USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > History of companies I and E, Sixth Regt., Illinois Volunteer Infantry from Whiteside County > Part 12
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About six weeks after the departure of our regi- ment, or to be exact, on the fifteenth of August the War Department ordered the transfer of the Second Army Corps to Middletown, Pa. The removal of the troops began immediately and before the last of the month "Camp Alger" was a camp in memory only. The camp at Middletown was named Camp George Gordon Meade, in honor of the hero of Gettysburg, an illustrious son of the state of Pennsylvania,
187
PROGRESS OF THE WAR.
CHAPTER XIII.
During the days of our camp life. our time and thoughts were engrossed by the many experiences we met with in performing the duties of a soldier. The newness of our surroundings had worn off to a great extent by the close of June and we began to look back to the scenes and incidents which had occurred else- where. Evidence of great activity was on every hand and the recruiting had been continued long after we had gone from our homes.
In the month of May the President had made a second call for an additional seventy five thousand volunteers. Congress had authorized an increase of the Regular. Army to sixty one thousand men, and in addi- tion had provided for sixteen regiments of volunteer troops. (immunes. ) During the month of July the total aggregate strength of the Regular and Volunteer Army was two hundred sixty eight thousand. three hundred fifty-two, officers and enlisted men. This num- ber was increased in August to two hundred seventy four thousand. seven hundred seventeen. which repre- sented the largest number of soldiers, regular and vol- uuteer. in the service. during any one month through- out the Spanish American war.
April first. just previous to the outbreak of the war, the aggregate strength of the Regular Army Was
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HISTORY' OF COMPANIES I AND E.
twenty eight thousand, one hundred eighty-three, officers and men. Thus it may be seen that in ninety days from the declaration of war, over a quarter of a million men had been recruited, motolized at the state rendez- vous, mustered into the United States service hurried to the many permanent camps designated by the War Department. and organized into brigades. divisions and army corps. and under the guidance of Regular Army officers. who had grown gray in the service. formed an army which, for intelligence and patriotism had never been excelled in the history of the world. During the next thirty days this force was augmented by over six thousand men., with thousands upon thousands more formed into provisional regiments eagerly awaiting another call for troops.
In the Navy the number of enlisted men allowed by law prior to the outbreak of hostilities was twelve thousand five hundred. On August fifteenth. when the enlisted force reached its maximum, there were twenty four thousand. one hundred twenty-four men in the ser- vice. This great increase was made necessary by the addition of one hundred twenty-eight ships to the Navy. This increase in the number of vessels brought the max- imum fighting force from sixty-eight to one hundred ninety-six.
The war was progressing with great strides, both on the land and on the sea. Our soldiers and our sailors were transported to the scenes of conflict in both the Old World and the New. The area of Spanish rule was slowly but surely contracting and it was but a question of a few weeks at the most when they would be driven from many of their possessions. History was being made rapidly and every man who was aiding in bringing success to the Ameri-
US.v
COL. THEO. ROOSEVELT
189
MANILA BAY AND SAN JUAN HILL ..
can forces took a great pride in his work. The officials at Washington were ever on the alert. more than half expecting the Spanish government would succeed in se- during the assistance of some foreign power in their be- half. but fortunately for us. and possibly for themselves all of the powers took a neutral stand and left the op- posing governments to settle the question between them- selves.
The first test of the fighting qualities of the opposing forces occurred on the first day of May. Commodore Dewey. on that day. destroyed the Spanish floet in Ma- nila bay without the loss of a man on the part of our forces. while the Spanish loss was three hundred eighty one men killed and wounded. The downfall of the city of Manila did not occur for some time, not until after the arrival of General Merritt: on the fifteenth day of August the city capitulated and the American flag was floated to the breeze over Spanish soil.
On May twelfth the fleet under command of Ad- miral Sampson bombarded the Spanish fortification at San Juan. Porto Rico. On the morning of May thirty first the fleet under command of Commodore Schley, ex- changed shots with the Spanish vessels in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba with no apparent effect on either side. On June seventh the Marblehead and Yankee took poss- ession of the lower bay of Guantanamo and on June tenth the first battalion of marines landed there and went into camp where for three days and nights these men fought almost constantly. On June fifteenth the fort in this bay was destroyed.
