Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-02
SOLDERING IN FLORIDA
Experience of Member of First u. u leg
iment at Tampa.
tn. E,co,nter with the "Man1esa
C,xoIrx.-Nen Report for Duty
I'm "Bathing Suits"

letter has Deen received Dy MI VIII
liam Dietz, jr., Of this city from N. F.
OBrien. formerly an employee Of the gov
ernment printing Office, who il a member
of Company of the LIST District Volun-
teers. The letter ia dated Tampa. Florida,
June p and reads In part:
Nothing has transpired of any conse-
quence since arriving here except an out
break from several hundred horses one
night last week. The animals escaped from
an Enclosure they were in just after taps
lights ouD had been sounded, and soon q
terrible rumbling sound was heard. Imme-
diately following that came the cry from
the sentries, Turn out the guard accom-
panied by the firing of a few guns. In a
moment everything was In confusion, and
every one in the regiment, from the top 10
the bottom. scrambled 10 the streets to meet
a cloud OF dust and a drove of half-mad
animals. Then the laughable side of the
affair showed up. as most of us were in
bathing attire or nearly SO. Assembly
sounded. meaning to fall in with guns and
belts. A rush to the tents was made and
in a few seconds the brave soldiers az
again appeared, some in their night shirts
and carrying their guns, and some with
shoes, coat and gun, but with no pantaloons
or belt Ike Weir, formerly of the gov
eminent printing office, crawled up a small
tree He had no trousers on. AS the horses
came down the street he attempted to go
higher, but slipped and fell, straddling a
tent and sending forth a screech that would
nave caused Comanche Indian to turn
green with envy. His yell caused q break
In the ranks, and several of the company
began sprint which was stopped only at
tne eno Oh the street by guard that was
posted there Otherwise, 1 reckon, they
would be running yet BY this time the
norses had left our regiment and were WIS.,
1tlng the 9th Maryland Volunteers and
the excitement was over. The foregoing
describes our first battle-the charge of ths
manless cavalry at Tampa.
But One Hotter Place.
Il recently had an attack of malaria
winch caused me to seek few interviews
with our surgeon. have at present a nice,
large. juicy plaster on my back, but am
doing my work. The weather here for a
few days past has been quite fair, as we
have had several showers. But on the
whole there is, in my opinion, only one
place hotter than Tampa In June, and that
place Is not on the map.
Iney are now giving us something new
In the way of work. We leave here twice
week about o'clock in the evening and
march TO Tampa Heights, carrying our
shelter tents (dog houses), blankets and
naVersacks. Upon arriving there we go
INTO camp and the next morning about
o CLOCK We break camp and start back hay-
Ing skirmish fights and other monkeyinx
ON the way. As it takes about five hours
VI me return Trip, We are all pretty well
tired on our arrival home.
his day is not only my birthday, but II
Is also the eleventh anniversary of the
remedies. We did not go out to drill this
afternoon, but took our guns apart instead
IonlSht We are to have some sort of re-
Ireshments, TO be provided by our officers
Nnile In camp 1t at first made me laugh to
see my friends coming over a field with a.
tree or a boiler Of water on their backs. or
some dude from Washington chopping down
tree or frying salt horse over a roaring
nre, with nothing on but hat an UNDER
SHIRT and a pair of pants. We play no IA
Vorltes here. l have taken my turn at al
most everything SO far, and think nothing
now or having some kind of an officer COM
ing up and saying, Pick up those pieces of
paper on the ground there, please
The Officers Polite.
Oar officers say please and they arc
about the only ones in the regiment who
use that expression. We have nothing but
the kindest Of words to say for Cap.
Domer and Lieuts. Crist and Redmon The
way some of the other officers in charge
yell at the privates under them is, in the
language of Dave Parker, fierce. To show
you what kind of man our captain is
will tell the following: From washington
to Chickamauga and from Chickamauga to
our present destination the captain of every
company but ours had a guard at each end
OF every train and allowed no one to enter
or leave. We had none, and had ingress
and egress at will. Is 1t any wonder we all
swear by him?'