Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-09
LIFE IN CAMP.
How the First West Virginia is Get
ting Along.
The Boys Have Received Their Pay
and Many Are Bankrupt Already
Where the Money Goes--An In
teresting Letter From Chicka-
manga.

camp G6UISe H. IHOHoo, SnASn"
manga Park, July 6.-Pay day for our
regiment and the surrounding regi-
ments has come and gone. The pay
rolls were made up last week and sent
to the paymasters. On Sunday morn
ing the armed squad and the paymaster
drove to the headquarters of the reg
mental commander, and in very few
minutes every man in the regiment
knew that the paymaster was here and
that we would get our money. Inc
companies assembled in their respective
company streets, and after the paymas-
ter had finished breakfast the compa-
MES were marched to the tent at head
quarters in their alphabetical order,
commencing at A, and on through the
whole twelve companies.
AS the company appeared before the
paymaster the officers, commissioned
and on-commissioned, were first paid,
then the privates were called one at a
time, and the paymaster, sitting at
table, with his assistant, and having
spread before him several piles of
new crisp bills and a pile of silver coin,
checked each mans name and handed
him the proper amount and called the
next. Thus it takes comparatively
short time-about two hours-to pay off
the whole regiment of 1900 men.
On the eastern side Of our camp are
a row of stands, about one-half a mile
lone, whore sou con buy almost any
thing Exorbitant prices are charged
for some things, but here the boys
spend a great part Of their money. So
when the mess" call is sounded for a
meal, not more than half the company
come to the cook tent to eat, notwlth-
standing that we are getting extra good
| meals now.
Every day as many Of the boys as
possibly can, secure passes to go to
Chattanooga, and here many of them
spend their whole two months pay,
and come back to camp financially
| bankrupt. On the Fourth some of the
boys went without passes and then did
not get back in time for roll call. They
will be dealt with accordingly.
In some of the company streets gam
| bling has been the chief diversion since
pay day. 1t is more open than in
Wheeling, and that is saying great
deal. Many of the boys who drew two
| months salary on Sunday haven't a
| cent now.
Many of the boys have had their pic
lures taken and are sending them to
their friends. Very nice cabinets are
furnished the boys for $500 and $3.50
per dozen, but over in the Georgia reg
iment you may have tin types"taken for
ten cents each. -
One of the busiest places about the
whole park is the West Virginia regl-
mental canteen; around this there is
always a crowd and as some Of the reg
iments would not allow beer to be sold
or it is not sold for some reason, they
come to the West Virginia canteen.
It is taking more men to guard the
canteen and the crowd than 10 guard the
guard house full of prisoners. as It has
| been since pay day. Notwithstanding
| the terrible curse that the canteen IS
made of here, when we get away from
| this camp and it's stands, it will come
| in handy as a place to buy necessities.
such as paper, pen, ink, pencils, as well
as canned goods, molasses and such
! other things as are good to cat.
For the last two days troops have
| been leaving here and are supposed TO
be going to Charleston to be put on
| transports to go-we don't know
| where. We the First Regiment Of
| West Virginia Volunteers, are looking
for orders to move from here at any
| time. We are all anxious to go. We
don't care much where. So it is some
place where We are needed and is away
from this camp. We are being equipped
as rapidly as possible here. Much at
tention Is given to breaking camp and
setting up camp again.
Company NJ claims to have a record
| for time in breaking camp, loading wag-
| ons and marching out on the road and
back and setting Up camp in twenty
| three minutes.
There have been some reports out in
Wheeling that some OF the Wheeling
boys were shot willie trying to run the
guard lines Of the camp But it is not
so, as all the boys are and have been
well. excepting in one or two cases
where the victims were not shot.
In the last few days the mail appears
to have lessened considerably, probably