The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-19

provision had been made during the four
months stay OF the men in their foul-smeIl-
Ing quarters against the inclemencies of the
weather. 1t was dreary ride. On the road
l met several soldiers, evidently homeward
bound, toiling painfully the muddy and,
in some places, stream-washed road. The
rain was pouring in torrents. Huge empty
baggage wagons, drawn by frisky mules, and
occasionally galloping officer bespattered
the tired plodders with mud and water but
no one offered to give these poor wretches a
lift.
In making my way to the camp of the
Fourteenth New York regiment. nauseating
odors from dozen abandoned camps assailed
the nostrils. There were sckening stenches
that came from piles of garbage, rotting straw
and the thinly covered rain washed sinks. On
little hills in the open here and there, several
regimental camps were pitched in the malaria
vapOrs and the sinks had driven the men out
into the open.
1t is no exaggeration to say that there were
many places in the woods from which came
overpowering SMELLS worse than those of a
charnel house. The rains brought out all thes. g
varied and disgusting odors in all their foul
ness. Yet 1t was in the woods that l found
the Fourteenth encamped.
Most Of the regiments still in camp were
in the open ground. Every camp street
was small stream. Of course that could
not be prevented by military order but in
noarly every tent in the camp, with the ex-
ception of the officers tents, the men had
to sit on tho bare ground or their ponchos
They had been four months In camp, vet
Uncle Sam was apparently unable to sup
ply the lumber necessary for the flooring of
privates tents. In many cases the water
penetrated the tents.
L visited every street in the camp and ex-
RI fbo
tents in which sick men were lying on pom
chos placed on the bare ground This and
that man were pointed out by privates as be-
ing too sick to do duty. On every side men
cIamored their desire to be sent home. 9th
ers spoke bitterly Of hospital treatment. The
great majority were plainly discontented
They were anxious to get back to Brooklyn.
shall not attempt to narrate their COM
plants, for many may have been exaggerat-
ed. One will suffice. Corporal Churub said !:
Il counted nine dead blue flies in the hash
I had in one day. The men want to go home
We were willing to fight for the country
but now that the war is over we want to go
home. If we don't go many man here now
will never return alive"
Father Ryan, of st. AIMS church PhiIa-
delphia. visited hospital tent to see if he
help. He saw boyish looking chap trying
to get his hand UP so he could rub his ear,
but he was too weak. The good father raised
the young fellows hand UP so as to give
him lift. And seeing that something was
wrong looked under his arm. He then SPOKE
about the matter Indignantly to a surgeon.
He asked why the patient had not been at
tended to, and he received the careless an
swer: "Oh, he's only been here a few days.
friend Of F. o. Vert, a lawer of Chat
tanooga, said: "One morning while Mr.
Vert was out to the camp one of Grigsby' S
| sick cowboys, lying in a tent, motioned to
him. He stopped and walked inside and
| asked of the cowboy what he wanted The
| sick man said he had not had any food for
| a long time and begged for a glass of milk
Mr.. Vert got the milk but the man was too
weak to raise himself up. Vert put his
arm around the man to lift him. Then he
saw that he was lying in a horrible condi-
| ton and 1t made him so sick at the stomach