USA > Indiana > History of the One hundred and sixty-first regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry > Part 5
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It is needless here to comment upon the satisfaction to officers and men caused by General Agler's commenda- tion of the camp and of the regiment. It shows duty well done and hard honest effort made to bring honor to the great commonwealth from which we came and we have a. right to be proud of the record.
CHAPTER V.
CAMP CUBA LIBRE.
October 1-23, '98.
October was ushered in by a Saturday that brought its usual inspection and accompanying quiet while the men lounged around in the shade, or strolled away to the river. The sky was a little overcast in the afternoon and no one would have been surprised if an ordinary storm had blown down upon us, but as night drew its sable gown around us and the men lay down to sleep, none ever dreamed of the things he should behold on the morrow; but the fact was that a hurricane had arisen in the West Indies and was fast sweeping toward us over the south Atlantic coast. The storm struck us in the "wee small hours" of the night; the flags began their slap bang crack as the wind blew "great guns," and the rain poured down in torrents; the poles creaked, the tents swayed and the ropes tugged at the pegs, but they stood it well; yet a few went down in the night and their contents were blown over Duaval county, while a few hats were supposed to have crossed the St. Johns river. No one could sleep and either lay or sat up in their tent, expecting every moment to be buried beneath the groaning canvas. At 5 A. M. the storm abated and all hands were out to see the sights. It was a dismal scene that met the eye, but even while the men were talk- ing of the night's experience, the elements began returning in all their fury; this time every blast that blew discounted one hundred fold anything the night had seen. The storm
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA.
seemed to grow fiercer with every passing moment; the tall pines moaned and strained their fiber as their tops came bowing to the ground, the flag-pole snapped and falling struck Sergeant Major Starr across the back a glancing blow that saved his life. One after the other the tents went down; the huge assembly tent was torn in shreds as the angry wind first blew it down and then played so fiercely underneath it; the wet soil had gathered tight around the pegs, but the houses were built on sand and true to proph- ecy fell. There was no waiting on orderlies then, but every man's hand was turned to save his property, and, while so engaged word came of needed help at the Third
41.
STORM SCENE AT THIRD DIVISION HOSPITAL.
Division hospital. At once more men than could be used left their tents to the mercy of the wind, and went to render heroic service in caring for their sick comrades. By
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reason of their size the hospital tents were harder to keep from going down, but they were held in place by main strength at the ropes while firmer fastenings were secured. Everything in camp was drenched and the men were cold, tired and hungry. Although the storm was abated by I P. M., a strong and threatening wind blew all day, and fearful of another night of similar experience, the colonel made arrangements with the Florida Central & Peninsula railroad to furnish passenger coaches for the comfort of the men and when they came out in the evening many of the men availed themselves of this opportunity to secure a good night's rest after the stormy events of that gloomy but stirring October day.
On the 3rd the new hospital mentioned on another page and prompted by the generous impulse of Colonel Dur- bin, was begun and certainly did prove a blessing to the men who so quickly exhausted its accommodations. About this time a skin concern sent its advance agent into the camp with a proposition to take its convalescents and men with that tired feeling " down the St. John's river for an airing." The price was to be seventy-five cents per man and a fine clamchowder, coffee and ham sandwich dinner free for every man who went. The boat, a fair vessel with " Crescent " written on its prow, left the docks at Cum- mer's mill at 9:30 o'clock with two hundred and fifty men of the described character on board. The chaplain in charge gave the management credit for honesty, supposed the wonderful dinner was being held in reserve for the men, although sandwiches and coffee were being sold with marvelous rapidity at ten cents each, and when dinner time came the firm was very sorry but everything was gone but chowder, some sort of a red pepper solution through which a clam may possibly have crawled on his pinchers so ele- vated that the real thing never touched the water. It was
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA.
