Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-05-26
fl Former North 1Rdover Bog On His WaB
To ThS Front.

John +. L., an. who enlisted With
Lacrosse Company. writes from Camp
Thomas. Chicamauga, Georgia. as
follows.
At last we are in the real South. Our trip
from Milwaukee has been the most pleasant
part of our military life which we have ex-
perienced SO far The weather has been de-
lightful, the scenery novel and beautiful
the railroad accommodations comfortable
and the rations at least 'livable" The last
of our three sections left Milwaukee at p.
m. Saturday. and Travelled south via Chica-
go, Terra Haute. Evansville and Nashville
to Chattanooga. where we arrived at a. m.
this morning. Our encampment at Milwau-
kee was pleasant in some ways but very
much the opposite in others. The visits OF
friends and their rememberances were
thoroughly enjoyed by US but the extreme
cold nights, rheumatism and pneumonia
weather, we are pleased to believe are
things of the past The yellow fever has no
terror for US. Chicamauga Park is beau
titul place. It is the Id field on which the
battle of Chicamauga was fought. It is a
national park containing 1000 acres and a
great spot for historical study. The park is
covered with monuments. inscription plates.
ETC.. which mark the maneuvering Of the
different troops and their work during the
battle. The wisconsin troops are encamped
in what is known as ''Kellys field. our tents
will be in the woods bordering on an open
field of 20 acres which will be used as drill
ground The Ohio and Illinois troops are
our .'neighbors" and will work with us up
on the field. We have today had our first
insight of real army work.
Ny mind reverted pleasantly back this
morning to our leaving Lacrosse; there we
saw from our train window figurative sea
of humanity composed of our friends. AS
the train steamed into Chicamauga Park on
looking out of the car windows we beheld
fgurative sea of army mules turned loose
in a lot when not in use. The contrast of
the hgurative seas was what caused the re-
version The mules have recently been
purchased and will be apportioned among
the troops. Each company gets four-mule
team. They are raw recruits like ourselves
and seem to go at the work with as much de-
termination as though they were willing
volunteers and had not been drafted into
service. Occasionally a span of leaders will
attempt to bolt down an embankment or
shy off in the woods and break a wagon
tongue. The driver rides the rear mule of
the tongue team has one line on the leaders
and big black snake-he is not troubled
with four lines his black snake, Gee
"Haw'' and other language equally forcible
keeps them in line,
| Troops from the different states are COM
ing continually and by tomorrow there will
be at least $4,000 men here. Many of the
wisconsin boys have heavy colds, quincy.
one case of pneumonia and one of measles.
One of the Lacrosse boys. Joe Bergonst of
Co B. is sick with pneumonia.
The first real encounter we have had so
| far was with our cooks al Camp Harvey the
day we were mustered in. They took the
| physical examination, the oath, but when it
came to signing the muster roll they re-
| fused unless the boys would pay 50 cents per
month each out of their salary to them. 1t
was at once discussed that they we're not
imbued with the proper spirit for such
work as we have before US and we decided
to dispense with their services-not that we
cared so much for the 50 cents but the fact
that we seemed to have some who were out
| for money alone. One of the boys then vol
unteered to do the cooking and we are no
longer fearful of having to eat our mule
steak" raw The southern people are patri-
| otto but the stars and stripes are not as
common as in the north. They assured us
/ that the late war 'cut no ice any more. -
The great cry was Remember the Maine.
On one of the depots we passed were the
words. mo North. no South, Remember the
Maine.
The Chattanooga papers this morning
gave us quite a writeup They styled US as
big husky men from the pineries. We have
introduced the Wisconsin yell among the
troops and when the thousand voices get be-
| hind it. the "U-rah-rah- Wisconsin, the
curious people at once know where we are
from. Within a few days Camp Thomas
will be a veritable military spot.
JOHN f. RYAN