On June fourteenth, General Shafter with a force of eight hundred fifteen officers and sixteen thousand sev- enty two enlisted men sailed from Port Tampa, Fla.
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
The expedition arrived in the vicinity of Santiago on the twentieth. began disembarking on the twenty second and continued until the evening of the twenty fourth. On the morning of the twenty fourth General Young's bri- gade had a spirited engagement with a force of Spanish and drove the enemy from the field.
For a week following the landing of the troops in Cuba, General Shafter was busily engaged in concentra- ting his men at the desired points of attack and on July first with the co-operation of the Cuban troops the ad- vance on Santiago was begun and resulted in the now famous battle of El Caney, where the Spanish works were carried by assault, and the brilliant charge of the Ameri- ean troops up San Juan Hill.
The Stars and Stripes were floating over El Caney and San Juan Hill before nightfall of the first of July, and the outer works of the enemy had been carried. For two days following this victory the Spanish kept up a series of attacks without avail and at noon of the third of July General Shafter sent a letter into the Spanish lines under a flag of truce apprising the commander of the Spanish forces that the city of Santiago would be shelled unless he surrendered, and requested General Toral to inform the citizens of foreign countries, and all women and children, that they should leave the city before ten o'clock the following morning.
General Toral refused to surrender and informed the non-combatants of the contents of General Shafters letter. A party of foreign consuls came into the American lines and requested that the time limit for leaving the city be extended until ten o'clock July fifth, this was granted and the cessation of firing at noon of the third of July practically terminated the battle of Santiago.
191
NAVAL VICTORY AT SANTIAGO.
The fleet of American vessels off Santiago assisted in this battle by keeping up a heavy bombardment of the enemy's works at Santiago and the towns situated along the coast in that vicinity. The American losses in these battles were twenty two officers and two hundred eight men killed. and eighty one officers and one thousand two hundred three men wounded : missing seventy nine. The missing with few exceptions reported later.
The news of this victory of our forces in and about Cuba was received with much satisfaction by the people in the States. The great loss of life was deprecated and with the tears of joy brought forth by the success of the boys in blue came the breathing of earnest prayers in behalf of the dead and dying heroes who had made the victory possible. The enemy had confronted our troops with numbers about equal to our own: they fought ob- stinately in strong and intrenched positions. and the re- sults obtained clearly indicated the intrepid gallantry of the company officers and men of our forces. and the wise guidance of the field officers in command.
On the morning of July third occurred the naval fight off Santiago, where the American fleet under the direct command of Commodore Schley. in the absence of Admiral Sampson. destroyed Admiral Cervera's Squadron. The casualities on our side were one man killed and ten wounded, our ships suffering no injury of any account. Admiral Cervera, about seventy officers and sixteen hundred men were made prisoners. while about three hundred fifty Spaniards were killed or drowned and one hundred and sixty wounded. Just a month to a day previous to this naval engagement oc- eurred the sinking of the collier Merrimac across the entrance of the harbor of Santiago in an attempt to com- pletely bottle up Admiral Cervera's squadron which had
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
been lying in the harbor since the nineteenth of May. The attempt though unsuccessful in its object, was dar- ingly executed. It is now one of the well-known histor- ic marvels of naval adventure and enterprise, in which Naval Constructor Hobson and his men won undying fame.
Thus far the hand of providence had seemingly been raised in behalf of the American forces in every engagement in which they had participated, both on land and sea. Our people felt that the Army and Navy were equal to any emergency that might arise and were certain of success, while on the other hand the Span- iards must have been depressed and were fast losing heart in the struggle which had resulted so disasterously to their arıns.
Letters passed between General Shafter and Gen- eral Toral caused the cessation of hostilities to continue; Each army, however, continued to strengthen its in- trenchments. The strength of the enemy's position was such General Shafter did not wish to assault if it could be avoided. An examination of the enemy's works. made after the surrender, fully justified the wisdom of the course adopted. The intrenchments could only have been carried with very great loss of life.
