The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-02
ALL ALIKE.
Soldiers Fare
the Same
IN PORTO RICO.
Pennsylvania Man De-
scribes His Experiences.

Many Of the men who went from
Worcester to Cuba have written of their
experiences. The following letter is
from Philadelphia, a college-bre
man, who enlisted in Pennsylvania
regiment and went to Porto Rico. Mr..
Hiram Miller, the writer is the cousin
Of Mrs. Albert G. Getchell Of this city,
and is well known here.
left home attired in an ill-httins
brown canvas suit and a campaign
hat, feeling much more like soldier
than l looked, 1 know. Arriving at
the B. & o. station and seeing "a others
like myself, I thought we looked more
like lot of mechanics. 1t seemed like
anything but actually going to war
at any rate, not Sherman's war, where
he says, WAR is hell"
We arrived in Baltimore and took the
night boat, arriving at Old Point next
morning after a very pleasant trip. 1t
was not until we were stood up and
counted off and marched out in the
rain that we had any realization that
we were actually soldiers.
After waiting about half an hour I'M
der the caves of a shed we took the
trolley for Newport News and were
'unloaded" about half a mile from
camp and marched the wettest walk l
ever remember. What made it so much
the worse was the fact that each one
thought he must step in all the puddles
to be thorough soldier, and if wetness
and soldierness are similar, we were all
soldiers through and through. After
great efforts to keep step and much the
worse for a few "walkings on" our
hearts full of pity for the men immed-
lately in front and behind us, who were
SO clumsy they could never be soldiers,
we arrived at the most dismal looking
camp. All the flaps were down tight and
grey with rain. One single head poked
out, which proved to be pete" Over
fields, and only one shout, Rockies, ,"
and Immediately the camp was alive.
Men seemed to spring out Of the ground.
We were put in the mess tent and all
the old battery came to look at us. with
very much the same interest that one
examines stock at a country fair. For
tunately most of US knew some of the
old men and they kindly loaned us dry
clothes, or at least an overcoat or a
sweater.
In about an haur we were served
WIFI SOlllC COlLCC anu OI0dAs IL was 6QSll
novelty drinking coffee out of tin
cups and eating bread without butter.
but as hunger is ever a good sauce, we
enjoyed it. During the course of the
morning we were given tin cup
which is a very important article-and
then told to line up for mess" 1t did
seem so queer to march, tin cup and tin
plate in hand, and stop before a big
boiler full of coffee, and big pan Of
bacon, potatoes, etc, and each get his
portion. But it was very good. and from
that time until we left America the
meals We're quite good-better than the
ordinary army fare. as we learned very
forcibly later on. We turned half our
pay into the mess fund and lived very
nicely. Sometimes we would have lamb
and sometimes chicken, always bread
and ice water, two things which after
ward proved such luxuries.
And I do think that it was on ac-
count of our mess and nothing else
that the boys in Battery A retained
such good health and all who went re-
turned home, except one man who was
sick with typhoid fever and another
who stayed to nurse him. Both are at
home now. Getting plenty to eat kept
us in good physical condition and we
were able to stand the strain which so
many others gave out under.
To get an effectual army, look to
their stomachs, said Wellington, and /
think America will agree with him, in
the future at least.
Later in the day the first sergeant
assigned us to our quarters. We spent
that first day loafing around and
watching the men drill, and getting ac-
quainted with the place and customs.
The next morning we were awakened
by the bugle at reveillle t4.50 a. M
Then Assembly sounded at 5, and the
roll was called; then the morning ex-
ercises, which We're gymnastic, for
about half an hour. At we had
mess" and then at 9 we had drill,
which lasted until II; then mess again
and we laid around until $50, when we
had foot drill, until $50. We all took
a bath in the James river and had
mess at s. After mess we spent the
time until Tattoo" singing; taps" at
$50 ended the day. 1t was pretty
much the same, with the exception Of
once in five days we We're ION guard
It was quite hard at first to walk up
and down for two hours with nothing
to do. After it we rested for four
hours, but by night it was quite diff
cult TO keep awake. However, we soon
got used to it as we did to everything
else.
NC NClC 6OlAA5 SlOliS III tIiS 5tlHS
old way thinking that the government
had decided to keep US Mt Newport
News or else had forgotten US entirely,
and watching the other troops arriv-
ing at Newport News and preparing to
leave the country, when one night at
tattoo, the captain had the
orders to be ready to move
at an instant. OF course we
were delighted and spent the best por-
= =
taps cheering and singing and march,
ing around the camp. That night and
for several days we were busy pack
ing, and then came the worst part
All packed, ready to move within an
hour, and then lying around on our
things for over a week. VIC heard ru>
NOR after rumor; even read in the
newspapers that We had either sailed
or We're going to sail the next day, only
to wait, wait, wait, until finally one
Wednesday afternoon we did get or
ders to strike tents at Z o'clock. BY 8
O'Clock a detail of twenty were already
on the boat Manitoba, and I
never shall forget the feeling,
as we first saw that big black
hull against the dock; neither shall l
ever forget our first sight of our quar-
tiers, which afterward proved to be our
prison for seven days.
After scrambling through dark pas
sage-ways and tumbling down steps
loaded with the heavy marching traps
of dismounted artillery, we finally dis
posed Of our luggage and cloaks with
the exception Of our blue shirts, trous-
ers and boots, and reported on the dock
for duty Then the work-actual work
began. Capt. WaEburten had deter
mined to show theswAt department that
Battery A was not composed of the set
IL.
GERS had believed
We loaded the whole ship--600 horses
100 cars Of commissary stuff and 101cars
of ammunition. We worked continuous
ly and hard from Wednesday evening
at o'clock until Friday at 5, when we