The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-23
INDIANA LEGION In CAMP
Companies from ALI Parts of the State in
Rendezvous at Armstrong; Grove.
A Day Spent in Preparation for the Weeks
Service-General Orders from Headquarters
bringing the Camp Under Discipline.

went to the place assigned it, stacked arms,
and in marvelously short time the east
side of the camp, allotted to the Second
Regimens, Col w. J. Mckee commanding,
took on decidedly military aspect. Tents
were pitched with a precision and spon-
taneity that indicated the presence in great
numbers either of seasoned veterans or of
hardened boss canyasmen. The work was
SO quickly done that the wondering be-
holder inclined to the belief that it was
certainly the latter who drove the tent
pegs and made taut the ropes. All this
having been done, it was necessary for the
general at headquarters to stir himself.
That officer proved himself equal to the
occasion by Immediately issuing the follow
ing
General Order No. Il
HEADQUARTERS INDIANA LEGION
NEAR INDIANAPOLIs July %, 1885,
First-The camp of instruction OF the Indiana
Legion will be designated as Camp Hovey, in
honor OF the chief executive of the State OF Indi
ana.
Second-The following officers are detailed for
duty at brigade headquarters, and will be Obeyed
Benz. g. Wright. Second Infantry, acting assist
ant acknowledgement. Capt. Ii. F. Underwood,
unassigned, aidde-camp. BY order of
Brig.-Gen. n. r. BUCKLE,
b. C. WRIGHT, Lieut.-Col., A. A. Adj. -Gen.
Camp Hovey is q beautiful piece of
ground, most of the tents being in the open,
with wide stretch of forest trees, chiefly
magnificent spreading beeches, separating
tnefIrst and Third regiments, and the five
batteries on the west line form the Second
Regiment on the east line of the camp.
General Ruckle's headquarters are upon
rising ground on the south line, overlook
ing the entire camp. Camp Hovey covers
quarter of mile square, the north and
lines and hQ-
ing each l 800 feet long.
=. General order No. 2, that soon reached
the young soldiers, made some change in
the hours OF service from that previously
breakfast, $50; sick call, 7:15! squad drill
$50; guard mounting S:15; battalion or
company drill, 9:15; dinner call. IL noon;
school call, l:3O p. NJ; battalion drill. 2:40;
dress parade, 545; supper, 9; school, 1880;
tattoo, $3.50; taps, 10; The company morn,
headquarters at A. NJ, and consolidated
morning reports are to be sent to brigade
headquarters at 9 A. NJ. Another general
order detailed Maj. John II Oliver, of the
day. Following this came memorandum
addressed to each regimental commander,
which, In its suggestions, brought back to
those who had seen service in the now remote
civil war the days when they marched
through Dixie. 1t read as follows: You
will Immediately issue orders to prevent
the burning of rails, chopping, marking or
lnlurlng trees destruction of fences and of
interference with private property. Officers
and men must not pass beyond the estab-
camp limits on the north will be the pro-
longatiOn of fences running east and west
on the north side of the meadow; or the
east. a line fifty yards from the farmhouse
running between the clover field and
meadow; ON the west, the canal. The senior
officer In each regiment will detail an officer
OF the day, an officer of the guard and
a small police guard. Regimental officers
of the day will be held responsible that no
company uses any lumber from hequarter-
masters stores. except the amount pre-
scribed in the diagram for mess tables and
shelters"
AS the morning wore on companies from
abroad were dropping into camp, and by
noon, in addition to the six indianapolis
infantry and one artillery companies, there
were those from Lafayette, Charlottesville,
Lebanon, Bunker Hill, Waynetown, Peru,
Rochester and Fort Wayne, belonging
chiefly to the Second and Third regiments.
The men, and, for the most part, the Off
GERS, are all young fellows. many of them
barely of age, others less than twenty-one
and of just the material out of which SOL
diers were made quarter of a century ago.
regiment. and they are on the same footing
in every respect as their Caucasian fellow
soldiers, to whom the admonition
"Never in field or tent
Scorn the black regiment"
Would be wholly superfuous. The boys
take up the duties assigned them with a
cheerfulness and alacrity truly cOmmenda-
BILE. A lazy fellow sprawling in the shade,
touched on the shoulder by corporal or
sergeant, rises to his feet and Is at once a
soldier.
"He stands erect; his SLOUGH becomes a walk,
He steps right onward, martial Is his air,
His form and movement"
This. too, whether he has to carry water
for the cook or stand guard at headquarters.
The chief officers of the encampment are
Brigadier-general Nicholas II. Ruckle, adj
jutant-general; Col. Joseph =. Pope, quar-
missary general; Col. X. b. Jessup, surgeon
general; Col. j. A. Jack, Inspector general;
colonel of First Regiment, w. ID. Ewing, of
Evansville; colonel of Second Regiment,
Third Regiment, K. w. Mcbride, of Water
loo; major of First Regiment Light Artil-
lery, w. III. Woods.
There is not much fuss and very few
feathers about General Ruckle's head
quarters. He has q hospital tent fitted up
with chairs and desks for business, with
Will Homburg as clerk. The canvas under
which the General slumbers is beside this,
and members of his staff occupy adjoining
tents. number of chairs under the shade
Oh q large tree IN ITOUb OF headquarters
were occupied most of the time. When not
in use by the General and his staff. some of
the soldiers would drop into them We'll
draw the lines q little tighter on the boys
Tomorrow" said major. We'll show
them that headquarters is the holy of
HOLES in military camp, and must be duly
respected"
1t was at noon that the grove blossomed
into a camp. This was when the COM
panies came in from the north, headed by
the First Artillery band of Fort Wayne. an
excellent organization. and followed by
the Rochester Third Regiment band, the
latter consisting of sixteen pieces. with H.
Meyer as leader, aud Z. A. Brouillette, drum
eat began at II cock, sharp. and continued
with increasing ferocity until nearly 2
o'clock. when the various company
cooks gave the welcome announcement
that dinner was ready. The boys fell to,
and were soon in the most amiable humor
possible. The delayed dinner was no ones
fault, but q natural consequence of first
day and nearly all new hands. There was
q growl at headquarters about the delay ed
uniforms, a number of men being COM
PEELED TO 90 into camp in their ordinary
store clothes. The uniforms, which should
have been received from the manufacturers
OH last Saturday, did not arrive until yes
terday afternoon.
Late in the afternoon Col. w. ID. Ewing,
Of Evansville, came into camp with the
greater number of the companies of the
First Regiment. bringing with him COM
panies from Evansville, Mt. Vernon, Can
Melton, Vipcennes, Brazil and other points
and assembling in Camp Hovey all the
available military force of the great State
of Indiana. The dress parade was made by