At four o'clock p. m., on July tenth, the truce was broken off. The city was bombarded by the Navy and General Shafter's field guns and was continued until two p. m., July eleventh, when the firing ceased and was not again renewed. The surrender of the city was again demanded. General Toral communicated General Shafter's proposition to his general-in-chief, General Blanco, the troops of both armies rested on their arms awaiting the consideration of the proposition by the Spanish.
193
CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES.
Such was the situation as we found it on the arrival of our regiment off Santiago at three o'clock p. m .. Monday, July eleventh. The failure of the city of Santiago to surrender was cause for the anticipation on the part of the commander of the American forces that an assault might yet be necessary and reeinforcements were hurried to him from the States.
The data for this brief review of the progress of the war was secured from the annual report of the Sec- retary of the War and Secretary of the Navy.
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
CHAPTER XIV.
Tuesday, July fifth, the Second brigade received or- ders to prepare for immediate departure for Santiago,- the Eighth Ohio to go via New York City and the St. Paul, the Sixth Mass. and Sixth Ill. via Charleston, S. C .. and the Yale and Columbia. This order was received with loud cheers and some hustling was done, which soon put us in condition for traveling. At two o'clock in the afternoon the tents fell. The Ohio boys got away first, followed by the Mass. regiment. then our regiment marched to the parade grounds where the boys gave three rousing cheers for Camp Alger and Colonel Foster. The band played "The Star Spangled Banner," the bu- gle corps sounded "Taps," in token of our farwell to camp. Then the band struck up "The girl I Left Be- hind Me." and the Sixth Illinois was off to the war, yell- ing and cheering like mad.
Leaving Camp Alger at six forty p. m., we marched to Dunn Loring, where we bivouaced under the trees until three o'clock the next morning when we boarded the cars for Charleston. S. C. We were not given sleep- ing cars this time, day coaches and box cars were loaded instead. At Alexandria we took the Atlantic Coast Line Ry. and continued on this line into Charleston.
We skirted the city of Richmond, Va .. at nine fifteen a. m., passing through Battleboro, N. C., at two thirty p. m., and Fayeteville at four p. m., crossing the border
195
ENROUTE TO CHARLESTON.
line between North and South Carolina at five thirty, ar- riving at Charleston at ten thirty p. m., making a very creditable run.
The country along the route was very thinly settled. Occasionally we would see a small straggling village and a few acres of cultivated land. Everything in the line of buildings looked very old. Two wheeled ox carts were numerous with negro drivers. Along the whole route we failed to notice one white man doing manual labor. Hogs. which looked as if they had been fitted for the race course instead of the pork barrel were running everywhere. We found a number of old gray-headed natives, (white ) who did not appear to be overjoyed at sight of us, yet we met with kind treatment at every stopping place. The stars aud stripes were floating in every town and settlement. the Cuban flag in many cases by its side.
Previous to our leaving Camp Alger the inen de- tailed to duty at the division hospital returned to their re- spective regiments. Private Frank Kingery, of company I. followed the regiment to Charleston with the officers horses. While there he contracted typhoid fever and was seriously ill for some time. He was unable to join the company and it was some time after we had left the States that he recovered sufficiently to be removed to his home in Mendota. He was granted a furlough and re- ported to the company at Springfield immediately after the arrival of the regiment from its campaign in Porto Rico.
We lay in the cars at Charleston Wednesday night and until afternoon of the following day when we were given quarters under one of the numerous wharf-sheds which line the bay. The boys were soon in the water
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
bathing. Colonel Foster gave us unusual liberties and we were allowed to visit the city. We all felt that it might possiby be the last day on American soil for some time and we took advantage of the opportunity to the fullest. We found the citizens very friendly and they gave us the best of treatment,
While a party of volunteers was touring the city. they became acquainted with a resident of Charleston named I. W. Bicot. He was at that time senior member of the State Legislature. He said the people were very sorry that we were brought into the city so suddenly, as had they been aware of our coming they would have ar- ranged to have made it more pleasant for us; as it was the city was ours while we remained.
