The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27
A DAY IN CAMP.
The Soldier Boys at Homestead are.
Doing Some Hard Work.
HOW THEY EAT, SLEEP, DRILL AND
ENTERTAIN FAIR VISITORS.

and Battalion Drill in Boiling Sun
The Aristocratic City Troops Million
aire Cook.
The New York Sun describing the camp
life of the Pennsylvania national guard
at Homestead, says:
AT daybreak the staff officer of the day
marches to the rear of one Of the twelve
Founders that stand in front of the
schoolhouse. A gunner stands beside
him with his hands on the line that fires
the gun. A sergeant carrying the Stars
and Stripes, with two corporals to, man
age the halliards, stands by the flag pole.
Three buglers stand beside the gun
with their instruments held to their
mouths. The officer of the day watches
the hands of the watch he holds until they
indicate $50 o'clock. .'Sound reveillep'
he orders. The gunner pulls the string,
the cannon booms, recoils, and is in
place again ere the laundering echoes
crash from hill to hill; the corporals
hoist the flag and buglers fill the morn
ing air with their martial melody. In a
few minutes the camp is awake; those
who pray have said their prayers, and
the days life has begun. AS soon as he
is half dressed each man makes a rush
for the tin basins, which are very scarce
here, seizes one, and runs out into the
company street in his undershirt. He
fills his basin at the pipe and, bending
low, lets the water splash down on his
head and neck. A few douses of this
kind takes all the sleep out of him, and
he washes and rubs himself thoroughly.
The fortunate owners of shoulder straps
go about it in different way.
Orderly" they call bring me basin
of water" They wash themselves very
leisurely, and if they think they need a
shave they stroll down the hill to the
regimental barber, who does business in
an open tent or under canvass awning,
and there they get one with all the com
forts of home These barbers-there are
half dozen Of them in camp now-have
their hands pretty full about this time
and do good business. They are
Great stickIers for Rank
A Colonel is handled by them
with much more gentleness than
Second Lieutenant, and if the Colonel
comes in while the Second Lieutenant
is in the chair, the barber promptly
salutes and says to his customer:
you'll have to get up out of there
till l get through with the Colonel"
Ate o'clock the buglers sound the call
to mess. Each company assemblies at its
own mess and the officers of the regi-
ment at theirs, and they eat while the
cooks work. The breakfast of the men
consists of coffee, bread, and either eggs
or meat. The officers get whatever they
care to pay for, as the State does not pro-
vide rations for them. At $50 o'clock
the soldiers who were arrested the night
before for being outside the camp lines
without pass or for violation of any
rule, report to the officer for their
punishment. This consists in doing
street cleaning work. The unfortnnates
have to go through the camp picking up
every scrap of paper or cigar stump or.
o'clock the seargents report to Acting
Surgeon-General Huidekoper of the
sickness in their company, if there is
any. The patients, if they are able to
walk, accompany them and submit to an
examination. If they are unable to leave
their tents the fact is reported and sur
geon visits them.
Between and o'clock Gen. Snowden
dispatches an order to the, commander
of one of the brigades to send regi-
ment in heavy marching order to report
to Col. Charles S. Greene, provost mar
shal. At eight o'clock guard mount is
sounded, and the provost marshal de-
tai's the companies of the regiment
which has been sent to him to relieve the
guards and posts in the various parts of
the town. One company patrols the
street on which the strikers headauar-
tiers are, two ether companies keep NOV
ing through the rest of the town. and
the other companies relieve the men
stationed at the outposts. There are
three outposts,: one at the depot and two
at the mills. The guards on patrol duty
have hard time of it. To march over the
ragged streetways of Homestead under
a burning sun, with a heavy knapsack
and blanket on his shoulders, is the
Bane of the Soldiers Life.
1t must be done, however and
the men grumble as little as possible.
From to IL o'clock, every morning
every company not ON guard or patrol
duty has to drill. At Ii o'clock the
drill recall is sounded and the.
men may rest until noon, when the
dinner mess is called. Dinner in Camp
Sam Black consists of hot meat, beans,
ana POTATOES, canned peas or corn. Some
times the men get soup, and it may hap
pen that the cook, in burst of good
nature, makes big bread budding or
some other dish of pastry that does not
cost very much. There is rejoicing in
the mess then and the cook is blessed.
But the regimental cooks do not care
much for the blessings of privates, and
these soup and pudding days have been
very scarce.
From noon until 4 O'Clock the solder
is expected to rest. With the exception
of saluting officers there is not a thing
for those who are not on guard or patrol
duty to do. The big book of tactics
which the General keeps in his desk says
that the men should rest during those
four hours. But all day long the camp
is filed with women and children from
Pittsburgh and the smaller towns in the
neighborhood, who have come to the
camp for holiday.
During the forenoon the soldiers. have
to toe the mark and attend to business,
watching the visitors out of the corners
of their eyes. But after the noon mess
the soldier makes a bee line for some
group that has smiled upon him, opens
Conversations soldiers privllege-and
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