whirring noise was
heard in the air, directly overhead; this was succeeded
by another and then in rapid succession a score of
other sharp reports, followed by the whirring, singing
noise. Several membera of the point had advanced so
far beyond the crest of the hill that they could plainly
see about fifty Spanish soldiers, in position to defend
the approach to the city. It did not require a long^
drawn out discussion by any means to determine what
the noises were and it did not require an eloquent
appeal for the men to dodge behind trees, rocks and,
cactus bushes. It was the report of the deadly
Mauser that the boys had heard and the disturbances

150 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
in the air were made by the leaden messengers that
had called home the sons of Columbia at Santiago a
few brief weeks before.
Just who was the object of the firat fire, will
probably never be known, but whoever he was may
congratulate himself upon the fact that the Spaniard
who fired it was not an expert at the use of the rifle,
for not a member of the advance guard was struck at
any time. The honor of firing the first shot at the
enemy, however, is laid claim to by Private Charles
Hughey, a member of the point who had reached
the hilltop. The members of this squad returned the fire of
the Spaniards and then slowly retreated to the culvert
referred to before. Every one present as a matter
of course sought shelter and then a steady fire was
poured into the place where the enemy was supposed
to be. This was a matter which had to be guessed at,
for there was not a Spanish soldier in sight, and as they
used smokeless powder, there was nothing to mark
their position. It was reasoned that inasmuch as the
bullets were whizzing either directly over the heads
of the men or striking the gravel in their immediate
vicinity, and that while they were at the foot of the
hill, those who were firing were surely somewhere at
the top, certainly not behind the ridge. The order
was, therefore, to shoot at the top of the hill, or at
any object that might be used as sh©lter for a lurking
Spaniard. Aa e-vidence of the fact that the Spaniards wei*©
overshooting their mark, if indeed they were shooting

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 151
at the Americans nearest to them, is evidenced by
the fact mentioned before that not a single member
of the extreme advance was wounded. Private John
O. Cordner, however, a member of Company C, the
command which was now acting as support to the
advance guard, was wounded in the right knee. The
ball passed directly through the limb, without strik
ing any bone, but at the time the regiment was mus
tered out of the service of the United States th©
wound had not entirely healed. About the same
time Clarence W. Eiffie, a private in A Company was
struck by a Mauser, the bullet passing through the
fleshy part of both legs. His wound, like that of
Private Cordner, was not healed at the time he waa
discharged. After the firing had been kept up for about a
half hour or from a few minutes after 10 to 10:30,
Major Speaks directed that the men begin to advance
toward the hill, keeping under cover all the time as
much as possible. The boys had occupied snug posi
tions along the side of the hill, in the culvert and at
other convenient places, but now they began one at
a time to get bolder and to creep along the edge of the
ditch at the roadside, toward the top of the hill.
Major Speaks, Captain Wilson and Lieutenant
Krumm had but one order to issue and that was to
"keep quiet." "They are just afraid of us, boys, as
we are of them," encouraged the major, "so just be
careful and pump it in to them." The boys certainly
"pumped it in" and at a rate entirely too Uvely for
the peraonal comfort of the Spaniards at the top of the

152 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
hill, for they retreated toward the town as rapidly as
the men of the Fourth Ohio approached them.
When the top of the hUl was finally reached, there
were no Spaniards in -view, and they had ceased firing
entirely. Here Lieutenants Modie and Grandstaff of A
Company, who had remained in command of their
platoons, were called in and word was taken back to
Colonel Coit and General Haines, informing them of
what had been done thus far. A Company had acted
as advance, C as support and B as reserve. F Com
pany had followed with the dynamite guns and the
entire Firet Battalion had thus been engaged. There
were but two companies left of the Second BattaUon,
I and E, the remaining two, H and M, having been
left aboard the St. Paul to take charge of the unload
ing. What was left of the Second Battalion was sent
to the advance under Major Baker, with instructions
from General Haines for Major Speaks to depend en
tirely upon his own judgment for the disposition of
these five companies. The Third Battalion, under
command of Major Sellers was thus left to act as the
aupport of the firing line, the Third Illinois Eegiment,
in command of Colonel Bennit, acting as reserve to the
whole. This was the only part played by the Hlinois
regiment in the capture of the city of Guayama, yet
in nearly all tiie accounts sent at the time to the
Eastern press, the Third Illinois received as much
credit as did the Fourth Ohio. One correspondent
stated that Guayama had been captured by "the Third
Illinois, assisted by the Fourth Ohio."

DEFENDERS OF GUAYAMA.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 153
Major Speaks at once decided to make a strong
move toward the city. He realized that with that
number of troops it would be impossible to surround
the city, especially when the strength of the enemy
was not known and when there were no means of
gaining that information. The first move was to
form a firing line and B Company, under Captain
White was ordered into the field to the right. As
soon as this company had taken the position to be oc
cupied in the line, C Company was sent out, to extend
its Une from the right of the road to the left of B
Company. I Company was sent over to act as sup^-
port of B Company and to extend its right as far as
the portion of A Company, which had gone as a flank
ing detachment into the hills at the right of the road.
What was left of A Company and E Company was
then ordered to the left of the road and the advance
was begun. While this preparation was going on, the Spanish
outposts were reinforced. From the top of the ca
thedral in Guayama, the Spaniards could see every
movement made by the regiment, but as they -were
concealed in the bushes of cactus, palms and other
thick tropical foliage, it was utterly impossible for the
American soldiera to leam the position of the Span
iards except from the sound of the bullets or the re
port of their pieces.
The advance was made under extreme difficulties.
There were sharp cacti, thick underbrush, swamps,
barbed wire fences and defenses to surmount, and in
fact everything possible to impede the advance of the

154 THE FOURTH 0. V. I.
regiment, yet the line pushed slowly on, pouring as
it proceeded, a most deadly fire into the town and into
the brakes where the enemy was supposed to be con
cealed. On not more than two or three occasions
was the enemy seen at all, and when they were seen,
their backs were toward the Fourth Ohio. In the ad
vance on the town, there was but one man wounded.
He was Stewart Mercer of E Company, but the wound
was but a slight one. One B Company man had th©
sight shot from his gun, othera had holes shot through
their hats and other strange things to happen them, but
miraculous as it seems, there was not a man lost and
only three wounded.
It was not a difficult task to dispose of the enemy,
but the work of pushing through th© fi©lds was a seri
ous task and the progress was slow. The Spaniards
kept up a serious fire, but they seemed to be retreating
all the time. After they were driven into the town,
instead of taking a firm stand, when the circumstances
were even more in their favor than they had been be
fore in the field, they retreated on through to the hiUa
beyond, leaving the town to th© mercy of the invadera.
It was some time before the regiment really knew
that the town was theira. When the advance through
the fields to the outskirts had been made, and when
some of th© suburban streets had been reached, the ad
vance was more rapid. When it was seen that the
Spanish fire had again subsided. Major Speaka ordered
a halt. This was at the very edge of the town and he
did not feel justified in leading the men into the
streets to be shot down from the housetops and win-

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 155
dows without reconnoitering the situation, but at this
juncture Colonel Coit arrived on the scene and re
sumed command of the regiment. The colonel was
suffering intense pain at that time, the result of the
kick by the horse, and indeed had he heeded the ad-
-vice of the surgeons and his friends he would not have
accompanied the command at all.
The colonel determined to allow the men to take
a brief rest and then to go into the town, and moving
quickly through the streets, he hoped to escape serious
loss and to reach the other edge of the city, thus
catching the Spaniards in their own trap. But in this
case, plans of conquest were useless, for the enemy
had gone. Before the start was made, a window was
seen to raise and a head to peep out from behind a
wooden shutter. A dozen rifles were leveled at the
window, but a gesture from the colonel lowered them.
In another moment another window opened and
another head was exposed to -view. Then another
shutter was pushed slowly open and flnally not only
heads but shoulders were seen. Finally hands began
to waive and signs to be made, but no one knew
whether these signs were friendly signals to approach
or whether they were evil designs of the enemy to
lure th© regiment into the streets to be massacred.
Finally a man walked out upon the roof of a house
wa-ving a white handkerchief, and other natives ap^
peared on tbe streets. This was considered unmis^
takable e-vidence that there was no more danger and
the march into th© city was begun.
Colonel Coit placed himself at the head of the
Thij-d battalion and marched rapidly into the streeta.

156 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
The companies that had been out in the firing line
resumed their advance, through houses, across lots and
over fences, all in a mad race to reach the center of th©
city first. Th© honor of reaching th© plaza fixst is
claimed by several. There is no official report decid
ing the matter, and it is not the intention to take up
the question here, but the man who first set his foot
on the property of the crown of Spain in the pUbUc
square of the city of Guayama, must certainly have
experienced the proudest moment of his life.
Whoever he was, he did not stand there alone
many seconds, for the Third Battalion on the one side
and the other two from the other sides were madly
rushing toward the colors, and in less time than is re
quired to record it, the whole regiment was assembled
in front of the Capitol of the pro-vince of Guayama.
Everybody cheered as he went and everybody con
tinued to cheer when he had reached the square. The
regiment had done excellent work, every man in it
had helped to do the work, and every one of them had
a right to cheer.
But all the cheering of that day was not done by
the men of the Fourth Ohio. There were others there
who had still better reason than they to raise the voice
which God had given them, to cheer the final freedom
which He had sent them. It was a happy day in the
history of that quaint little city. Men cheered and
women cried; children ran like wild creatures, shout
ing as loud as their Uttle throats would permit, "Vivan
los Americanos." Their happiness knew no bounds
and no one attempted to restrain their demonstrations.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. I57
They kissed the hands of their deUverers and fell at
their feet to worship them. They opened -wide the
doors of their homes and the best of the land was of
fered in honor of the great event. As soon as it waa
possible to reach the top of the Capitol the regimental
colors were planted there, and Guayama was no longer
a Spanish province, but an American colony.
The ceremony of raising the American flag over
the captured city was probably not attended with the
eclat that would have been given it under different
circumstances. The band had been drilled in the
duties of the hospital corps and the band men had
done excellent service in can-ying litters and perform
ing other work usually devolving upon the hospital
corps all day. Their instruments had been left at
Arroyo, hence all the music there was to add joy to
the already joyous occasion was the music of the little
birds that seemed to take up the glad song of -victory
and of freedom, and of the men, women and chUdren
who joined in one glad refrain.
The flag was carried to the top of the building by
the regular color guard. Those who were present
and who helped to fasten the starry banner to the staff
were Captain M. L. Wilson, regimental adjutant;
Sergeant Major Frank C. Eadcliffe, Color Sergeant
McDonald, Color Guards Alger of Company H, Cor
poral Thrall of Company A and T Darte Walker, cor
respondent to "Harper'a Weekly."
While the regiment waa aaaembled the "alcalde"
or mayor of the town, through an interpreter, made
an addreas of welcome to the American soldiere.

158 THE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
The interpreter on this occaaon was Emanuel Lucin-
arius, a gentieman who had been educated in th©
United States, who underatood the English language
and spoke it fluently, and who afterwards proved to
be a very useful friend to the regiment and to its
officers. Colonel Coit also took advantage of this, the firat
opportunity, to thank the membera of the regiment
for their excellent work, and to congratulate them
upon the victory of the day, but he had hardly gotten
the words from his Ups when the whirring of the bul
lets was again heard, and it was soon learned that the
fiag was the object of renewed firing. This was kept
up for a few moments when a still greater danger
developed. Investigation showed that all the Span
iards had not left th© town and that those who had
remained were doing what had been ©xpected they
would do, i. e., fire upon the men from th© houses.
Colonel Coit closed that address more abruptiy
than any he had ever closed before in his Ufe. He at
once ordered the Third Battalion to the northwest
part of the town to repel any attack that might b©
made. It was well that this was done and that it
was done as soon as it was, for there is no doubt that
had this part of the city been left unprotected, the
hard work of the day would have been for naught.
As it was, the Spaniards had returned to within range
of the city and they were firing at the town at a Uvely
rate when th© Third Battalion arrived on the scene.
Unfortunately little provision had been made for
the dynamite guns. There were no horaes and the

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 159
guna had to be dragged along the road by the men
themselves. They did not reach the scene of action
in time to be turned upon the town, but they came in
for an important part in the defense of th© city after
it was captured. The guna were taken out to the city
Umita and planted in a commanding position. Then
the hills where the Spaniards were known to be con
cealed were treated to a bombardment they had not
experienced since the day they were created. Huge
charges of dynamite were thrown across the fields,
which, when they struck the earth, tore everything
in their path. Great holes in the ground were torn
up and rocks, dust and pieces of timber and roots were
thrown high in th© air. It is needless to say that this,
added to the effective rifle fire of the Third BattaUon,
had the desired effect, and the enemy did not again
attempt to disturb the Fourth Ohio at Guayama.
As soon as the Third Battalion returned to the
city, strong guards were posted all over the to-wn.
Private William Walcut, of D Company, was placed
on guard at the principal comer, within a few yards
of the Capitol building. At a houae near him, aeveral
shots had been seen to be fired and several times a
man with a long black beard was seen to appear on a
veranda. The ahota came very mysteriously, and as
there was no smoke, it was not kno-wn to an absolute
certainty that they came from the house mentioned
except as could be judged from the report of the rifle.
One of the ahota was well aimed and Sentinel Walcut
was wounded in the foot.

160 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
This created considerable excitement and th©
house was entered. The man with the black beard
was Chief of PoUoe Blanco, an avowed Spanish sym
pathizer, and there is no doubt but that he was the
man who fired the sho't which wounded Walcut.
The house was entered by Colonel Coit in peraon, ac
companied by several men, and when they came out
they had some arms, a Spanish flag and several pria
oners of war. Among them was Blanco. They were
all taken to the pro-vincial jail and locked up, a atrong
guard being placed over the jail.
When everything had quieted down, it was al
most dark and arrangements were begun for the night.
Company B was detailed as guard in the to-wn and the
other companies were stationed as outposts on the
north and west sides of the city. The Third lUinois
took charge of the other approaches. The men that
were left were permitted to camp for the night where-
ever they chose and aome pitched their tents in the
street, others in the public buildings and othera in the
plaza. Most of the ahelter tents and other baggage
was discarded in the advance on the city so that many
of the men were compelled to seek shelter under
roofs or aleep in th© op©n air.

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THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 161

CHAPTEE XI.

THE ROAD TO CAYEY.
"Battle" of Guayama — Comments on the Capture — Effect of
This Duty Upon the Regiment — General Haines and the
Fourth Ohio — Restlessness in the City — Reconnoiter of
the Road — Spanish Camp Located — Orders lor Second
Reconnoiter — A False Alarm — A Break for Guayama —
Stories of Ambush — Their Effect — Excitement at Head
quarters — Regiment Made a Rescuing Party — American
versus Spaniard — Dynamite Guns in Action- — ^A Make-
Shift Caissoni — Barrio De Las Palmas — Other Expe
ditions. When the officers of the United States army were
instructing the officers of the Fourth Ohio as to the
preparation of blanks in the final muster out of the
regiment at Columbus in January, 1899, one of them
said: "In preparing the discharges of the men, you
will in recording the militaryrecord of each, give thos^
credit who were in action on August 5th at Guayama,
Porto Eico, as the government has dignified that en
gagement -with the name of "battle."
The simple facts that only two regiments were en
gaged on the one side and less than a thousand men on
the other and that only a few American soldiers were
wounded and none killed, does not show any insignifi
cance to the engagement. The Fourth Ohio was there
in obedience to orders from the commanding officera
and the spirit -with which they performed their duty
as it appeared to them, would have been the same had
ther© been a nulUon Spaniards to oppose them. Be
sides that, the work which they accomplished was cer-

162 TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
tainly one worthy the record whioh the regiment had
made while it was a part of the Ohio National Guard.
The capture of the city of Guayama at that time meant
more than th© mere defeat of a detachment of Spaniah
troops. Guayama was a city of fiv© thousand in
habitants, and th© province of which it was th© po
Utical, social and commercial center, contained twelve
thousand people, who represented many nulUon dol
lars of wealth. This was aU loat to the Spaniah gov
ernment and some of the hardest fought battles of
the Civil war resulted in smaller gains to the federal
government. ISTor should the value of that day's work be
measured by the remarkably sl^ort list of wounded.
It certainly was no fault of the Fourth Ohio that not ,
more of their number were injured. They placed
themselves in the path of the Spanish bullets and for
four long hours they were subjected to a hot fire from
an enemy which knew every foot of the contested
ground, while the Ohio boys were in a strange land
and among a strange people. The loss to the regiment
was not confined by any means to the damage done by
Spanish bullets, for the severe physical strain of the
day had a telling effect indeed, and the sweltering
rays of the tropical sun did far more damage than the
poorly aimed Spanish rifles were able to accomplish.
Captain White of B Company, who had been in the
thickest of the fray from the time the assault waa
begun untU the regiment reached the city, was com
pletely overcome by the heat and spent the night at the
hospital in terrible agony.

THE FOURTH 0, 7. /. 163
Many of the boys were overcome by the heat, and
it was not an uncommon sight during the advance
upon the city to see men throw up their hands and
with a shriek, sink to the earth. These sights would
probably have had a serious effect on men less de
termined than the Fourth Ohio, for from every ap
pearance the men thus fallen, were mortally -wounded,
and this was what their comrades naturally supposed
had happened. There are many reasonable objections to the ser
vice of volunteer troops, and there are many strong
arguments for their efficiency, but it is very seldom
that any confidence is reposed in volunteer regiments
by general officers until they have once been under
fire and proved themselves. General Haines had
watched the Fourth Ohio all through its course of
training at Chickamauga park. He had personally
superintended their marches, rifle practice and other
drills and had learned to know that they were made
of the stuff that goes where duty calls. The Fourth
Ohio had never as such been under fire, but they
conducted themselves on the occasion of the capture
of Guayama with so muoh judgment, precision and
determination that General Haines freely announced
that he could trust any officer or man in the regiment
with any duty which falls to the lot of the soldier.
He formed a warm personal acquaintance with
the officere and with many of the men. Anything,
which was in his power to bestow was freely given to
th© Fourth Ohio, and that regiment received every

164 THE FOURTH 0. 7. 1.
post of honor which General Haines had the pri-vilege
of giving. On the night after the capture the town was in a
very restless condition. A night attack was feared
by the citizens, and property holders were fearful lest
Spanish sympathizers would set fire to their buildings
and escape to the Spanish camp in the hiUs beyond the
city. Many arrests were made during the night, of
men who it was claimed were avowed Spaniards,
and before moming the Uttle provincial jail was
crowded with prisoners of war. These were all re
leased, however, on their promise not to take up arma
against the United States or to assist in any way the
Spanish cause.
Those citizens who remained quietly at their
homes, whatever their sympathies might have been,
were not disturbed, and with but few exceptions these
Uberal offers were not abused. The officers of the
regiment had taken quartera for the night in a hotel
adjoining the City Hall, and during th© night a man
wearing citizen's clothes was caught lurking near these
quarters with a large "machete" concealed on his
person. What his intentions were, could only be
judged by appearances, and he was hurried away to
the jail to join his friends and neighbors.
The soldiere and citizens continued to be the best
of friends, the people ever ready to share their last
comfort with the soldiera who had brought to them a
new government. There were few households which
did not contain an abundant supply of wine of various
grades and quality, and this was liberally bestowed

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 105
upon the Ohio soldiera. Some of the boys became
too "sociable," however, and the regimental guard
house was pretty well filled up at reveille on the morn
ing of the 6th.
The night having passed without serious trouble.
General Haines directed that the day be spent so far aa
possible in rest. Guards were made as Ught as the
circumstances would permit and the outpoata were
made as comfortable aa posaible. Some of these 'were
some distance from the city, and had an attack been
made upon them, they would have had to have f ough'
Uk© demons to have held their positions or to have
gained the city in safety. D Company was on the
top of a mountain next the city, but it waa a hard
and dangerous cUmb to reach their post, and they
would have had a hard time retreating to the city had
such an emergency presented itself. The other com
panies were stationed at a bridge across tiie stream
"Eio Guayama," along the road from the city to th©
bridge and at other points along th© Uttle stream aa it
flowed along the outskirta of the city to the aea a few
miles away.
In the afternoon, Colonel Coit directed companies
A and C to make a ahort reconnoitre beyond the
bridge before mentioned, to discover if possible the
position and strength of the Spanish forces and to
report on the condition of th© road.
Corporal WilUam Markeson, who had now been
relieved of the duties of regimental clerk and returned
to hia company (F), accompanied this expedition in
the capacity of interpreter. Every native that was

166 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
met was questioned as to what he knew and the
answere as to the number of Spaniards in the hUls
varied from one dozen to several thousand. It was
definitely leamed, however, that the main force was
near the top of the mountain range, five or six miles
further up the road and that they were busily en
gaged in thro-wing up intrenchments and preparing
to receive an attack. No reliable information could
be secured as to their strength.
The road leading from Guayama, extended from
that city through Cayey, Caguas and Eio Piedras to
San Juan, the capital of the island. It had been
constructed by the Spanish government, and was
found to be one of the finest Maccadam roadways in
the world. It wound itself in graceful curves around
the hills, keeping in the valley as much as possible,
and cutting itself along the bluffs and by the side of
precipices like a quiet mountain stream. At many
placea its foundation was the very rocks and at other
placea it was filled with closely packed stone which
had been ground almost into powder. The hea-vy
rains and the absence of freezing had rendered the
road as hard as cement and its aurface was almost as
smooth. The engineera had made ample pro-vision for the
little mountain gorges which would otherwise have
destroyed the road in the course of time, and beautiful
masonry marked the places where thes© little streams
threaded their way through the rock under the road
way.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 167
At one of the turns in this road there was found
evidence that the Spaniards fully expected that th©
American troops would push on toward Cayey. A
clump of bushes was so arranged that a dozen men
could conceal themselves and command a view of the
road for a distance of a hundred yards. Had an
enemy approached, they could have fired several vol
leys into ita ranks and then dropped down the em
bankment and retreated to the next turn, where these
tactics could have been repeated. In this way it
would have been possible for fitfy Spaniards to have
repelled the advance of an entire regiment of Ameri
can soldiera. After the 'party had reached a distance of six
kilometers from the city, the lengthening shades of
night warned the officera that it was time to return
to the city. The advance guard and flankers were
called in and the march was made back to Guayama.
Both A and C companies returned to outpost duty
and the other companies remained at the posts to
which they had previously been assigned. .
The discoveries of the reconnoitering party con-
-vinced the officere that the Spaniards were preparing
to carry on a stout defense against any advance of the
Americans rather than an offensive campaign, and the
fear of an attack waa lessened. Saturday night was,
therefore, spent in greater eaae than the previoua
night, and Sunday was apent in much needed rest.
The baggage from off the St. Paul had now
reached the regiment at Guayama and moat of that
whioh had been diacarded on Friday between Arroyo

168 THB FOURTH 0. 7. /.
and Guayama had been collected. H and M oom-
paniea had reported for duty, the men had rested
and the entire command was in better condition to
hold the city or to make an advance than they had
yet been since the landing at Arroyo on the 3rd.
General Haines estabUshed brigade headquart
ers in a large brick buUding at the southwest comer
of the principal square, overlooking the plaza, and
Colonel Coit established regimental headquartera in
an abandoned residence at the rear of the cathedral.
Arrangements were made to remain in the city untU
more forces ahould arrive before another advance
would be attempted.
It waa of course necessary to Keep informed as
much as possible as to what waa going on in th©
Spanish camp and on Monday the following order
-waa delivered to Colonel Coit:
Headquarters Second Brigade,
First Division, First Corps,
Guayama, Porto Rico, August 8, 1898.
Colonel Coit, Commanding Fourth O. 'V. I.:
Sir — The brigade commander directa that you
aend a reconnoitering party on the road to Oayey
toward the place where the road has been blown up.
This party need not be a large one, not more than one
company, strong enough to take care of itself and
faU back in caae of attack. The object ia to secure
information and not to bring on a fight. Lieutenant
Darrow wUl accompany th© party to sketch the
•coimtry. Very respectfully,
0. W. FENTEN, A. A. G.

THE FOURTH 0, 7. /. 169
A few moments after the receipt of that order,
the following was issued: Headquarters Fourth O. \, I.,
Guayama, Porto Rico, August 8, 1898.
Regimental Order No. 77:
Captain Walsh -will, when relieved by Captain
Bost-wick, mak© a reconnoiter -with parts of Compan
ies A and C, leaving Company O at a point about
two miles beyond Guayama bridge. This expedition
is for information only and wUl be made -with care.
Lieutenant Darrow and interpreter will accompany
th© party. You -wiU avoid an engagement and re
treat in order if you meet with aforesaid oppoaition.
A -written report with all information wUl be made
as soon as possible. By order
COLONEL COIT.
M. L. WILSON, Capt. Fourth O. V. L, Adjt.
In obedience to these ordera companies A and C
left camp at about 8 o'clock Monday moming, August
8th. Advance guards and flankera were thrown out
and the command proceeded cautiously up the moun
tain. The main column remained in the roadway,
but the Une of flankera extended on either side, in the
valley at the right and on the mountain side at the
left. It was very hard work to climb over the rocks
and across the precipices and progress waa therefore
rather alow. It waa not possible for the main column
to proceed faster than the flanka which wer© to pro
tect the movement, so that by noon the command had
not gone more than four nulea from the bridge.

