The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-03

scene, and it is only sample of what
goes on every night, and among all
1ur soldiers. Care touches their Shout
lers but lightly, yet they are all eager
for a chance TO fight the Spanish, anx-
ious TO do their duty as soldiers Of the
republic.
There is nothing to bring out mans
social qualities like a blazing camp
fire. 1t may seem strange to speak of
a campfire in a place where everybody
is supposed TO be sweltering. But
while the days are hot, the evenings
are cool, and the dampness of the
heavy dews is penetrating. So, on al
most any evening, the cheerful blaze
may be seen sparkling among the trees
in every direction, and around each fire
a group of story telleS matching their
experiences.
Such group was gathered before
the tent Of a bronzed and bearded cav
airy captain a few evenings ago, drawn
thither by the unfailing magnet of the
campfire. Besides the host, whose army
record extended back to the civil war,
there was another captain, West
Pointer. graduated early in the '10's,
jolly little man, who would rather fight
than eat, so his comrades say. There
were two first leutenants, one from
West Point and one from the ranks,
and two second lieutenants from civil
life. Harmony in the extreme was evil
dent, and the so-claimed differences
between West Pointers and ranks men
apparently exist only in imagination.
Somebody had just asked the bearded
captain, the veteran of the group, to
tell how he came to enter the army.
1T was in August, 1862. just after
Pope met his big reverse began the
officer. L was Shipping clerk in
New York dry goods house, and had
held out against joining the ranks for
two years because my mother and sis
tiers We're dependent upon me. But
after this reverse which made the
north finally realize the size of the job
it had tackled, / made up my mind that
It was my duty to go. It happened that
just then l met a friend who had been
in the service, but was home on sick
leave, and who wanted me to help him
raise a company for the Metropolitan
brigade, which was then forming.
I'VE opened our headquarters in a
beer saloon on Broome street, getting
Il rent free because the patriotic old
Teuton who ran the place said that the
custom which would naturally accrue
from the recruits would pay him for
his trouble. l knew a number of police
officers and asked them to help us in
obtaining men. How well they were
doing this / didn't realize at first, even
though I noticed that we were getting
about the toughest aggregation of cit
liens l had ever laid my eyes on. 1t
was some time before 1 learned that
the police were giving all the buns and
thugs they ran in at night the option
of enisting or being hauled up before
the judge in the morning. That's the
way they We're helping us. AS the po-
Iicemen received IS for each recruit
they brought to US, it was a very profit
able business for them.
LAS soon as the regiment was mus
tered in, it was sent up to Riber'S ISL
and and the city authorities took good
care not 70 let us back into the city.
Even when We went to the front, they
would not let US pass through New
York but placed us on a boat which
never stopped until it reached Allan
tic City. From there we went by rail.
AT Baltimore we Ntopped over night.
and the whole crowd of men and some
of the officers got gloriously drunk.
The captain and l determined to stop
IL in our company. We got couple Of
stout clubs and waded into the car
where the men were lying in the aisles
and all over the seats. We literally
had to fight for our lives when we be-
gan to pour out the oily whisky with
which every canteen was filled, and for
a time it was a question whether we
would ever get out alive. But after
we had laid out few of the riaglead-
leaders the rest of them were cowed.
We were masters of the situation after
that: the men respected us and obeyed
orders: and l must say that there were
few troops with better records at the
close of the war than that borne by
our Convict" regiment.
you, gentlemen. who have served in
southwestern Texas began the jolly
West Point captain. have seen the
Seminole negro-Indian scouts. In the
early eighties. when l was lieutenant.
ny regiment was stationed at old Fort
Clara and was assigned to command