Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-31
THE LIGHT BATTERY's CAMP.
A Hard March Through the Rain, but Bay
Ridge Finally Reached

A Hard March Through the Rain, but Bay
Ridge Finally Reached.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
BAY RIDGE July 80. 1891.
After rrany trials and fluctuations che bat
tery reached its destination last evening in
good shape and ready for few days hard
work. although none can possibly present itself
harder than that performed on the way over.
After leaving the armory on Tuesday morn
ing the ToIte WAS taken out Maryland avenue
" the OLD toll gate. where the column turned
into the Eladensburg road A short halt was
made at tine reform school when one of the
team horses took occasion to lie down in the
road with his driver, necessitating the efforts
OF six or eight men for fifteen minutes to set
him up again As rule the horses furnished
by the contractor, Mr.. Anderson, have proved
very satisfactory, improving in their work as
they have become accustomed 10 their strange
harness ard drivers At Bladensburg another
short halt made and the march again WAS
taken up, leaving the village By the eastern
road A mile and half beyond Ardwlck sta
zion, on tie Baltimore and Potomac railroad,
the caravan pulled out Of the road into Mr..
Dielrich'. farm yard and rested for two hours.
Horses we're Embarrassed and unhItched,
waiered and led, the men opened their haver-
sacks. and. with the addition of several pans of
fresh milk enjoyed their dinner. Soon after
leaving here two bad hills were en-
eountered, but by working the csnnoneers
on the wheels and sending bach a
team for the baggage wagon they were success
fully surmounted- such lntle incidents a. this
show the opportunities afforded by this branch
OF the service Tor real hard work The march
OF = hight battery il probably quite different
from the ideas formed of II by most people L
can recUlle,t that NV youthful impression was
that light artillery always moved through the
cOuntry IN tull dress uniform Al a gallOp, an
iiea obtained from wartime pictures But II
Is quite the reverse. The rate of progress Is
slow. abOu= two and a half miles an hour, as
great care must be taken OF the horses. cs-
Pecially green ones. Our drivers on this trip
are exceptionally competent lot Of men, in
Guiding two eEuIars from the arsenal. who by
their good worn and ready way OF taking hold
set a valuable example. Zach gun and caisson
Is drawn b. four horses ami the baggage wagon
by two. The latter has hard wOEk la keeping
up At times and should have had another PAR.
TRUNPEIEK FULLERs MOUNT.
The most remarkable animal of the outfit is
Trumpete- Fullers mount a very large white.
No one has yet seen the trumpeter get into the
saddle but it is noticed that when he is first
seen mounted he is always coming from the iii
rection of a fence. 1t il still open question
whether he falls off or carries a pocket ladder
To reach the ground.
During the afternoon a short heavy shower
gave us the first unpleasant weather. the day
thus far having been very comfortable for
marching At o'clock halt of an hour
made at buckets school house, where four car
rier pigeons, brought along in a box, were
liberated and took an air line for Washington.
AT this point the problem was presented OF
making the next ten miles to the ratuXCnt river
II. time to make camp before dark. All made
mp their minds to 81: there, even the horses
seeming to enter into tie spirit OF the occa-
sion and doing better work than in the morn
ing. Another heavy shower came up and con-
tinued ior some tsine. so that when the batter:
reached MitehellyI!le, on the Pcpe's Greek
Branch railroad. every one was comfortably wet
The overcoats and boots furnished by Uncle
sam come together IN such way to
dram all the water from the former
into the latter. keeping the feet cool
uItI an opportunity arrives to remove the
boots. perhaps Two or three days later. Mitchell
viile l. small village devoted to the raising
and canning If fruit
several MISUNDERSTANDING orchards we're
passed. bui Lieut.. Robbins thOughtlessIy omit
TIL 20 have the halls sounded ans: of course dis
c.PilHe prevented the acquisition OF any fruit.
The PntuXent river was crossed in the rain over
Governor briige. IL had Leen intended to
Z Se a route farther south. crossing at Queen
Anne. four miles below. but AZ MItehellviile it
WIS learned that tie bridge at that point was
carried away.
Lieut.. ForsberG and Serg:. Longley had been
sc.t ahead To select n camping ground. and
about o'clock the battery went INTO park after
a march Of twenty-tLTee miles. good day
Jul ANA q ,asAt IA uusEl OEEs.LlLaIlOl-
ACANP N Tue RAIN.
II i not a pleasant pi,ce of work to make
camp III the rain, but all took hold with Will,
The horses were vatered in a ueishboring mill
pOui. fed and tied along the picket rope
stretched between The Carriages. Fortunately
the sod Was sandy. So that mos: Of the rain
soaked IN Hot coffee Was prepared under the
direction of Lieut. Tor-bers and n large
amount disappeared IN very short time. The
-
was interpreted In various ways. Some men
had dis osed of their allowance by noon Of the
n-st day and were thereafter reduced to sole
heather pies. procured at the country stores
AL uoI-e ceased at taps, when the men dis
persed To their several resting places. The
most popular resort seemed to tie a ruinous
old barn adjacent. nut the cry of ''fleas' which
IVES raiseG tended TO prevent overcoming
Some slept IN a portion formerly used as a hen
b9,lse. some on the corn hus rs. "a few on their
rlbber bankets with the guard at the fire
while OtLeys law under the carriages. The
IlUss unique feature Of the oiyouac was the
wonderful structure inhabited BY the two
junior officers. formed by stretching tar
laulIn from a timber TO the ground and using
hand spike as q center pole. Ibis made II
Look hAe aelrcus side SHOW. After the men got
u sieep the silence broken only by the
round Of the sentinel on the picket line and an
occasional Il ort OF some animal 10 stand on
his head As all were tired there was not
much difficulty in getting to sleep. especially
after the mystic maneU Sers of furniture in The
srmory tie night before
BAY RIDGE FIS ALLY REACHED.
All In the morning q heavy thunder storm
struck the camp and continued until after
rs'eliIe (4;3Ol. so that everything started out
wet After starting out the reads were found
u be IN very bad condition, requiring frequent
doubling Of teams ard work on the wheels so
that al noon the battery had only marched as
Tar A. the South river by way OF Davidsonvilie.
AZ The river dinner was eaten At the place of
Nj. George A Davis. just across the bridge.
y he Journey was finished IN the afternoon and
Oh AIriVAi at Bay Ridge all went to work in get
Ting tie camp really for oCcur ancy ON little
more civilized scale than We have lived the last
two days VA
MILE ED-c., the famous soprano, sings at
Glen Echo tomorrow.