170 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
Colonel Coit had accompanied the expedition,
to be on the ground in person in case anything should
happon, as well as to famUiariz© himself with the
condition and outline of the country. Lieutenant
Darrow, of General Haines' staff, was also a member
of the party. It waa his duty to make a topo
graphical map of the road and the adjacent country.
The entire reconnoiter was in anticipation of a gen
eral advance from Guayama to San Juan, and for this
reason a great deal of importance was attached to the
movement. As had been leamed through the expedition on
Saturday before, the main force of the Spaniards
occupied a poaition at the top of the hill, where they
commanded a complete -view of the road from the
bridge to their own camp. The Spanish officere
could have seen the expedition leave camp and prob
ably did see their every movement while on the
march. After the command had reached an abrupt turn
in the road, glasses were trained at the hillside to the
right and there the Spaniards were in plain -view.
Men could be seen -with the naked eye working in th©
trenches, which had already been made a most formid
able defense. There were rifle pits at the side of the
road, artillery trenchea in the hill sides and embank
ments thrown up in the middle of the passage.
Bridges and culverts had been destroyed with dyna
mite, and an American cavalry or artUlery detach
ment would have found it practically impossible to

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 171
have climbed the mountain even if there had been
no defense of the road by Spanish arms.
The expedition made careful notes of all they
saw and of what they could leam from the natives,
but they had not quite reached the bridge referred
to in the communication from brigade headquarters.
They had just passed one of the sharper turns in the
road when a hundred Mauser rifles rang out in the
fresh mountain air, directly above and in front of
them. An instant later the shrill whistle of the bul
lets was heard directly over their heads and in another
moment a second volley was fired. Fortunately the
aim of the Spaniards, as it had been at Guayama, was
very bad, and the bullets passed harmlessly over the
heads of the Americans or struck the side of the cut
in the roadway. Some of them, however, struck the
surface of tiie road and had the effect of gi-ving the
Americans to underatand that they were standing on
very uncomfortable ground, to say nothing of the
unhealthfulness of the surroundings.
The position of the command at this time was
very peculiar. The road did not extend more than a
few feet in any one direction at one place, but the
curves were aharp, bounded on the one aide by the rock
at the side of the mountain and on the other side by
a deep precipice which afforded even as much danger
as th© bullets from the Spanish soldiers. The head
of the column had reached a point behind a steep bluff
where it waa impossible for the bullets to reach them,
but th© r©ar of th© column was in direct range of the

172 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
fire whioh was becoming thicker and more deadly
every minute.
The firing had come like a thunderbolt from a
clear aky and for a moment the officers and men of
the command were dumfounded. The order from
General Haines had been to "fall back in oase of at
tack," but here was a situation that no one could
have anticipated. To advance was in disobedience
of ordera and would have been murder on the part of
the officera commanding it, and to retreat was plain
suicide; stUl, at the rate the bullets wer© coming
from the Spanish trenches, it was plainly aeen that the
command coidd not remain in that position many
minutes. The expedition had been placed in charge of
Captain Walsh, but the colonel was ther© and of
course the responsibUity of getting out of the dUemma
at once devolved upon him. Colonel Ooit's firat com
mand was to stand firm, but it was soon seen that
that would not be aafe, for the Spaniah aoldiera were
aiming lower at every voUey.
Finally it waa decided that the men ahould re
treat around the bend in squads so as not to attract
the attention of the enemy. The first squad waited
until they heard the shower of bullets pass over them,
then they made a mad rush around the curve before
the Spaniards could fir© another volley. The firat
squad made the trip auccessfuUy and then the next
tried it. Those who were waiting in the meantime,
hugged mother earth as closely as it was possible for
them to squeeze their bodies into the shallow ditch

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 173
at the side of the road where they patiently waited
their tum to slip behind the friendly embankment.
After a few squads had gained the protection of
the tum in the road, some one repeated a command
to "retreat two by two." Another peraon gave the
alarm: "The cavalry is coming! Eun for your
lives!" In the absence of a second order, these criea
confused the men so that no one knew just what
was really expected of him. Some of the men be
came frightened and ran down the road as fast as
their legs could carry them. Sergeant McConnel and
his squad, which had at first formed one of the flanks,
but which, owing to th© rough condition of the coun
try had dropped back and acted as the rear guard,
at once placed himself in the middle of th© road and
declared that he would kill the first man who at
tempted to pass him.
At the same time Lieutenants Eeynolds and Alex
ander regained control of the men in their own com
pany and order was soon restored, but not until the
foUo-wing had been wounded: Noble W. Horlocker,
Company C, right ankle; Harry L. Haynes, Com
pany C, left shoulder and right arm; Samuel Jones,
Company O, knee; WilUam Edgington, Company
A, thigh; Edward Thompson, Company K, wrist.
Some of the men, however, had managed to get
down the road before Sergeant McConnel could stop
the mad retreat, and they rushed pell mell down the
hill to th© bridg© where M Company was then sta
tioned. They related a marvelous tale of how th©
expedition had been ambushed and how almost the

174 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
entire command was either killed or captured, and in
a few minutes all sorts of wild rumora had reached
regimental and brigade headquartera.
Everything at Guayama was in a state of -wild
excitement. Stragglers kept coming into the city,
telling still wilder stories so that every one was at a
loss to know just what had really happened. Major
Baker was in command of the regiment when the firat
rumor reached the city, but at that time he happened
to be away from headquarters and could not be found.
Colonel Adams soon appeared, however, and he at
once ordered those companies nearest the city to go up
th© road and assist the reconnoitering party if that
party still existed. Major Baker hast©n©d to hia bat
taUon and Major Speaks, hearing the rumor at a dif
ferent part of the city, returned in all haste to regi
mental headquarters only to find the building de
serted. Company B was still on guard in the city and
they had their hands full maintaining order, for be
tween the soldiers and the citizens all was chaos.
Major Sellers and Colonel Adams soon had the out
posts well in hand and as many men as could be
spared from these companies were hastened up the
road. M Company, which was already at the bridge,
had started for the scene of trouble before the regular
command reached it, but it was soon overtaken and
the regiment marched up the road in regular order.
As the reinforcement advanced, they were met
by stragglera from A and C Companies who were
totally unable to give any intelligent information as

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 175
to what was really going on or what had actually
taken place. Careful questioning of theae men faUed
absolutely of result and the reUef had to push ita
way up the ateep mountain road, expecting every
minute to receive a terrific fire from an enemy in
ambush. Caution and speed were combined as far
as possible, however, and the regiment hurried to the
rescue. Strangely enough, the command reached the
reconnoitering party -without being fired upon.
As soon as the party was reached, explanations
were hastily made and a courae of action de
termined upon. The Spaniards had as a mat
ter of course observed th© approach of the fresh
troops, but they supposed that the reinforcement had
come for more than to merely cover the retreat of
their comrades. They had, therefore, themselves re
treated to a stronger position further up the hill and
had there awaited an assault. As soon as they dis
covered the real purpose of the movement of the ad
ditional troops, they grew somewhat bolder and re
opened the fire.
The column had not yet exposed itself on the
side of the curves next the enemy and the fire from
th© trenches was therefore of no serious conse
quence. It was not deemed ad-visable to return to
the city without gi-ving the Dons a dose of their own
medicine, and -with that end in view. Colonel Adams
ordered several companies up to the top of tiie ridge
at the left of the road. In single file, the men
climbed up the steep rocky bank and pushed on to the

176 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
top of the ridge, where they coxdd secure the rang© of
th© Spanish trenches. Aa soon as they were in po
sition the men were given the command to fir© and
three hundred Ejrag-Jorgensen rifies sent messengers
of lead into the Spaniards -with as much vim as the
Spaniards had fired upon the helpless A and 0
Companies. In the meantime the dynamite guns were hurried
forward. No horses, had yet arrived, so it was neces
sary for the men themselves to drag the hea-vy guns
up the hill. An attempt was made to press the Uttle
Spanish ponies into this service, but they were too
small and the effort had to be abandoned. The
ammunition for the dynamite guns was taken to the
scene of action in heavy ox carts, and this trip forcibly ,
demonstrated the uselessuess of this primitive beast,
in warfare. That the guns ever arrived in position at
aU was a wonder to aU who saw the trip made.
Th© rifle fire was kept up at a Uvely rate untU
the guns were eotten into position, when the smaU-
arm fire was stopped. It had been returned bv the
Spaniards, but the bullets flew so far over the heada
of the men on the ridge that they could hardly hear
them whistle. The Spaniards did not seem to pay
much attention to the rifle fire, but as aoon as the ar
tillery -was "let loose" there was commotion every
where in their camp. The first shot was aimed too
low, but it was near enough to suit those at whom it
was aimed and when the shell exploded with a terrific
roar, Spaniards could be seen running to the top of the
hill and to places of supposed safety in every direo-

i-A,-*

¦*.'

.^ '''^§fJS;'§-rr''f

REPRODUCED FROM A WATER COLOR.

THE ROAD TO CAYEY.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 177
tion. One of the ahots was afterwards said by a
Spanish soldier to have fallen in the midst of the
trenches and to have kUled outright twenty-seven
Spanish soldiera besidea maiming many othera.
After a number of shots had been fired into the
hUls from the dynamite guns, the rifies were permitted
to give them a parting volley, and the regiment re
turned to the city.
Considerable newspaper discussion followed this
engagement, but in this case the Fourth Ohio re
ceived all the credit and there was nothing but credit
to be given. No criticism was offered whatever to
the action of' the r©gim©nt, but those who had broken
to the rear and who beat a disorderly retreat were
held in considerable contempt by their comrades, at
firat, but when all the facts in the case were leamed,
and when the men fully declared that they heard an
order to retreat, the suspicions against them were re
moved. The rear of the column had certainly been
in a dangerous position and the men were certainly
justified in doing all they could in self-preservation,
but it waa a difficult task for them to con-vince their
comrades that they had actually heard an order to
run. The commanding officer of C Company was
reUeved from command shortly after the party re
turned to the city, but he was afterwards restored and
remained in command at Guayama until after his
resignation was acc©pt©d, when he returned to his
home in Columbus. No charges were ever preferred
against the membera of the two companies who had
started the wUd rumora, although it waa thought at

178 THE FOURTH O. 7. I.
the time that thia would be done. The place where
the firing occurred was named "Barrio de Laa
Palmas," and the engagement is known by tiie same
name. Several other parties were sent up into the hills
after that, but not more than a half dozen, were sent
at a time and these always avoided the main road.
By creeping along the edge of the hill it was possible
for small parties to get good -viewa of the Spanish
camp, and by the time aU was in readiness for the
general attack. General Brooke had been suppUed by
his scouts witii maps and even photographs of the
Spanish defenses.

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 179

CHAPTEE XII.

ONE -WEEK OF REST.
The Fourth Appreciated by People at Guayama — A General
Cleaning Up — Beautiful Scenery — Early Impression of
Porto Rico — Commissary Condition — Fresh Meat at the
Outposts — The -Water Supply — Horses and Reinforce
ments Arrive — Hospital Estahlished — Rumors Again —
Preparations for Advance — Final Orders Issued — ^Death
of Sam Hill.
The regiment now settled down for a week of
quiet rest. There was at that time nothing to do un
til mor© troops arrived, for it was apparent to all that
a movement toward Oayey would be useless except
by an overwhelming force. The Spaniards were
kno-wn to be in a strong position and that they were
m force, and besides this, they were acquainted with
th© entire surrounding country. Nature had given
them an almost impregnable fortress, and they were
in excellent position to hold it; this they were e-vi-
dently determined to do.
While the troops rested, however, the general of
ficers and their staff officera were as busy as bees.
Some were collecting information as to the strength,
position and plans of the Spaniards, othera were ar
ranging for the coming of additional troops, othera
were making reports, while still others were doing
all in their power to make those comfortable whioh
were already at hand.

180 TBE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
The regimental headquartera in the rear of th©
cathedral waa the center of attraction -for the citizens
of Guayama. The other regiments of the brigade
were in camp outside of the city and their membera
were very seldom seen on the streets, but the people
of Guayama had leamed that it was the Fourth Ohio
which had made them free from Spanish rule, and
anything they had or could secure was gladly turned
over to the soldiers. This kind feeUng was warmly
reciprocated, and soldiers and citizens were the best
of friends for a long time, but a change came, which
-will be treated later.
While the regiment was in the city, word came
that the St. Paul was under orders to return to th©
atatea and that ahe would take maU from the soldiere
if delivered within a certain time. There was a mad
rush for stationery, but ther© waa v©ry littl© to be
found except the official paper at the City Hall.
This was Spanish, and not only afforded excellent
writing paper, but it made an appropriate souvenir of
the victory to send home. Thousanda of letters were
-written to dear ones at home on this paper. Postage
stamps were nowhere to be found, but they were not
essential to the sending of the lettera. By a ruling
of the postoffice department, soldiers in the field were
permitted to send mail matter without postage pro-
-vided they -wrote their names across the envelope,
marked it "Soldiera' Mail," and had the same ap
proved by a commisiomed officer. Th© letter was sent
just as though it bore the usual stamp and the postage
was collected at the office where it was delivered.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. /. 181
This arrangement was a great accommodation to the
boys, aa it was almost an impossibility for them to
carry postage stamps -with them, and now that they
had reached a foreign country. United States stamps
could not be secured.
Before the regiment left Guayama, however, the
United States government had established a very ac
ceptable postal service, and it was not only posaible
to purchase postage stamps, but postal money ordera
could also be secured and it was possible to register
mail. While the regimental headquartera were in
Guayama during that week, the soldiers themselves
were not always there. Company B had been re
lieved as provost guard by a company of the Third
Illinois, but matters did not go as they were supposed
to move and the Fourth Ohio company was returned
to duty in the city. The other companies of the
regiment remained at outpost duty at different sta
tions near the city.
The troops in town were quartered in buildings,
while those out of to-wn were obliged to sleep on the
ground under the little shelter tents, which afforded
very little resistance indeed to the heavy rains which
fell for hours at a time. By pitching their tents,
however, beneath the trees and in the shelter of banks
or cre-vices, the boys managed to get along fairly weU.
Those men near the Guayama bridge availed them
selves of near-by sheds for sleeping quartere.
The commissary department of the Fourth Ohio
during all this time was indeed in a sorry condition.

182 TEE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
There was canned beef and tomatoes and some beans,
but aside from this very little could be procured.
There was hard tack, but it was a poor quality;
there were fresh beef issues, but they came so seldom
that the boys did not get time to appreciate it; there
was coffee and sugar, but not in the abundance it
should have been, and it was an uncommon thing for
a man to drink a gill of coffee, eat a small piece of
hard tack and stand guard all night in the presence
of the enemy.
When the fresh beef was issued, the company
cook details improved the opportunity to work off
some of the beans and tomatoes in very liberal propor
tions. By purchasing a few native vegetables with
the pennies which could be collected in the compan
ies, it was possible to prepare a suspicious looking
mess which the cooks called "soup," but which in
most cases was a base deception. The "fresh" beef,
it should be understood, was beef that had been con
tracted for in the United States, and it had been ship
ped from the west to the seaboard, then transferred to
transports and shipped to the soldiers in Cuba and
Porto Eico. It was packed in ice, then taken out in
lighters and brought to shore, where it was once
more loaded on ox carts and dragged from the coast
to-wns to the soldiers inland. Handled either in the
hot tropical sun or in the hea-vy rains natural to
these climates, the reader can easily imagine how
"fresh" the beef was when it reached company cook
quarters. The dealings of government contractora

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 183
for subsistence was, after the war, the subject of in
vestigation by a board appointed for the purpose.
The market at Guayama afforded a limited sup
ply of food, consisting of oranges, bananas, mangoes
and other tropical fruits, most of which was forbidden
to the men by the surgeons. Fresh and salt water
fish could be purchased in abundance, and milk, com,
yams, cheese and eggs could also be secured. The
one difficulty, however, was the scarcity of funds -with
which to purchase these things, as the men had seen
the paymaster but once since they had been in the
federal service.
The outposts of the Spaniards and the Americana
were almost in range of each other and oftentimes
at night when a cow or a horse would be seen wan
dering through the hUls, the animal was mistaken
for an enemy and shot by a picket man. The mis
take could not be discovered, of course, until daylight,
and when the "enemy" proved to be a cow, sheep or
goat, the company near whose post the killing had
been done, invariably enjoyed a feast of their own.
The neighboring plantations were well supplied witii
chickens also, and if the owners could be made out
in any way to represent sympathy for the Spanish
cause, foraging expeditions were organized against
the place and the trophies secured helped to make
merry the hearts that watched night and day over the
approaches to the captured city and the camp of their
comrades. The march from Camp Thomas to EossvUle, the
long car ride to the coast, the voyage on the St. Paul,

184 , TBE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
the severe, weather and the hard work since the boys
had landed on the island, were causes which combined
to render every thread of wearing apparel and
blankets in a condition for the laundry. The men
had several chances to get small articlea of wearing
apparel waahed "on the jump" from time to time, but
even then they always ran the risk of never seeing
the clothing again, because of th© uncertainty of th©
movements of the regiment. When it was aeen that
nothing would be done until reinforoementa arrived,
the boys with one accord started on the hunt for
laundries. Some of them had lost all the clothing
they possessed except what they had on their backs,
and these had to go to Eio Guayama and play wash
erwoman until their clothing was clean and then sit
on the bank for a aun bath to wait for their olothea
to dry. They then dressed and returned to camp,
postponing the work of ironing to "some sweet day."
The washerwomen of the city reaped a harvest
of which they had never so much as dreamed. They
had all they could do and more, but they kept at it
night and day, determined to do all in their power
for the comfort and convenience of the soldiers, and
at th© same time to earn a liveUhood for themselvea.
These women would undertake to wash for a whole
company almost at a time and would promise to have
every garment washed, ironed and returned in lesa
time than it would have been possible for them to
have collected it. Their work, however, was entirely
satisfactory, but their manner of selecting clothing
and their peraistency in getting it mixed up as to

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o>3¦D

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 185
owners was the source of no little annoyance to their
patrons. There was no regular laundry in the city. All
this work was done by women who took the clothing
to the creek and there removed dirt and filth with the
aid of soap, cold water and hard work. The garments
were each given a good coat of cocoa soap and then
they were squeezed and beaten on rocks. There were
no wash boards used, auch aa American women use for
that purpose, but these women squatted down in th©
middle of the stream and rubbed the clothing on the
rocks -with their hands or with com cobs and smooth
board paddles.
After they had been thoroughly cleansed in thia
way they wer© carefully rinsed and spread out upon
the clean pebbles to dry. During the process of dry
ing, the women would take cocoanut shells of water
and sprinkle them. This, with the aid of the bright
sun, rendered every piece as immaculately spotiess
as when it left the store. Eio Guayama was UteraUy
lined with washerwomen during the entire stay of
the soldiera at Guayama.
The process of ironing was much the same as that
used in the states except that the irons were rude
instruments to say the least, and that they were
heated on charcoal bumera. After the clothing had
all been ironed and carefully folded, it was piled in a
heap and deUvered according to the memory of the
one who had collected it. The result of this method
was that th© clothing of the regiment became pretty
thoroughly mixed up, but as it was exactly aUke ex-

186 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
cept linen, no one suffered a great deal. The com
promising feature of it all, was, that ten cents paid for
the largest washing that could be deUvered. Prices
advanced later on, however, and it waa an every-day
occurrence for a soldier to pay fifty cents to get a
shirt washed or go to the creek and do it himself.
The bathing facUities at Guayama were better
even than they had been at Chickamauga park.
Nearly all the better residences in the city were
equipped with cement bath basins, fitted out for
shower and tub baths. The privilege of these was
extended to the soldiera, and they avaUed themselves
generaUy. Many deep pools could be found in the
Eio Guayama and into these the boys plunged their
sweltering, dirty bodies to be cleansed and refreshed.
Another advantage which the duty at Guayama
possessed over duty at Camp Thomas, was the beauti
ful scenery which stretched out in every direction.
The plain extending from the coast to the city of
Guayama was skirted on the east by a high and beau
tiful mountain ridge, extending almost the entire
length of the island. This ridge was clothed with a
most luxuriant tropical vegetation except in the more
even spots, where the natives had cleared it of its
natural dress and had appropriated spots for cultiva
tion. The rich southern sky for a back ground made
a -view of the eastern mountain ridge one of the most
beautiful landscapes that could be imagined. Guay
ama was inland a distance of about three miles from
the deepest part of a gentle bay. The mountain
range followed the curves of th© beach, so that the

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 187
ridge encircled the valley, along the western bank of
Eio Guayama, and then changing its course again
to a westerly trend, stretched away to the other ex
tremity of the island, apparently burying itself in the
aea below and in the clouds above.
Like a veritable bed of roses the coast plain
reached from the foot of the hills off to the water's
edge, dotted with fields of waving cane and orna
mented with palms and ferns whose beauty could not
be excelled outside of Eden itself. As a back ground
for this view, the waves of the Carribean sea danced
against the mossy banks of the plain and then lost
themselves in the deep blue bosom of the mighty sea.
The sight of a single sunset as it lingered at the top
of the beautiful mountain range for a moment, then
dropped behind the hill to be refiected by the sea
below in the fieecy clouds above, gi-ving to the whole
a coloring which no brush could imitate, was well
worth a journey to the spot to witness.
The weather was certainly hot. It was almost
impossible for a sentry to pace a beat in the sun for
more than a few minutes -without being completely
overcome. The water supply in the city was secured
from large springs in th© mountain and conveyed to
the residences and other buildings through thin iron
pipes, but it was very warm, and such a luxury aa
ice could not be secured under any circumstances.
There was an ice plant at Ponce, however, and th©
supply for the hospital had to be carted across tiie
country over a rough, rocky road forty miles long.
The hills were warm to their center from the heat of

188 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
the sun above and the heat of the interior beneath,
so that the water never was and probably never will
be cool. The water for drinking and cooking at th©
outposts was secured from the streams and springs.
It was all very warm and unrefreshing, so that the
men suffered considerably from thirat.
A short time after the city had been captured,
the telegraph line which had been abandoned by the
Spaniards was placed in repair and in this way the
signal corps opened communication with Ponce.
Until that time messages had to be carried by dis
patch boats along the coast.
Newspapers and news associations were obliged
to file their reports at St. Thomas, a Danish island,
about seventy miles from Guayama. The reports
from Guayama were taken to Arroyo and tiiere de
livered to special news boats, whioh carried the mes
sages to St. Thomaa or Jamaica. No mail had, of
course, been received from home as yet, and the men
were practically in ignorance of what was going on
at Washington or Madrid. A meager report would
occasionally reach the camp through the newspaper
boats and these would instantly magnify into the
wildest rumors that could possibly have been in
vented. The health of the men during the firat week
was far better than any one had anticipated. Several
men had been overcome by the heat and there was
one or two cases of typhoid fever, but these were
supposed to have been developed at Chickamauga
park. With everything apparently in their favor.

TEE FOURTH 0. 7, I, 189
with a prospect before them of just such an experi
ence as they had longed for and worked for in the
C&mp Thomas training school, the spirits of the boys
remained as bright as they had been since the regi
ment left Columbus in May.
It was under such conditions as those just de
scribed that the firat impressions of Porto Eico were
formed. The men thought that they had surely
reached a paradise and they were happy. Some be
gan to lay plans for remaining there after the war.
Others wrote home to their friends, telling them what
a resort had been found, and urging them to follow
as soon as possible. The more enthusiastic attempted
to purchase real estate and to make arrangements
for settUng down for the remainder of their Uves.
On August 10th the hospital corps and the regi
mental detachments arrived at Arroyo. A field hos
pital was established there, but it was removed in a
day later to near Guayama. Other troops began to
appear, cavalry and artillery, besides the escort whioh
had covered the march of the hospital outfit from
Ponce. The horses and mules belonging to the
brigade arrived also, and final preparations began
making for the advance toward Cayey and San Juan.
News reached Guayama that Spain had sued for peace
and that hostilities would soon cease, and it was de
termined that if anything should be done it must be
done at once in order to hold as much territory as
possible when the end should come. Orderlies and
staff officere could be seen hurrying from one head
quarters to the other all day on the 12th, and that

190 TEE FOURTE 0, 7, I.
night the commanding officera were called to brigade
headquarters, where the plan for the movement was
explained to them and each was assigned the duty
which he was to perform.
About 11 o'clock Thursday night, the battalion
commanders were instructed to have their companies
ready to move at 5 on the moming of the 13th. AU
the companies had now been sent to outpost duty.
Company B ha'ving been again relieved. They were
not disturbed that night, however, but the order was
communicated to them early the next moming.
Shortly after the battalion commandere had re
ceived their instructions. Captain Sellers, of D Com
pany, called at headquarters and asked for Major
SeUera, of the Third Battalion. Wben he found the
major, the captain reported one of th© saddest acci
dents that could have happened throughout the whole
campaign. One of the outposts guarded by Company D was
at a lonely spot on the north side of the mountain,
east of the Guayama bridge. This post was in com
mand of Lieutenant Turner, and one of th© membera
of the Guard was Private Sam Hill. Private Hill
had been relieved and had gone to his tent until hia
turn would again come to take post. It is supposed
that he arose in his sleep and wandered from his tent.
Those on guard at the time could not have noticed
him leave his tent, hence his comrades were in ig
norance of his absence.
The hills and the vaUey below were known to be
full of Spanish guerillas and picket duty on theae

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 191
posts was very dangerous. One of the guards who
had relieved Private HUl and the reUef of which he
was a member, noticed an object moving in the dark
ness near his post and he at once commanded "halt."
The challenge was unheeded, but it was repeated only
to be again unheeded. The moving object had every
appearance of a human being, but in the darkness it
was impossible to distinguish between friend and foe.
Before offering the third challenge the sentry called
out, "For Gold's sake speak or I'll fire!" and at this
somewhat irregular but conscientious challenge, it
seemed to raise up as if to spring, and the sentry fired.
Investigation showed that the object had in
deed been a human being and that it was Private
HUl. Th© sentry who had fired the fatal shot was
crazed with grief when he saw the Uf elesa body of his
comrade, but he had done his duty and was blameless.
The news of the accident fell Uke a pall upon the
entire company, but every member realized that no
peraon waa in any way at fault, and the body of the
unforttmat© man was laid tenderly away in the gov
ernment burial lot at Guayama.

192 TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

CHAPTEE Xin.

BEGINNING OF THB END.
Imposing Scenes — Breakfast in the Rain — Expedition As
signed to Fourth Ohio — ^March Begun — Guide "Backs
Out" — Plan of Operationsi — A Rocky Road — ^A Hot
Day — Danger in Straggling — Lunch and a Short Rest —
End of the March — Hostilities Suspended — Retraced
Steps — Friday and the Thirteenth — Intense Suffering —
Temporary Camp — Hospital Call — Permanent Camp.
On the moming of August 13th the membere
of the Fourth witnessed a sight they could never
forget. A light rain had fallen during the night in
the city, but out where the companies were located,
the rain was quite heavy and continued until some
time after dayUght. The men were obliged to pre
pare breakfast and get ready for the day's work in
thia kind of weather, but there was very little
gTumbling except that they had not been given a
warning sooner of what was to come. The regiment
assembled early and before 7 o'clock it waa reported
to General Haines ready for duty.
It is not necessary to give th© general plan of
the movement in this connection, even if the details
were at hand. Th© object was of courae the conquest
of the island and the immediate capture and possession
of the city of Oayey, th© capital of the pro'vince of tiie
same name. General Brooke waa on the acene of
action and peraonally conducted the initial move
ments. The Fourth Ohio had been recommended to

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 193
him as a command which could be thoroughly reUed
upon, and from this recommendation and from what
he had seen at Camp Thomas, the regiment was as
signed the most difficult part of the movement.
The regiment assembled on the road leading
from Guayama to Cayey, between the city and the
bridge. Before they could proceed on the march,
however, and while they were in Une, General Brooke
and his entire staff passed up the road. Following
the general and his staff came a large detachment of
cavalry, the most of them regular, one troop, the
Firet City Troop of PhUadelphia. The firm, reso
lute faces of these men as they galloped along the
Un© of the Fourth, gave the boys a feeling of confi
dence and they were more anxious than ever to
measure strength with the Spanish forces.
The rear of the cavalry column had hardly
pasced when the sonorous rumbling of artillery^ was
heard as it rattled over the road into position beyond
the bridge. Then eame Colonel Bennit at the head
of th© Third Illinois and then the Fourth Pennsyl
vania, commanded by Colonel Case. Knowing the
situation as they did, the Fourth Ohio at first regarded
-with considerable suspicion the result of this expedi
tion, for they knew full well that from their poaition
in the hills the Spaniards could see exactly what was
going on and that they were as a matter of courae pre
paring to receive any attack that might be made. The
resolut© appearance of the men who had passed with
the cavalry, however, and the heavy guns that spoke
destruction ine-vitable, manned by men who were aa

194 TEE FOURTE 0. 7, I,
anxious to fight as the membere of th© Fourth Ohio
could hav© ever been, and these, backed up by the
other regiments of the brigade, of which th© Fourth
Ohio was a part, inspired such a feeUng in the minds
of the boys that they expected to see the very hills
before them torn to pieces and the war brought to a
summary close before night fall.
As soon as this force had cleared the way, the
Fourth Ohio started on the march, in an opposite di
rection, or back towards the town. They passed on
through Guayama and on to the road leading to
Ponce. This road was followed for a distance of
nearly a mile when a tum was made to the right and
the line of march was continued along a rough, rocky
road that had the appearance of being a private lane.
The Second Battalion marched at the head of the col
umn and the First Battalion was assigned to the rear.
The march was well protected by a strong advance
guard, E Company under Captain Vincent having
been assigned to this duty.
The column advanced through fields and across
meadows, over deep ditches and along rugged streams,
pushing its way at times through thickets and planta
tions and again coming out into rocky barren places
where the horses could hardly be pushed along at
all. A guide had been secured to point out the way,
but when it came to the test, he refused to go along.
General Haines accompanied this expedition and he
at once sent back to Guayama for Emanuel Lucinariua
who bravely offered to show the way through the
mountains.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 195
Briefly stated, the plan was for the Fourth Ohio
to take a very circuitous route through the mountains,
arri-ving at the rear of the town, while the remainder
of the force waa to have advanced over the main road.
The main column would probably have attracted the
attention of the entire Spanish force, so that the
Fourth Ohio could have moved practically unnoticed
into a strong position and the work would have been
done. At the same time General Miles, with his
army at Ponce, would advance from Comoa, the to-wn
which had already been captured with a small losa,
so that the Spaniarda would have been compelled to
exhaust their every resource to cope with such a
movement. The men had been ordered to take two daya' ra
tions -with th©m, and this, added to the weight of the
regular equipment began to weigh pretty hea-vily on
the men before they had gone very far. The tac
tics that had been foUowed on the march from
Arroyo were again adopted and shelter tents, blan
kets and ponchos were thrown by the wayside. The
rains had entirely ceased and the sun beat down upon
the men most unmercifully. The band had again
left their instruments behind and were acting as mem
bera of the hospital corps. The suk beat do-wn upon
theae men, however, with as much force as it did
upon th© companies, and they were almost as help
less as the other men. They accomplished much
good, however, by caring as best they could under
the circumstances, for the men who were compelled
to drop from the ranks on account of th© heat.