also evident that instead of taking the men out for their health they were taken out for a drunk, as beer and whisky were being sold freely; the bar was, however, ordered closed and a guard put over it. The boat finally arrived at Mayport an old stuck-in-the-sand town that betrays its beautiful name, where there was plenty of whiskey but not a thing to eat but dried beef and crackers. Lieutenant Johnson told the management the opinion of honest people in a very emphatic way, and the vessel was boarded for return and we came back a hungry, tired but wiser crowd with only one man wet outside and he fell off the dock in an effort to walk the gang plank. The following day the regiment was rejoicing in pay day and on the 7th the colonel was in possession of communications authorizing him to have his regiment ready to move to Savannah, from which point it was expected embarkation would be made for Cuba. Anywhere to get away from Jacksonville. Its people had been kind and many soldiers will always remember grate- fully their introduction into the families and treatment by the good people of that place, but they were anxious to leave. Just what the Savannah trip meant they did not know-grape-vines were sprouting-an immediate departure for Cuba, a winters stay in Georgia-getting ready for muster out-but news of such a definite character was. enough to fill the men with new life, for a volunteer hates. stagnation and that is what the continued camp life at. Camp Cuba Libre was, and so the men waited eagerly for. orders to pack.
It was on the 7th that the post exchange was opened for business, the officer in charge being Lieutenant Hanson G. Freeman, Company M, Lawrenceburg. Sergeant C. B. Owens, Company G, was detailed as sergeant in charge and manager. Privates Will A. Taylor, Company M, and Otto Beard, Company C, were detailed as clerks. The
6
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HISTORY OF THE
regiment having no funds to purchase goods with, the first bill, amounting to one hundred dollars, was bought on ten days' time but was paid off within five days after date of purchase, this being the only bill contracted for and not paid upon delivery during the entire existence of post exchange.
The line of goods handled were always of the choicest quality, consisting of fruits in season, canned and bottled goods, cakes, crackers, fresh pies, nuts, candies, cigars, tobaccos, smokers' articles in general. The drinks served being soda water, lemonade, ginger ale and Hire's root beer; no intoxicants whatever were sold or handled in any way. From starting out with an original invoice of one hundred dollars, the stock on hand at different times would invoice two thousand dollars. Dividends would be declared monthly derived from the profits of the post exchange and distributed to the different companies of the regiment, the band, non-commission and hospital mess. The largest dis- tribution for one month amounted to eight hundred and sixty dollars, this being in the month of March at Camp Columbus, Havana, Cuba. Lieutenant Freeman being the regimental commissary, asked to be relieved as officer of post exchange. Lieutenant Paul Comstock was appointed January 15, 1899, to take the place made vacant by Lieuten- ant Freeman. No changes were made in the force employed. The largest day's receipts amounted to three hundred and fifteen dollars. Total amount of cash given to regiment in the six months and ten days of its existence amounted to $2,460.00, besides other donations to the regiment amounting to about seventy-five dollars being made. The loss incurred in moving camps by reason of theft or other- wise amounted to five hundred dollars.
One feature of the business in Cuba was the purchase of oranges in bulk by the wagon load, from five thousand to
POST EXCHANGE AT CAMP ONWARD.
.
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HISTORY OF THE
six thousand being required to fill one of our army wagons. The wholesale prices of this luscious fruit ranged from five dollars to fourteen dollars per thousand, according to quality and quantity on the market. The first month in Cuba the post exchange handled eighty thousand oranges.
Great credit is due both to Sergeant Owens for his careful management and to private Will Taylor for his long and faithful service as clerk.
The first target practice of the regiment occurred on October 8. In the afternoon the regiment went to the rifle range and each company was assigned to two targets, and supplied with a thousand rounds of cartridges. Now was the time to put in practice the instructions given by that officer of the regular army who gathered the commis- sioned and non-commissioned officers of the regiment in the assembly tent and told them how to shoot; carefully calculating the distance, the resistance of the air and the parabola of the bullet they pulled the trigger; the old Springfields banged back into their shoulders with a ven- geance that made them blue; the men looked for the red signals, but the target keepers generally forgot to wave them; occasionally a red sign would appear and describe now a horizontal and now a perpendicular or perchance a circle each of which every man that fired declared meant a " bull's eye." The regiment returned at 6:30 P. M., and a few days later marched again to the range, but found that an order had been issued declaring the practice stopped.
