West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1898-08-04
SERVING UNCLE SAM.
A Breezy Letter From One OF Our
Boys In Blue.
Camp Life Down In Dixie Where the
PickaninRies Grew.
Special Letter to The Anaus.
CAMP GEORGE ii. THOMAS. !
CHicKAMAUGA PARK. GA.
.fnl,. - fSas L

CHicKAMAUGA PARK. GA.
July ~ 1898.
To-day will try To write short let
ter for The ARGUS. for fear they will
get the impression that we have left
Camp Thomas
The situation here has not ma aterially
changed since our last letter. unless IL
be that the boys are little more
anxious each day TO go the front.
Since tile Puerto Rican movement
has been started all sorts OF rLmors
have been going. The report would
go out that we would start next day
at ten o'clock. or four o'clock or that
we would leave inside of twenty
four hours. or inside of two days. or
five days. These are the kind OF rnmors
that we hear every half hour here
regular.
The first regiment Is stiil at Camp
George II. Tho nas. or this yNe are
certain AS 10 when our regiment
will move, IL is MT certain. In fact
the bows have had their hopes raised
so often by reported rumors Of removal
only To have them dashed to pieces
again that they do not believe every
thing by a long shot and great many
of them will not believe they are going
till they are actually on board the cars
at Lytle or Ringgold. The latter
place ls eight miles away on the Allan
tic and Southern Railway. The troops
that go To Charleston and Tampa are
loaded there. while those who go to
Newport News will load at Lytle.
In case. by hook or crook. that the
first regiment takes part ia the Puerto
Rican expedition. we will probably. in
all lIkelyhood. go to Newport News
and embark there for San Juan or
Tronee. The distance from Newport
News is 1 $50 miles. from Charleston
and Tampa about ! ,45O or 500 miles.
The weather Is very warm here now
but our boys have got used TO il so that
they doh't mind IT. very much not any
more than we would in harvest field
10 Preston The old adage says that
person can get used to anything except
hanging and he don't mind that after
he has hing awhile. So it Is with the
Georgia July days
Each company Is being supplied with
equipment as fast as IL Is received. and
while no company Is complete in equip
'nents, yet they are SO nearly so that
they could leave II they had the chance.
Some Of the companies in our regi-
meuts are not entirely supplied with
blanket Bugs, belt buckles. snspenders
and few other trifes. The equip
ments are being rushed here by ex-
press instead Of freight as heretofore, ju
order 10 save time.
OF course each regiment Ia the park
wants to go. Every regiment instinc-
lively feels that this will probably end
the war unless the unexpected happens
as ~ sometimes does. Hence each
regiment wants " be IN the fight
during the last round. IL was re-
ported yesterday that the First West
Virginia had been taken out OF the
second brigade and It's place supplied
with better drilled regiment, but this
report has not been verified mp 70 this
time however. No sooner is one fake
story run 10 the earth than another
fool report is started
Friday afternoon Company "H"
marched out to the rife range and had
target practice at two hundred yards.
We had our one hundred yard practice
some time ago when IL rained for two
days aud Of course you can easily sec
that IL was soft snap" standing ont
in a cornfield after that much rain
Preston patriots made a good record
AT both ranges and will give good
account Of themselves II they get to
the front The West Virginia regi-
ment is known as the sharpshooters,