196 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
Considering the terrible heat and the rate at
which th© march was k©pt up in order to reach the
town at the appointed time, there wer© not as many
stragglers as might be supposed. There waa a fight
in -view and this kept the spirits of the men in such
condition that they could have home even worse hard
ships than they had yet suffered. Before noon, how
ever, the unrelenting heat had claimed quite a num
ber of -victims and the poor fellows who could go no
further were cared for as well as could be done many
miles from a hospital.
Straggling was very dangerous, for the moun
tains were known to be full of guerillas and scouts
from the Spanish army, and it was leamed after hos-
tiUties had been suspended that small reconnoitering
parties had actually concealed themselves and watched
the regiment thread its way through the bushes and
among the rocks. They were in such small force,
however, that they regarded it folly to make their
presence known in any way, but had the line of march
been marked -with men who had fallen from the ranks,
they could easily have been captured and carried
away to Spanish prisons.
A peculiar fact connected -with the history of the
Fourth Ohio is that every movement was either made
on Friday or on the 13th day of the month. This
movement was made both on Friday and on the Thir
teenth, and -while the regiment at least as a whole
was not superatitious in any way, many of the mem
bers fully expected that something serious would
happen. Dozens of places were passed, where, if the

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 197
Spaniards had seen or had been ready to act, the
regiment could have been wiped out of existence so
completely that not one would have survived to teU
th© tale. As these places were passed the men in
voluntarily heaved a sigh of relief and figuratively
"held their breath" until the next pass came into
view. Every rifle was loaded, chamber and magazine,
and during most of the march, every trigger had a
finger ready to touch it in the name of "Fair Co
lumbia and the Stara and Stripes."
The regiment reached a beautiful, well-shaded
snot along the bank of one of the mountain streamt>
about noon, and here a short stop was made for din
ner. No fires were kindled except a few of sticks
where the men prepared cups of coffee. "Prime
Eoast Beef," "Boston Baked Beans," and "Finest
Quality Tomatoes," -with a Uberal supply of liar<i
tack and river water, raade up the menu of the lunch
but it was heartUy enjoyed by all, as was also the
short rest which was permitted after lunch.
When all was again ready, the march was re^
sumed, but perhaps at a little higher rate of speed
until the last mountain pass was reached. This was
Uttle short of a cliff, but it had to be surmounted just
the same, ao the other bad places had to be gone over.
It waa about 2 o'clock when the foot of this hill was
reached and a brief rest had been ordered before the
ascent was commenced. It would have required
about an hour for the regiment to have climbed this
place, but at the top all the fighting that had ever
been asked for was waiting. The command, "For-

198 TEE FOURTE 0, 7. I.
ward!" had just been given when an officer of the
signal corps. Major Dean, overtook the regiment, his
horse covered -with lather and foam and almost ex
hausted. When he reached the rear of the column,
he called for them to make way. He pushed through
as rapidly as the men could make way for him, shout
ing as he did so, "Tell the colonel to halt." When
the major had reached the colonel and General
Haines, he delivered a message from General Brooke,
announcing that dispatches had been received from
Washington with the intelligence that hostilities be
tween the United States and the kingdom of Spain
had been suspended, and that there would be no more
fighting, at least for the time being. The Fourth
Ohio was then ordered back to Guayama, to report
as soon as possible.
"This is Friday and the 13th," observed a sol
dier, who had been an observer. "I told you some
thing would happen, and now sure enough we are up
against the worst snap Ave have struck since we left
home. AU this killing march for nothing. It does
beat  ," and here the pessimistic observation
was drowned in the cheer that went up from the ranks
for Uncle Sam. The march had been a severe one,
and it seemed hard for the boys to tum their
backs to the eneihy they had yearned so much to
meet, but knowing that a fight on that ground would
have resulted seriously if not diaaatroualy, the boys
accepted their fate as best they could and after a
short rest started back to town.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 199
If the advance had been a severe trial, the re
turn trip to the city was a severer one. The first
march had been attended with novelty, and with
interest and a promise of excitement, but now that the
boys had to pick their way back over the rough road
without ha-ving accomplished anything or -without re
ceiving an opportunity of showing what Ohio citizen
soldiers could do, the regiment as a whole was sadly
discouraged, and very uncomplimentary remarks were
mad© concerning the "backbone" of the Spanish gov
ernment and the fighting quality of her soldiers.
However, a soldier's value is estimated by his -wUling
ness and promptness in obeying ordere, and here the
Fourth Ohio did its duty just as it had done on every
occasion since the day it was accepted as a volunteer
regiment. Th© Third Battalion took the lead on the return
and they set a merry pace. Half running, the col
umn retraced its steps back to town as though it had a
record to beat and had there been one it certainly
would have been beaten, for before the sun had sunk
behind the hills the regiment had just climbed and
then descended, a camp had been established and
preparations were going on for the night camp along
the Ponce road, at the point where the regiment had
left it earlier in the day.
On the return there was a large number of strag
glera, for the heat of the sun and the severe physical
strain of the march had so nearly worn out a great
number of the men that they were wholly unable to
keep up. They were compeUed, for lack of strength,

200 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
to drop out and rest, returning to the regiment as beat
they could. The hospital corps at firat attempted
to aasist theae men, but the number increased so rap
idly that no possible means oould be de-vised to help
them and they were obUged to get along aa best they
could. Lack of water and of nouriahing or refreshing
food had rendered them almost helpless, and words
f aU to describe the suffering of that aftemoon. Men
threw away what clothing they could spare in order
to Ughten their load and to make better progress.
"Some threw their weary bodies into the streams in
the hope that in that way they could quench their
parching thirst. Men lay at the roadside begging
for water, while their comrades were forced to pass
by them, wholly unable to give them more than a
quaff of the tepid water from the Uttle ri-vuleta which
had almoat boiled under the terrible heat of the trop
ical aun. Some of these men did not rejoin the regi
ment until the next day, preferring remaining out in
the open country to dragging their exhausted bodies
over the rocks before they had enjoyed a night's reat.
As soon as the temporary camp was established,
the men were p©rmitted to report at the hospital, and
quite a number improved this opportunity to prepare
for the fight against disease. Quite a few were ad
mitted to the hospital as patients, and it is very grati
fying to note that no permanent evil resulted from
the terrible march.
Supper was prepared and the men, after taking
Uberal quantities of hot coffee into their stomachs,
wrapped themselves in the few blankets which re-

o> H
Z m
D >r>zD

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 201
mained, and creeping into the Uttle ahelter tents
buried themaelves in sleep untU moming. The
camp was not in existence long, for early the next
day the regiment removed to a hill side at the north
side of the city, the new camp bordering on one of the
Guayama streets at the south and another, the main
street or the road to Cayey on the west. The new
camp was made with the wall tents which had been
brought from Chickamauga park, a decided improve
ment over the low thin "pup-tents."
If a careful survey of the whole island of Porto
Rico had been made, a worse location for a military
camp could hardly have been selected. There was
one advantage and that was the convenience to a
water supply, th© city water station being located
within the limits of the camp. This proved inade
quate, however, and water for cooking and some for
drinking purposes had to be carried from the city.
The camp was on a hillside at th© has© of th© moun
tain range already described. At the foot of th© hiU
was Eio Guayama, and this made it convenient for
washing clothes and for bathing, but the Third H-
linois later occupied a field further up th© str©am
and the waterwas thoroughly polluted bythe "Suckers"
b©fore it reached the limits of the Fourth Ohio camp.
The surface of the ground was such that it was abso
lutely impossible to take a step in any direction with
out going either up or down hill. As popular :.s dress
parades were with the regiment, a parade ground could
not be found capable of permitting a review in more
than a column of platoons and even these were often

202 TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
obliged to break to pieces in passing the re'viewing
officer. Permission could not be secured, however,
to remove the camp to a more favorable location and
the regiment made this place its hom© imtil October
6th, when the start was made across the island for
San Juan and the states.

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 203

CHAPTEE XIV.

IN CAMP AT GUAYAMA.
Miserable Location— Causes of Dissatisfaction— Health of
the Men — Desire to Return Home — Sickness — Condition
at Hospital — Changes In Commanders — Market — Finan
cial Condition of Men— The Paymaster— Better Times—
¦Visit of Mr. Klotts— Orders to Move — Brigade Dis
banded. The camp at Guayama was in existence from
August 14 to October 6, when, under ordera to re
turn to the United States, the regiment marched
across the mountains to Cayey, thence to Caguas and
from there to Eio Piedras and proceeded to San Juan.
The camp haa already been described as to ita posi
tion and surface. The membera of the regiment had
but one consolation when the camp was established:
The assurance that hostiUties having ceased, or at
least suspended, the war would soon be declared off
and the regiment returned to its home in Ohio. Had
it been generally known at the time this camp was
formed that the regiment would remain there two
long montha, the howl that would have gone up from
the company streeta would have been heard in Wash
ington. One of the firet duties after the camp was formed,
was the digging of sinks and other preparations look
ing to the health and comfort of the men durine the
occupation of the camp, whatever length of time that
might be. It should be remembered in thia connection

204 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
that the only commissary stores received at Guayama
were those which had constituted the diet of the reg
iment since the day tha regimental camp at Camp
Thomas had been abandoned. The regiment was not
traveling, much as it wanted to, but "travel rations"
continued to come in from the United Statea. The
first few daya the boys managed to get along fairly
well by buyjag and bartering of the natives sucU ai^
tides of f .od as the island produced and a few arti
cles that had been imported. They were unable to
io this yery long, however, from the fact that no pay
master had yet appeared at the camp and the funus
of most of the men had become practically exhausted.
About tlie time the boys began to think seriously
of rising up and demanding as one man that more
and better rations be issued, they began to under
stand that it waa not the fault of the regimental or
company officera that they were not better fed, but
that it was +ie fault of those in th© states who hao
the matter of feeding the army in hand. All com
missary stores were purchased by contract and if the
contractora could furnish the stores that would fill
their coffera more rapidly than to furnish, the kind of
food which the men in the field wanted and which
they needed, the former was invariably sent to Cuba
and to Porto Eico. It made little difference how
much the men who had to eat these things, objected,
the issues continued the same.
The first diveraion from the fare described was
rice and potatoes. The issue was very small, but -with
ita aid, the spirits of the boys were wonderfully

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 205
strengthened. Company officera did much also to
lessen the suffering of their men by sa-ving the issues
of canned beef, tomatoes, hard tack and beans and
trading it to native merchants for yams, eggs, milk
and other pro-visions better si"'ted to the cUmate and
to the condition of the men.
The health of the regiment first began to break
down while this camp was occupied. At Chicka
mauga park, both th© othor regimenta of the brigade
had suffered comparatively heavy leases by death for
aoldiera not in an active campaign. Their hospitals
were full and their men -were during much of the time
anfit for duty on account of sickness, but during all
this time the Fourth Ohio had suffered very little
sickness and but one death had occurred in the regi
ment. This was the only death that occurred before
the regiment left the United States. It was but a
few days after Porto Eico was reached, however, that
sickne.as began to appear and there was a death before
the camp at Guayama had been established. This was
Daniel H. Dodge, of H company, who was buried at
the cemetery at Arroyo by Cantain Dona-vin and sev
eral other membera of the regiment.
There were several causes which corai ined to
break down the health of the men. Without going
into technicality or detail, these were, the absence of
proper food, the change in climate, homesickness and
the indulgence in the use of the native fruits and
pastry. The latter may not have caused any deaths,
but the eating of mangoes and some of the candies
and other products of the native kitchen, in spite of

206 THE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
the warning of the surgeons and the orders of the
colonel and company commanders, rendered many
soldiers unfit for duty. Once sick, many of them
would give up their thoughts to home and those they
had left behind, and before the patient or his com
rades were aware, these were at the hospital in a criti
cal condition. There was very little of this class of
disease when compared with that found in the other
commands on the island. Either the discipline of the
Fourth Ohio was better, the men wiser, or they were
less fortunately situated as to finances.
The change in climate and the lack of proper
food claimed several victims, but neither the men nor
the officers over them were at fault in this matter.
The seat of this trouble has already been located. It
is a fact also that the mere fact that th© men were
members of the army and that they were in an active
campaign and suffering all the inconveniences inci
dent to that kind of duty, had very little if anything
to do with the suffering superinduced by the change
in climate. Persons going to tropical from temper
ate climates on pleasure tours suffer the same diffi
culty. But these causes combined had an evil effect
and can not be overlooked.
These were times that were trying to the medi
cal department. Major Semans and Dr. Wright
worked night and day to relieve the suffering of the
men and -with the aid of the stewards and the other
membere of the regiment who had been detailed to
duty at the hospital, many lives were saved and much
suffering was relieved or entirely avoided. The work

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 207
of the hospital men in this camp as well as during
all the time in which the regiment was in the service
was certainly well done and too much praise can not
be accorded them. At any hour during the day or
night that men went to the hospital, some one was
awake and ready and -willing to take care of the pa
tient. The work of the hospital corps is treated else
where, but it is only proper to mention in this con
nection the untiring effort and the noble work of Doc-
tora MoMurray, Wilson, Carson, Nurees Lane, Eeed
and othere who, on account of their knowledge of
medicine and the car© of the sick were assigned to
duty with the regimental surgeons. These men
worked without commissions and without extra pay
except the satisfaction of kno-wing that they were do
ing much good for their comrades in distress. Major
Semans worked himself sick and had Dr. Wright
been obliged to have remained on duty at the regi
mental hospital, he would have undoubtedly broken
completely do-wn.
Patients could not be retained in the regimental
hospital for more than several days, when they were
removed to the general hospital. Mattera here were
in a most deplorable condition as may be seen from
the following extract from a written statement by an
officer of th© Fourth Ohio :
"On the eighth day of August my brother -was
taken sick with the fever, and reported to the sur
geons of the Fourth, whose quartere were then in the
old Spanish barracks, and at my request he was later
moved to the Eed Ctoss hospital, where he received

208 TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
very good treatment from our surgeons. Upon the
arrival of Colonel Hidecooper they were ordered to
move the sick men to an unprepared hospital on tiie
hill, close to the city, regardless of the fact that the
men were in no condition to be moved at that time.
Colonel Coit ordered the men to be left where they
were, and insisted on his orders being obeyed, but
Colonel Hidecooper then got an order from General
Brooke and Colonel Coit was powerless to retain the
men. "While this dispute was going on the sick men
were loaded and unloaded several timea from the am
bulance. The men were finally moved, while it was
raining, and that evening there came to me an inti
mation that they were not being properly taken carp
of. I immediately went to the hospital, where my eye"
were greeted with such a sight as I hope never to
-witness again. Men in aU atages of fever and other
kinds of sickness were lying on the ground with noth
ing to lie upon save their o-wn blankets, and a large
portion of the men were not under even a tent, but
were lying beneath a fly, where the rain waa dripping
in upon them, and for over a week the men had noth
ing to eat except regular army rations, unless some
kind hearted comrade would spend some of his
meagre salary for food for his friend."
In a quiet spot in one comer of the cemetery at
Guayama is a little lot belonging temporarily to the
United States. Here under the sweltering rays of
the southern sun Ue buried the remains of those
noble sons of Ohio -who were unable to withstand the

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 209
hardships of military service. They had fought
bravely the enemy of their native land, they had
braved the dangers and th© hardships of the march
and the watch, but they had been stricken from the
ranks in the stUl watches of the night by the hand
that no military power could stay. Each of these was
tenderly laid to rest on beds of beautiful flowera and
the last sad rites wer© performed with the same
reverence and tenderness which marks the part
ing of loved ones in the Christian home. Each
time the muffled notes of the drum announced
the muster out of a comrade, heads were bared and to
the slow, mournful step of th© funeral march, the
remaining membere of the company of which the
dead soldier had been a member, followed the rude
bier to the Uttle cemetery where a beautiful funeral
ceremony was performed and -with the last sound
ing of "taps," the departed one was left to know no
more of the cares of military life or the sorrows of a
world where men meet men at the point of the sword.
The graves of all the deceased members of the
Fourth Ohio were plainly marked with wooden slabs
and as this account goes to press, arrangements are
being made for their transfer back to the soil which
gave them birth and which thev left to fight for the
honor of their homes and native land.
The seasons of the year in Porto Eico are sup
posed to be the "wet" and the "dry" seasons, but the
experience of the Fourth Ohio at Guayama failed to
teach any of its membere "which was which." On
one day the rain would fall in torrents and the next

210 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
day it would seem as though no rain had fallen for
months. Some times the men would answer the firat
morning roll call in a driving rain, but before noon
the sun would beat down upon the canvas tents with
such unrelenting force that the occupants were com
pelled to apread their blankets on the canvas to pro-
t©ct themselves from the terrible heat. Again it
would rain for four or five days at a time, in which
case all the food and clothing in camp would be
thoroughly soaked. After this tiie sun would break
through the clouds, and beating do-wn upon th©' weU
soaked ground, evaporate all the moisture so rapidly
that it was too cold on the inside of the tents for the
men to remain, and so hot where the sun shone, tiiat
one would be unable to stand but a moment -without
suffering sun stroke. The hea-vy rains would fiU up
the streams and springs so that they were unfit to
wash olothing or for bathing or drinking.
The people at Guayama, it has been stated, were
very friendly to the soldiers when they firat landed in
the city. Anything that was in possession of the
people could be secured by th© soldiera for the mere
asking. For every American doUar a soldier pos
sessed, he could secure two Porto Eican doUara or
"pesos" as they were called. Current prices on all
the commodities which the market afforded were far
below thos© at home and the men felt that they had
certainly reached a home for poor men, but as the
acquaintance with the soldiera increased, the people
began to feel sorry that tbey had been so Uberal and
.it seemed that they were determined to "make up"

TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 211
for the mistakes they had made in the past and prices
began to rise. An American dollar began to depre
ciate in the native markets so that when the regi
ment left, aU a soldier could get for the "good old
American stuff" was one "peso" and sixty "centavos."
Milk advanced in price and eggs could not be bought
for less than eight cents each. Merchants doubled
the price on everything they offered for sale and wo
men who did laundry work advanced their rates to
many times the original figures.
This led to more or less ill feeUng against the
natives, and determined to "break even" with them,
all sorts of Yankee tricks were played by the soldiers.
There was very Uttle serious trouble between the sol
diera and the natives, but there were several small
fights and the pri-vilege of the camp was denied a cer
tain class of merchants.
The better class of citizens, however, those who
owned property or those who were intelligent enough
to appreciate the advantages of the change in gov
ernment, remained loyal in their friendship for the
Americans. Banquets, receptions and other social
functions in honor of the officera and men remained
the order of the "society" side of life at Guayama as
long as the camp was maintained. Even after the
regiment had returned to Ohio lettera were received
from people at Guayama expressing the friendship of
the people there for th© Fourth Ohio.
Ther© was one class of citizens which was not
benefited by the change of government and which
did not benefit the United States by its acquisition.

212 TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
This was the lowest type of Porto Eican. He was
black, dirty, lazy, ignorant, immoral, naked and disr
eased. He would steal the clothing from a corps© and
while the regiment was in the field before Guayama,
some of these feUows robbed the knapsacks of the
soldiers who wer© fighting for their liberty. He
profited only by the increase in the population, thus
recei-ving a broader field in which to operate his ne
farious method of securing a UveUhood. The miU
tary authority paid little attention to this class, ex
cept to give them scraps from the camp mess and to
aid the ci-vil authorities in arresting and imprisoning
them. They did not live in houses, but existed more
as the lower animals. There was little hope for their
improvement and as it was dangerous to get near tiiem
on account of disease, the soldiers remained away from
them as much as possible.
Aside from the digging of sinks and other fa
tigue duty in keeping the camp clean, there was Ut-
tie duty to perform at Guayama. There was a camp
guard maintained, but at first it was dangerous for
the men to get beyond the limit of the outposts and
after hostilities had ceased there was littie temptation
for the men to leave camp except to go into the city.
Passes were issued to a few each day and those who
went without passes were liable to arrest by the pro
vost guard on duty in and about the city. This made
camp guard duty very light and it was often taken off
at night in bad weather except at one or two posts for
the purpose of keeping watch over things in general.

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 213
Guard was mounted in the moming, one company
going on at a time.
The first several weeks, provost duty was per
formed by the companies of the Fourth Ohio, the
different commands taking turns as in camp guard.
This duty was at one time assigned to the Fourth
Pennsylvania, but after a few days was returned to
the Fourth Ohio. Companies A and E were then de
tailed to perform this duty and Lieutenant Colonel
Adams was made provost marahal of the town. These
companies remained at this duty until they boarded
the Chester to leave the island for home.
Porto Eico was sometimes referred to by the boys
as the "land of vile cigars." Tobacco was grown on
the island quite extensively and the tobacco was a
very fine grade, but it was rolled up into cigare in
such manner that they wer© unfit either to smoke or
to smell. The fault lay altogether in the making of
the cigar and not in the quality of the tobacco. Th©
redeeming feature of Porto Eican cigare, however,
was their price; for any one who cared to smoke could
get a fine cigar, at first for part of a hard tack, then
for a whole one and finally the price was raised to two
hard tacks, the quality of the goods decreasing as
rapidly as th© price increased. Th© cigars were
brought to camp in baskets of bark or in musUn bags
and peddled after th© fashion used by the appleman
in the cities at home. Ther© were other p©ddl©rs ad
mitted to the camp at firat, but they were stopped later
on because of their method of doing business.

214 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
By an order issued from Greneral Brooke's head
quartera, a maU route was established between Ponce
and Guayama. Mail was received from Ponce on
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of each week and
mail could be sent to Ponce on the remaining three
days. The mail wagon made the trips regularly, but
mail from home was only deUvered about every two
weeks. The quickest time that was made from Ohio
to-wns to Guayama was ten days. This' was satisfac
tory, but there were many instances in which lettera
wer© deUvered that had been mailed weeks and even
months before, and many lettera were not delivered
until after the regiment reached home. These had
been mailed long before the regiment had received
ordera to leave Guayama. It was not unusual for the
mail clerks to find mail in the regimental budget ad
dressed to soldiers in Cuba or the Philippines and it
was only natural to suppose that mail for the Fourth
Ohio was often sent to those places. There was no
regular mail line from the United States to Porto
Eico and mail was only taken to the island by hospi
tal or quartermastera' boats.
At Guayama the mail was distributed among
the regiments and then turned over to regimental
postmasters. At Camp Thomas, Private Irvin, of M
company, took care of Fourth Ohio mail, but he was
succeeded early in the Porto Eican campaign by Cor
poral Harmount, of K company. It was quite a while
after the regiment had been at Guayama that mail
reached camp at all. As soon as it was delivered at
the regimental postoffice, it was distributed to the

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 215
companies where the first sergeants took it for distr-j
bution among the men. Lettera and newspapers wer:!
gladly received aa can easily be imagined, but when
they came they were from ten days to many weeks
old and even after the regiment had reached Colum
bus and had been mustered out of the service, mail
that had been addressed to soldiera in Porto Eico, long
before th© regiment was ordered from Guayama, was
delivered to those for whom they were intended, some
of them having made a tour around the world.
During th© stay at Guayama, when news from
the states was always old, rumors circulated in camp
with more rapidity and with lesa foundation in fact,
but with more believera than they had at any time
sine© the regiment left the auditorium. A group of
soldiers. would often arrange a story, as far from any
thing plausible as they could make it, then separating
to different directions, would promulgate the "news"
to all whom they met. Given a start thus, the rumor
would circulate to every part of the camp in a phe-
nomenaUy short time and cheer after cheer would go
up from the company streets, at the thought of going
home or doing duty of another nature. Some times
the rumor makers would make the news of a disco-ur-
aging nature, but the result would be the same as to
its general belief and rapid circulation.
Sickness, bad weather, disgusting natives, bad
rations, lack of funds, slow news from home, the fact
that the war was over and no duty to perform that
aeemed "necessary" in the minds of the members of
the regiment, an inconvenient camp, discouraging ef-

216 TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
feet of the constantly circulating rumors, slow action
on the part of the war department to make any head
way in the occupation of the island, a desire on the
part of those men who had employment awaiting
them at home and who were obliged to maintain fami
Ues on the meager income of fifteen dollars and sixty
cents per month and a desire of the coUege men to re
turn to their regular duties -were causes which com.-
bined to create a general feeUng of dissatisfaction in
the regiment. There was nothing to do practioaUy
but exist; and existence under such circumstances
as those which attended life in th© camp at Guayama
was not a sweet one by any means. Everybody
wanted to go home and ©verybody was fr©e to express
this desire. There was a few exceptions to this rule
however, but they were men who had no considerable
employment at home and who were earning far more
wages as soldiere than they had ever earned before in
their lives so they were desirous of holding to their
places as long as possible. Thes© membere soon
found themselves held in severe contempt by the
other members, for the regiment was made up of pro
fessional men and mechanics who were actuated by
patriotism only in leaving their homes, their employ
ment or the college to represent their state on th© field
of battle. Time drug hea-vUy and the men began to
look about for amusement of some sort. Fre
quent excursions were made to the seashore or into
the mountains and every opportunity that was af
forded to while away the time was grasped eagerly by

CALLE, BUENA VISTA, GUAYAMA

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. i. 217
all. Applications were made for furloughs and
discharges, but only a few were granted. The lucky
feUows wer© p©rmitted to go home on the hospital
ships that left quite frequently, loaded down with the
sick and dying. Men who were in the hospitals -with
Uttle hop© of recovery in Porto Eico were given sick
leave and they too were permitted to go home. None
of these ever returned, for as soon as their leaves ex
pired the time was extended, so that they did not re
join the regiment until it had reached Columbus.
About the firet of September there was a change
in commanders of the brigade. General Haines, who
was a colonel in- the regular army, was needed else
where in the service and he was reUeved by General
Fred Grant, son of the "Silent President." General
Grant took great interest in the welfare of the men
and his personal talks and quiet inquiries with them
soon made him a popular officer -with the men of the
command. The dissatisfaction continued, however,
and the desire to go home was as apparent as ever.
While the boys in Company M were exchanging
rumors and waiting for ordere, th© poetically inclined
"got their heads together" and composed a song which
soon grew into popularity -with the entire regiment.
It certainly voiced the sentiment of all the men. One
verse and the chorus is given :
Lying in the guard house, a-waiting my discharge —
To H — 1 with all the otHcers, the provost and the guard —
-When we get back to Circleville, as happy as a clam,
To tell about the so-w-belly -we ate for XJnole Sam.

218 TUE FOURTB 0. V. I.
Chorus —
Home boys, home, its home you ought to be!
Home, boys, home, in your o-wn- country!
¦Where the ash and the oak and the bonnie willow tree —
-Where the grass gro-ws green — in God's country.
Many verses were added to the song, nearly all
of which contained "roasts" concerning aome of the
officers or some feature of the life at Guayama, the
rhythm somewhat irregular in some cases of course,
but the sentiment invariably true.
One of the most interesting divereions from the
dull monotony of the camp was an entertainment or
ganized and completed by membera of the regiment.
Chaplain Schindel took an active part in the pre
paration and rendition of the program and the enter
tainment made a decided "hit" with the entire regi
ment and the people of Guayama who availed them
selves of the opportunity of seeing vaude-vill© as ex
hibited by Ohio soldiera. The entertainment was
given on three evenings, each performance being
given for the benefit of the different battalions. No
admission was charged, hence the entertainment from
a financial point of -view was a faUure. The program
is given below, just as it came from the Spanish
press, as to spelling and punctuation:
4TH OHIO INFANTRY VAUDEVILLE COMPANY,
Gauyama Theatre, Puerto Rico,
September 13-15 1898
EXECUTIVE STAFF.
George B. Donavan, Mounted (Prt. Ro. Stud with baskets)
Capt.: and pro. of mule corrall In Puerto Rico.
T. C. Radcliff, the only man who can make Dtalls.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I, 219
J. L. Sellers, Major and manf . of cigars warranted no sellers.
M. Lee 'Wilson, Reg. Ajt. a farmer lad and not the proprietor
of a Chinese laundry as his name would indicate.
J. B. Adams, Lt. Col. of regiment, Guayamo Provost marshall
and Gran Jefe de Pollcla.
Col. A. B. Coit, Commanding Staff. &c. &c. &c, &c,
Opening Selection 4th Regiment Band.
PAET I
THE COLONEL'S RECEPTION.

COlonel-Serg. C. K. Crum.
'Waiters S. 'Williams, B. Reynolds, 'W. Connell, Joe Johnson,
Ed. Jones, E. Shoemaker.
Bong, "Two Roses from Mother,, — M. E. Murray.
Oomlque, "Warmest Baby in the Bunch" — S. Williams.
Song, "Break the News to Mother" — Steve Henry.
Oomlque, "Guess that will hold you for awhile" — R. Rey
nolds.
Incidental Music, M. Co. Quarterte — Henry, Murray, Bales
and Crum.
Selection — Poet and Peasant, Regimental Band.
PAET II.
MR. SAM WILLIAMS,
The Curbstone Comedian who wants a moment with you.

MESSRS. MARK TWAY AN TOM HILL,
Ohio's Greatest Buck and Wing Specialists.