The drills were now being carried out at greater length, but the monotony of the wearisome "column right " and "left front into line," "to the rear" and " right forward fours right " and other preliminary move- ments was broken by the more interesting and less exhaust- ing skirmish drill, the men dodging about in the bushes, stooping around by twos and fours, and little groups snap-
1
.SECOND BATTALION, SKIRMISH DRILL. CAMP CUBA LIBRE.
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HISTORY OF THE
ping their rifles and making charges on an unseen enemy with yells that would scare the life out of a whole tribe of Sioux Indians.
The IIth of the month brought with it another divi- sion review. General Hubbard, the division commander, was about to leave, and the review of this day was not only his last but it was the last time before leaving Camp Cuba Libre that the regiment was to be reviewed other than by itself, and when it was over the men fell back into the rou- tine of the life to which they were by this time so well accustomed, and wondered when the order was to come in definite shape for the move to Savannah; this order, how- ever, was delayed on account of the coming visit of the Washington board of inspectors. This board consisted of Evan P. Howell, of Atlanta; Charles Denby, of Indiana; Colonel James A. Sexton, of Illinois; D. C. Gilman, presi- dent of Johns Hopkins University; Dr. W. W. Keen, of Philadelphia, and General Grenville M. Dodge, of New York, and was appointed by President Mckinley to investi- gate charges pertaining to the sanitary conditions of the army. The party arrived at noon on the 17th, and pro- ceeded at once to the camps of the corps. They examined the sinks, and the baths, and the bakeries and the commis- sary stores, and thoroughly inspected the condition of every corral, the report returned to the president being on the whole a favorable one.
The following day, at regimental review, General Hubbard was present and witnessed the parade, after which the regiment marched to his quarters, and forming in column of masses tendered him an appropriate farewell.
The closing scenes of Camp Cuba Libre were enliv- ened by many an evening spent around the "camp fire " during the cool October nights of our last week on the banks of the St. John's river. The men of the various
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA.
companies were wont to gather round a blazing fire of pine knots and while away the long evenings with song and jest, and many a song of love and home was wafted on the soft winds that blew up from the old ocean. This was an every night occurrence; but now and then a general "camp fire" would be held, and around the huge fire a great circle would be formed, and in the light of the blaze the best talent of the regiment would entertain the boys and officers till "taps." Amateur boxers donned the gloves and administered the "solar plexus," Rudy gave his "coon " song and "nigger " dance; Jacobs did his "turn," and Sergeant Wolf delighted the assembled sol- diers with his sweet voice. Will those evenings ever be forgotten, whiled away under the tall graceful pine trees and the beautiful night skies of Florida? They were the green spots in the Jacksonville desert, and will grow dear as the years go by "and fond recollections present them to view."
On the 2 Ist the order came directing the First Brigade, Second Division, to which, upon the corps reorganiza- tion, the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana had been assigned, to repair to Savannah on the evening of October 23, Sunday, of course.
On the night of this same day just after "taps " the camp was aroused by the cry of fire; the guard on post near the railroad platform discovered a small blaze in a heap of rubbish in one of the abandoned stands near the regiment; he promptly gave the alarm and the guard assisted by numbers of the men of the regiment attempted to save the adjoining buildings but to no purpose as the light dry pine burned fiercely and the buildings were soon consumed. The pine trees near by caught fire and added luster to the scene and all the night around us was made as bright as the day while dense volumes of pitch black
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HISTORY OF THE
smoke rolled up to make the heavens darker above us; the whole affair made a very respectable bonfire. The 22nd was a day of packing such as the day before our departure from Camp Mount had witnessed and with the dawn of the 23rd the business of getting out began. At 9 o'clock the signal sounded for the tents to fall and in three seconds every tent was flat. The freight was in and near the camp and by 6 o'clock was loaded and ready to leave and soon thereafter the men were ready also but it became evident that a wait was in store for the regiment and as darkness began to fall camp fires were lighted and every one tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible. A little of this would have sufficed as the men were tired and supper- less save the hardtack and such cold lunch as could be pro- cured. The camp ground of the One Hundred and Sixty- first presented a scene that night that will be one of the lingering memories. Every company had from three to four fires as the nights were cold and all must be warm. There was a camp fire at Major Megrew's quarters and one where the colonel's tent had stood; many of the buildings had been reduced to lumber for transportation but plenty were left to burn and everything was ignited; the kitchens and mess shacks that were left standing were fired one after the other and the very sky was illumined by the conflagration while the scene was enlivened by stirring music from the band and then the men began to stretch themselves around the fire to wait while the flames dispelled the darkness and silhouetted their resting forms on the sand of Florida that was soon to be left forever. At 12:15 A. M. the first train came in and the first section, under command of Lieutenant- Colonel Backus and composed of the First Battalion and Companies B and F of the Second, went on board and started; Major Megrew also accompanied this section. The rest of the regiment waited till 2:30 A. M. before their
WAITING FOR THE TRAIN-CAMP-BREAKING AT CAMP CUBA LIBRE.