He told us that they were not very well satisfied with the manner in which the War Department had treated the volunteers of the Southern States. He said their own troops were not yet equipped, and had no hopes of being ordered to the front for some time. Not one regiment from the South had been sent out. They claimed there was too much sectionalism shown and the northern troops received the preference.
The local papers had taken the matter up and the editorials were very bitter, one editor published a letter written by an old confederate soldier to a comrade who had served the so-called Confederacy in the sixties, ask- ing if he intended to enlist as a volunteer in the war with Spain. In reply his comrade said he hardly thought he should; he could fix it up with the boys living, but if he should be killed in battle wearing the blue uniform and be called to another world, the old comrade who had giv- en up his life while wearing the gray, would look at him and say .- "deserted. by G -- d." This the editor said was
Leaving "God's Country." Boarding the Commodore Perry at Charleston, S. C.
197
LEAVING "GOD'S COUNTRY."
showing the true spirit: every man should be willing to fight for his country. but he should also be true to his old comrade who died fighting by his side. We saw a confederate flag waving in a doorway and afterward on the street. The boys considered that the man who flaunted the emblem of a lost cause was undoubtedly a crank and let the circumstance pass unnoticed. although it caused a strong feeling of resentment to arise.
The streets are very narrow as are also the pave- ments. A great many of the residences are built of stone and very substantial. by far the most pretentious building in the city is the U. S. Custom House. Direct- ly in front of this building lay the Spanish prize ship Rita. Out in the bay stands old Fort Sumter, and far- ther out to the left lies Fort Moultrie.
Down in the city, standing alone in the center of the church yard is the famous church of the St. Michaels: one of the oldest places of worship in this country. The pipe organ is one hundred forty years old,-the first one ever brought to America. The baptismal front is one hundred thirty two years old. The pulpit is a high cov- ered pedestal sort of an affair reached by a stairway. On the side of the stair down near the floor can still be seen the mark where a Federal shell struck. The Mem- orial Tablet is in the front part of the church. It informs the tourist that the church was begun in 1752, opened for worship February first, 1761, exposed to the fire of the British artillery in 1780, struck four times by the Federal artillery 1862-65. nearly wrecked by a cyclone in 1885. almost destroyed by an earthquake in ISS7. re- stored and reopened for worship June nineteenth. 1889. An interesting record for a house of worship.
The Yale and Columbia were out about twelve
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
miles, drawing too much water to enter the harbor. They were delayed in getting out by the roughness of the sea, they were coaling ship and the colliers could not work with the waves running so high. The soldiers passed the time by amusing themselves with the little pick- aninnies, who swarmed about the wharf in droves.
Friday, July eighth, the First battalion of our regi- ment, composed of companies E, I. A and F, and the battalion officers, boarded the ferry-boat. Commodore Perry at six thirty in the evening, which took us out to the awaiting vessels. Company A was put on board the Yale with the Sixth Mass .. E, I and F going on the Co- lumbia. Three hundred men, besides her crew, was all this boat could accomodate. General Miles and General Garrettson were on the Yale. Colonel Foster and staff, the second and third battalions and the band remained at Charleston, intending to follow us on the Rita within a day or so.
As we steamed out of the bay and down past Fort Sumter the boys cast wistful glances toward the reced- ing shore. Darkness was soon upon us and waving a last farewell we bade good-bye to "God's Country." As we drew nearer the open sea the waves rolled higher and the little boat rocked and pitched until many of us land- lubbers began to fear we would go to the bottom. The captain of the boat drove us flrst to one side and then the other. making human ballast of us in an effort to keep his craft right side up.
Long before we reached the boats out at sea, many of us were "feeding the fishes." To those who were unaffected by the tossing of the boat it was an amusing spectacle to walk into tne passengers cabin and find the long rows of seats occupied by soldiers with their knees
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BOARDING THE COLUMBIA.
resting on the cushion. their heads run through the open windows while they gazed intently into the briny deep. Now and then an apparently lifeless form would drop back onto the seat and a white and haggard face appear at the window: the countenance lighted by a sad. sweet smile, and after a moments silence, the sufferer appeared about to speak, when his mouth would close with a snap. his eyes begin to roll. the veins stand out like whip cords on his brow. and the head would duck out of the window. while the body was convulsed with a violent shudder, his legs would straighten out as though a vain effort was being made to force his feet through the plank floor or crowd his body out of the narrow window. and a weak voice would be heard repeating, "I want to get out and walk."