MESSRS. DAVIS AND LAMBERT,

In Feats of Juggling, Light and Heavy Balancing, Wire Act.
MR. JOHN GIBBONS,
Terpsechorean Fantastic T'oeist.
MR. MARSHALL MURRAY,
Favorite Tenor.
MR. CELESTINO DOMINGUEZ,
Puerto Rican Hymn.

220 TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.

PAET III.

H. BALES,
Original Sketch Artist.

MR. CHARLES WOODMaNCY,
In Novel Singing Specialty.
PROF. JESSE WORTHINGTON,
Comet Virtuoso in Aqparelle (which means real water.)
M. Company quintette, Messrs. Henry, Murray, Bales,
Mowery and Crum.
FINALE
1. Uncle Sam and the Goddess of Llbery review the army.
2. Uncle Sam and Puerto — Rico under the Stars and Stripes.
R. Herod, Dominguez, Mercedes Bruno.
NOTES.
Eggs tendered as compliments must be scrambled and
not over six weeks old.
The Mint Julep counter to the right as you enter under
personal supervision of Lieut. W. B. McCloud, who is feel
ing better.
Palm leaf fans fumished by John Trent 20 centavoa.
The Colonel offers $5 reward for the petrified prayer th*
Chaplain lost in the attack on Guayama.
N. B. Major Baker will please occupy an amen pew in
the synagBgue so that he will be able to comprehend the
Program. "And the next day it rained "Genl Order No. 10.
A week after the change in brigade command
ere, there was a change in commanding officere of the
Firet battalion. Major Speaks, who had been -with
the regiment longer than any other member, was
granted a leave of absence and on September 8, he
left the Guayama camp to go to his home in Colum
bus. Captain Yincent of E company, the ranking
captain of the regiment, was assigned to the battalion
and he retained command until the regiment arrived

TEE FOURTE O. 7. I. 221
in Columbus. The association of Captain Vincent
with the men and officera of the First battaUon was
mutually pleasant and whUe there was no important
duty to perform except at Caguas, Captain Vincent
proved to be a very competent battaUon commander.
At the same time Major Speaks left Guayama, a
number of other membera started for their homes in
Ohio. Among these were Corporal Williamson, of
Company F, Principal Musician Eulo and several
othera, some discharged from the service, others on
sick leave and some on furlough. These men took
-with them messages from nearly every man and offi
cer in the regiment.
One of the firat things General Grant did when
he assumed command was to clean up the camp and
from all appearances arrange for a long stay at Guay
ama. He encouraged dress parades and as there was
no fit place for parade at either of the regimental
camps, the Third Illinois and the Fourth Ohio alter
nated in appropriating the Guayama plaza for a pa
rade ground. In the meantime, orders had been re
ceived for the occupation of the entire island accord
ing to the agreement made in the protocol which had
been signed by Spain. One evening about September
16, General Grant directed that the companies tum
out as fuU as possible as he wanted to -view the actual
strength of the regiment. He peraonally reviewed
the parade which followed and expressed himself veiy
weU pleased with the appearance of the regiment.
The real object of ihe big parade, however, waa
to determine which were the strongest companies.

222 TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
D and M companies turned out with the greatest
number of men able for duty and these two companies
were at once selected to take charge of provinces. A
few days later D company received ordere to go to
Humocoa in the eastern end of the island and then
came ordere for M company under Lieutenant Duffy
to go to the island of Vieques. Thia was the begin
ning of the separation of the companies and befor© the
end of the month all that remained at the original
camp at Guayama were companies B, C, F, G and K.
F and K companies were soon after detached and sent
to other stations and later on B company was sent
away and a part of H company was given a station.
The inconvenience of being without money, es
pecially when payment of hard earned wages from
such employere as the government is past due, is an
experiment hardly calculated to be enjoyed by many;
at least it was an experience not enjoyed by the
Fourth Ohio. One of the favorite subjects for rumora
was the paymaster and he was reported every day. One
rumor would have him in Guayama with the informa
tion that he had forgotten the money or that he had
come as far as Arroyo and then changed' his mind and
had gone back to the United States. Another rumor
impressed upon the minds of many that the regiment
would not be paid at all in Porto Eico, but that pay
ment would be deferred until the regiment reached
New York, but on the evening of September 22,
Major Jones, one of the volunteer paymasters, arrived
in camp with money with which to pay the regiment.
The news spread like -wildfire, but there had been so

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 223
many similar stories exploded that the rumor at first
was regarded with more or less suspicion, but the safes
had been left at guard headquartera for the night and
nearly every man in the regiment walked through a
pouring rain to confirm the story for himself. The
good news had a remarkable effect on the men and
the benefit of good spirits among the soldiere could
be seen before "taps" was sounded for the night. For
the time being, the question of going home was aban
doned and the men spent the night in their tents,
dreaminer of the good things to eat which they had
been denied on account of the lack of means with
which to secure them, but which they could now en
joy to their hearts' content.
A brigade store had been estabUshed in Guay
ama for the benefit of the officers for they were not
pro-vided for as were the enlisted men, by the gov
ernment. They had to purchase all their subsistence
with private funds and had not this store been estab
lished, the officera would have been compelled to de
pend entirely upon the native markets for their liv
ing. At tills store there was offered for sale, tobacco
and canned gooda, dried fruits and vegetables and in
fact everything that would not perish in transit from
the United Statea to Porto Eico. While the store was
intended for the convenience of the officers, enlisted
men could purchase any article offered for sale so
that when the paymaster made his appearance, every
man in the regiment oould see before him an oppor
tunity for at least one "square" meal.

224 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
The weather was exceptionally bad at the time
Major Jones began paying the men on September 23,
but the apirits of the regiment presented quite a con
trast to the condition of the weather. The boys
marched through a heavy rain to the regimental
headquarters and then as soon as they received their
money, they hastened to the brigade store to pur
chase anything they could get that was fit to eat. The
result was that by the time the Fourth Ohio was paid,
the stock of the brigade store was almost exhausted
and the members of the other regiments at Guayama
were compelled to save their money until a new
supply could be received. After the men had pro-
-vided themselves with all the provisions they oould
secure, they visited the Guayama stores and purchased
everything in sight that oould be carried home as
souvenirs of the place. In this way the sums' that
were distributed by the paymaster soon disappeared
and the men were again "financially embarrassed,"
but they wer© happy. At the same time the business
of Guayama had exprienced such a revival that it had
never seen before or probably -will ever know.
Major Jones had hardly finished paying the
troops when he received ordera to pay for the month
of September so that the men received pay for three
months at one time. Th© ©ffect of this was not only
that the men had plenty of money, but also that the
health of the regiment was greatiy improved and
from that time on the sickness began to disappear until
when th© regiment left Guayama, ther© were very
f©w men in the hospital. The boys could purchaae

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 225
eggs, mUk and fresh meat, and this added to what
they could secure at the brigade store had "filled a
long felt want" with the result that was only natural.
As soon as the troops at Guayama were paid, the de
tachments were followed up and the money du© them
duly delivered.
If the -visit of Major Jones produced a good ef
fect on the enlisted strength of th© regiment, it had
a better eff©ct upon the commissioned officera, for
they were suffering really more than their men.
Many of them "messed" with their companies, but
even this advantage could not be enjoyed by the field
officers for they had no men -with whom they could
board. The brigade store did a credit business to a
very limited extent, but the officera could secure the
same bread that was issued to the men by paying for
it. A bakery had been established at brigade head
quartera, but the quality of the product was such that
the operation of the bakery at home would not have
had a serious effect on the market. Sergeant George
Zwemer, of D company, the oldest enlisted man in the
regiment in point of service, acted as steward for the
headquarters officers' mess and it kept him busy gath
ering up food for his wards on the few pennies that
could be raked together among the members. When
the payment was made, however, Zwemer was a
happy man as was also those who depended upon his
judgment and activity for their daily bread.
After the health of the men began to improve
there was less cause of complaint against the Guay
ama camp, but the main cause for the desire to go

226 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
home still existed and rumora were soon again on
their way about the camp. It waa but a few days
after the -visit of Major Jones that a happy epoch in
the history of the camp was made. It was the -visit to
the boys of Mr. Frank P. Klotts, a Columbus gen
tleman, whose son was a member of Company A.
Mr. Klotts had come to -visit his son, who had been a
patient in the hospital, but -when the father arrived
at the camp, he leamed that the son had been sent
home on a hospital ship and that the two had uncon
sciously met in mid-ocean. Mr. Klotts was loaded
down with lettera from parents to their boys in the
field and the receipt of thes© and th© sight of "a real
live Buckeye" as one of the men expressed it, was the
aource of much pleasure to the boys. The -visitor waa
received with open arma and every comfort the place
afforded waa bestowed upon Mr. Klotts during his
stay in the camp. He remained but a few days and
returned, taking -with him thousands of me^ages to
the folks at home.
After the -visits of the paymaster, very little oc
curred to break the monotony of camp life until early
in October, when ordera fitnaUy came for the dis-
bandment of the Second brigade. The Fourth Penn
sylvania regiment had been sent home, nearly every
man in the Third Illinois was either in the hospital
or sick in quartere, so that the regiment was practic
ally unfit for duty, and all the work in sight had de
volved upon the Fourth Ohio. For this reason it was
decided to disband the brigade and relieve the Fourth
Ohio with fresh troops. Porto Eico waa divided into

TEE FOURTE 0. C 1. 227
two military districts, the diviaiona of the West with
headquartera at Ponce, General Henry commanding,
and the di'vision of the East under General Grant,
¦with headquarters at San Juan. Accordingly what
remained of the Fourth Ohio in the camp at Guayama
was ordered to San Juan, -with a view to the embarka
tion there for home.

228 TEE FOURTE 0, 7, I.

CHAPTEE XV.

FROM GUAYAMA TO SAN JUAN.
Regiment Leaves Guayama Camp— "The Girl I Left Behind
Me"— Marching Through Rain— Road to Cayey— A
Terrible March— Arrived at Cayey— Further Detach
ments—Flag Raising— March to Caguas — Duty There —
Flags Raised — March to Rio Piedros — Arrival at San
Juan. The moming of the sixth day of October, 1898,
is one that the boys of the Fourth Ohio will never for
get. It was then that it was definitely decided that
th© camp at Guayama would forever be abandoned
and such information, although for many weeks
longed for, prayed for and hoped for, was a glad sur
prise to every man in the command. A and E com
panies, which were left behind, did not fully under
stand why they, too, were not included in the order,
but life with them in the city had not been attended
-with many of the inconveniences of the hillside camp,
and they could easily see how, if they were the only
troops at Guayama, much of the unpleasantness of
the place would be avoided.
It was arranged that the regiment would leave
Gnayama early Thuraday moming, but General
Grant showed his confidence in the officere of the
regiment and the ability of their men by saying to
Colonel Coit: "Colonel, you will proceed as far as
Cayey Thursday, raise the flag there, and lea-ving

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 229
Captain Potter's company in possession of the to-wn,
you -wiU make headquarters at Caguas until further
orders. I leave all to your judgment."
Thureday moming was dark and dreary — just
the kind of weather to drive the men into their quar
ters, there to exchange condolence and cigara and sing
the songs of home. The distance from Guayama to
Cayey is seventeen miles and the colonel realized that
the start must b© made as early as possible to make
the trip. Dinner was ordered at 10:30, and all day
long the men packed their belongings. As soon as
dinner was over, wagons were driven through th©
camp for all subsistonc©, personal baggage and com
pany chests and desks. Unfortunately some of the
men neglected that most important of a soldier's duty,
the fiUing of haversacks. This was the source of
much annoyance later on.
At 2 o'clock all was ready and the start was
made. It so happened that the boys got off "b©twe©n
showere," but they had not proceeded far when the
firet shower came up. The "first" might be said to
be th© only one, because it rained almost constantly
during the entire march of seventeen miles. After
the regiment was formed the column moved in fours
to the music of "The Girt I Left Behind Me." Then
the band struck up "Dixie" and "Marching Through
Georgia." Everybody was happy. Even if it had
been raining, snowing or anything, it would have been
good enough for "The Day We Leave Guayama."
The rain began soon after the start was made.
All the men had to carry was their canteens, haver-

230 TEE FOURTE 0. 7, I.
aacka and rifles, so they could easily use their pon
chos. These are good things in Ught showere, but
-whon they were put into service in water spouts and
cloud bursts, they proved about as serviceable as pieces
of mosquito bar the same si^ie. Long before dark
every officer and man in the regiment was as wet as
he could be.
The road from- Guayama to C&yey has been de
scribed in another chapter. It is a dangerous one to
travel in daytim© and much more so at night. At
one side, the bluffs towered high above the heads of
the traveler and on the other th© d©scent was as steep
as a stone wall. A misstep at any time might hav©
meant a severe collision -with the sharp stones in the
grade at one side or a f aU into the darkness and gloom
thousands of feet below at the other. To these con
ditions add darkness so dense that one could abso
lutely see nothing twelve inches in front of him, and
one may form an idea of the march to C'ayey.
One of the interesting features of the march was
passing along the point where A and C companies
met -with the disaster on August 8, and the sight of
the intrenchments and fortifications which would have
had to have been carried, had a forced movement
toward San Juan been ordered before August 13. At
one point the Spanish garrison could have marched
out to th© roadway, killed off a regiment in one vol
ley, and retumed to their quartera before the next
regiment would have had time to come up. When
the boys saw what they might have had to encounter.

THE FOURTH 0. V. I, 231
most of them heaved a sigh of relief to realize that
the war was actually over.
With the darkness came an experience which
in every particular beggars description. Wet to the
skin, supperless, tired and weary, the men plodded
along, all the way up hill, through narrow passes,
where the men actually had to feel their way; where
had a step to the side been made, the unfortunate
would have been dashed to the rocks a thousand feet
below; where, had a horse become frightened or
jumped to on© side, it would have meant certain
death to himself and rider; where, had a Spanish sym
pathizer chosen to have done so, he could have blown
out a culvert, and dozens of Uves would have gone
out in an instant; where if one man fell, a whole
company would have stumbled over his prostrate
form. Men who had been over the road in th© daytime
were sent ahead as guides. The regimental staff
foUowed, most of the officera leading their horaes.
Th© guides were of little use, howover, as all they
could do was to shout back that the road was clear.
They could announce a new tum to the right or left
every few yards, but no one could see it, and the
warning simply made them mor© careful in feeling
for th© road.
Had it not b©en for th© presence of an AU Wise
Pro-vidence, the regiment could not poaaibly have
covered the distance. Even as it was the wagon train
had to halt and wait for daylight. Every few min
utes the lightning would fiash across the road, thus

232 TEE FOURTE 0. V. I.
sho-wing the way for a few feet. Often the regiment
had to halt and wait for a flash of lightning to show
culverts where the water could be heard roaring
down over the precipices. A pecuUar circumstance
which seemed to be a manifestation of the presence
of Providence was the settling of a large "Ughtning
bug" on the hip of the chaplain's horae. Company
B followed immediately after th© chaplain and those
in front could see which way to go, guided by thia
animal "pillar of fire."
It was shortly after nine o'clock when th© regi
ment reached Cayey. The wagon tiain with all sub
sistence was back in the hiUs and no food in the haver
sacks. Company commanders hustled around, how
ever, and secured some bread and the men were put
to "bed" on a cold cement floor -with bread and water
for support and their olothing thoroughly soaked.
Friday moming quinine was issued freely and as soon
as the wagons arrived the men were given a good
breakfast and some of them were able to secure dry
clothes. By noon everybody was comfortably fixed,
but no duty was assigned except to Company F and
the Firat pro-visional battalion.
Although Cayey had been occupied several daya
by American troops, the Stara and Stripes had not
been officially raised in the town. As Company F
had been ordered to tak© possession of Oayey, that
company was accorded the honor of raising the flag.
The entire Firat Pro-visional battaUon, organized at
Guayama by direction of ColonerOoit, and consisting
-of companies B, C, G and H, turned out under Cap-

oo

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>COCO
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TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 233
tain Vincent. Preceded by the regimental band the
battalion escorted F company to the city haU.
Lieutenant McCby and Sergeant Freeman raised
the flag, F company fired the salute and the band
played "The Star Spangled Banner." When the citi
zens saw the beautiful tri-colored banner floating over
them, and r©aliz©d what it meant, they went -wUd
-with excitement. After a short serenade by the band,
the battaUon marched around the plaza and pubUc
square, thence back to the quarters near the town.
The Spanish flag, which had waved from the public
hall of Oayey, became the property of Captain Vin
cent. The exercises of the aftemoon were thoroughly
enjoyed, and the men felt that they were amply re^
warded already for their long weary march across the
Mils. At Cayey K company left the regiment to go to
Aibonito to take possession of that and the to-wns in
th© district so that all that remained of the "regiment"
was the First Provisional battalion. The start to
Caguas was not made until Saturday moming and
the time spent at Oayey as the guests of F company
was for the purpose of rest. An amusing experience
during this brief stay was a serenade by th© native
band. The membera were not in uniform, either as
to dress, time, harmony, pitch or chord. The in
struments were somewhat similar to those used in
American bands except the drum or "guichara"
which was a long ghord shaped species of calabash,
which had been plucked while green and in the sur
face of which had been cut a number of small cireu-

234 TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
lar grooves which had become almost as hard as flint
when th© instrument had ripened in the sun. It was
"played" by rubbing a hard stick across the grooves,
thus making a most unearthly noise, but which
served as a very good chronometer for the other per
formers. After the band had "rendered" several se
lections, Cblonel Coit addressed the crowd, which had
assembled, expressing for himself and staff, an ap
preciation of the serenade and the royal welcome
which the citizens of Oayey had given the American
troops. The crowd answered with cheer after cheer
for the "soldadoa Americanos."
An early start was made Saturday moming and
before noon the regiment was well on its way to
Caguas. The rains had ceased and the sun shone
brightly, but not nearly so hot as on the day of the
last long march on August 13th. The distance was
about th© same and the road led firat to the top of the
northern mountain chain and then down again into
the fertile valley below, where th© town of Caguas
was situat©d. It was two o'clock when the regiment
halted outside the city Umits and preparations were
mad© for the entrance into the city. At the time
of the march from Guayama to C'ayey, many of the
boys would drop from the ranks and then wait for
the baggage train to ride. This was avoided on the
march to Caguas by sending the baggage train ahead
of the regiment. Even thia arrangement did not pre
vent aU the boys from saving their legs, for they
walked ahead of the regiment on some pretext or
other and caught up with the train when they would

TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 235
cUmb on the wagons in spite of the protests of the
drivere and ride over the remaining portion of the
march. The wagon train had not been at Caguas
more than an hour when the main column appeared.
The regiment halted long enough for the few
stragglera to come up and for those who had gone
ahead to be brought back and then with colore fiying,
a triumphant entry to the city was made. A hearty
welcome was extended to the regiment by the citi
zens and the town was dressed in holiday attire.
From nearly every building the American flag
proudly waved and the people nearly shouted them
selves hoarse at the sight of the troops. Captain
French had occupied the town for several days with
L company and the American flag had not only been
raised over the pubUc building, but it had been placed
on every business house and private residence in the
town. These flags were auppBed by the citizens
themselves. The occupation of Caguas waa not attended
-with the discomforts of Guayama. The citizens were
found to be far more intelUgent and the busineae men
far more reUable tiian those at Guayama and these
conditions, together with comfortable quarters in bar
racks for the men, made the stay at Caguas very
pleasant. Then again there were not so many aol
diera to enjoy the hospitality and generoaity of the
people and this state of affaire increased the comfort
of the men.
Soon after the regimental headquartera had been
established at Caguas, four nuraes arrived in Porto

236 TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
Eico to take care of the sick of the Fourth Ohio.
The membera had written home from th© camp at
Guayama whil© ©verything waa at its worat and the
people of central Ohio had become' thoroughly
alarmed for the safety of their sons and friends in the
island. The noble women who offered their servicea
for the men of the Fourth were Sistera Mary Bren-
dam and Mary Edberga, Miss Dr. Emma O. Jones
and Mrs. Taylor. These ladies were eminently qual
ified to take care of the sick soldiers, but they did not
arrive until September 28, and this was after the
men had been paid and many of the sick had been
sent home. There was still a number in the hospital,
however, and the work of these good women was
greatly appreciated by th© physicians and by 6V©ry
officer and man in the regiment. They remained
with the regiment until it reached Columbus, when
they wer© extended the same welcome that waa made
for the men. They were made honorary membera of
the regiment and they were appointed li©ut©nants
with spcial commissions by Cblonel Coit.
On October 12 Company C was sent out to the
town of Aguas Buenos to assume charge of the town
for th© day and to convert it into an American sta
tion by raising the flag of the United States. Cap
tain Eeynolds took a detachment of his company and
accompanied by Major Baker several headquartera
attaches and the band, the detachment rode across
the country in wagons. The road was not a rough
one, but it extended through one of the most pictur
esque sections of the island. Aguas Buenos wag in

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. 1. 237
th© center of a rich coffee growing section and the
people were found to be weU to do and very intelU
gent. The soldiers were welcomed to the -village and
th© flag was raised over their homes with great re
joicing. As a part of the flag raising ceremony Major
Baker made a brief address to the assembled populace,
telUng them to be good and that things would come
out "aU right."
The Spanish fiag, which had been on the al-
calda's office, became the property of Captain Eey
nolds. Major Baker was presented -vrith a memorial
thanking the American troops for the benefit they
had been to the people of Porto Eico and pledging
their allegiance to the United States. After the cere
mony of raising the flag, the aloalda received the
American officera at his home -with all the prominent
citizens of th© province as guests. An elaborate
breakfast was served and after making several calls
upon other of the officials, the detachment retumed
to Caguas. On the following day B company was
sent to the town of Gurabo and the American flag
was raised there also. Here the soldiers were given a
most hearty welcome and they were entertained -with
the best the to-wn afforded during their brief stay. A
detachment from H company was afterwards sent to
Aguas Buenos, but no troops were assigned to Gurabo.
Two days after B company returned from
Gurabo, Captain White received orders to proceed to
Eio Piedras and take possession of the entire district.
Eio Piedras was on a short railway seven miles from
the capital and the third largest town on the island.

238 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
The ser-vice of th© company at this station is de-
8crib©d in another chapter.
Guard duty at Caguas was performed by the
different companies which remained, C, G and H.
Guard was mounted each moming and the regular
camp routine, even to evening parade, was main
tained as though the entire regiment was stationed in
the city. On© of the most pleasant features of th© stay at
Caguas was th© supply of ice which was received
daily from San Juan. This was a luxury which the
boys had not enjoyed since they left Newport N©wa
and the rapidity with which ice cream and lemonade
disappeared would have made the keeper of a circus
refreshment stand grow sick at heart. A concert waa
given by th© band in the plaza each evening and the
people enjoyed the music very much. There was a
number of fine musicians at Caguas and these 'with
some of the membera of the band arranged an enter
tainment which proved quite a success. At first the
soldiere were not restricted as to their mingling -with
the natives, but this pri-vilege was abused by a few
careless men so that by special order, at the sound
ing of "taps" ©very man in the command except
those on guard was expected to be in quartera.
Frequent excuraions were made to San Juan the
capital, and on the occasion of the formal possession
of the city by the Americana on October 18, Colonel
Coit and hia staff and a large number of th© men and
officers of the regiment went to the city to witneas
the flag raising ceremonies.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 239
Finally, on the 28th, the command having been
relieved by a detachment of the Firet Kentucky, the
regiment marched from C'aguas to Eio Piedras. F
and K companies had also been relieved and had
joined the regiment. The march from C'aguas,
seventeen miles, was made in five houra, remarkably
good time for that climate and the kind of day, for the
sun shone almost as hot as it had on August 13, dur
ing the forenoon, and then in the aftemoon a terrific
rainstorm came up. F company had not started -with
the main column and thes© men were nearly dro-wned
when they reached Eio Piedras.
The command took dinner and a good rest at
Eio Piedras and at four o'clock all the companies ©x-
c©pt B boarded a train and proceeded to San Juan.
B company marching across the valley to the capital,
earned the record of being the only company which
had marched across the island from the Carribean
sea to th© Atlantic ocean. Two other companies,
however, K and L, had marched a greater number of
miles.

240 TBE FOURTE O. 7. I.

CHAPTEE XVI.

THE HOSPITAL CORPS.
The Corps in the Fourteenth — Its Organization and Effi
ciency — Its Effect on Enlistment — Refused Admittance
as a Body Into the U. S. Service — Members Enlist in
Companies — Details at Camp Thomas — ^Reserve Ambu
lance Corps — Detachments From the Raiment — Orders
for Porto Rico — Reunited on Massachusetts — Again
Separated in Porto Rico — Sent to San Juan^ — Homie
With the Regiment — Stragglers Arrive.
When the Fourteenth Eegindent of Infantry of
the Ohio National Guards assembled for the' purpose
of entering the volunteer servicei o£ th© United Sta-tesj
that organization contained one of the best auxiUariea
for hospital service within the United States. It
consisted under the stat© regulations of on© major
surgeon, three assistant surgeons, one hospital steward,
two acting hospital stewards and twenty four private.
The surgeons were men who had been chosen
for their fitness in dutiea which were liable at any
time to occur in street riots and other emergency
cases where the state militia was apt to b© ©ngag©d.
The atewarda and acting stewards were men who had
been trained by education and experience to perform
juat such duties as would be likely to devolve upon
them in times where judgment, alacrity and precision
were elements absolutely essential in their quaUfica-
tiona as such officere. The privates were all young
men who had taken and nourished an interest in the

FROM PONCE TO ARROYO.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 241
care of the sick and they had by study, application and
drill acquired such an ability in the matters pertain
ing to active field hospital work that they were ad-
mitedly among the best men Ohio or any other state
could, hav© fumished a miUtary organization.
It is a fact that the rapid enlistment to the
maximum strength allowed by the government in so
short a time was due to the fact that it was -well known
that the Fourteenth was better able to take care of
her sick than any other regiment in the state service.
The hospital corps was the pride of the regiment and
of that section of the state which boasted the Four
teenth Infantry. Everybody fully expected that the
hospital corps as it was organized would be a part of
th© n©w regiment of volunteers that was being or
ganized, and great was the surprise and the disap
pointment of not only the men and officers of the
regiment, but the corps itself when it was leamed that
the order for the new organization would not permit
the muster of the corps. A. great effort was made
by the hospital boys, the members of the regiment
and the citizens of the state to prevail upon the gov
ernment authorities to arrange for the preservation
of the corps, but the effort was in vain.
When the time came for muster into the United
States ser-vice, the hospital corps, as was the case -with
the signal corps, ceased to exist, at least so far as the
Fourteenth Eegiment could be concerned. The sur
geon and two assistant surgeons retained the rank
which they had held in the old regiment. The two
acting stewards were made stewards, but that was all

242 TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
of the former corps as such, that was accepted by the
United States mustering officer.
The enthusiasm in military mattera, the loyalty
to the regiment and the patriotism that the men of
the hospital corps possessed is shown by the fact that
as soon as it was leamed that they could not enter
the volunteer ser-vice with th© regiment as an auxU-
iary organization they were at once divided among the
companies and enlisted as privates of infantry. They
served as such until the regiment reached Camp
Thomas, when they were detailed by a regimental
order to their regimental hospital. They continued,
however, to draw rations, clothing and pay from the
companies in which they were enlisted, until by di
rection of the war department at Washington they
-were made regular members of the hospital corps,
and assigned to duty wherever, in the judgment of
authority higher than the head of the regiment, they
were most needed.
The first several weeks at Camp Thomas was
attended -with more or less sickness in the regiment
on account of the change of water, diet and climatic
conditions and the advantages of a regimental hos
pital corps were apparent to all, but this fact only
made the boys of the regiment feel the more keenly
the loss of the old militia hospital service. Under the
circumstances, the work performed by the medical
department, officers and men, was as able as could
have been expected and the fact that the regiments
on either side of the camp of the Fourth Ohio suf
fered heavily from death, while the Fourth Ohio did

TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 243
not lose a single man, speaks volumes in praise of
the discipline of the regiment and the abiUty and
energy of those officers upon whose shoulders rested
the responsibility of taking care of the health of the
boys from central Ohio-.
Major Surgeon Semeans remained with the regi
ment more than either of the other two physicians.
He was detached for a time at Camp Thomas, in com
mand of the Division hospital and he was also absent
a few weeks from the Guayama camp on account of
his health. He worked night and day, was as untir
ing in his effort to serve the membere of the regiment
as a human being could be, and whUe he and his
department were handicapped in peculiar ways at
times, there was never a time when a member of the
Fourth Ohio could not obtain any medical or surgical
aid that he required, -without going outside the Unes
of his o-wn regiment. Even when it did become nec
essary to send a sick soldier from the regimental hos
pital to places where more elaborate arrangements
had been made for his treatment, Ckp'tain Harry M.
Taylor, one of the assistant surgeons of the regiment,
was oftenest the man to look after his welfare. Dr.
Wright, the other assistant surgeon, was also de
tached, ha-ving served from early in June until tn
July at the Di-vision hospital at Camp Thomas. From
the time he rejoined the regiment he was on duty
-with the Fourth Ohio untU Company M was assigned
by Colonel Coit to assume charge of affairs at Vieques
when the doctor -was designated to accompany this
company as its medical officer. He did not return to

244 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
the regiment until the entire command was reunited
at San Juan.
The only members of the medical department
who were not at any time detached from the regiment
were Steward John Eichards and Private Hance,
There was not a man in the Fourth Ohio at the time
of muster out who did not consider himself a personal
friend "of long standing" -with either Stewards Eich
ards or Eitter. The latter was detached from the regi
mental hospital for a short time only at Camp Thomas
and for a few weeks -with F Company while that
command occupied Cayey.
The first medical officer to be permanently de
tached from the regiment was Captain Taylor. On
June 8th the doctor was ordered to report to Major
James Johnson, of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania regi
ment, to assist in forming an ambulance service for
the First Army corps. The doctor left at once and
the result of the consultation of these two and other
surgeons was the formation of the "reserve ambu
lance corps." This was made up of men detached
from all the various regiments stationed at the park.
Application was first made for these detachments by
the officers of the Eeserve corps and as soon as the
men reported to the chief surgeon they were as
signed first to ambulance companies and then to am
bulance corps as the exigencies of the service required.
Most of the Fourth Ohio boys remained under the
direct command of Dr. Taylor. They were together
throughout all the Porto Eican campaign until in Oc
tober, when the corps was disbanded at Guayama.
Two of these men, Curry James and Stephen Darby,

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 245
were promoted to the rank of acting hospital steward
while in this service.
Those of the Fourth Ohio who were not as
signed to this work were Privates Judkins, Pringle,
Wright, Moon and Davis. These were assigned to
the Firet Division hospital while the regiment was at
Camp Thomas. The latter was discharged from the
service before the close of the war, but the remaining
four did not return to their command until in Janu
ary, 1899, after the regiment had retumed to Colum
bus in November, 1898. Privates Judkins and
Pringle had been assigned to the Third Brigade hos
pital, and Moon and Wright to the Eeserve Hospital
company. Up to July 20, Captain Taylor fiUed at the Ee
serve Ambulance corps at Camp Thomas, the offices
of Quartermaster, Commissary, Ordnance Officer and
Medical Purveyor. At the date mentioned he was re
lieved of all these duties, but was continued in the
service of the corps, and on August 20 he was made
acting brigade surgeon of the Second brigade. First
di-vision, Firet corps. On September 1st, 1898, at the
time of the retirement of Major Frank Boyd, of the
Third Kentucky, Dr. Taylor became the commanding
officer of the Eeserve Ambulance company near
Gnayama, which command he retained until this
hospital was ordered disbanded and the Fourth Ohio
started for San Juan on October 6.
On July 20 the ambulance corps was ordered
to move from Camp Thomas to New Port News, Vir
ginia, preparatory to embarking to Porto Eico. The

246 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
transport Massachusetts was provided and besides the
regular hospital outfit, there was loaded on the Massa
chusetts, eleven hundred horses and mules, and two
miUion rations for General Brooke's army.
The Massachusetts sailed on July 26th and ar
rived outside the harbor at Ponce on Tuesday, Aug
ust 2. Here the Massachusetts struck a coral reef
and she was unable to move. Th© horees were aU' un
loaded and taken to shore in lightere and this without
the loss of an animal.
The Massachusetts was relieved of all its cargo
and passengers by the evening of August 7th. Aa
soon as the landing was made, the hospital outfit and
th© escort went into camp on the outskirts of Ponce.
The next moming, Monday, August 8, the start was
made for Arroyo where the entire Second brigade
was supposed to be, but which in reality was at Guay
ama, ready for an attack at any moment. The march
from Ponce was in command of Captain WilUamson,
a regular army officer and a member of General
Brooke's staff. Lieutenant Fred Whiley, of I com
pany, Fourth Ohio, was -with the party, his duties be
ing to look after the stock in general and to take care
of Fourth Ohio property in particular. There was an
escort of two troops of cavalry, one a Philadelphia
troop and the other Troop H, of the Sixth regulars.
There were two signal corps companies in the com
mand, but they were only partly armed. What arms
they did possess consisted of a variety of revolvere
and rifies so badly mixed as to pattern and calibr©
that no such thins' as uniformitv existed.

THE FOURTH 0. ' 7. I. 247 i
Besides the quartermaster's stores that had to be
conveyed in wagons, there was the entire mule ooral
and the horses to be taken. The order of march was
in column of foura and a jolly time was seen before
the column was ready to move.
The general plan for handUng the mules was for
one man to ride a mule and lead three. It would
probably have been easier for the rider if the rule had
been reversed and there had been three men for each
mule. They twisted together, kicked, ran, broke
their halters and in fact performed all the antics
known only to the typical government mule and be
fore the column was ready to start. Dr. Taylor had
sent three men to the hospital -with a brilliant pros
pect of sending the rest of the command to bed befor©
the column had moved a mile.
Finally, when all was supposed tO' be ready, the
command "Forward March" was given and the col
umn proceeded to "march," some of it forward, an
other part backward, to either side, and indeed some
of it straight up into the air. That "start" was an ex
perience entirely new to the membere of the Fourth
Ohio medical department, but it was one they never
forgot. As soon as the mules and the riders became aC'
quainted and leamed how to "take" each other, better
progress was made, but before the command reached
Arroyo, seventeen army mules had gone to their re
ward and had to be accounted for by responsible offi
cers after the march was ended and the war was over.
It has been said by those who have had experience

248 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
-with army mules that these animals are a source of
vexation from the time they make their appearance
on earth until long after they are dead.
The second night out in the march, the boys met
-with another experience which they never forgot.
The line of march extended along the road kno-wn as
the "coast road." This road was in many places a
mere trail and the mud in the lower districts was al
most bottomless. Progress was naturally slow, but in
addition to this mud there were streams to ford, caus
ing increased delay and greater danger to life and
property, and the entire country was infested -with
Spanish guerrillas. This was the firat expedition to
go in this direction along this route and a great pre
caution was as a matter of course maintained at all
times. As soon as a camp was established strong
picket lines were formed and outposts were estab
lished. On the night referred to, a number of shots
were heard near one of the outposts and the result
was considerable confusion in camp. One of the sur
geons, not a member of the Fourth Ohio, pulled do-wn
his shelter tent from over his mate, packed all his be
longings, cUmbed in his saddle and remained there
until daylight, unheedful of the reproaches and jests,
of his comrades.
It was leamed that the shots came from an at
tack on the outposts by a band of guerrillas, but the
cavalrymen were too much for the Dons and their
attack was easily repelled after the exchange of a
few moments' hot firing. The loss sustained to the
hospital command was nothing but two Porto Eican

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 249
camp followers were killed. The loss to the attack
ing party was never leamed. The march was re
sumed on the following morning and no trouble of
this kind was met from that on to the end of the jour
ney. Arroyo was reached on August 10th and a gen
eral hospital was at once established. It was in exist
ence a very short time, however, for during Thurs
day night and early Friday moming the hospital was
moved in a bUnding rain to Guayama. Their removal
under these circumstances caused considerable un
favorable comment at the time and for some time aft
erwards, but the removal was made in anticipation of
a concerted movement of the American forces toward
the north and was an absolute necessity. As a mat
ter of fact hostilities were suspended during the next
twentyfour houra, but the authorities were certainly
justified in making this preparation for taking care
of the thousands who would have been wounded had
that movement been made.
Hostilities having ceased, preparations were at
once made to continue the hospital at Guayama. A
location was selected at the top of a broad hill just
east of the city. There was plenty of room, a good
breeze always stirring and the drainage was perfect.
Aside from the fact that there was no shade except
what was afforded by the tents, this spot was a delight
ful place for the location of a field hospital. Many
a poor fellow was nursed back to health from a
burning tropical fever at this hospital and many a
poor fellow was mustered out of the service forever

250 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
-within its tented wards during the following months.
It continued in use until the forenoon of October 7th,
when it was ordered broken up by General Grant.
It was her© that Dr. Taylor rejoined the regi
ment. Dr. Semans was at that time himself a patient
in the hospital and the health of the regiment was at
once placed in the hands of Dr. Taylor, Dr. Wright
still being at Isabel Segunda with M company. The
enlisted force of the medical department, however,
was ordered to San Juan to duty in the general hosr
pital there and that duty continued until the regiment
was ready to leave the island.
These men had applied for release from that
duty but their appeals were not he©d©d. Colonel
Coit ordered them to return to the regiment, but
technically they were out of his control and the boys
were unable to obey the ord©r. Privates Judkins,
Pringle and Moon were still at Ponce ignorant of
the fact that th©ir comrades were returning home.
The officera of the regiment did all in their power to
secure the release of the boys at San Juan, but all
seemed to be in vain until it was decided to stand on
th© fact that the regulations of the army provide that
a traveling command is entitled to what is equal to
one-twelfth of its strength in hospital help. This waa
applied for and eranted. Then a member of General
Brooke's staff was given the names of the Fourth
Ohio men and these were the men assigned to accom
pany the regiment on the Chester. When Columbus
was reached it was an easv matter to obtain the dis
charge of the hospital force.

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 251
After the entire regiment was reunited at San
Juan, the trip back to the starting point was void of
interesting incident to the medical department, as
they were kept busy from the time the Chester
steamed out of the harbor at San Juan until the regi
ment landed at the auditorium at Columbus. Even
then while the remainder of the regiment was enjoy
ing a furlough of sixty days, members of the medical
department were on duty at the auditorium, read" to
look after the physical welfare of the boys.
This chapter has told in a feeble manner, the
work of the hospital force of the Fourth Ohio. "The
half has not been told." In fact, if the medical de
partment of the Fourth Ohio were to be given all the
credit they deserve, it would be necessary to devote
to the story of their labors, a volume much larger than
this. To use the language of a western statesman,
these men "knowed their dutv and done it well." No
one could do more.

252 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. /.

CHAPTEE XVII.

ARMY OF OCCUPATION.
What General Brooke Said of the Fourth Ohio — D Company
to Humacao— A Forty Miles' March— M Company by
Sea to Vieques— Duty at Fajardo— Trouble at Carolina-
Beautiful country at Aibonito — An Officer Assaulted
at Cayey — B Company at Rio Piedras — Record of
Events in the Companies Which Americanized the
Eastern Third of Porto Rico.

COMPANY D AT HUMACAO.
If a straight line be drawn across the map of
Porto Eico from Ponce on the south to San Juan at
the north, about one-third of the area and population
of the entire island -will be seen to U© at th© east
This territory and also that of Vieques was not won
by the Fourth Ohio from the hands of the Spanish
any more than by the other regiments which perform
ed duty in the war, but it was occupied by the Fourth
Ohio during the most critical period in the change
from Spanish to American government of the island.
Just why this duty was assigned to the Fourth Ohio
when there were two other regiments in the same bri
gade and several other brigades in the island is not
explained in the orders designating Fourth Ohio com
panies to the different stations, but the language of
General Brooke at the time of the departure of the
regiment to th© states seems to throw considerable
light on the subject.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 253
Said General Brooke: "This regiment is one of
the best on the island, volunteer or regular. At one
time I had but two volunteer regiments in my com
mand. They were the Fourth Ohio and First Ken
tucky. All the others were either too homesick for
duty or they were transformed into regimental hos
pitals." It was certainly a pleasure for the members of
the regiment to realize that this was their standing
-with the commanding general, but it seemed strange
sometimes to see the other regiments lying about
camp doing nothing while they were busy patrolUng
the eastern third of the island. It required four dif
ferent regiments to take care of the other two-thirds,
£md even then there were depredations committed
in all the eastern part of the island, while the duty of
the Fourth Ohio was characterized by a happy,
quiet condition of the whole territory in which the
regiment was stationed. The provost duty of the
Fourth Ohio began on the evening of the capture of
Gnayama, when Company B was given charge of the
to-wn. This was only broken t-wice, when the other
regiments took up the work at Guayama temporarily.
Then came the tour of duty of A and E Companies,
lasting from the middle of August until they boarded
the Chester to return to the states, and of the other
companies after September 20 to the same time.
Aftdr the detachment just mentioned, D company was
ordered to Humacao. The order, dated September
17th, reads as follows:

264 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
"The brigade general commanding directs that
you -will immediately prepare a company of your
regiment to tak© station at Humacao, P. E. They
must be fully equipped and tak© their tentage and
thirty days' rations, which the brigade commissary
-will issue to them. The company must start this
aftemoon and reach Humacao about 8 a. m., Mon
day, September 19th. They wiU take a U. S. flag
to be raised in the town. If you have no flag, the
brigade quartermaster -will furnish one.
"Very respectfully,
"C. W. FENTEN, A. A. G."
On the receipt of this order Company D waa at
once designated by Colonel Coit to tak© this station.
This company had on the evening of the parade at the
Guayama plaza, the strongest line in the regiment.
Arrangements were at once made for the start and
before evening of th© day on which the order was r©-
c©ived, the company was on its way, completing the
march of forty miles over mountain roads and reach
ing their destination at 8 o'clock Monday Moming,
September 19th. The following is extracted from
the several reports made by Captain SeUera to Gen
eral Grant: "The company marched to a point about eight
miles distant from the regimental camp, when we
went into camp for the night. Eesumed the march
at 5 a. m., September 18th, and marched until noon,
when command halted for mess. March resumed at
3 p. m. and 4 p. m. Maunabo was reached. From
English-speaking natives and othere I leamed that

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 255
the mountain road was impassable to our wagons.
Deeming my orders to reach Humacao at a certain
time to be imperative, I took Lieutenant Tumer and
thirty-five men and started for Humacao, leaving
rest of company and wagon train in charge of Lieu
tenant Newlove at Manaubo, with ordera to follow
Monday moming.
"We left Maunabo at 4:30 p. m. and arrived at
th© top of th© mountain at 6 p. m., where I ordered
a halt. Peraonally inspecting the road as we came
over it, I found that it would be utterly impossible
to bring our wagons. I sent word to Lieutenant
Newlove to remain in Maunabo until further ordera.
Marched down the mountain and arrived at Tabocoa
at 9 p. m., September 18th. Finding the distance
to Humacao could be covered in four hours, I de
cided to stay in Yabacoa for the night. We left the
town at 4 a. m. and at 7 :45 a. m. arrived at Humacao.
I immediately proceeded to the residence of the lieu
tenant colonel in command of the Spanish forces
here and found that their orders were not to vacate
th© town until September 22nd. In order to pre
vent trouble I granted an extension of one hour in
order that he might confer with his commanding
general, which he did at once. In about a half hour
I received the following telegram:
" 'There has been some mistake in the time of
your arrival in Humacao. You -will now await ouir
side the town the time when Spanish troous -will
vacate, which will be on Thuraday, September 22nd.'

256 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
"Ha-ving no tentage or rations I secured the use
of a large house about one-half mile south from the
town, where we went in quarters to await evacuation
of Spanish troops. No sickness of any kind among
the men who accompanied me over the mountain to
Humacao. The moming of the 22nd Lieutenant
Newlove with his detail marched from the coast to
Humacao and with the entire company I proceeded to
the City Hall, and raising the American flag, took
possession of the city at 8 a. m., September 22nd.
The raising of the flag was done with the usual
honors. I then proceeded with a detail to the cus
toms house six miles distant and raised the flag.
Will make due examination of the books and papera
and report as soon as possible.
"After raising the flag on the 22nd the mayor,
clerk of register and notary public refused to serve.
I called a meeting of the more prominent citizens and
explained that I was not sent here to make changes
unless positively necessary, but everything was to
run as before. I asked them to name good native
citizens competent to fill the offices and I appointed'
Jaquine Nasereer Berries mayor and Jose Toro Eias'
clerk of registera to serve during the pleasure of the
U. S. government. The notary public had ordera to
deliver the records over to the presiding judge and I
decided that th© judge was competent to name a man
to fill the office, and he decided that the proper man
was the first deputy, who is now in charge of the
office. One-half the council refuses to serve, but I
did nothing toward filling their places.

FORT AT ISABEL SEGUNDA.

THE FOURTE O. 7, I. 257
"After raising the flag at the customs house,
which is on the beach six miles distant, the captain
of the port, upon ordera of his superior, took mv re
ceipt for the books and papers of his office, and after
consultation -with the collector of customs I ap
pointed Eugene Lopez to take charge of the office,
taking his receipt for the same.
"After cleaning and purifying the barracks,
under the aupervision of my hospital steward, I
moved the company into them. The barracks are
large and in fair condition and situated within onti
square of the court house. The water supply is verj'
poor, all water ha-ving to be hauled from the river
some distance away. Have made temporary, arrange
ments -witli the same man who fumished water for
th© Spanish forces. Our health is good, no one in
the hospital. "The city prison is located in the rear of the
court house and has ^bout ninety prisonera. It re
quires fifteen men to guard it, which is the same as
the Spanish had. I have a detail of one corporal
and six men at the beach. The customa house of
Humacao receives all the reports and money taken
in by the customs houses at Naugabo and Fajardo.
The books and papers seem to be well taken care of.
Office and house clean. This office received for the
year ending July 1st, '98, from all sources, $85,-
038.36, of which $7448 were received from Naugabo
and $16,182 from Fajardo. The man at the cusr
toms house seems to be competent to fill the place
and I have appointed him deputy coUector.

258 TBE FOURTH 0, 7. I.
"On the 28th inst. I ordered Lieutenant Tumer
to take a squad of twelve men and proceed to Naugabo
and raise the flag and inform the mayor that that
town was under the supervision of the United Statea,
and in case of trouble to notify me. Lieutenant
Tumer retumed to Humacao at 6 p. m. on the 28th
and reported that he had executed my order and that
he had found the situation in that neighborhood
quiet." On the 30th of September, in obedience to or^
ders from the brigade commander. Lieutenant Turner
and a detail was sent to the towns of Juncas and
Piedras for th© purpose of raising the American flag
at those places. On his return everything was re
ported quiet at Piedras, but at Juncas the mayor re
fused to continue in office under American rule and
promptly sent his resignation, turning the office over
to the first deputy. This arrangement seems to have
suited the deputy first rate, as he -wrote the next day
that he had everything in his care and in good shape.
He was continued in office.
On October 1st Captain Sellers and a aquad
raised the flag and appointed a new mayor at the town
of Yabucao, and on th© 4th Li©utenant Turner and a
squad -visited the town of San Lorenzo. This town
was also made American and everything seemed to
be very satisfactory -with the greater number of
people. When the company reached Humacao, the police
officera carried short swords or "machetes." Theae
were taken up and maces given them and they were

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 259
uniformed according to the American idea. The
town was thoroughly cleaned from one end to the
other and forty prisoners were taken from the jail and
put to work on the roads. No rum was pei-mitted to
be sold to the soldiera. Eight mounted patrolmen
traversed the country immediately surrounding
Humacao, and during his stay there Captain Sellers
made -visits to the other towns, keeping in touch -with
the civil authorities and rendering them all the aid
in his power.
At no time was there any sickness in the com
pany worthy of mention. Steward Burr, of the hos
pital department, and Dr. Wilaon, one of the enlisted
men who had given their services as surgeons, wer©
at this station, and in his reports Captain Sellers
praises both. The company remained at Humacao
until October 25th, when it was reUeved by the
Forty-seventh New York from the Chester.
Humacao was a much better to-wn than Guayama
and the soldiera and citizens were much warmer
friends. As e-vidence of the esteem in which the
company and its commander were held in the hearta
of th© people at Humacao, the following copy of a
message sent to General Brooke at th© time the com
pany was about to leave for the United States is
given: "Since the 22nd of last September, on which
floats in this city the American flag, hoisted in the
name of your government by the worthy Captain
Chas. F. SeUera, this people, sir, have nothing but
congratulations for you and for General Grant, for

260 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I,
the proper appointment of Mr. SeUera, who has ruled
the destinies of this miUtary district -with as much
justice as courtesy.
"Therefore, today, on ha-ving notice that perhaps
they would relieve the forces that said captain com
mands, ably assisted by Lieutenant Tumer and sub
altern officera, the town ©n masse, sir, assist me, in
order that -with the Bioard of Magistrates, w© may
formulate a respectful petition before you, to the end
that if it is not a hindrance to your plans, you may
be pleased to leave Captain SeUera in this city, thus
aatisfying a strong desire of this to-wn where he has
gained so many sympathies by his honesty, good
j'udgment and gentiUty.
"At the same time th© populations of Yabucoa,
San Lorenzo, Junces Piedros and Naguabo, by means
of their representatives, join in making this, their
manifestation. "Be it known for all time, that our gratitude to
you -will be profound, if we obtain, that this chief
may continue among us, even though it may be for a
little longer time."
ON THE ISLAND OF VIEQUES.
Company D having been assigned to special
duty, selected on account of its fine appearance at the
big parade in Guayama plaza. Company M was
chosen for special service. Notwithstanding the fact
that the company presented a fine appearance in itself
it was in bad condition as to commissioned officera.
Captain Bostwick had been compelled to go to the

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 261
hospital and finally to return to the states on account
of sickness, and Second Lieutenant George M.
Florence had been left at Ne-wport News, Va., on ac
count of typhoid fever. This left Lieutenant Duffy
in command of the company and the only officer
present for duty. The lieutenant was capable enough
to take charge of the company "lone-handed" under
ordinary conditions, but it was not deemed ad-visable
to detach the company for any length of time with
out giving him some assistance. To this end First
Lieutenant Fred S. Whiley, of I Company, was as
signed to M Company, and he accompanied the expe
dition about to be described. Ha-ving had consider
able experience with quartermasters' stores. Lieuten
ant Whiley proved himself a valuable addition to the
company. Company M was ordered on September 17th to
go to the island of Vieques, a small island some dis
tance off the main land of Porto Eico. In the order
the company was directed to leave Guayama on the
19th and to assume control of the government of th©
entire island. About 2 o'clock Sunday aftemoon,
however, the order was changed so that the company
was directed to leave Guayama on the 18th. The
start was made, therefore, about 6 o'clock on the even
ing of the day designated.
Besides M Company there were in the party
Cblonel Coit, Captain Fenten (General Grant's adju
tant). Captain Wright, who was to look after the
health of the company during its stay on the island;
Captain Dana-vin, Oi-viUan Aide Weiner, also of Gen-

262 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
eral Grant's staff; the Fourth Ohio band and a num
ber of regimental headquarters attaches. The com
pany left the camp and passed in re-view at brigade
headquartere, then proceeded to Arroyo, which sta
tion was reached about 8 o'clock the same evening.
Eighteen wagons were required to remove the com
pany and its baggage, but as soon as everything could
be unloaded and stored temporarily in the customa
house at Arroyo, the wagon train was permitted to
return to Guayama. This work completed, the com
pany put up for the night.
About 3 o'clock the next moming word was re
ceived from Lieutenant Newlove of Company D, an
nouncing the trouble met by their baggage train at
Maunabo. Arrangements were accordingly made to
help him out of his difficulty. On the moming of the
19th the Stillwater appeared in the harbor and ar
rangements were at once made for the start to Vie
ques. It was 3 o'clock of the same aftemoon, how
ever, before the start was made, and sailing under
favorable conditions the' Stillwater arrived off Mauna
bo at about 5 o'clock on the same evening. Here the
stranded baggage of D Company was taken on, but
the task of loading was not completed until nearly
midnight, and the Stillwater being in strange watera,
the trip was not resumed until the moming of the
20th. Sailing down the coast the port of Humacoa,
or Point Santiago, -was reached, and the D Company
detachment disembarked. Colonel Coit, Captain
Fenten, Captain Wright, Captain Dona-vin and Major
Hogan, of the Stillwater, also disembarked and went

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 263
over to the city of Humacoa, about five miles inland,
to participate in the fiag raising ceremonies with
Captain Sellere. The party did not return to the
Stillwater untU late that night, and then they
had a bad time of it, the storms of the autumnal
equinox being at that time at their woret. Before
Point Santiago was left, however, the Stillwater had
the experience of making a capture, a Spanish schoon
er ha-ving sailed into the harbor. The captain of the
vessel readily hauled do-wn the red and yellow banner
and his vessel sailed from that day on under the Stara
and Stripes. This arrangement was perfectly agree
able to the captain of the vessel, however, as he had
requested an American fiag to be used for that pur^
pose. Word was also received that the company
waa not expected to take poaaession of the island of
Vieques untU 12 o'clock noon of the 21at.
It was 11 o'clock when th© Stillwater arrived in
the harbor at Isabel Segunda. Arrangements were
at once made for disembarking, and about sixty of
the ninety men in the company boarded Ughtera.
The band and all the officers also boarded lighters
and small boats and the command was towed into
the shore. As tiie soldiere approached the landing,
the rocks to the right were fairly black -with people
who had rushed to the water's edge to welcome their
visitors, shouting at the top of their voices a royal
welcome. To the left of the landing, however, there
was an entirely different scene. There in front of
the beautiful light house were the Spanish soldiere
dra-wn up in line, waiting for their conquerere to take

264 TEE FOURTE O. 7, I.
the final step toward the acquisition of more of their
territory. Besides the crowd of citizens, the soldiers were
met at the landing by the mayor of the town and by
the colonel and captain who had occupied the fort at
this station. AU the officera except Lieutenant
Whiley, who remained -with the troops, went ashore
and up to the fort, which stood on a promontory
back of the to-wn, where the formal arrangements
were made for the turning over of the island to Lieu
tenant Duffy. All arrangements ha-ving b©©n com-
pl©ted for the transfer, word was sent back to the
men who in the meantime had effected a landing
and were waiting under Lieutenant Whiley at tiie
customs house. By direction of Colonel Coit the
company marched to the Episcopal church, whieh, by
the way, was one of the only two Protestant churches
in that part of the Spanish possessions. Here the
rector, Eev. Been, conducted a praise service. A
blessing was formally invoked upon a beautiful
American flag, and at exactly 12 o'clock noon, thia
flag was officially hoisted above th© highest parapet
of the fort by Firet Sergeant O.K. Chun.
This was the firat American flag ever raised in
that part of the world and by that act another valu
able possession came into the hands of the United
States. Immediately after the flag raising ceremonies,
the officers were breakfasted by the customs officer.
At 3 o'clock in the aftemoon the officera repaired to
the apoth©cary shop of Senor Victor Dutiel, who

SCENE NEAR FAJARDO.

