The Atlanta constitution., 1898-10-17
VOLUNTEER SOLDIER:
A SHORT RANGE VIEW
The Rough Riders Good Type---The Talk a Good
Deal More About War Before They Get in Their
First Fight Than Afterwards===Camp Life.
BY ROBERT B. CRAMER,

social gamut was run. Side by side with
a New York millionaire slept and ate and
fought an Arizona desperate. who had left
his country for his own and his cOuntry's
good Yale graduates sWapped tobacco
with the toughest rufiians that the from
tier produced Discipline was at a
discount. Just before the fatal encounter
at LaGuasma | was in the camp of the
Rough Riders along the trail from Dali
quri to Juraguacito, and was talking with
Colonel Wood and Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt, when the sound of angry voices
came from tent nearby. There were loud
oaths and threats and breathinGS of dlsor-
der.
Send a man TO that tentsto quell that dis
turbanCe" ordered Colonel Wood sharply.
Captain O'Nail who was killed ten days
later, walked to his company quarters ana
found young Hamilton Fish there shaving
himself in front Of q three-mch mirror
nailed to tree. Fish was over sIX feet
tall. with hands like hams and muscle that
would have made him Il dangerous antdG-
onist for Fit2smmons.
Sergeant" said Captain O'Nein. go
over to that tent and stop that racket
Fish stuck his razor in the tree, brushed
the lather off his face with bis coat sleeve
and dove into the canvas from which the
objectionable sounds came. a second later
there was shower of men, whisky bottles'
ity and the tent was rent from end TO end
Sergeant Fish came back to report that he
had quclled the disturbance and Captain
ONeill carried the report to Colonel Wood.
FOrty-eight hours later Fish was killed,
but while he lived he demonstrated better
than any other man in the regiment the
fact that physical prowess alone could
command obedience in the nondoscript out
fit in which he served as u non-commis-
stoned officer.
Nearly all the volunteers who were
part of the first expedition to Santiago
spent their first foW days on shore in tell
ing what they were going to do to the
Spaniards when the opportunity offered.
They used to play cards in their tents. or
sit about their camp fires at night and
they were so boodthirsty that we news
paper men used to shiver as We listened
to them. But a few days later the battle
opened. and these same volunteers, thrown
into the fighting line without even
chance TO say their prayers. were given
the great test which makes or unmaltes
a soldier 1t isn't much of test. 1t IS
only the whzz of a volley fire, or the
bursting of shell or shrapnel But when
q man has heard it and then goes on plug
ging away at the enemy with his old
Springfield single-lOader, he is every incn
a soldier and the recognized equal OF
every regular in camp. OF those who get
dysentcry and return to the rear nothing
need be said.
The evolution Of the fighting man brings
him out of his first days battle soberel,
Quictcd pale and hungry for revenge. He
has seen his friends and comrades shot
down by his side and he has no appetite
for the supper that he cooks mechanically
because he sees others doing il. He eats
nothing and goes to sleep with all MS
clothes on His dreams are fun of terrors
which he only half realized while awake
and the sound OF rcVcllc IN the morning
brings him into line with glazed eyes and
a mind incapable OF approaching It's sur
rouudugs. He goes into the trenches
again and shoots like a madman for 4
while. when suddenly he becomes hungry
and reaches for his hardtack. BY degrees
he gets sane and cool again. ana if he lives
through the day he comes out of the
trenches at night to find the warm hand
clasp of his commanding officer and to lis
ten to words of compliment which bring
tears to his eyes,
This is not one mans eXpcricncc-tt Is the
experience OF many. 1t shows the transi-
ton OF the youth who cnlists because he
thinks, on general principles. that it fs
right for him 20 do it, to the soldier whose
appreciation Of war coOls and subducs and
hardons his emotions until he becomes
merely fighting machine It is hard
process but If your Uncle Sam wants to
pick out Il hundred thousand men from his
Volunteers to form a standing army he
can do so with little trouble There are
that many already who know what sol
diers life is, ana who. knowing it. are
ready to live It.