Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-07-20
OUR BOYS In CAMP.
An Interesting Letter From L. Elzea,
Who is With Co. !, 10th
Iowa Volunteers.

Jacksonville, Fla, July Is, 1898.
EDITORS PUBLIC OPINION:
will now endeavor to write up the
situation here as well as / can. This
camp is composed of about $1,000 men
as near as l can learn, under Major
General Lee. The country around
here is level tand covered with groves
of pine timber. 1t started to rain Sun
day evening about 8 o'clock and
stopped sometime last night or this
Wednesday, morning, and as result
everything is flooded about camp.
bitches have been dug all over the
camp but it is damp and bad and if
these rains Feep on half of this army
will be sick Most of the tents have
pine floors IN them, but the late re-
cruits have to take the bare ground or
get pass and get pine boughs and
grass until they get lumber here for
them.
Co. l. 49th regiment, is mostly made
up of Waukon boys, and nearly all
trades and professions are represented.
Most of them have left good wages at
home to take up the hardships of war
at SIS per month. The discipline in
camp is very strict. The officers are:
Col, VIM. Bows; Captain, A. G.
Stewart; LIST Lieut., Ore Nichols; End
Lieut., w. S. Hart; 1st Sergeant. n.
Kelse; End Sergeant, f. Stillwell; Bird
Sergeant, A. M. Stewart; 4th Sergeant,
J. Cummings; 9Th Sergeant, j. Hager;
9Th Sergeant, B. Martindale; Corporals,
F. Roby, f. Roch, D. Ragen, J. Casey,
o. Golrod, A. Dugless. We have
found the officers pleasant and oblig-
ing to us green hands and they spare
no pains to teach us our place.
All seem to want to go to the front
and every now and then you can hear
soldier say that he enlisted to go to
Cuba and not to stay here. Last night
word was given out by some of the
officers that, owing to the wet weather
here, our camp would be moved to
Macon, Georgia, within five days.
Still another rumor has it that the 49th
is to be sent north to guard the Spanish
prisoners. My own belief is that we
will be sent to Cuba if we move, as
some of the company are ordered to
continue target practice which had
been discontinued fora while back. 1t
has rained every day since / have been
here. 1t generally lasts aboutan hour.
About the grandest sight | have ever
seen was the parade of troops in Jack
sonville on July 5th when about eight
thousand in line of march were re-
viewed by General Lee and Division
Commanders. For two hours this fine
body of troops marched through the
rain and then back to camp through
the mud, the bands playing "March-
ing Through Georgia." etc. In the
march was Col. Torsey's Cavalry, with
mule train, with bell on the lead
horse. The mules, with loads strapped
on their backs, follow this bell. They
were in charge of A. j. Nielsen, of
Sheridan, n. Y, who has served for
Is years at this business. Every little
ways in the parade came those angels
of mercy, the red cross hospital wagon,
an ambulance wagon with tenting
stretched over them like the old prairie
schooner, with the stretcher-bearers,
carrying their stretchers, marching by
their side.
We have two hours drill in the fore
noon and two in the afternoon when
the weather permits. l will close for
this time; will endeavor to do better in
my next letter. l.. ELIZA.
Camp Cuba. Libre.