TEE FOURTE O. 7. I, . 265
acted as interpreter, and the transfer papere were
formally completed and signed by Captain Francisco
Easineras, of the Spanish army, and Firet Lieutenant
Charles G. Duffy, of the Fourth Ohio Volunteer In
fantry, special commissionere for the United States
and the Kingdom of Spain. Shortly after this all
the officers except those who were to remain on the
island, and the band retumed to the Stillwater and
sailed for Arroyo, leaving Lieutenant Duffy and
Company M "monarchs of all they surveyed."
One of th© firat duties for the company to per
form was to find "where they were at." Vieques
was found to be an island containing 5528 people.
There were two towns, Isabel Segunda, the capital,
and Mosquito. The wealth of the island consisted
principally of cattle, horses and sugar, while in the
extreme eastern end of the island were the "Lai
Salinas" lagoons. With the investment of a little
capital it was l©am©d that the salt producing in
dustry here would soon develop into importance.
The people were found to excel in every way
th© inhabitants of Porto Eico. Thoir homes were
more conveniently and more comfortably fumished
and the island which they occupied was seen to be a
very healthful one. One of the proofs of this con
dition is that during all the time the company was on
the island there was not a time when more than three
men reported to the hospital in one day and there
was usually but one. Soldiers who accompanied the
company there weak and frail, left the island sound
and healthy men. Dr. Wright, who had mad© the

266 TEE FOURTE 0, 7, I.
sanitary conditions a careful study, reported that of
all the Spanish countries he had yet seen, Vieques
was the ideal location for a health resort.
The people were wilUng and anxious to aid the
miUtary in reorganizing the government of the island.
Not a single outrage was committed in the island
while the company occupied it. One of the first
reforms worked by Lieutenant Duffy was the re
organization of the schools and the employment of
English-speaking teachere. Other accomplishments
were the amicable settlement of the questions of
church and state, appointment of a new mayor,
municipal government rearranged and two new coun-
cUmen appointed, the thorough patrol of the entire
island by mounted patrolmen, appointment of new
ci-vU and criminal judges, the discharge of six customs
officers and the rearrangement of salaries, a thorough
cleansing of streets and public buildings and a gen
eral "house cleaning" from one end of the island to
the other. In all this work the citizens entered with a spirit
that showed a determination to become good Ameri
can citizens. Isabel Segunda was -visited by a United
States treasury officer, who made a careful inspection
of th© customs office and pronounced ©verything in
excellent condition. The work done by M Company
was certainly an excellent one and the people of the
island thoroughly appreciated all that was done for
them. They treated the soldiera with all the hospi
tality known to ci-vUization and feasts and banqueta
were th© order of the day from the first to the last of

TEE FOURTE 0, 7. I, 267
every week. As the population was largely made
up of French the science of good eating was generally
pretty well understood by the people, and this knowl
edge was thoroughly appreciated by the soldiers, who
were in-vited to test it. Fine ponies were brought to
the fort and placed at the disposal of the troops and
cows were brought in so that they might have fresh
milk all the time. The very finest cattle were kiUed
for their benefit and the "finest of the land" was at
all times at the disposal of the company, whose mem
bers lived like so many kings during their entire stay
in the island.
On September 26th Major Jones arrived at the
island -with money -with which to pay the men, but
money to them was "as filthy lucre," for although
they were "strapped" for the most part, they could
get almost anything they wanted without paying for
it, as the peopl© were glad to give it to them. With
the paymaster, however, came Lieutenants HamU and
Ward, of Companies B and G, who relieved Lieuten
ant Whiley, his own company ha-ving been assigned
to similar duty at Fajardo.
A communication by means of the heliograph
was established between Isabel Segunda and Fajardo,
and this added much to the convenience and pleasure
of the company. The same was tried with Humacoa,
but the experiment failed. A yacht was placed at
the disposal of th© company, however, and when the
weather would permit, trips were made across the
channel and -visits made to the other companies in the
eastern part of Porto Eico.

268 TEE FOURTE O, 7, I,
During the entire stay of th© company on the
island the boys enjoyed th© sam© hospitality and the
same friendship -with the citizens until on the 26th of
October, when th© steamer Chester arrived at the
harbor with a company of the Forty-seventh New
York to reUeve them. Although th© boys wore glad
to return to their homes they could not, however,
leave the island and their numerous friends without
a feeUng of reluctance. Just before taking his de
parture Lieutenant Duffy, Dr. Wright and lieuten'
ants Hamil and Ward were banqueted, and at the
close of the festi-vities, a petition was presented to be
conveyed to the president of th© United States, asking
that Lieutenant Duffy be sent to the island as ita
governor. This petition was aigned by every land
owner in the island.
DETACHMENT TO FAJARDO.
The next company to receive ordera for detached
servic© was Company I, of Lancaster, Ckptain Palmer
commanding. The company left Guayama a few
days after the paymaster had visited the Fourth and
the boys of the company were feeling in excellent
condition for almost any kind of service. "Anything
to get away from Guayama," was the general motto,
and I Company was not an exception in this matter.
The service of Company I is well described in the
report which Captain Palmer made to General Grant,
given in full as follows:

TEE FOURTH O. 7. I, 269
Fajardo. P. R., Oct., 5th, 189S.
Brigadier General Grant, Commanding Second Brigade
First Division, First Corps:
Sir — In accordance -with orders received from
brigade headquartera September 26th, 1898, I left
Guayama, P. E., with my company en route to Fa
jardo on September 28th, 1898. At 2 p. m. that
date we embarked on the "Gypsum King," then lay
ing off Arroyo. The following day at 2:30 p. m. we
landed at Fajardo beach and immediately took pos
session of the customs house and raised the United
States fiag thereon. In this building I am using a
large room as a store for Q. M. and commissary sup-
pli©s, th© place being guarded by two non-commis
sioned officera and six privates.
Here I met a Mr. Bird, a prominent citizen of
the town. Assisted by him I examined the books of
the customs authorities and, as far as I could discern,
and according to Mr. Bird's decision, the books and
accoxmts were in good order.
At 4 p. m. the same day the United States fiag
was raised over the alcalde's office in this town amidst
great rejoicing of the people. On the 30th of Sep
tember I reinstated C. Andrew as alcalde.
This gentleman was legally elected and is their
choice. He had to leave here some time ago because
the Spaniards would not permit him to remain in the
town. On this day the town council met and re
organized. With the exception of two, all the old
members were retained. The two mentioned — one
a Spaniard, the other a Cuban — resigned becauae they

270 THE FOURTH 0, 7, I.
could not bear allegiance to America. At this meet
ing the following officials were appointed for the time
being: Collector of C^ustoms, Edwardo Alonzo;
Paymaster of Customs, Manuel Guzman; Captain of
Port, Jovito Pero-via; Judge, Jose Garcia. Th© po
lice force was reduced from nine to five. The cus
toms house staff from ten to seven. The captain of port
had two assistants. Both of these men were dis
charged. It is my opinion, these appointments and
reductions wiU prove beneficial.
As there is no land here suitable for a camp
without renting it, my men are now quartered in an
old theater which was formerly used by Spanish
troops. The only -water I can obtain has to be hauled
from the river near by. It is not of the best quaUty,
owing to the constant rains and the fact that most of
the people bathe and wash clothes therein.
At 3 p. m. on the 2nd of October the United
States fiag was raised in the town of Ceibe. The
natives were jubilant and orderly. As the place ia
quiet there is no need for a guard to be stationed
there. Yesterday moming at 10:15 a. m. the United
States flag was raised above the alcalde's office at
Loquillo. Here, as in Ceibo, a guard is not neces
sary. I have instructed the alcaldes of both to-wns
that if they ever need assistance to let me know. I
will visit these places every few days.
In the towns of Fajardo, Cteibo and LoquiUo
there is no disorder, all the people being seemingly
well pleased -with American occupation.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 271
Before closing this report I -wish to mention Mr.
H. Bird. He has been of inestimable value to me.
He has neglected his business to assist me here and in
the other towns. Too much credit cannot be given
him for his faithfulness.
T have the honor to be, sir, respectfully,
L. H. PALMEE,
Captain Company I, Fourth 0. V. I.
One of the advantages enjoyed by I Company,
and which also was the source of a great deal of satis
faction to th© other companies occupying the eastern
portion of the island, was that many of the citizens
spoke the EngUsh language very well. This made
the employment of interpreters less necessary and less
difficult. For this reason also, the membera of the
companies were better enabled to buy provisions' from
the native markets, and when th©y w©r© entertained
away from the barracks, their pleasure was not
marred by being unable to converse with their hosts
as had been the case at Guayama and some of th©
other towns.
It was the good fortune of the company to have)
Dr. Samuel K. Carson, a member of A Company, as
signed to them as medical officer. Dr. Carson had no
commission, was merely a private, but he was a gradu
ate in medicine, was enthusiastic in his profession,
and not only stood well at the coUege he had just
left, but also with every one with whom he came in
contact. Fortunately there was little sickness in the
company while at Fajardo, but Dr. Carson performed
this duty as well and as freely as though he had held

272 TEE FOURTE 0. 7, I,
a commission as a medical officer. His work -with the
company was highly appreciated by the officere and
men of the regiment.
At no time during the stay of the company at
Fajardo was there any clash between the citizens and
the soldiera and th© stay was mutuaUy a pleasant one
until the Chester appeared in the harbor and the
boys embarked for home.
t
COMPANY L AT CAROLINA.
The service of nearly aU th© detached companiea
in Porto Eico was characterized by the kindly feeUng
extended to the soldiera by the natives in whose midst
they had b©en sent. One of the exceptions to this
rule, however, was the service of Company L, Cap-.
tain F. M. French commanding. Company L had,
made for itself a record at Camp Thomas as one of
the best discipUned and most orderly di-visions of the
regim©nt, and it was very fortunate indeed that this
particular company was assigned to the post it occu
pied in Porto Eico. The company was organized at
Mt. Vemon and was made up of the kind of men
who are willing to go anywhere or do anything that
comes along the line of duty, and tii© greatest reward
they could have received for their work was the con-
sciousne^ that the duty had been performed to the
best of their abiUty.
After the regimental camp had been formed at
Guayama, L Company remained in its regular camp
poaition until 2 o'clock on the moming of October
5th.

**«!«<*'^ '

CITY HALL, CAROLINA.

TBE FOURTH 0. V. I. 278
Orders had been received on the evening of the
-4th for the company to take possession of Caguas, a
town 32 miles north of Guayama on the road to San
Juan. The order stated that this was to be done on
the 5 th, and it was this fact that prompted the early
stait and which is evidence of the truth of the state
ment made in the first paragraph of this account.
The order had been issued several days before, but
owing to the condition of the wires, the message hsl
not been delivered.
The company was busy until the hour mentionoJ
in getting things in readiness for the march. It was
raining hard all night and as wet as they could have
been had they fallen into the river, the men started
on the thirty-two mile march with as much enthusi
asm as that with which they had left their native town
six months before. The march was not only a long
one, but it was attended -^vith considerable danger, for,
as has been said of the road- across the mountain
to Cayey, a false step in the darkness meant at least a
serious accident. The rain continued until daylight,
but the men struggled merrily along, up the steep
mountain road and down on the other side until
Cayey was reached. Eemarkably good time had
been made and fearing that a rest would interfere
with the march, to say nothing of the failure to qbttiply
-with the order to take possession of Caguas oh the
5(h, Captain French decided to push on and rest at
the end of the journey. The speed was kept up and
shortly after 10 o'clock on the night of the 5th Com
pany L was in the city they were to occupy, having

274 TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
covered the distance of 32 miles of rough road in
twenty hours. But the company had thus obeyed
ordera to the letter and every member was happy
even if he was nearly tired out.
Caguas had been quite a military center for the
Spaniards and there was plenty of barracks room
-ivith ample facilities for cooking. As little work as
possible was done that night, but the next moming
the American flag was raised over the city and Cap
tain French assumed general control. The company
remained here until after the regiment proper had ar
rived, when, on the 10th, it was relieved and sent on
to Carolina, a town near the northern coast.
The district of which Carolina was the capital
embraced the towns of Eio Grande, Cannovinos and
Loiza. The American flag was raised at each of these
places and the Spanish flags which had previously
marked their allegiance, became the property of Com
pany L. This section of the island was one of the
richest agiicultural districts in Porto Eico, but at the
time the company took charge of the district, a gen
eral feeling of unrest prevailed. Two hundred and
fifty workmen at the Buena Vista plantation were on
a strike and agitators were attempting to induce the
employes of the other plantations to follow the ex
ample of the Buena Vista workmen. The strikera
at several times had become very violent in their
demonstrations and attempts had been made to bum
the buildings. Two days after the arrival of the
company, however, these men were induced to return

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 275
to work and in another two days quiet was restored
at the other plantations.
There was other trouble to occupy the minds of
the company, a feeling of bitterness having been de
veloped against th© Catholic priests of the district.
No particular reason was assigned for this, the trouble
being apparently a desire upon the part of the natives
to do all they could to harass the Spanish citizens,
and they expected the American soldiers to aid them
in this. On the evening of the 13th a mob collected
at Carolina and an attack on the priest was made
there. The prompt action of the provost guard pre
vented any injurv to the object of their wrath and
they wer© also prevented from following out their
plan to bum the cathedral. The crowd was dispersed
without serious trouble and quiet was restored for the
time being.
At a later hour of the same evening, a man
fired a shot at Captain French. The shot was fired
through a hedge and the captain was struck on the
hand and forehead -with the burnt powder from the
explosion. Fortunately the ball missed its mark, and
aside from the bums Captain French escaped unin
jured. The would-be assassin made good his escape
and in spite of a determined effort to locate him, no
clue was discovered to lead to his detection and arrest.
He was thought to have been the hireling of a dis
appointed candidate for the office of mayor of
Carolina. There was no further trouble in the district, the
natives bavin? been given to underatand that the sol-

276 TES TOURTE 0. 7. I.
diers were there for a purpose and that that purpoee
was not to aid in any lawlessness, even though it
were an attempt to disturb Spanish citizena.
The health of the company remained very good
whUe at Carelina and the other stations, and the boys.
thoroughly enjoyed their duty there. The company
remained in the district untU Friday, October 28th,
when a company of the Forty-seventh New York re
Ueved them. They immediately went to San Juan,
where tiiey rejoined the regiment and sailed for home
on the following day.
DELIGHTFUL TRIP OF COMPANY K.
When the regiment left Oayey on the moming
of October 8th, Companies F and K were left behind.
K Company had been assigned to Aibonito and c&e-
tainly that command received the "best end" in thie
detachment, for it was assigned to the most picture
esque and beautiful part of the island. The story
of the service at Aibonito and surrounding country
is told by Corporal Patrick, a member of the company
at that time, but now a promising attorney of Dela
ware, as follows:
"On the moming of October 8th we started from
Cayey toward the east, while the other companies kept
on north toward Caguas. The boys were still stiff
and sor© from their little constitutional from
Guayama on the night of October 6th, but they had
heard wonderful stories of the cool and healthy
situation of Aibonito. It was even hinted that eggi
could be bought there for three centavos a piece, an4

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 277
mUk for six centavos per quart, but the man who
started this rumor was popularly supposed to be
juggling with the tmth, although he protested vali
antly that 'he had got it straight from a Wisconsin
man who had been there.' All these things helped
to cheer up the bovs and as we swung out of town on
that beautiful moming all previous cares and hard
ships were forgotten in the enjoyment of the present.
"The first three or four miles were level, and the
time was passed with songs and stories. Then we
struck the hills and settled down to hard work. Our
first halt was made where a little stream tumbles
down the side of th© hill, and into the brick gutter,
which ran along this magnificent military road.
"From this point there was considerable strag
gling, as the men would give up to weariness or yield
to the seductiv© charms of a chicken, or the prospect
of a few eggs or a hat full of oranges.
"We soon began to realize the beauty of the
•oountry as we looked down into the valleys beneath
with their herds of cattle and ponies, and the green
liills in th© distance covered with tropical vegetation.
There was nothing rough or harah in the scenery ; all
was peaceful and quiet in its Arcadian simpUcity.
"For miles one could see over the tops of hills
and in the hazy distance could catch a faint glimpse
of the Atlantic ocean. Some devout native had
planted on the opposite hillside some sort of domestic
plant in th© form of a hug© cross.
"From here it was but a short distance to th© top
of th© ridge, and from there the road was compara-

278 TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.
tively level. Here we saw many fine specimens of
ferns and of coffee and banana trees. At last th©
head of the column reached the outskirts of the town,
wher© they halted and waited for the stragglers, each
new arrival being greeted -with howls, jeers and all
kinds of chaff reflecting on his walking abilities.
"The barracks at Aibonito was a long stone
building, built on a slight elevation north of the
th© town and on the military road. It was designed
to accommodate a full battalion. Just west of it
was the hospital, also of stone, and a model of its
kind. The first night was spent in getting acquainted
-with the Third Wisconsin boys stationed there, whom
we were to relieve. They were a jolly lot, recruited
from Madison and the surrounding towns. They did
their best to entertain us with various little social
games, and they succeeded splendidly, as several of
the boys have reason to remember.
"The firat duty to perform was the raising of the
flag. The two companies marched down to the plaza
the next moming, and lined up in front of the jail.
The buglers played 'to the colors,' the companies pre
sented arms and the flag did not go up. It started
gracefully enough, but the ring at the top of the fiag
pole pulled out, and the flag fell to the ground.
This frightened the natives, who were enthusiastic
over the flag raising, and thought dire punishment
would be meted out to them for this hitch in the cer©-
monies. The alcalde, who weighed 250 pounds, im
mediately started to climb the flag pole, and was
only prevented from swinging out from the balcony

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. I. 279
by two other natives hanging onto his legs. In the
meantime one little bare-footed fellow had skipped
out on the roof of the jail, but about all he seemed
to do was swing his arms and yell. A half dozen
others reverently gathered up the flag and it was
finally tied to the flag pole at half-mast. In the
meantime the buglers had sounded 'to the colora'
until they were black in the face, and the men stood
at present arms in th© boiling sun until the muzzles
of their pieces wobbled in an alarming manner. But
this ended the ceremony. The officers went to a ban
quet given by the alcalde and other solid citizens of
the to-wn, and the men went back to quarters in
charge of the first sergeants.
"Life at Aibonito was one of unalloyed bliss as
compared with our previous experiences on the island.
The town was beautifully situated high up in the
hills, and the climate was delightful. Our only duty
was guard every four or five days, the rest of the time
was spent in wandering over the hills, hunting out the
Spanish fortifications and looking for relics of the
Ooamo skirmish. Just south of the town was the
famous Aibonito pass, where the Spanish had made
preparations for a desperate stand, which would un
doubtedly have been successful against any force that
could have been brought up in front, for their ar
tillery commanded the road for miles down the
mountain. "A few days after our arrival a detail consisting
of Lieutenant O. O. Koeppel, Sergeant H. A. Oostler,
Corporal O. W. Patrick and Privates S. W. Brown-

280 TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
ing, 0. H. Brunn, H. M. Butt, C. L. Jones, M. C-
Mahanay, Eobert Eeed, W. E. Eider and Edward
Eodenfels, were detached and ordered to Barros, a
town still higher up in the mountains and off th©
mUitary road. W© left Aibonito accompanied by a
wagon in which was stored our provisions and most of
our equipment. With this outfit we wer© ordered
to go over a trail which we afterward discovered
could hardly be followed by a mountain pony.
When we found the trail it was plainly impossible to
take our wagon over it. A native storekeeper went
so far as to say that the traU was impassable on foot,
o-wing to recent rains. To add to our troubles it
began to rain, nor was it a gentle spring shower, but
a genuine tropical down-pour. A council of war was
held in the little store and it was decided that we
must have ponies and burros with which to transport
our baggage. Accordingly we started out in the
rain to find them. The party becam© split up and
came trailing in several houra later -with a total of
three little shaggy ponies, hired, begged and stolen,
with which to convey 1000 pounds of baggage.
"A plantation owner jUst across the road from
the store had placed at our disposal a large coffee
house then empty. This was a large, airy building,
-with a hard dirt fioor swept scrupulously clean.
Here we bivouacked for the night. Each man put on
dry clothing and the hardships of the day were soon
forgotten in the enjoyment of a hearty meal prepared
at the plantation kitchen and washed down with
tseveral bottles of rare old -wine. The air was de-

SPANISH BARRACKS AT AIBONITO.

REPRODUCED FROM A WATER COLOR.

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 281
lightfuUy cool and refreshing from the recent rain,
and many a jolly song was sung and story told, till
the last candle flickered and went out, lea-ving us sur
rounded by the gloom of the great building.
"The next moming we started on mules and
ponies to Barronchitis. We had gone scarcely two
miles when we came to a mountain stream which
swallowed up the trail completely, and a little native
boy showed us that all that was necessary to ford it
was to ride up the bed of the stream about half a
mile. Here th© trail was discovored. A few miles
further on we were royally entertained at a way-side
plantation by a lady and her two daughters. We
-were fumished, without the asking, with a cup of
'delicious coffee and several kinds of tropical fruits.
We wer© the firat Americans they had ever seen.
"The trail at best was bad, but was rendered
doubly so by recent rains, which rendered the red
day slippery and dangerous even for the sure-footed
mountain ponies. At on© tim© we would be looking
down from a dizzy height at a narrow ribbon of
water in the valley below, then would come an al
most perpendicular plunge down the mountain, over
slippery rocks and more slippery mud, but we soon
leamed to put impUcit confidence in our ponies, and
it was never once betrayed. Their sure-footedness
and sagacity was simply marvelous. At the bottom
of the mountain there would be a rocky mountain
stream swollen to twice its normal volume by the
recent rains. Beyond the trail would perhaps lead
through a half mile of boggy valley, then up the side

282 THE FOURTB 0. 7. /.
of the next mountain. This method of travel, to
one accustomed to no more exciting mode of locomo
tion than a trolly or perhaps a cable car, was a novelty
to say the least. But the hardships were easily for
gotten in admiration of the beautiful scenery which
was almost constantly spread out before us in all its
luxuriance of tropical coloring. The trip would
have been a feast to the eye of an artist, and even
to tired soldiers it was ample compensation for pre
vious toils and hardships.
"At Barronchitis we were lodged with an ex-
Spanish soldier, who helped us pass the evening by
relating his experiences in the Spanish army. He
also introduced to us the principal of the -village
school, who tried his best to prove to us, from a map
which he had, that Spain was a larger country than
the United States. Spain was made on a large scale
and the United States on a small one, so Spain ap
peared to be the larger, therefore Spain was the
larger. 'Quod erat demonstrandum.' We were
ready bright and early the next moming to continue
the journey, all ha-ving been provided with ponies or
burros by the obliging alcalde. Nothing startling oc
curred on the trip to Barros, where we arrived in the
evening and were given an enthusiastic welcome by
the men of the Third Wisconsin, whom we were to
relieve. "We found Barros to be a pretty little place,
nestling in a valley and surrounded on all sides by
mountains. A clear, cool stream fiowed almost
through the town, affording excellent facilities for an

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 28^
early moming bath. Our short stay here was our
best experience on the island. The inhabitants, from
the alcalde do-wn, did their best to entertain the
Americans, and many were the warm friendships
formed in that short stay, and I fear the eyes of sev
eral fair 'senoritas' were dim when we marched away.
We had special reason to remember Don Pedro-
Arroyo and his charming wife, at whose house -we
spent many a pleasant evening.
"Truly our lot was cast in pleasant places, but
it was decreed that it should be but for a short time.
One day, after we had been there about one week,
a detachment of the Firat Kentucky Mounted In
fantry rode into town to relieve us. The Kentuck-
ians were whole-souled fellows from Louisville, and
we spent several very enjoyable days with them.
"We left Barros by way of the Coamo trail,
which, if anything, is worse than the other, but the-
day was fine, our ponies good and the scenery fully
as fin© as any we had seen. At one place we could
see both the Carribean sea and the Atlantic ocean-
on the south and north, and on the east Aibonito fully
twenty miles away. At another place, as we wound
do-wn the mountain the end man was fully one hun
dred feet above the lieutenant, who was in front, and'
almost perpendicularly below.
"At Ooamo our wagons awaited us and carried us
to Aibonito, where we arrived late at night of the
same day. At Aibonito the rumor was rife that we
were going home, but it was several days before
final ordera arrived. We were ready when they did)

284 THE 'FOURTH 0. 7. I.
arrive and started almost immediately, with mixed
feeUngs of joy and sorrow at lea-ving that beautiful
town. We arrived at Cayey on our return trip, and
marched through the town -with the precision of
dress parade, without a straggler. This was all the
result of a little wholesome food. The march from
Cayey to Caguas was made -with equal faciUty.
There we joined headquartera and were once more
a part of the Fourth Ohio.
"Company K lost six men by death while it was
in the service of the United States. Eead, Eandolph
and Vertner wer© buried at sea. Lawson's grave ia
at Fort McPheraon, Ahem is buried in the national
cemetery at Chattanooga and Ferris Ues in the ceme
tery at Guayama, Porto Eico. We were only present
at the burial of Ferris and Vertner, but the image
of each one of the six is engraven deep in the heart
of ©very member of Company K, and yeara hence,
as we gather around our social camp fires, their simple
virtues and acts of comradeship will be sweet mem
ories." COMPANY F AT CAYEY.
The servic© of F Company at Cayey was at
tended with considerable interest on the part of both
th© citizens of the town and of the membera of tiie
company. The stay at this station was from October
Tth, when the company relieved a detachment of the
Third Wisconsin and raised the American flag aa
described in another chapter. There were included
in the district of Cayey the towns of Barranquitas
and Oeidras.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7, I. 28&
On October 8th, 1898, Sergeant E. E. HuU and
nine men went over the mountain to Ceidras, the
road being so bad and the rivera so swollen by rain,.
that whUe the town was only four miles distant
from Oayey, they had to go twelve miles and rid©
native ponies, having a guide to show them th© way»
While in Ceidras Sergeant Hull found the city ad
ministration in a very bad way, and acting under
instructions elected a new city council of twelve men,
two new judges and a -vice mayor, and readjusted the
revenues so that they would be mor© properly dis
tributed. Formerly they were being devoted en
tirely to th© salaries of those in power. This detach
ment remained at Ceidras until October 19th, when
a detachment of the First Kentucky, mounted, re
lieved them, and they retumed to Cayey.
On October 9th Lieutenant Harry Graham and
ten men were sent to occupy Barranquitas. They
also had to resort to pack ponies, as the roads were
impassable for wagons. Everything was quiet at
this point. The detachment remained until October
19th, when they were relieved by the First Kentucky
Mounted Infantry, commanded by Lieutenant Freid-
enhimer. They then retumed to Cayey.
The mayor of Cayey and Captain Potter ex
changed visits and worked in unison, the mayor doing
willingly everything that was required. The town
itself was prosperous enough, being the center of the
best tobacco district on the island, but the main plaza,.
streets and jail were in bad shape.

586 TEE FOURTE 0, V, I.
Captain Pott©r told the mayor that this muat
.all be changed at once, and before the company left
everything was in good condition.
On October 18th Captain Lindsay and his com
pany (F, Firat Kentucky Infantry), relieved th© de
tachment. One event which for a time cast a gloom over
what would otherwise have been a most delightful
tour of duty, was th© att©mpt upon th© life of Second
Lieutenant Nathan A. McCOy. While the assail
ants failed of their evident purpose of killing the
lieutenant, they succeeded in infficting several pain
ful wounds and in creating far more excitement than
they had anticipated. The story of this affair as
related by Captain Potter is as follows:
"On October 23, at 9 p. m.. Lieutenant N. A.
McCoy, who was acting as post quartermaster and
commissary, was returning from the bakery, where
he had been arranging for fresh bread for the follow
ing day. He stopped to look in a store on the comer
of the main plaza, when three men quietly stopped
behind him. One suddenly struck him a hard blow
on the head with a heavy club. As the lieutenant
fell, another struck him on the shoulder and arm.
H© fell, half dazed, to the ground. It happened that
two of the company were in the store, and ran to his
assistance as he fell. The men who assaulted him at
once made good their escape.
"Lieutenant McCoy was brought to the barracks,
covered with blood, but Steward Eitter at once at-

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 287
tended hia injuries and in a few moments he told us
all he knew about the assault.
"I took twenty-four men, put twelve under Cor
poral Lindsay and took twelve myself, and started
for the town. We arrested ©very suspicious looking
peraon we saw and by 4 a. m., by the aid of an in
terpreter, had secured on© of the men who committed
the assault. Early the next morning we arrested the
other two and placed them all in jail. For the next
two days there was considerable excitement in the
town and we had to double the guards and have a
heavy guard at the jail, but the excitement subsided
when they saw that we meant business, and we had no
further trouble of any kind.
"We had just secured evidence enough to con
vict the suspected parties when we were ordered
away, so the men were sent to Guayama and turned
over to the provost guard there for trial. I preferred
charges of assault with intent to kill, but hav© never
heard how the trial came out.
"It Avas intimated to Lieutenant McCoy and
myself that the men were hired by Spanish sympa
thizers to kill any American officer whom they coild
find alone or unprotected."
On October 27th final orders were received to
turn over the town and all the military stores at
that place belonging to the government, and the
detached squad and battalion having returned to
Cayey, th© company proceeded to Caguas to join what
was left of the regiment. Caguas was reached about
dark on the aftemoon of the same day, and the next

288 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
morning the company started to Eio Piedras, cover
ing the distance in good time, but in one of the hard
est rains that were experienced in the island.
COMPANY B DETACHED.
Company B was composed of the kind of men
who insisted on doing a part of any work in sight.
It was one of the first companies ordered to the firing:
line before Guayama on Aug-ust 5 and the firat com
pany to be ordered to provost duty. It was E Com
pany that defended the captured town from the north
east to hold the bridge across Guayama creek, a short
distance out the military road from Guayama.
Although the company was not detached in the-
strict sense of the word at Guayama, its tour of pro
vost duty was performed under th© immediate super
vision of General Haines and Captain White. Their
next detachment was an execution of an order to raise
the American fiag over the town of Gurabo, about
six miles from Caguas. This was a hard march,.
over a difficult mountain road, mud to wade, hills to
climb and streams to cross, but the trip was a suc
cessful one and the Spanish emblem which once
marked the allegiance of the town was brought back.
to Columbus by Captain White.
The American fiag was hoisted above Gurabo '
October 13, and on October 15, at Y:40 a. m., the
company started for Eio Piedras to take charge of the
town. Th© headquartera of the United States forces
in Porto Eico had been here and Captain White had
the distinguished experience of relie-ving a major-

flag; RAISING AT GURABO.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. /. 3M
general when General Brooke turned over the town.
Eio Piedras, considering its size, was the wealth
iest town in the island. It was six miles from the
capital, with which it was connected by the miUtary
road and by the Eio Piedras and San Juan railway.
Many wealthy people resided there and there were
several beautiful residences, the finest of which, per
haps, was the governor general's palace. There were
several comfortable cafes where ices and beverages-
were served and where beef steak or potatoes were
prepared without either the use of olive oil or garlic.
The town was eminently Spanish in all its sym
pathies and practically xmder Spanish control, nearly
all the municipal officials ha-ving received their ap
pointments in return for favora sho-wn the Castilian
crown or its supporters. These were promptly re
moved and the vacancies filled with the better class
of Portoriquenos, much to the satisfaction of th©
islanders. The boys of Company B and the natives of Eio
Piedras were at all times on very good terms, and
there was no occasion during the stay of the com
pany for a clash between soldiers and citizens.
The company remained there until the regiment
had been ordered to the United States and a company
of the Forty-seventh New York had taken charge of
the town. Instead of boarding the train —ith the
firat pro-visional battalion for San Juan, the company
marched over the military road and reported for re
assignment next day. This made B company the
only one which really marched across the island, from
til Ci-riliCnn «ea to the Atlantic ocean.

