New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-07
NOT HAPPY AT FORT HAMILTON.
A PRIVATE SOLDIERS TALE OF wOE-REAsoNs FOR
DTSFRTION

A PRIVATE SOLDIERS TALE OF wOE-REAsoNs FOR
DISCRETION.
Tho soldier and the reporter sat down at little
table in a beer shop near Fort Hamilton. and over
his glass of beer the wearcr of the National UNIFORM
poured forth his troubles Through the open WIN
dow could be had a view of Fort Lafayette staten
Island ana tho Narrows Great ships passed back
and forth carrying tho commerce OF the world
Little tugs rushed in and ont screaming occasionally
like mad. The long black hulls and painted smoke
stacks of hinge ocean steamers now and then drew
the eyes of observers on the shore.
"You must like it soldering down at this bcauti-
ful place." said tho roportcr.
"Wcll you wouldn't think when yon had got
ont of bed in the morning and found your shoes all
mildrwcdn said the soldier ." tell YOU this IS the
worst place to soldier in in the Union, and have
tried IT from Fort Concho to Governors Island
what would you think if told you that ont of 300
enlisted men only sixty remained to serve ont their
time of five years scrvicei
What became of them all 7"
"Why, they all deserted 1hcy just packed mp
their kits aud walked OH Nobody ever thinks of
looking after them and uucs. they turn up of their
own accord you never hear them again. some
times - poor fellow floats back dead broke. ami
gives hmsclf mp. llc gotta sent ont 10 Font LoaNcn-
worth Kansas for from ono 10 thlc' years. Tie
docs about hitccu months and thcy lot the poor
dryil to FREQ. nnt # ho don't como back they
never bother thcmsolvcs g. aud hul. tor new re-
cruits arc coming m every day My but niu't they
sorry In u abort time thcY ever tried IT, There's
tomo of thcm IN the haunot, that could give you u
ptrlt lalc
"Wcll don't caro- II | do" contained tho lie.
fender of the sod he took another glass of beer
Yes. IT, hard lines and you earn your Fl3 month
every week. lou are lnblo to got your brains
dashed out any time by them horses down IN the
stable Every horse must be currlcd two solid
hours every day. Hut it's not the work we gIo"l
over it's the bulldozin' Of our superior officers. It's
terrible here at Fort Hamilton. They 60 OH and
have good time themselves and II a soldier gets "a
ltte iull they Iust come down on Inn like "A thou
sand of ck,aud eat OH all OF hls III vileses, and ms
masses IFS Won blank blank blaukety blank
from early in the morning to late at night, and the
poor soldier cusScd and hauled around Is though
he had no more icelm' than a wooden nutmeg. And
its not the soldier only. but the sergeant aud cor
pora too"
that's pretty rough" said the newspaper man
soothmgy
yet WIv when we went 10 the burial OF then
Arctic fellows IN }roo>yn the other day diGnt
CAPTAIN - hit one of the soldiers IN the face while
we were drawn zap at Hamilton Ferry, ana ann
the citizens who WIS loo"ln ON cry ont shame
and blrst # we ddu { thIn\ they was agoln 10 lnQb
him there Tor tlmc. he solder dld not hear the
order AMI lai,cl to obey. and the Captain ran mp
and struck hun. That's how 1t Is. | tell you we
had time OF It, too, tG1t week at Fetk,hlI. we
were nearly iIoLc out with the IAN aud want oi
glub There's half dozen soldiers N the hospital
now half dozen IN the guard house. ana nan a
dozen eases before the court martial MI grown ont
of that Pcckshii trip. The morning we broke camp
there our superior officer marched us twenty miles
through the mud ana RI n on bowl OF cone" ana
roll Tor each man. Besides. ,0mbody upset Il can OF
kerosene oil INTO the coffee pot before IT was served
to us. Why. # 1t hadn't been Tor tho Kindness OF
the New York militia. who fed us when We got to
that city. believe the half of us would have been
on the sick list that night.
d" oar superior officers ordered IL TINS Sprlh9 10
work in their -ar,lrn- Two of us told them We
would If we got paid They agreed to that. AMI We
worked about n month ana went Tor our pay. what
do you think CAPTAIN -- donef lie toll me had
earned Twenty-Five cents and that was all he gave
me. and he told jim he wasn't worth -- cent. and
didn't pay him anything. | call that pretty mean.
the vegetables Jim and me killed with our hoes dur
ing that month. Int it's - o'clock now, and |
must 20 inside the fort. GOod-bY'