The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-03-20
ARMY RECRUITING.
An Oficor in the Service Writes
Concerning It.
His Experience In Taking Raw Recruits ia
The gFrontier--LauEhable Now But
Very Serious In Those Days
r. A Wild Journey.


general thing it falls to the lot Of
NEST cavalry officers, sooner or later, to
be detailed for a tour of duty on the re-
emitting service. The orders are al
ways TO report to the superintendent of
the mounted recruiting rendezvous,
wherever that may be located. Former
w the depot for cavalry recruits was at
Carlisle barracks, near the old town of
Carlisle, Pa; butsshortly after the war
for various reasons-chiefly for the sake
Of economy in the matter Of transporta-
tion-the depot was changed to Jefferson
barracks, Mo-, where it still remains,
To this point all recruits who enlist for
the mounted service at the various sta
items throughout the country are period
ically sent to receive their first lessons
In the school of the soldieryand remain
until they are required to fill the de-
pleted ranks Of some one Of the ten regi-
ments ,,of. cavalry scattered along our
Western frontier.
The duties OF -thisastation are gener=-
ally considered to be Of pleasant and
agreeable nature; and as an officers de-
tail is for two years, from among those
longest with their. companies, it Is eager
" looked forward to as long season of
rest and relaxation from perhaps many
years OF arduous frontier service.
= In the distribution Of recruits to the
various regiments, these garrison officers
come in for duty not relished in the
least by the best of them, the chief OBJ
lection being that the men as general
thing having been in the service but q
short time are in measure undisci-
plincd and impatient under restraint,
and while en- route to some distant post
often become very insubordinate, caus-
ing the officer in charge no end of
trouble and annoyance, sometimes fore
ing him to resort to extreme measures
to maintain his authority. Many an Of
= feer while conducting detachment Of
recruits to a PARKWAY station has had
experiences calculated to test the Rate-
rial Of which he was made to the utmost
imits In many instances single-hand-
ed, miles away from any support, he has
been called upon to quell open mutiny
with nothing to back him save his own
indomitable pluck and army six-shooter.
A description of the trip taken by the
writer as second in command Of de-
tachment Of 900 recruits bound for San
Antonio, Tex, will more clearly illus
trate the disagreeable features attend
ing such duty.
We left Carlisle barracks in the early
part of December, IS, with about as
worthless body OF men, taken as .
whole, as was ever enlisted in the United
States army. Most of them had served
before, either in the Confederate or
Union army, but notwithstanding this
fact had but little regard for discipline
or respect for the officers over them. 1
think most had enlisted to get trans
ported South, intending to desert when
ever they came to place that struck
their fancy, or afforded fair field for
them to exercise their peculiar talents
Lam quite sure that not more than one
third served out their time.
Upon reaching New York the detach-
ment was quartered at Fort Wood, Bed
, loe's island, then commanded by General
Merchant, of the artillery, where it was
to await transportation by sea to New
Orleans. During the few days neces-
sary delay at this point the recruits had
but little opportunity for INDUCING In
any pranks. They did, however,
afthough under strict guard succeed In
breaking into the commissary one dark
and stormy night, and devouTing at one
sitting ten days rations, for which gas
tronomic feat the whole detachment was
placed under such strict guard as to de-
prive them Of what little liberty the
island afforded. -
When at last we found ourselves at
= sea on board the old Empire City and q
voyage of ten or twelve days before us
with this mob they could scarcely be
called soldiers) of 600 to govern, and,
too, without guard of any kind to en-
force obedience, the situation was not
exactly pleasant to contemplate. A
guard had been applied for, but for some
reason refused.
For the first few days out sea-sickness
held many Of these embryo dragons in
its merciless grip, and their contribu-
tons to old Father Neptune were most
generous. So far the utmost quiet land
good order prevailed, and had begun to
. congratulate myself that the situation
was not SO bad as supposed.
But alas! as the winds went down and
the sea became smooth, in proportion
alto degree did the spirits of these
doughty mariners rise, and mania for
mischief rapidly developed.
First the captain Of the ship came
With the complaint that some cases OF
spirits had, disappeared; and from the
hilarious state the recruits were In he
: ~dgcd them guilty of the theft. Then
came the cook with tale to unfold
how during few moments absence
rom the cook-house a long pole or boat
hook had been thrust through the sky
= hight and a huge joint OF beef, destined
Tor the. cabin, had been hooked out, he
= returning in time only to view 1t rapidly
+ gong aloft A search failed to discover
ehc slightest trace Of the toothsome
h ,eint. Among SO many, probably every
morsel had been eaten before the cook
oNldfeport his loss.
nat with the loss of so many articles
oi food and his inability to procure 9
ueSh supply, the wretehed captain was
ashis wits end to know how to properly
provide for his cabin passengers. Hap
pny at this stage of affairs the ship
reached tho port of Key West, where
inc DC pcted larder could be replenished'
Turing tie twenty-four hours we lay
~ KEY West about two hundred recruits
sseaped from the ship, and the citizens
=. tne town were in the greatest con.
fs@ aa not understanding just what
, usu been turned loose on their quiet
u sue city guard from the Fifth
w." m@a States artillery, stationed a
os g'' iaylor, was detailed TO restore
S S,se and forming line across the wharf
inc recruits aboard the ship like I