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HISTORY OF THE
transportation arrived and hungry and sleepy were soon following the others on their way to the new camp at Savannah.
A few days previous to our departure the regiment had been assigned to its new position in the Seventh Army Corps, which had on the 2 1st been reorganized as follows:
CAVALRY BRIGADE.
Seventh United States Cavalry. Eighth United States Calvary.
FIRST DIVISION.
FIRST BRIGADE.
First Texas Infantry. Second Louisiana Infantry.
Third Nebraska Infantry.
SECOND BRIGADE.
Ninth Illinois Infantry.
Second South Carolina Infantry.
Fourth Illinois Infantry.
SECOND DIVISION.
FIRST BRIGADE.
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Infantry. Second Illinois Infantry.
First North Carolina Infantry.
SECOND BRIGADE.
Fourth Virginia Infantry. Forty-ninth Iowa Infantry. Sixth Missouri Infantry.
CHAPTER VI.
CAMP ONWARD.
SAVANNAH, October 24-December 12, '98.
When the first section arrived at Savannah at 9 A. M. the next morning it found the regimental impedimenta one hour in advance and Captain West's force busily engaged in getting the horses and mules out on "terra firma." In the unloading of the remaining freight the record was broken. The quartermaster and commissary supplies were handled with the accustomary dispatch but the transporta- tion department, altogether out of harmony with the usual " southern hustle," got in a hurry, and backing the cars into the freight yard, pitched the lumber, floors, tables, bench- es and boxes into a confused, tumbled, jumbled-up heap that looked like it had been struck by a Kansas cyclone or a Jacksonville storm. When the second section arrived one and one-half hours later, like the first it was served with coffee at the station before starting for camp. As the companies marched through the city the men crowded out of their stores and the women out of their homes and while the chambermaids waved sheets or pillowslips from the sec- ond-story windows the daughters used their handkerchiefs below and the populace on the sidewalk cheered the boys from Indiana a welcome as they passed, and on out the Thunderbolt road they marched to camp and stacked arms on the site which was to be their " stomping ground " for the next seven weeks; this time the regiment was less fort- unate in the land reserved for them; it was low and
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swampy, cut through by ditches and altogether undesirable for a regimental camping site; objections were made with- out avail and everybody prepared to make the best out of it. The company streets had all been staked off and an old dilapidated board and wire fence that ran through the length of Company K street was removed; a deep ravine ran along the right of the regiment and a large ditch almost through the center, which necessitated two thirds of the men to pass what they called " over Jordan " to affili- ate with members of the First Battalion; the swamp pre- vented the First Battalion line officers' tents from being
HEADQUARTERS.
pitched in their accustomary place and both these and the battalion commander's tent were pitched toward the road along which ran the staff tents with the exception of head-
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA.
quarters which were more comfortably located in an old house situated nearer the company tents and which has since burned. The colonel's tent was used for a guard house until quarters were prepared, and later, in the second week of November, the tents occupied by the staff were moved near the headquarters house and in a row with the Third Battalion line officers. The tents were pitched without floors and a couple of days were passed before sufficient material could be rescued from the debris at the freight yards to furnish them with that much-needed comfort and the tents that were all too small under Jacksonville condi- tions had room enough and to spare as the boys hugged up in spoon fashion to pass the night. Camp construction be- gan at once, and while the colored men of chain and stripe cleaned the ditches and drained the camp the carpenters began their work and cook shacks sprang up along the rear as fast as material came in and in a week every company cook was under cover, bridges were built across the ditch- es, and after the third day the drills were on again.
