Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-05-11
THE JEFFERSON FENCIBLEs
Are Contonted With Their Cen- dition.--A Letter From Mr.
 Geo. S. Valiant.
CAMP DoDGF, May ', 1898.


 write home for them, using the medium of the GRAPHIC.
 We are comfortably fixed up and are now settling down to routine life. Our special was greeted aH along the road last Wednesday, with greatest enthusiasm. At Altheimer we were met by our maid of honor, Miss Collier. and a number of ladies. Besides the smiles and good wishes of the ladies, we were showered with boquets of beautiful roses. At Altheimer the Helena Light Guards, 106 strong, in two coaches, were hitehed on to our train. The part ing of the engine from the train was the only event of the short run. Three times the engine broke lose, running a quarter of mile ahead. As our train drew into the Argenta railroad yards every engine fn the yards turned lose it's whistle. The whistling and cheering was almost deafening and continued fully twenty minutes. The people showed how much was thought of the volunteer boys in blue, and our opinion was general that the reception was worth weeks of hard work. Our passage through Little Rock at- tracted but little attention. Several companies were already at Camp Dodge when we arrived. Though inexperienced we were fairly suc- cessful in pitching our tents, the only complaint coming from the boys who pitched their tents in space allotted to other companies, thus losing the tents they pitched.
 The tents being pitched we began about dark to get our first meal. Arrangements for feeding the troops had not been fully completed and some of the boys came out short on rations. Everything is running in smooth order now. The boys are all divided into messes of from four to ten. One from each mess lines up in front of the quarter master sargent's tent and is given enough light bread and steak for his mess. We also get coffee, sugar and salt. We have been treated to irish potatoes and lard twice. Vegetable wagons drive up to the camp every day and a good many of the boys indulge in vegetables l have just gotten up from a meal at which we had English peas, radishes, toast, light bread, steak and coffee. Ice water is kept in barrels, one in each street.
 There is a street for each company. The tents are put up in rows facing each other and about twenty feet between. The space between makes the streets. In each row the tents are placed as closely together as possible.
 The first night we were here it rained, and a number who hadn't exercised much care or judgment in raising the tents suffered from the rain. The seargents had to stand up 0n knap sacks and boxes for several hours at night, while the rain ran through the tent and soak ed blankets and clothes. We are be- yond all such blnnders now. Our trenches keep the water out but the last two nights most Of us have felt the want of something to keep. the cold out. There are four in an eight by nine tent. This puts us pretty close together and by cover ing with our blakets we manage to get through the nights without any particular inconvenience.
 We are called out at six in the morning and are given exercises of the body. The exercises last only a few minutes but they quickly bring a man to a correct and healthy position At S:30 we have Il thirty minutes drill and again at 10:30; din- ner about l and two more thirty minute drills in the afternoon. Our company is the only one here using the new manual Df arms. This gives us a good advantage and we expect to have the best company in the two regiments. In fact we think we already have it. Our captain is un- questionably the best on the field and he is doing the right thing by us. Our only fear is that he may be pro- noted to a commission of Major, thus depriving us of his excellent ability. The Mccarthy Light Guards nuke a pretty show on the field, when they drill only with the old members. They have large number nf raw recruits, and we believe our company will be at least their equal