It was nearly ten o'clock that night when we reached the Yale. The transfer of company A to this boat was a comparatively easy matter as the ferry-boat pulled along side of it and planks were run over and the boys scram- bled across. On account of the peculiar build of the Col- umbia the work of getting the three remaining companies aboard of her was more exciting and to the land troops it appeared rather a dangerous undertaking. The Colum- bia riding at anchor some distance from the ferry-boat sent out her whale boats and entters manned by the ves- sels erew. These small crafts were pulled to the side of the ferry-boat and as the sea rose carrying the small boats up to within leaping distance the men jumped down into them. Then the waye would recede and the boat drop down a number of feet. With the approach of the next billow the trick would be repeated. Some times the excited soldier would make the leap at the moment the boat was taking a drop, or meet it coming up when the landing was rather severe and he would go sprawling
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
among the sailors much to their amusement. When a boat was loaded it was pulled away in the darkness and to the side of the Columbia and the men would scramble up the rope ladder to her deck to be hustled into the sailors quarters and out of the way of those that were to follow.
It was dark as pitch and the work was carried on by the aid of the brilliant glare of the Columbia's powerful search-light. As the cutter left the ferry-boat and was pulled toward the Columbia the rolling of the waves kept it hidden from view most of the time, and to those who were watching the work and awaiting their turn it looked like anything but a pleasant journey. but when once in the craft the feeling of dread disappeared as we saw the ease with which the old salts guided the frail craft on its course and kept it riding the waves like a duck. It was slow work and quite late when the last man crawled up the side of the Columbia and sought a place of rest.
The next morning we awoke to find ourselves out at sea, having weighed anchor at midnight, the Yale keep- ing within sight about ten miles out on our port side. The day passed away very quickly, the wonderful ma- chinery, the large guns. torpedo tubes, and all keeping us very busy exploring. We were not slow to realize our good fortune in being placed on this magnificent vessel instead of an old dirty transport which had been carrying nothing but live stock for years.
The Columbia is a triple-screw. first class protected cruiser: the plates are five eighths of an inch in thickness and double: length two hundred twelve feet; breadth fifty eight feet: displacement seven thousand three hun- dred seventy five tons. On her trial trip she made twen- ty two knots per hour but since has made a record of twenty seven, making her one of the swiftest boats in the navy. Battery, one eight inch breech loading rifle, two
FRANCin 6 FNO Ku
U. S. S. Columbia.
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ON BOARD A WAR SHIP.
six inch and eight four inch, twelve six pounder and four one pounder rapid fire guns, four gatling guns and one three inch field piece. She also had four torpedo tubes with three torpedoes for each. There are eight mammoth double end boilers, making sixty four fires which can be built in an emergency, and three powerful engines of sev- en thousand horse-power each. She carried a crew of forty officers and four hundred twenty-nine men of which forty-five were marines, is lighted by electricity from stem to stern and has an ice machine which at that time was kept running night and day. She cost Uncle Sam two million seven hundred twenty five thousand dollars.
Captain Sands was in command of the vessel and the crew thought a great deal of him. As for the crew itself, it did everything possible to make us comfortable. Placing three hundred men on board a boat that had ac- comodations for the crew only, made it rather unpleasant but they gave up quarters and divided rations with us and did us many other favors, if they had not we would have fared rather poorly.
The sea was smooth and the vessel seemed as solid as a rock, the continual swish swash of the waves as they broke against her sides was about the only indication we had that We were on the wide sea as we rested in our quarters on the main dock. During the daytime the men spent their time on the upper or superstructure deck. se- curing protection from the broiling heat of the sun as best they may in the shadow of the mammoth smoke staeks, the gun shields and in and around the half dozen whale-boats and cutters which swung from the davits at the vessels side.
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