290 THE FOURTB 0. 7. I.

CHAPTEE XVIII.

HOME AGAIN.
Orders to Leave — Preparation — Arrival at Porty-seventh
New York— U. S. S. S. Chester at Arroyo— At San
Juan — Leaving the Island — Advantages and Disad
vantages of the Chester — The Homeward -Voyage —
Death of Private Vertner — Arrival at New York —
Jersey City — Received by the President — To Colum
bus — Reception — Furlough — ^Assembly — Accident at
Auditorium — Muster Out — Concluding Remarks.
While the boys at their respective stations were
watehing and waiting for orders to go home. Colonel
Coit, at Caguas, received official information that his
regiment would be relieved by the Forty-seventh New
York. He was instructed as to the turning over of
government property and other details wer© given in
such an exacting manner that the boys of the regi
ment were satisfied that the time for them to return
to their homes was not far distant. Their hopes were
confirmed when one fine moming in the latter part
of October the U. S. S. S. Chester appeared in the hajr-
l)or at Arroyo with the greater part of th© Forty-
seventh New York on board.
The news spread as rapidly as telegraph and
horses could spread it, and long before noon ©very
man in the regiment knew that his stay in Porto Eico
would be short from that time on. Everybody was
happy accordingly. In fact the joy of the membera
.of the regimen t knew no bounds. Everything was

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 291
from that day a hasty preparation and the regiment
was ready as to packing up and bidding good-by to
the natives long before the Chester was ready to leave
..Vrroyo. It was announced that the boat which had
transported the New York regiment to the island
would also be used to take the Fourth Ohio home.
A and E companies boarded th© vessel as soon aa
everything was in readiness, but they found th© ship
to be in a horrible condition with dirt and filth.
This condition of affaira was at once reported to
Colonel Coit, who at once objected to the use of the
ship for the transportation of the regiment on the
long voyage to th© states. His objection did no
further use except to secure the promise that the. ship
would be thoroughly cleansed before starting for
New York, the place designated for landing. The
ship was thoroughly cleaned, but the work was per
formed by details from the companies of the Fourth
Ohio. As soon as the companies at Guayama were re
lieved by the New Yorkere the Ohio boys boarded the
vessel and she steamed on down the coast to Hamacoa,
Avhere D Company was relieved and taken on. Then
M Company was picked up at Isabel Segunda and the
¦Chester proceeded to Fajardo, where I Company was
relieved and taken on board, after which the Chester
<t'ontinued the trip around the island to San Juan,
where she arrived on October 27th.
In the meantime F Company at Cayey, K at
Aibonito and the detachment of H Company at
Agnias Bpenos had assembled at Caguas and

292 THB FOURTH 0. 7. I.
joined by B Cbmpany at Eio Piedras, had reached
San Juan on the evening of October 28th. Thes*
companies, except B, had been temporarily reUeved
by the First Kentucky. L Company at Carolina had
gone to San Juan also and the regiment was again
intact. The night at San Juan was spent in an old
shed just outside the city, but no regular camp wa«
established and the men were permitted to spend the
night where and how they pleased. There were
numerous restaurants in the city, and as the men atUl
had a supply of cash, there was no suffering on ac
count of lack of provisions.
The crew of th© Chester completed the renova
tion of the ship during the night and the next morn
ing, when the loading of baggage was begun. San
Juan was interesting to the boya, especially the de
fenses of the city and the effect of the bombardment
by the American fleet in July. All the placea of
interest were -visited, ao that at first the quartermast
er's department could not get men to load th© bag
gage. Captain Vincent and Captain Potter came to^
the rescue, however, and details were soon secured
and the horaes and baggage were loaded in quick
time. The regiment itself did not board the vessel
until about 4 p. m., although the Chester had been
under ordera to saU at noon.
It was nearly dark when the Chester weighed
anchor and steamed out of the harbor. The U. S.
S. S. Newark, one of the strongest vessels in the navy,
was stationed in the harbor, and when the Cheater
began to move toward the bay, the band on th»

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 293
Newark played "Home Sweet Home." This compU-
ment was answered by a cheer from the men and a
•election from the Fourth Ohio band, when the
Newark played another tune, answered by "Yankee
Doodle" by the Ohio band. Cheer after cheer
was exchanged by the representatives of the army and
navy, and with the firing of salutes, the tooting of
whistles and the ringing of bells, the Chester steamed
slowly out the harbor to the bay and turned her
oourae toward New York.
It was quite dark when the Chester reached the
»pen sea and the dim lights from the city gave the
general -view of the island where the boys had seen
80 much hard service, a sort of spectral appearance,
exactly in keeping with the final impression of Porto
Eico and Porto Eicans in the minds of most of the
men. The voyage to New York was less comfortable
in some respects and more comfortable in othera tiian
the voyage on the St. Paul had been. There wag
lesa room on the Chester and quarters were not so
comfortable, but better provision had been made for
rations and cooking, and the men were suppUed with
warm meals. The weather was fine during the
greater part of th© voyage, but a storm came up
during the third night out and those membera of the
band and non-commissioned staff and some of the
membera of the companies who had slept on the
4ecks were compelled to seek shelter inside. All the
«-vailable room had already been taken up, but the
Men who had not been assigned to any particular

294 THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.
part, of the -ship, appropriated the halls and compan
ion ways for their quarters. This was objected to by
the quartermaster of the vessel, but Cblonel Coit in
sisted that those men would remain there and they
did. Some slept in th© dining room, and others
in the halls and passage ways, wherever they could
find space enough to Ue down. Th© officers were
crowded into small state rooms and they were not
much more comfortably situated than the men.
The only occurrence to mar the pleasure of the
voyage from San Juan was the sudden death of Al
bert L. Vertner of K Company. The young man
had not been feeling well, and the hospital force had
prescribed what seemed to be the proper treatment,
but their efforts were in vain and the young man died
almost in sight of his native land.
The remains were buried at sea and the occasion
was given all th© honor that could be bestowed under
the circumstances. Vertner was a popular member
of the company and the death was a shock to all its
officers and men.
The first time land was sighted after the Chester
had left San Juan was on the aftemoon of November
2nd, when the hills and steeples of the United States
again came into -view. There was very little to see
and nothing to make out, but when the boys realized
that they were once more in sight of their native land
they nearly went wild with glee.
The band played "America," "Hail Columbia"
and other national airs, and the regiment answered
with cheers. Everybody on the vessel strained

TUE FOURTH 0. V. I. i-.C)
every nerve to get a glimpse of the land they loved
so well and all was excitement on board the Chester
for the remainder of the day.
Passing Sandy Hook, the Chester steamed on up
the harbor until dark, when she cast anchor until a
pilot boarded her, to direct the way to the quarantine
station. The boys were a little disappointed at hav
ing to remain on the ship another night, but the as
surance that it was the last one quieted their unrest.
An efi'ort was made to secure permission for some of
the officers to go ashore before moming, but this
could not be don© on account of the rules of the
quarantine. When the boys woke up on the moming of the
3rd they could not see from on© side of the vessel to
the other. A dense fog had collected in the harbor
and fears began to be entertained that another day
would have to be spent on the ship, and the dissatis
faction that was created by this idea can easily be
imagined. Finally, about 8 o'clock, a quarantine
officer boarded th© Chester and made a thorough in
spection of the ship. H© foimd the vessel in an
elegant condition considering the large number of
passengera, horaes and baggage she contained, so per
mission was quickly granted to land. The fog pre
vented a landing, however, and aU that could be
done was for the Chester to proceed further up the
harbor, where she waited near the base of the Statue
of Liberty for the fog to disappear. Captain Dona-
vin and several other membera of the regiment went
ashore with the quarantine officer, loaded down with

206 THE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
messages from the soldiera to their families and
friends at home, announcing the arrival of the regi
ment in New York.
The fog did not disappear until aftemoon and
the work of unloading was not completed untU al
most evening. It was almost night when the
regiment touched land at Jersey City, all the baggage
and all the men having been taken off the Chester by
a large ferry boat. A train of three sections was in
waiting at the depot at Jersey City, but the train
did not leave there until about midnight the night of
October 3rd. During the wait in Jersey City the
boys were given the Uberty of the to-wn, and nearly
all of them made a -visit across the river to New York,
where they did just what would be expected — bought
the largest meal they could find. Beef steak, oystera,
butter, fresh bread that was made to be eaten, pie,
red apples and the thousand and one things that had
been wanted, but which could not be obtained in
Porto Eico, were gathered together in baskets, bags
and stomachs in quantities that undeir ordinary cir
cumstances would have fed an entire army for a
w©ek. A committee of Columbus gentlemen, repre
senting the citizens of central Ohio, had come to
New York to meet the regiment at the moment it
reached American soil and to extend to them a hearty
welcome. This compliment was more than the of
ficera or men had anticipated, and it was accordingly
appreciated. lieutenant Colonel Adams, who had
left the island from Guayama on leave of absence,
oame to New York from his home in Delaware to

THB FOURTB 0. 7. I. 297
greet his comrades and to again share with them the
joys or sorrows of the few remaining days of absence
from home. The gentlemen who had met the regi
ment as a committee of greeting were Messra. Buck-
master, MUler, Donavin, Helwagen, Thrall and
Huling. Mr. Buckmaster waa a railroad man, and
being one of the warmeat frienda of the regiment in
Ohio, h© did aU in his power to assure the safety and
comfort of the men on the homeward trip. Captain
ThraU had a special interest in the regiment, having
come to greet his son, who acted in the capacity of
regimental clerk until the regiment was mustered
out of the service. The other gentlemen had been
active also in securing ordera for the return of the
regiment to the United States, and they naturally
felt an interest in seeing that the boys had a good
time after they were once in the limits of the United
States. This was but the beginning of the hearty recog
nition of the service performed by the regiment. At
©very station on the way from New York to Colum
bus crowds gathered at the raUway stations to extend
greetings. The stay at Jersey City, although but eight
houra, made many more friends for the Fourth Ohio.
Several other regiments had landed at that place after
foreign service and the first thing they had done
when they reached the place was to indulge in aU the
intoxicants the place afforded. They were noisy and
ungentlemanly and their action in the city and in
the vicinity was anything but becoming the conduct

298 THE FOURTH 0. 7. /.
of an American soldier. In marked contrast to this
conduct the members of the Ohio regiment con
ducted themselves after the fashion of the gentiemen
they were, and this conduct at once earned the ad
miration of the officers and citizens of the entire city.
The contrast was the subject of favorable comment
in the New York papera the following day.
Lea-ving Jeraey City about midnight, the regi
ment went over the Baltimore and Ohio railway to
Washington, where they arrived shortly after day
light, and where the command was accorded an honor
which had not been extended to any other regiment
in the service. As soon as breakfast had been
served, the regiment was formed and following an
escort of mounted policemen, marched to the White-
House, where it passed in review before President
McKinley and a number of other prominent gov
ernment officials. After passing the re-viewing-
stand, the veranda at the White House, the regiment
marched to the street, where arms were stacked and
left under guard while the regiment retumed to the-
executive mansion to be received by the president.
Here th© head of the American government paid a
high tribute to the service of the regiment, and feeling
thus greatly honored, the boys returned to the rail
way station to resume the journey home.
Leaving Washington about 5 o'clock, the trains
bearing the regiment passed through the District of
Columbia and Maryland, and bounding across the
Allegheny mountains, reached the Ohio line about
daylight. When the boys found themselves on

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I. 29S>
Buckeye soil once more they hardly 'knew how to act.
Some cheered, some sang songs and some wept for
joy. "I knew the moment we crossed the river,"
said one fellow, "by the air I was breathing." It
was indeed a proud moment for every member of the
command, but nothing as compared to the arrival in
Columbus. The weather was chilly, and ha-ving just
come from a land where frost is unknown, and being
dressed accordingly, the cold had a rather bad effect
on the health of the men, but in marked contrast to
the position of the mercury, the reception extended
to the regiment by the people of Columbus was cer
tainly "warm." Great crowds of people had come
to the railroad to get glimpses of their friends or rela
tives as soon as they set foot in the capital of their
native state.
The train from New York had been run in three
sections and as soon as the entire train had reached
Columbus the regiment was formed and with an
escort of all the civic and military organizations of
Columbus, made a tour of the city, passing in r©vi©w
before Governor Bushnell. A more extensive
demonstration was never seen in the capital citv than
that in honor of the return of the Fourth Ohio. Th©
parade was dismissed at the Columbus Auditorium
and the regiment was then marched inside, where
there was in waiting for them a grand feast, prepared
by the citizens of Columbus. After enjoying lunch
the entire command was dismissed, the members of
the Columbus battaUon going immediately to their
homes and the companies of the other bi.ttalions tak-

300 TEB FOURTE 0. 7. I.
ing firat trains out of the city for their respective
home towns. At Washington COurt House, Marion,
Poi"tsmouth, Lancaster, Delaware, Mt. Vemon and
Circleville, demonstrations sunilar to thos© at Co
lumbus, but on smaller scales, were made, and every
man in the regiment was given a most sincere wel
come. A furlough of sixty days was granted to aU
the membera of the regiment except th© surgeons,
adjutant, quartermp iter, commissary and ordnance
officers, who were on duty at t!he Auditorium in Co
lumbus during the entire time of the furlough.
On January 5th, after the regiment had reached
home on November 6th, the command was again as
sembled and remained at the capital until the 19tii
of January, when the final payment and muster out
was made. During their stay in Columbus the men
were comfortably quartered at the Columbus Audit
orium. Eows of bunks were constructed for sleep
ing apartments, but the men were permitted to go
elsewhere if they chose. On the firet mght of the
stay in Columbus three tiers of bunks occupied by
H, M and E Companies collapsed and twenty men
were caught in the falling timbera. No lives were
lost and no permanent injury was sustained, but the
accident was of such a nature that it was regarded
almost a miracle that none were killed. WhUe in
Columbus the mon were fed at restaurants and each
man received three hot meals each day, an experi
ence thy had not known during all the time they
were in the service.

TEE TOURTE 0. 7. /. 301
While the accounts were being made up between
the accountable officers and the government and be
tween the officers anrl men, an order was received
from Washington directing that the sum received by
each enlisted man as pay from the State of Ohio for
the service from April 25th to May 9th be deducted
from the i ay due him at the time of final settiement
-with the government. This pay had been received
whil© the regiment was at Chickamauga park and
the state had filed an account with the government
authorities, asking that the state treasury be reim-
buraed for th© money expended in preparing for the
war. Th© claim would hav© been aUowed, but the
government would have reimbursed itseK from the
men themselves, thus denying them the sum allowed
by the state for active service. Thia was objected to
very vehemently on the part of the members of the
regiment and their friends, and the matter waa only
aettled by the -withdrawal of the claim by the atate
authorities, thus securing for the men all the pay
due them. As soon as the men received their pay from the
two government paymastera at the State House, they
were handed their discharges and dismissed. Some
of the officera who, having lost some triplicate re
ceipt or some insignificant account or technical docu
ment did not receive any pay at the time the men
were paid, but they were discharged from the service.
As soon as they were reUeved from their accounta-
biUty to the government, however, the money due
them was promptiy paid.

302 TBE FOURTB 0. 7. I.
With honorable discharges from an honorable
service in their hands, the men were fr©e to go wher©
and when they chose. Some of them remained in
Columbus several days, but all soon returned to their
respective homes to resume the citizenship which they
had temporarily abandoned. These men had shown
by the manner in which they had performed every
exacting duty, that they wer© mad© of th© stuff which
makes good citizens and that they were of the class
of men who help dignify the laws of th© country
which they had defended.
The men retumed to the farm, to the office
and to the factory, there to follow the pur
suits which they had chosen in the earlier part of
their careere. Many were at once tendered the posi
tions which they had occupied before they had left
for the front, and most of th© remainder soon obtained
profitable employment, but unfortunately a few were
compelled to seek many weeks before they could
secure means to support themselves and their families.
In the transformation from soldier to citizen the
Columbus Board of Trade was a valuable aid. Its
secretary, Mr. J. Y. Bassell, had experienced the
trials attending the closing of a military career and
he was able and willing to help the boys all he could.
The Board of Trade had manifested a keen interest
in the regiment while it was being prepared for service
and after it had taken up its place in the field. By
the energies of this organization, all the field officera
of the regiment had been presented with horees, and
while the regiment was in Camp Thomas, a beautiful

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 303
stand of colors was presented by the Board of Trade.
This flag was carried all through th© Porto Eico
campaign and retumed to Columbus, but not without
the marks of battle. There are several bullet holes
in the starry emblem which mutely tell how the
t^ommand performed its duty, but there is not a stain
<5n its silken folds whicii tell of a deed of which any
man in the regiment or one of its friends need be
ashamed. In return for this flag, the Spanish flag
whioh had marked the allegiance of the city of
Guayama was given to the Board of Trade, a present
from the Fourth Ohio. There were other friende
who watched the every movement of the regiment
besides the Board of Trade, and the pereonal friends
or families of tlie members of the regiment. PubUc
spirited men, who regarded every man in the rank
and file of the regiment as a son or brother, were
ever watchful to supply every possible comfort which
the government did not afford. Colonel James Kil-
boume. Colonel George D. Freeman, Colonel Knauss,
the W. C. T. U. and many other societies and .private
citizens, did all in their power to make the boye in
the field comfortable, their families at home happy
and to look after the welfare of all when they re
tumed to their homes. At Columbus the wives,
sisters and mothers of the boys formed themselves
into a society for the purpose of rendering all the aid
they could, and many were the comforts that thes©
good women were able to provide where homes would
otherwise have remained cheerless.

304 TBB FOURTH 0. 7. I.
The Fourth Ohio, as it was known in the Span
ish-American war has ceased its existence except in
the hearts of those who gave it and in the pages of
history. Central Ohio was well represented in this
effort and the brilliant record of the Fourth Ohio
in the Ci-vil war was as successfully emulated as the
circumstances of the service permitted. A soldier's
only duty is to obey ordera and the Fourth Ohio has
set an example in this which it will be well for suc
ceeding regiments to follow. The Fourteenth In
fantry is still a state organization, and if its future
may be judged by the past, it -will ever remain a
monument to the valor of Ohio's citizen soldiery.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I. 306

ROSTKR
OF THE!
KOURTH O. V. I.

FIELD, STAFF AND NON-COMMISSIONED
STAFF.
Colonel  Alonzo B. Coit
Lieutenant-Colonel  C. Barton Adams
Major  John C. Speaks
Major  John F. Sellers
Major  Charles \. Baker
Surgeon  Edward M. Semeans
Assistant Surgeon  Thompson B. "Wright
Assistant Surgeon  Henry M. Taylor
Adjutant  Mac Lee -Wilson
Chaplain  James C. Shindel
Quartermaster  George iB. Donavin
Battalion Adjutant  T. Perry -Williams
Battalion Adjutant  Edward M. Fullington
Battalion Adjutant  Harry W. Krumm
Regimental Sergeant Major  Frank C. Radclifle
Q. M. Sergeant  Charles L Taylor
Chief Musician  Jesse -Worthington
Principal Musician  Lewis F. Lytle
Principal Moisician  Charles J. Rulo
Principal Musician  Greorge F. McDonald
Hospital Steward  John W. Richards
Hospital Steward  Louis F. Ritter
Hospital Steward  Prank H. Burr
Battalion Sergeant Major  Charles W. Finley
Battalion Sergeant Major  Lewis F. Philo
Battalion Sergeant Major  Charles E. Creager

306

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

BAND.

Harry A. Davis  Acting Q. M. Sergeant

Beitler, Claude M.
Brooke, Philo R.
Davie, J. B.
Davies, David E.
Davis, Shell P.
Davis, Horace "W.
Dougherty, Jerome.
Ebner, Jacob C.
Feeney, Joseph L.
Getz, Oscar D.
Hane, "William A.

PRIVATES.

Hosfield, Edwin J.
Lilley, Frank P,
McFariand, -William R.
McNaughten, Thomas R.
McRae, -William C.
Meihlheim, Leo C.
Rorick, Jonas M.
Thomas, Harry H.
-Williard, Ezra H.
Zeisler, Valentine.

HOSPITAL CORPS.
Edward Steve Darby  Acting Steward
Ourry W. James  Acting Steward

Davis, -William R.
Dixon, Charles A.
Getz, John F.
Hance, -William T.
Judkins, William J.
Kelley, John M.
Moon, Oliver C.

PRIVATES.

Oglesby, Nicholas B.
Powell, John W.
Pringle, Leroy.
Rawley, Paul J.
Sherwood, Milton -W.
Stimmell, John S.
-Wright Ed. M.

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. /.

307

COMPANY A.
Captain  Joseph J. Walsh
First Lieutenant  Harry Graham
First Lieutenant  Clyde R. Modie
Second Lieutenant  Cyrus W. Grandstaff
First Sergeant  William C. McConnel!
Q. M. Sergeant  L. B. Andrua
Q. M. Sergeant  G. B. Kilbouma
SERGEANTS.

A. C. McGuire.
J. A. Auld.

Ed. Stalter.
J. D. Acker.

CORPORALS.
F. H. Stevenson. Harry Syfert.
O. H. Bonn. F. R. Thrall.
C. K. McClelland. Emil Meyer.
J. F. O'Shaughnessy. G. E. Walsh.
Frank Graham. A. G. Smith.
F. C. Lockhart. Jos. F. Tate.
Musicians  Preston Coit, T. R. Wirick
Artificer  M. P. Grandstaff
Wagoner  Ollie B. Brixner
PRIVATES.

Barnes, P. M.
Barnes, F. B.
Beecher, J. P.
Bennett, F. XT.
Bergwitz, W. E.
Bright, W. S.
Brown, W. S.
Buskirk, T. M.

Leuze, C. M.
McLaine, S. H.
McClure, C. R.
McMeekin, Joseph.
Mihan, M. M.
Musselman, Ferry.
Marguardt, F. E.
Noble, Otho.

308

THE FOURTE O. 7. I.

Carder, T. A.
Carroll, Frank.
Carson, S. K.
Cavinee, E. M.
Chamberlain, B. W.
Chatterton, T. H.
Clawson, Bumes.
Cockins, R. H.
Cott, B. P.
Cramer, H. H.
Cunningham, B. T.
DufEy, Thomas.
Edgington, W. J.
Evans, T. J.
Ewing, J. H.
Fleck, J. S.
Fleck, H. N.
Ford, C. L.
French, S. N.
Gorley, Clarence.
Graham, J. A.
Gultard, C. B.
Hanway, A. L.
Hughey, C. F.
Hummell, C. B.
Jeffrey, P. W.
Johnson, E. J.
Klotts, E. P.
Knouff, O. M.
Lazenby, C. B.
Olds, J., Jr.

Pangle, D. C.
Patterson, W. S.
Pierce, C. O.
Plrt, Joseph.
Price, Frank C.
Reichard, G. W.
Riddle, Carlton.
Riffee, C. W.
Romands, Edwin.
Roy, C. F.
Sackett, L. A.
Schertle, D. B.
Schuman, John.
Scringer, A. L.
Shearer, O. F.
Sigrist, C. F.
Simms, Irwin E.
Smith, A. L.
Strait, J. D.
Teter, C. K.
Thompson, W. H.
Walker, John W.
Wallace, H. D.
Weadon, J. S.
Webster, D. E.
Wells, Ellsworth.
Whitman, H.
Whitney, C. A.
Williams, D. M.
Williams, J. W.

TEE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

309

COMPANY B.
Captain  Will S. White
First Lieutenant  Frank L. Oyler
Second Lieutenant  William B. Hamill
First Sergeant  WiUiam P. Stevenson
Q. M. Sergeant  Robert Swigert
SERGEANTS.
Frank G. Jacokes. Charles A. Hunt.
Frank T. Ethell. Tilden T. Jones.
CORPORALS.
Charles E. Bolin. Joseph Davis.
John M. Conti. Charles R. Wagner.
S. Perry Capell. Edward H. Smith.
Roy B. Shook. Frank E. Williams.
Lewis M. Stevenson. Henry Kaiser.
Joseph B. Clemens. Walter C. Stout.
Artificer  John W. Warman
Wagonei  Fred Buckingham
Musician  Herbert A. MUler
PRIVATES.

Arthur, Joseph.
Angell, Edgar F.
Anderson, William M.
Butler, Wm. J.
Brown, James W.
Brown, Olliver T.
Bro-wn, Charles F.
Bold, Bber L.
Bennett, Charles C.
Barr, Emory E.
Cumminns, Henry R.
Coons, Jasper N.

Loudenslager, Charles S.
Long, Jacob F.
Milligan, Elmer J.
Morris, John C.
McDonald, James E.
McDaniels, Charles H.
Morris, Edward F.
Nunamaker, Norman C.
Noel, WiUiam J.
Osbom, David G.
O'Harra, Cornelius C.
Robinson, Mori»n W.

310

TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.

Coss, Frank S.
Oohn, William.
Dally, Vincent L.
Deuel, Joseph R.
Dauterman, Frank C.
Dakin, Perry BX
Elder, Arlie.
Farahay, William I.
Gregory, Charles F.
Green, Elmer E.
Graham, Earl W.
Grove, Frank E.
GeiS, Henry.
Grube, Arthur F.
Hedges, Robert L.
Heiman, Simon.
Hankee, Fred.
Harper, Martin A.
Harrison, Foster S.
Handley, Moses E.
Hopkins, Harry H.
Hayward, Herbert
Ingraham, Robert B.
Keyes, Edward, Jr.
Kessie, John.
Kessie, Fred C.
Kuhn, George A.
Lytle, Andrew G.
Lane, Cory L.

Stejnel, Jacob.
Shuflin, Harry W.
Sines, James G.
Stewart, Elmer B.
Stoker, Jacob, jr.
Shipley, Clarence J.
Shirrey, Burrell M.
Swiger, William S.
Smith, Charles A.
Sponsler, Charles B.
Sperry, Henry C.
Snyder, Frank.
Smith, George B.
Thompson, Robert C.
Taylor, Ralph W.
Thrush, Jesse.
Trone, Wood. C.
Van Gilder, Lewis H.
Van Baton, Albert H.
Wolfel, Arthur.
Watsek, Adam B.
Woolard, Asa.
White, Carey B.
Walker, Arthur H.
Wiley, William H.
Willhide, Melvin B.
-Wtoodmansee, Charles M.
Werner, Edward J.
Williams, Joshua L.

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I.

