The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-02
NEW SOLDIERS IN CAMP
THE I61ST INDIANA REGIMENT RAP
IDLY COMING TOGETHER.
Companies That Arrived Yesterday
Major Savage Looks Over His New
Company of Engineers.

The activity increased at Camp Mount
yesterday. Thursday night the Rushville
company camped alone, but al 9 o'clock
yesterday morning Capt. Menz!es marched
his Mount Vernon company into the fair
grounds to the cheers of the assembled SOL
diers from Rushvile. AS soon as the new
soldiers were assigned to quarters over
looking the old Battery A camp ground
each company sent a detail to draw ratons
and by noon everyone was busily engaged
in discussing the first government meal. A
few minutes before noon Captain Crosby
arrived with his Madison recruits and they
too got in line at once for dinner rations
before Lieutenant Petersen's commissary
quarters. The New Castle and Richmond
companies arrived, under the command of
Captains Ogborn and Smith, almost stimuli
taneously. about 2 o'clock, and at once set
tied alongside the Mount Vernon company
All the boys spent the afternoon in getting
acquainted. There was nothing to do ex-
cept to lounge on the grass in the shade of
the trees. About 4 o'clock the Jacksonville
company arrived, headed by Captain Baird
and by ) o'clock the camp was so quiet it
did not seem there were nearly seven hun
cred men there.
According to programme, the medical ex-
aminations will begin to-day, but the mus
ter will be deferred until all the companies
have been pronounced ready for service.
The companies have been given their regi-
mental letter according to the time of their
arrival in camp. Rushville is A, Mount
Vernon B, Madison c. New Castle d, Rich
mond q and Jeffersonville F..
. Colonel Durbin yesterday appointed Baird
Stalzgaber quartermaster sergeant and A.
X. Brown commissary sergeant. Major
H., reRlmental
ed William Rathert and Frank Sloan, of
indianapolis, and John r. Lewis, of Bed
ford, as hospital stewards for the regiment.
The recruiting for the coored companies
continues TO be at a standstil Not a man
was brought in yesterday by either captain,
and the chances are much against their
raising even enough to form one company.
Up to date there have been eighty men ac-
cepted out of a necessary 212. While Gov
ernor Mount has not given up hope of get
ting two colored companies out from this
State, he feels sure if the colored men had
exhibited the same interest in filling their
companies as they did in complaining about
not being recognized some time ago the
companies would by this time be full t.. to
southern part of the State drumming up
colored recruits.
For the first time since the new regiment
has been quartered at Camp Mount a guard
was posted last night at the gates. In or
der to do the thing in proper military man
ner 1t was necessary to send couple of
recruits to the Statehouse to get enough
guns to make a soldierly appearance on
guard. To-day guards will be sprinked
about the camp pentifully, particularly
about the quartermasters headquarters and
Colonel Durbin's executive abode.
The Indiana company under Capt B. +.
Dickson, according to programme. was for
mally enrolled and mustered yesterday by
Captain Rockefeller into the Second Regi-
ment of Volunteer Engineers Maj. Rich
ard Henry Savage, the well-known author.
who arrived yesterday from Cincinnati, in
company with Maj Franklin A. Meacham,
the battalion surgeon, will command the
battalion of which the company forms
part. He had long talk with Governor
Mount in the reception room of the State
house. yesterday afternoon, and pledged
himself to do everything possible for the
Indiana boys under his command. Major
Savage does not believe in keeping soldiers
under the restraint of unnecessary rules by
fear of punishment, but appeals to the best
impulses of man by placing him under
discipline on his horror When he sent the
two Cincinnati companies to Fort Sheridan
he told them he was not going to send any
officer with them to browbeat them into
observation of the rules, but instead told
them they represented the honor of the
Nation and their manhood should compel
them to conduct themselves with honor and
decorum. AS a consequence the men ar
rived in the best of order. AS Major Saw
age is an old West Pointer of several years
service his opinion is worth something as a
manager of men.