The times., 1898-06-02
DISCIPLINE At THE CAMP
III Is DifIicalt TO Pass the Pickets
After Dark.
A R PORTER'S EXPERIENCE
4 Patient i'm the Division Hospital
Left the Place and Returned 10
the sfxty-Fiffh New York VoIun-
teers in Quest of F0od-Pastimes
of ihe Soldier Eoys.

Twenty-Five thousand troops are now
stationed at Camp Alger. Each day the
number increases and the present corps
presents a formidable appearance.
Imagine. if you can, %, ,0o0 armed soldiers
camped in one place 1t is the sight of
life time to watch this great army pre-
pare for the coming strife
The boys from the South find the night
air here extremely unhealthy, but June
will bring soft, balmy nights to make
their stay pleasant one.
Woe Unto the poor straggler who wends
his way in the direction of the camp after
s:3o o'clock in these times of war and
outposis The strictest kind of military
discipline is observed ard not only the
camp but the roads leading into it are
thick with sentries on picket duty.
The Times correspondent made a trip
from. Falls Church to the camp at 1880
TUESDAY night. The first quarter of
mile was covered without incident, but as
the correspondent neared the crossroads
capped figure loomed up in the road and,
pointing his bayoneted rife at the intru-
der's breast, cried. -'Haltr'
The correspondent advanced a pace.
Halt! Who goes there?"
81 have 4 pass
Hiatt where you stand.'
The sentry advanced and cried cut,
"Adyance and give the countersign-'
The correspondent produced his pass.
The sentry, stiH keeping his bayonet
pointed at an uneasy distance, cried out,
Corporal Of the guard, No. q
soEleK mere mp me road in the dark hol-
gows Of the pines a voice repeats, Cor
poral of the guard. No. s."
Still further on IL is repeated and again
repeated, and, after q wait, the corporal
appears and taking the pass examines it
carefully.
Pass on.'
The voice up the road takes it up and
repeats, pass on"
Two sentries are passed on the corporals
order and the correspondent breathes
more easily.
Suddenly a bayonet is thrust into his
face and a great voice cries, ''Halt!''
The halted one halts.
''gEho goes there2'
81 have a pass
Corporal Of the guard. No. e.
The cry Is passed up the road and the
corporal examines the intruder even more
Figidly than did The first one.
Pass on"
At the top Of a hill. between two great
blacknesses Of trees, the correspondent is
scared out OF his good nature by two
sharp Hats" like rife shots. The
sentries are thirty yards distant.
WHO goes therei DismouDt and give
the counteTsgn.'
The belated newspaper man "dismounts'
and presents his pass.
March So the marched one marches
IN front Of two long, cruel hayonets until
the Guardhouse, an outpost tent, is
reached.
Corporal of the guard, number 4. Ex-
anime"
So the pass is examined and the cor
respondent receives an escort past two
other sentries who halt both the escort
and the escorted. The escorted has TO
wait back in the road while the escort
advances and whispers the cOuntersigl.
At the top Of another hill. where the
Fhostly tents Of the distant white city
loom out Of the black, two more fierce
figures halt the reporter at fifty yards
distance. One Of them guards the road
while the other walks down and walks
the halted one back at the point of the
bayonet. A third guards the road while
the two drill the citizen to the camp line.
Here the corporal of the guard, number
s." examines the pass and drags the poor
newspaper man TO the sergeant of the
guard. number g." The sergeant says,
''Pass on" but at the entrance to camp
the correspondent is again held up and
examined and again when near his own
tent sentry yells for the corporal of
the guard number one When the cor
poral comes the reporter is turned over
with the instruction, "A man in citizens
attire" The guardhouse is again hunted
and the now bewildered wielder of the
pencil IS escorted 10 his tent.
This is only a sample. Everyone gets
the same treatment, officers, privates, and
civilians, going out or coming in, so
keep away from Camp Alger after taps.
Companies G and NJ. of the Eighth Ohio,
ere detailed on guard duty at Dunn Lor-
tng branch hospital has been estab-
hshed there 10 care for injured or pros
trated troops who arrive. Assistant sur
Eeon Capt. Wuchter, Of the Eighth ohio'
IS in charge.
The division hospital, which The Times
has criticised in the past few days has
been discovered to be lacking in many
things Complaints are coming in from
sll quarters. One patient from the Sixty
fifth New York deliberately walked away
as soon as he got a chance, and IN
formed his company that he had returned
10 get something to eat. The main obJec-
ton however, is TO the present location,
which is in the hollow of a filled ground,
and which resembles bog every time 1t
rains.
The Second Tennessee has been sta
toned away down the road two miles
from headquarters. Then men are all
well and like the camp. Col Anderson
has command Of this regiment.
The Thirty-tllird Michigan and the
Seventh Illinois are also few miles from
anywhere when in camp Wells are be
ing drilled and supplies carted out as
rapidly as possible The Illinois boys are
mainly Hibernians and are a fighting lot
Of volunteers.
The members of the regimental hospital
corps win be detailed to division hos
pital work today. About fifteen men will
be chosen from each regiment
The officers of the Eighth Ohio were
paid yesterday, and the men will soon
be fixed UP also.
Two privates from Company H, Eighth
Ohio, are in the hospital suffering witt
bronchitis. They are Lawrence Derry and
James Cole.
The men were drilled hard yesterday
and each dress parade shows a wonderful
Improvement There was little time fol
leisure during the morning but some o.
ahe boys enjoyed baseball and othel
games during the afternoon.
The Ninth Massachusetts arrived las
night The regiment is splendidly armed
and equipped. and the men form strik
ing contrast to other newly-arriyec
troops.
The regiments now stationed here art
are Sixth Massachusetts. Ninth Massa
chusetts Eighth Ohio, Ninth Ohio, Sew
enth Ohio Sixth Illinois. Seventh Illinois
Sixth Pennsylvania. Eighth Pennsylvania
Twelfth Pennsylvania Thirteenth Penn
eylYania. Third Missouri. Fourth Missouri
Second Tennessee, Third Tennessee
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