311

COMPANY C.
Captain  Thomas R. Diddle
Captain  Arthur W. Reynolds
First Lieutenant  Arthur W. Reynolds
First Lieutenant  Frank A. Alexander
Second Lieutenant  Frank A. Alexander
Second Lieutenant  Edward M. Biddle
First Sergeant  Edward M. Biddle
First Sergeant  William E. StimmeJ
Q. M. Sergeant  Harry L. Barker
SERGEANTS.
Paul Armstrong. Marvel W. Bliss.
S. Riley Harrod. Charles D. Rowland.
Harry H. Nichols. CORPORALS.
Benjamin F. Morris. Frank C. Biddle.
Harry E. Eichorn. Richard A. Twaddel.
Clinton C. Martin. Otto F. Cook.
Charles F. Eastner. Henry T. Helwagen.
Adam T. Renck. Edwin Steubenrauch.
Charles O. Schoonoover. Edward M. Slemmons.
Musicians  Charles F. Bauer, Claude Putnam
Artificer  Lewis M. Carter
Wagoner  Samuel Ford
PRIVATES.
Athern, Clarence. Minnick, Robert T.
Buehler, John W. Mann, Allen D.
Baehr, George. Mayfleld, Victor H.
Baehr, Charles. Munk, Andrew J.
Balsley, Lloyd W. Mugrage, Ed.
Blerhalter, Joseph. McCoy, Lorin.
Butler Arza A. . McLeoid, Albert E.

312

TBE FOURTE 0. 7. I.

Blackburn, Thomas F.
Charles, William S.
Cordner, John O.
Crawford, John J.
Cowley, Arthur.
Corwin, Johni.
Croninger, John.
Dearth, Earnest.
Dent, Joseph W.
Dixson, Lovett T.
Dubois, Edmond L.
Easton, Fred L.
Fix, Charles W.
Groves, William P.
Hickey, Aaron.
Haines, Harry L.
Hesley, Frederick.
Hook, John.
Horlocker, Noble W.
Haniwalt, John C.
Hoover, Asa.
Hampton, Wade.
Ingersol, Charles G.
Jones, William.
Jones, Samuel T.
Kreuz, Karl.
Losch, Joseph.
Lloyd, Charles O.
Lioveland, Fred.
Lewis, Frank B.
Molloy, Theopholis.
McFariand, Charles.

McCalley, Hiram,
McClurg, Charles B.
Parsons, Arthur.
Renck, Charles P.
Rhodes, Simeon A.
Roberts, Matthew S.
Rodgers, James L.
Ross, William.
Rowe, William I.
Spaith, Edwin Arthur.
Shoemaker, Edward B. T.
Stephens, Lorin.
Smith, Benjamin.
Smith, Jesse F.
Smith, Carl F.
Southcomb, Robert P.
Steck, Henry J.
Snead, James.
Sullivan, John.
Taylor, Charles K.
Thomas, George.
Thompson, Harry R-
Vetter, John.
Whip, Harry C.
Wells, Ira E.
Withers, Austin A.
Wallets, Frank El.
Watzek, Frank.
Vvineman, Glenn G.
Yeardins, William T.
Yost, William J.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

313

COMPANY D.
•Captain  Charles F. Sellers
First Lieutenant  J. Richard Turner
Second Lieutenant  BVank H. Otte
Second Lieutenant  Abe Newlove
Pirst Sergeant  Abe Newlove
First Sergeant  Allen C. Bdson
Q. M. Sergeajit  Thomas J. Alexander
Q. M. Sergeant  George P. Zwemer
SERGEANTS.
•Charles J. Greene. William R. Kennedy.
Prank Mills. CORPORALS.
Charles Orahood. Conrad Kirchner.
William Johnson. Will Saygrover.
Charles Ford. Joseph Mullen.
Elijah A. Horr. Joseph Mills.
Walter P. Gregg. Arthur H. Armine.
Lewis Orahood. Elmer Hedges.
Musicians  F. Pearl Taylor, Bertram G. Maris
Artificer  John Lansdown
Wagoner  Anderson Williams
PRIVATES.
Armine, Harry G. Lyons, Charles.
Anderson, WUlis. Lee, BU M.
Alden, Bujean. Lower, Clifton.
Andrews, Ed-ward. Lee, James.
Beaver, James N. Mitchell, Pearl.
Beaver, Wassen. Mathers, Charles.
Bartlett, WiUiam. Martin, Robert B.
Blake, Layton. Maris, Harry.
Bell, Joseph S. MiUs, Charles.

314

TEE FOURTB 0. 7. I.

Bradley, Frank C.
Brake, Holly O.
Bishop, Otto.
Beck, James.
Brown, Elmer.
Connell, Edward.
Conner, Thomas.
Clapham, Frank.
Converse, Harry.
Clastic, George.
Church, Edward.
Dines, William L.
Donohoe, Fred.
Daugherty, Benjamin.
Fisher, Victor.
Gosnell, Otto.
Greene, Huitt.
Goff, Walter.
Hush, George B.
Hudson, Edward.
Hensley, Delbert.
Hinton, Mack.
Holycross, Frank L.
Hill, Samuel.
Johnson, Alia.
Johnson, Joe.
Jones, Allen.
Jones, John.
Kees, Isaac.
Lawrence, Joe.
Laird, Charles M.
Mullen, George.

Moon, Spencer.
Martini, William S.
Newlove, Lute.
Nelson, Edward.
Nelson Fred W.
Otte, Lewis.
Orr, Lee.
Plotner, Bert.
Perry, Charles A.
Phelps, Earl.
Rausch, Will.
Randall, Edward.
Sparks, Harry.
Schlegel, George, Jr.
Shetterly, Carson B.
Shetterly, Joseph E.
Smith, Albert.
Shuler, John.
Sloop, Artemus.
Sheridan, Chester.
Tway, Carl.
Taylor, Harry W.
Tumer, Charles M.
Tossey, Defro.
Vail, Reuben.
Williams, William.
Weber, Walter.
Webb, Luther.
Wise, William F.
Walcut, William.
Williams, Charles P.

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I.

315-

COMPANY E.
Captain  WiUiam L. Vincent
First Lieutenant  Charles 0. Updyke
Second Lieutenant  James M. Fugate
First Sergeant  Charles E. Stogdon
Q. M. Sergeant  Charles E. Jamagin.
SERGEANTS.
Orestufl Hardway. Charles L. Sexton.
Lohn Gillum. Michael Daily.
CORPORALS.
Robert Bonham. John S. Reeder.
Henry D. Faudree. John W. Cook.
Lon Stevenson. Harvey W. Smith.
L. S. Updyke. Frank Sammons.
Herbert C. Marquett. Will S. Gray.
Frank W. Potter.
Musicians  Odd P. Ott, William N. Eyre
Artificer  Eugene Conway
Wagoner  Charles Bitzer-
PRIVATES.
Allebaugh, Alvin. Krebs, Adam.
Armstrong, William C. Kunz, Charles.
Baker, Morris O. Kidd, Chedister C.
Bayse, W. H. Kneisley, Carey W.
Bales John A. Marine, A. B.
Bales, Howard. McCormick, Harvey.
Bateman, Frank M. Mitchner, J. H.
Beeler, John C. Mercer, Stewart.
Baker, Richard A. Murphy, Arthur L.
BeUar, Milt. McCord, Elmer G.
Brown, Americus. McDonald, James B.
BaUear, John H. McDonald, Norman.

316

THE FOURTE 0. 7. I.

Cook, James P., Jr.
Coffman, Nathan J.
Coffman, Elwert.
Cook, Scott.
Creamer, Michael S.
Clemens, Ramie.
Cubbage, Johnson.
Dawson, Jacob H.
Douglass, Ed.
Doddridge, John A.
Daniels, Tyra C.
Davis, Isaac C.
Dearth, Charles C.
Doyle, Charles W.
My, Clyde B.
Er-yin, Floyd D.
Ford, Franklin P.
Figgins, Cliarles E.
Flint, William E.
Grass, John.
Hardy, Andrew J.
Holcomb, Bartley C.
Haffler, Harry P.
Hall, Emory P.
Harris, Harry A.
Haynes, William N.
Jacobs, Claude S.
Johnson, John C.
Johnson, Morgan B.
Keaton, James W.

Nixon, John T.
Pratt, Robert.
Palmer, Harry B.
Pine, Ward.
Pricer, Herbert L.
Robb, John.
Simms, French.
Slonaker, Galard.
Shingles, Arthur M.
Smithers, Lynn P.
Shdmp, Burt O.
Snapp, Joseph E.
Sams, -William W.
Sever, Frank.
Smith Charles A.
Smith Charles.
Smith, Ed.
SoUars, Emerald M.
Taylor, Jerome.
Vincent, Elmer.
Vincent, Burten.
Voss, Charles T.
Walters, Elie W.
Whited, Benjamin P.
Wilt, Arthur W.
Woods, George P.
Wyatt, James H.
West, Frank R.
Wilson, William H., Jr.
Welch, Homer G.

TEE FOURTE 0, 7, I.

317

COMPANY F.
Captein  Joseph D. Potter
First Lieutenant  Clyde R. Modie
First Lieutenant  Harry Graham
Second Lieutenant  Nathan A. McCoy
First Sergeant  A. A. Grimm
First Sergeant  R, B. Hull
First Sergeant  George D. Freeman
Q. M. Sergeant  Frank L. Thomt<m
SERGEANTS.
Arthur A. Grimm. William S. Haley.
Richard E. Hull. Rowland Dunlap.
CORPORALS.
Arthur H. Simons. Chester M. Spurgeon.
Fred Wahl. Frank D. Potter.
Moses H. Barlow. Charles P. Bowen.
Earl C. Greenley. Walter J. Modie.
Lewis P. Sage. John T. Seiders.
David R. Sams. Jackson Westenhaver.
William P. Markeson, Alfred Chapin.
Musicians  John Keith, Wm Cra-wford, Lewis Andersofn
Artificer  .Horatio C. Prittner
Wagoner  George Stonebemer
PRIVATES.
Bames, Robert. Lydy, Sam J.
Bear, Edmond. Meeker, William D.
Blakely, Worley S. Meninngen, William P.
Butler, Ray. Merrick, Medford.
Creviston, Lark. Morris, John C.
Corson, William. Michel, Robert
Carroll, John. Miller, Webb.
Chapin, Albert. McCormick, P. C.

.318

TEB FOURTH O. 7. I.

Cromwell, W. B.
Cross, Fred J.
Dennis, Leroy G.
Dixon, Herbert D.
Doke, Arthur H.
Fitzgerald, Edwin.
Gibbons, John.
•Gilliam, E. P.
Grate, Ftank.
Grove, Charles O.
'Gynter, Albert.
Giles, Prank M.
"Gray, Meldrum.
Hess, Edward.
Hess, R. C.
Handley, Scott.
Hemming, R. N.
Hilf, Charles F.
Hill, Clyde W.
Holmes, Martin.
Holmes, Thomas.
Ismon, Ralph E.
Jones, William R.
Jones, Thomas J.
Kellar, John A.
Kerr, Edward C.
Kight, Thomas H.
¦Kirkpatrich, Warden.
Kneeland, Arthur R.
Kriel, George.
Lang, Edward J.
McElvane, J. R.

McKenzie, W. A.
Osborn, Clyde W.
Palm, James.
Paraday, Charles.
Petry, August.
Putman, Charley.
Preston, William B.
Ranney, Jess P.
Reynolds, C. B.
Bobbins, Ralph.
Rodgers, J. B.
Riddlesberger, William.
Roberts, Charles.
Rhoades, Lawrence.
Schrock, Fred C.
Shipley, Fred F.
Sharp, Howard.
Smith, Ralph.
Snyder, John M.
Snyder, Edward P.
Staley, Edward.
Simms, Edwin M.
Shaw, Leroy.
Sharp, J. R.
Sharp, Birdsell.
Taylor, Frank L.
Taylor, Thomas E., Jr.
Tucker, Albert E.
Ulry, Fred.
Williamson, H. W.
Yourk, Mike.

THB FOURTH O. 7. I.

319

COMPANY G.
Captain  Fred W. Peters
First Lieutenant  Fred S. Titus
Second Lieutenant  Thomas E. Andrews
First Sergeant  James B. Messenger
•Q. M. Sergeant  Prank B. Lattimore
SERGEANTS.
Zed. B. Gunder. Charles R. Lattimore.
James W. McMurray. George E. Irvin.
CORPORALS.
Will H. Hunt. Wesley C. Winters.
Earnest Boger. William P. Amrine.
Nathaniel J. Clapper. Frank L. Jordan.
P. Charles Stump. John E. Dutton.
Newberry W. Wheeler. Omie J. P. Ward.
Prank C. Stevenson. Charles F. Copeland.
WUliam E. Cleveland.
Musicians  Hary T. Love, John F. Snider
Artificer  Robert L. Rathell
Wagoner  Harry T. Messenger
PRIVATES.
.Alexander, Arthur G. Maag, William A.
Anderson, Neal. MacPadden, Edward S.
Akron, Pearl C. Madden, John W.
Berry, Frank C. Marlow, George.
Beichler, Albert. Mayes, Edson C.
Bryan, Harry E. McConnell, Charles.
Burk, James H. Minard, Daniel.
•Carey, Howard E. Monnette, Arthur A.
Carroll, Harry G. Mldlam, Carl O.
: Cliapman, Ross. Mong, William C.
..Couts, James H. NUes, William T.

320

THE FOURTB 0. 7. I.

Clark, Robert B.
Close, James W.
Coleman, Rant R.
OomweU, WiUiam P.
Cussick, James M.
Day, Lewis E.
Doke, Henry C.
Edwards, Charles F.
Elliott, Ulysses G.
E-yans, Edward C.
Evans, Vv illiam.
Ferrell, Hershel C.
Perrin, Guy T.
Fields, Harry H.
French, Arthur J.
Glaze, Charles W.
Hessong, Charles H.
Hill, Josh. W.
Hinklin, Howard A.
Houseworth, Charles P.
Ho-wison, Lee.
Hubley, Marion E.
Hull, HoUis.
Hull, Zane.
Irey, Harley O.
Johnson, William.
Luethold, Alfred S.
Little, Prank M.

O'Brian, Thomas J.
Parker, John.
Padgett, Frank O.
Pierce, Daniel B.
Porter, Henry N.
Purkey, George A.
Prindle, James W.
Rease, Joseph.
Rhoades, Harry.
Riddle, William W.
Sharrock, James.
Shaffer, Frank E.
Scott, John W.
Shuster, George.
Smith, Marion.
Smith, Albert S.
Smith, William G.
Snider, Charles M.
Simpson, Walter W.
Spring, Harry L.
Stone, William.
Swallen, Hatvey.
Taugher, Michael.
Thomas, Lloyd W.
Thompson, Robert L.
Wickess, John L.
Wolfe, Finlay.
Wilson, John R. .

TEE FOURTE 0. 7. 1.

321

COMPANY H.
Captain  Robert S. Pritchard
Captain  James W. Smith
First Lieutenant  Frank B. Pratt
First Lieutenant  James W. Smith
First Lieutenant  Kinney P. Punk
Second Lieutenant  James W. Smith
Second Lieutenant  Kinney P. Punk
First Sergeant  Forrest C. Briggs
First Sergeant  Russell C. Newman
Q. M. Sergeant  Charles C. Wilhelm
SERGEANTS.
Andrew B. Poster. Walter H. Trimmer.
Samuel Williams. George G. Oldfield.
CORPORALS.
Charles H. Maguire. Joseph C. Bratt.
Harvey M. Will. Charles N. Reed.
Denver CruU. George A. Batterson.
Asberry W. Davidson. John L. McMonigle.
Byron D. Shriver. William P. Reed.
Charles S. Noel. Floyd E. Thurman.
Artificer  Roy N. Matthews
Musician  Fred N. Armstrong
Wagoner  William D. MoMonigle
PRIVATES.
Alger, Barry J. Kinney, Clifford M.
Alger, Frank H. Kelley, William H.
Anderson, Preston H. Krick, Isaac.
Adams, Harry B. Nohl, Harry N.
Andre, Benjamin. Masters, William A.
Bybee, Monte G. Mann, George P.
Barber, Albert M. Moore, George B.

322

THE FOURTB 0. 7. 1.

Bumgardner, Elton M.
Bush, Francis M.
Bush, Thomas J.
Bush, Matthew.
Boren, Elmer S.
Barr, Charles.
Bennet, David P.
Birmingham, John.
Calvert, Ralph W.
Cooper, Milton J.
Cole, WUliam L.
Chapman, Taswell.
Cunningham, Vinton A.
Davidson, Reed M.
Distel, Louis E.
Donaldson, Harry W.
Douglass, Duncan M.
Davis, David C.
Dodge, Daniel H.
Evans, Mitchell H.
George, Robert M.
Gilbert, Ora B.
Hicks, Edward B.
Herms, Albert G.
Hubert, John A.
Hood, Charles E.
Harris, Evan G.
Johnson, David J.
Johnson, Samuel E.
Johnson, William E.
Jones, Wells H.
Kinney, John Wesley.

Messer, Alfred M.
Mathiott, Harry W.
Monk, John E.
Molester, Charles G.
Mead, Alexander R.
McKeown, Emmet K.
McGuire, Edward M.
McDaniels, James.
Morrison, Henry M.
Patterson, Elbert L.
Peebles, William M.
Redmon, Joseph A.
Reinert, Adolph G.
Reinhardt, Eaward J.
SturgiU, WUliam C.
Stewart, James P.
Stowe, Walter H.
Skelton, James.
Shela, John W.
Schmidt, John P.
Sparka, Kurt.
Thompson, Matthew W.
Taylor, Charles C.
Thomas, William E.
Turner, Joseph.
Wells, Edward S.
Whitman, Charles R.
Welch, Arthur.
Wheeler, i^dgar R.
Winters, Henry H.
Youngman, John.
Zeek, Edward.

THE FOURTH 0. 7/1.

323

COMPANY I.
Captain  Louis H. Palmer
First Lieutenant  Fred S. -Whiley
Second Lieutenant  William H. Hause
First Sergeant  William S. Kindler
Q. M. Sergeant  Roy T. McNaughten
SERGEANTS.
Thomas W. Nickum. Prank M. Murpay.
John E. Thomas. Gaylord C. Peters.
CORPORALS.
Seymore E. Hansley. Ernest I. Curtiss.
John W. Littrell. Charles Fishbaugh.
Arthur J. Phillips. Henry C. Clark.
Hugh S. Love. Warren A. Lowry.
Herman L. Wagner. Nelson E. Terry.
Prank E. Beery. George L. Justice.
Musicians  Oscar D. Getz, Irving A. Cook
Wagoner  William E. Neal
Artificer  Samuel L. Bush
PRIVATES.
Arnold, Jesse W. Mertz, Jacob J.
Amann, Augustus M. McSweeney, James P.
Buckley, William J. McLain, CUfford C.
Bope, Charles B. Moore, Charles R.
Brainard, Will J. Mauk, Arthur R.
Bentrol, Charles F. Morton, Robert R.
Bulger, John. Miller, John M.
Black, Harry B. McCray, Andrew L.
Bobbitt, David. Nisley, Harry J.
Botts, James E. Nisley, Joseph W.
Ballard, James M. Nye, Charles B.
Balthaser, Chauncey E. Proctor, Harry E.

324

TEE FOURTE O. 7. I.

Basore,. WiUiam H.
Clifton, George.
Cook, Walter.
Dyarman, Charles T.
Dupler, Murray C.
Derr, Charles E.
Dew, Stanley J.
DUle, Willis.
England, Benjamin T.
Flood, William H.
Foster, John H.
Green, Lester O.
Greentree, James.
Gebhardt, William H.
Ganitz, John G.
Gyr, Harry.
Griner, James R.
Goodyear, Charles.
Herman, Henry.
Hite, Joseph A.
Jeffries, George T.
Keller, James O.
Keller, WUliam U.
Keller, Harry O.
Kemes, David.
Knotts, Charles.
Lape, Theodore I.
Leeper, Charles L.
Light, James G.
Potter, Jesse N.

rrentice, George H.
Paskins, James H.
Patterson, Tecumseh B.
Robinson, Amosa W.
Robinson, Robert B.
Reynolds, George E.
Roskovemckey, Lewis S.
Reed, Charles G.
Rossley, Charles E.
Reese, Edward A.
Spitler, David L.
Spitler, Pearl D.
Spitler, Earl S.
beifert, Abe.
Shaw, Robert.
Straley, James.
Stewart, Prank L.
Shue, PYank E.
Sprague, James W.
Terry, George T.
Todhumter, Reese B.
Todhunter, George B.
Tipple. David E.
White, John E.
Williams, Howard A.
Walters, Perry.
Wolfe, Royal.
Yingling, Sherman.
Zimmerman, John D.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

325

COMPANY K.
Captain  Bert H. Greiner
First Lieutenant  William B. McCloud
Second Lieutenant  Oscar O. Koeppel
First Sergeant  W. li. Norton
Q. M. Sergeant  George A. Griebel
SERGEANTS.
Charles Riddle, H. A. Cosier.
Prank M. Said. Carl T. Cratty.
CORPORALS.
Ld. O. Thomson. Elbert Nelson.
EJarl Sheldon. A. Kent Harmount.
Merton S. Starr. Sturges Dunham.
Charles Thrall. Orrain W. Patrick.
Ray H. Longwell. Robert H. Lybrand.
Llysses G. Sanger. Lester C. Riddle.
Thomas Glaze.
Musicians  J Shultz, John Longwell
Artificer  Charles L. Inscho
Wagoner  L. R. Spain
PRIVATES.
Auman, John^ Lynch, J.
Ahem, Patrick. Lawson, C. E.
Bennett, J. F. Marrltt, J. M.
Bro-vmmdller, C. R. Miller, C. C.
Bronn, C. H. Miller, H. A.
Browning, S. W. Montane, C. B.
Billig, C. B. Maloney, J.
Butt, A. M. Maloney, C. H.
Campbell, H. R. Maine, C. A.
Cruikshank, A. Mahonay, M. C.
Corbln, Richard. McFariand, P. A.

326

TBE FOURTH 0.

Doyle, J. P.
DriscoU, T. J.
Dall, C. K.
Davis, H. W.
Dove, T. C.
Enright, P. H.
Ford, W. R.
France, C. O.
Frantz, Walter.
Ferris, W. M.
Foley, W. J.
Gerber, Max.
Grelner, J. R.
Grove, T. S.
Harmount, H. W.
Hills, L. C.
Howald, W. A.
Hodges, S. M.
Hansley, E. D.
Hollison, W.
Hunt, H. E.
Ingle, W. W.
Injscho, A. D.
Jones, C. L.
Jamison, P. B.
Jacobus, H. C.
Kelley, J. L.
Lenhart, L.
Lyons, J.
O'Connor, J.

O'Bryan, P.
Osborne, B.
Powell, H. B.
Platz, G.
Rose, H. E.
Riddle, R. R.
Reed, W.
Read, R. W.
Rider, W. R.
Randolph, D. P.
Rodenfels, Edward.
Ross, T.
Siegfried, John.
Smith, William L.
Strohm, G.
Said, T. H.
Schneider, B. J.
Shank, J. W.
Thrall, G. W.
Vertner, A. L.
Watkins, F. S.
Wells, Rex. W.
Windham, R. H.
v^ohlheater, W. Z.
Wells, Charles.
Wohlheater, B. P.
Webster, OUlver Perry.
Whitlinger, Henry.
Zeigler, Prank.

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

327

COMPANY L.
Captain  Fred M. French
First Lieutenant  Charles E. Bigler
Second Lieutenant  Sherman B. Ward
First Sergeant  Earl P. Thuma
Q. M. Sergeant  Ed-win J. Scott
SERGEANTS.
George D. Lewis. Burr A. Wyant.
James H. Graff. Robert H. Westlake.
CORPORALS.
Carrol R. Jackson. William M. Edwards.
John J. Jacobs. Elbert L. Mendenhall.
J. Louis Ewalt. John K. Davis.
Scott U. Kirby. D. Horton -White.
Oscar Adams. Harry L. Thuma.
Edwin J. Myers.
Musicians  Charles W. Wood, Lewis Herrod
Artificer  WiUiam Gregory
Wagoner  Harry M. Jacobus
PRIVATES.
Armentrout, L. Vance. Lambert, Philip J.
Ashton, Walter G. Loback, Prank B.
Adams, Oscar. Lockwood, Charles D.
Barber, Fred. Lane, George M.
Braddock, John S. Lee, John T.
Bishop, Anson. Loose, Jacob L.
Baughman, Edward L. Long, Wilson G.
Brentlinger, Clyde L. McMahon, Ralph.
Banbury, Charles K. McConnell, William.
Bigler, Arthur L. McKeown, Andrew J.
Bigler, Eugene P. Mitchell, Leon H.
Bamhart, Cyrus; Morey, Roy C.

328

TBE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

Bucher, George K.
Critchfield, Jesse B.
Clark, William H.
Clark, Michael P.
Chrisman, Arthur.
Copper, Charles O.
Cochran, Ward B.
Coile, OUe E.
Channell, Charles H.
Cochran, John M.
Cochran, Walter.
Daniels, William L.
Dunlap, William C.
Dickson, James P., Jr.
Davis, Jacie J.
Davis, Charles E.
Edwards, William I.
Gingham, Harry L.
Graff, George.
Hersh, Sherbin J.
Harris, Walter M.
Houle, Louis P.
Harker, William.
Hutchinsin, Charles.
Hayes, J'ames M.
Heddingion, John L.
Hissong, John R.
Kinney, John D.
Long, Daniel V.
Magill, John S.

Osborn, Timothy G.
Perrin, Charles.
Porter, Orrin C.
Rowley, Byron D.
Rowley, William.
Robinson, Williard.
Simco, Edwaxd.
Smalle, James A.
Stoyle, Edward.
Shetler, Walter S.
Smith, Oliver H.
Sapp, Frank W.
Simpson, Ottis A.
Sherman, Rupert L.
Tighe, William P.
"Vemon, Walter C.
White, Edgar J.
Williams, Harry.
Wagner, Fred P.
Waite, Ralph.
Waldraff, EUis P.
Wright, Frank D.
Welshymer, Charles B.
Welder, William P.
Wolfe, Fred W.
Wood, Herbert C.
Whitney, William M.
Wade, Bruce M.
Wright, Clinton.

THE FOURTH 0. 7. I.

329

COMPANY M.
Captain  Burr J. Bostwick
First Lieutenant  Charles G. Duffy
Second Lieutenant  George Florence
First Sergeant  Charles K. Crumm
Q. M. Sergeant  S. J. Henry
SERGEANTS.
Charles P. Lowe. B. Frank Warner.
Charles A. Bostwick. Bradley Fletcher.
CORPORALS.
Harry L. Hughes. John Kashner.
J. Mouser Crayne. Ed. M. Brown.
Leroy M. Thompson. Charles M. Titus.
William B. Reeder. George Redman.
Arlow T. Mowery. \v illiam A. Warner.
F^ed Donelly. Marshall E. Murray.
Musicians  Frank Miller, John Doyl«
Artificer  George Brady
Wagoner  James Baughman
PRIVATES.
Ambrose, William. Lape, William.
Anderson, J. Hartley. Lewis, Leotus.
Baer, Henry C. Lower, William.
Bagby, Arthur P. Mackey, Will L
Bailey, John. McCready, John W.
Baker, John L. McHale, Thomas.
Bales, Blenn R. McKenzie, David.
Barker, William J. McQuaide, John.
Baughman, Joseph. Miller, Jacob W.
Bennett, Ed. F. Montgomery, Ed. W.
Bowsher, WiUiam B. Mowery, Clifford E.
Brannon. Charles. Moyer, Harley E.

330

TEE FOURTH O. 7. I.

Brown, Nathan J.
Bessert, Wayne.
Byers, Joseph.
Caldwell, Job. D.
CoUopy, James J.
Cpok, George B.
Chriasinger, Frank.
Crites, Clifford W.
Dunkle, Floyd L.
Edgington, George C.
Egan, Hugh, Jr.
Evans, David J.
Fisher, "William.
Plemming, Robert.
Porsythe, Bert.
Friley, Charles.
Haines, George L.
Hemstine, Philip G.
Hitson, John R.
Highes, Clarence H.
Hurst, WUliam P.
Irwin, George G.
Jack, Thomas B.
Jack, William F.
Jackson, Albert.
Johnson, Miner N.
Kerns, James W.
Kinney, Daniel.
Klnsey, Samuel.

Murphy, Clark.
Meeker, John.
Neff, Morton A.
Newland, George F.
Palm, Joseph.
Rayborn, David.
Reigle, Pearl B.
Roof, Charles E.
Russel, Charles B.
Sells, George W.
Shaffer, Samuel.
Shaffer, Walter.
Smith, Charles E.
Smith, George W.
Spangler, Samuel.
Spiers, James E.
Steepleton, James B.
Strawser, Harry.
Tatman, Edward.
Taylor, Edward.
Thora, Fred H.
Walker, Ed. I.
Withrow, Gordon E.
Wolfe, Homer E.
Wright, George P.
Wright, Homer A.
Wright, Porter E.
Wilson, Jacob P.
Yowell, Harry.