On the 27th the battalions marched to Thunderbolt, a Coney Island sort of a place; some of the companies fell out and some of the men fell in to a well stocked establish- ment and after waiting on themselves forgot the eighth com- mandment and told the men to "remember the Maine" for his pay; the battallions marched down past Bona- venture and returned along the other road by way of Dale Avenue drive. The next day occurred the first regimental formation on Georgian soil; the review, which was not the best ever given by the regiment, was witnessed by General Williston from his tent door.
The drills began on the 29th with their usual regu- larity; a couple of days at close order and attention was. devoted to the more important skirmish drill. A most suitable spot for extended order work was later found back of
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HISTORY OF THE
the cemetery that lay near the junction of the road and street car track, and here in the underbrush and ravines and around the old Confederate breastworks the officers found ample room and excellent environment for scattering their men to the best advantage for such purpose. The last few days of the month brought to the line officers the usual burdensome necessity of getting the rolls in shape for monthly muster and the new month came in with the sound of hammer and saw at work on the commissary, bakery and guard house, while Anthony Montani took his sweater and clarionet and other articles and bid us all a fond adieu.
The substantial structure that rose beyond the ditch to the regiment's right during the first week in November was prepared for the commissary, the bakery and the exchange, and was by conceded opinion the finest arranged building of its kind in the corps.
Sunday was the 6th, and this day, as on other Sab- baths, the One Hundred and Sixty-first camp looked lonely by contrast; while southern regiments were swarming with visitors from Savannah; ours, the nearest to the city, was passed by with a glance over the fence; in this one respect, like the man who fell out of the ballon, we simply were not in it. Why this apparent thusness? is it so hard to forget? Let us be charitable and say they were unthoughtful, but Ivy said the young ladies didn't know what they were missing.
The next day brought Major Wright, the colored pay- master. The major was assisted by his son, also colored, and encountered no embarrassment in disposing to the officers and men of the regiment the coin which the gov- ernment had seen fit to entrust to his care; the major remarked of his respectful reception.
In the afternoon General Green, accompanied by other distinguished officers of the army, reviewed the
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ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA.
division. The six regiments marched to an open field across the way from the Second Division hospital and stood in column of masses at attention for about thirty minutes while whole regiments of armed sand flies enjoyed an undisturbed picnic pestering the patience out of an army of men to whom military etiquette forbade interfer- ence, after which the division passed in review before the general, in whose honor it was held, before his departure for Cuba.
On November II General Lee arrived at Savannah from his home in Virginia, where he had been in attend- ance at the bedside of his aged mother during her sickness, death and funeral, and which had necessitated an absence from his official duties for a period of several weeks, during which time the command of the corps devolved on Gen- eral Keifer of the First Division. The general was accompanied to Savannah by Governor Tyler and a dis- tinguished party of Virginians, both ladies and gentlemen. This was his first appearance at Savannah since the arrival of the corps at that point, and he was given a royal wel- come both by the citizens of that beautiful and enterprising city and by his command. He immediately established his headquarters at the DeSota hotel and assumed command of the corps. One of his first official acts was the naming of the camp, which he designated "Camp Onward" in view of the onward march to Cuba.
He immediately issued an order for a review of the corps, including all the troops under his command, which took place the following day in the city of Savannah in what is known as Forsythe Park Extension, and was wit- nessed by thousands of citizens of Savannah and neighbor- ing cities and surrounding country, for whom it was a gala occasion. Most of these people had never seen any con- siderable body of troops together before, and were enthusi-
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astic in their demonstrations of approval. The One Hun- dred and Sixty-first Indiana was tendered little short of an ovation upon its splendid appearance; its full companies, straight lines and excellent marching being commented upon for many succeeding days by its enthusiastic admirers. who were numbered by the hundreds in the city of Savannah; the Press of the city was also effuse in its praise of the work of the regiment, giving it special mention in its account of the review and commenting at length upon its excellent appearance.
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