The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-15

some of the Horrors OF the Cuban
Campaign-His Own Regiment
Light Cast on the Stories of Star
walton Told by the Men Back
From Cuba. 51i-
A committee of Minneapolis citizens
with Mayor Pratt at the head, went to
Fort Smelling yesterday, to- confer with
Col Page about the desire, of the city
of Minneap polls to do honor to the
brave men of the Third. Col. Page
said they would accept the tender of
hospitality. Then the colonel entertain
ed the visitors by telling them some
thing about the Cuban campaign. In
stead. however, of being the rugged,
healthy man of five months ago, he is
an invalid, crushed and broken in all
but spirit. His hearing is impaired. a
wasting fever contracted at the front
has left him wasted and wan.
But 1 shall soon get well and strong
again." the colonel said, hopefully. And
then he went on to relate what horrors
war has caused. 81 went away with
523 men of as fine physique and as we'll
disciplined as you would find in the
country he said. Now" and there
was something akin to a tear in the
eye and a CULVER in the voice Now
of those 500 and more brave boys, the
train will bring in Friday morning 200
of them, broken in health, unable, a
large proportion of them, to climb the
hill from the railroad station, lettering
under their own feeble weight, their
backs hpnt and forms Wacfad Of +bjo
200 returning to me, not more than for
ty will be fit even for guard duty, and
I shall be obliged to send the recruits
now stationed here, with all the rockies
I can find, to the cars to- carry and
assist the men to their barracks
Talk all you will about. THE volun-
teers," Col Page said, "but for war the
regulars are the only men who under
stand and appreciate the art and
science of military law Not that there
is not heroism in the volunteer soldier.
Every man is brave; the coward is the
exception. But practice and discipline
are essentials to success; without them
something will go wrong. do not ex-
pect that with the hundreds of men
under my command and enforcing dis
going to be liked. Many viii, no doubt.
curse and swear while made to be ODE
dent to orders, but by and by when
those orders communicated through Of
ncers and to the men, at time when
stern directing hand is needed, and
When side by side are other troops fall
ing away in confusion and a shepherd
is looked for in vain, then those same ,
men will say the old man was right af-
ter ALL and their respect and esteem
follows as a natural consequence"
This line Of thought led Col Page to
review the Seventy-first New York and
the First Massachusetts,
The SeVenty-flrst," said Col Page,
"came into line Of battle with an anna
teur photographer at their head. His
duty was to snapshot the first man
who fired gun, whether the Spaniards
were in sight or not. OF Course it was
arranged that the blaest., blood dude
in the regiment was to be plt forward
as the target for the camera and so
the job was done. Bah! it makes me
sick, and then when the bullets did
begin to fly what did the Seventy-frst
do? Laid down, trying to set out of
harms way, and of officers, to rally the
men and lead them on, there were none.
Finally along came a cOlored regiment,
and these black, but undauuted; men
were compelled to walk over the New
York blue bloods to get up to the firing
line.
OF the First Massachusetts, Col. Page
said the colonel was a liquor merchant,
y
war, and, when ordered by Col. Page
to raise the embankment Of the
trenches, a military phrase, being en-
ployed, did not understand what TO
do, and the commander Of the Third
was delighted to do it himself.
Referring to his recent sickness, Col
Page called the attention Of his Wis
itors to the extravagant reports Of
starvation among the men on trans
ports and in hospitals when have been
published in certain papers. AS to
conditions, he cited his own case.
Three weeks or a month ago." he
said. IT could not speak my own name
or indicate what I wanted. I was
complete physical wreck, and this fever
will cause that, if anything will. The
SCOlIloCh Will IOI dSSlLllIdIe lVCu OI
any kind, and you might Just as we'll
murder a patient as give him any
thing to eat. Yet a man in this cundi-
ton Graves food with an unutterable
yearning. He will beg and cry for 1t;
steal it, if the opportunity is presented.
Well, these newspaper men with SEN
Sational instincts and tendencies find
feVer-Stricken soldier lying on a cot,
and, learning that there is an ear open
to receive his tale of woe. he will cry
out Look at me; see how am starv-
ing, and can get nothing to eat
And this" said Col Page, lis the
foundation for many of the stories of
abuse and neglect which have gone
OUT
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