The leader., 1898-07-06
CAMP CHICKAMAUGA.
Mississippi Boys Still There But
Chatting to Get to the Front.

Special Correspondence to THE LEADER.I
Chickamauga Park, Ca, July 3.
There has not been much news
to write since my last, besides
yours truly got roped in along with
the balance of the "suckers" who
joined the army and had to bare
his arm to the shoulder and sub.
init to vaccination, and now the
good work along that line is hav.
ing a telling effect upon me, but
on nearly every one else as well.
Aside from this sickness, our boys
are in very good health and able
to devour all government rations
except beans aud tomatoes, which
from some cause they have sworn
vengeance against and threaten to
hang the cOmmissary man if he
don't stop having them cooked.
The boys are now receiving more
rations than they did at first and
there is seldom any complaint of
hunger except from "Red" Bowen
and James McGrath, who kicked
out on government soft bread be-.
cause it contained too much alum
water and salt peter instead of sour
milk and baking powder, and they
now seem satisfied since the re.
ceipt of large box of bread, cakes,
etc., from home.
Bob King, Olian Smith and Will.
liam Prestridge, three of our boys
who have been in the division hos.
pital for some time with typhoid
fever, am glad to state, are about
we'll, and will return to company
quarters in few days. Lieut.. Nc.
Cormick has also recovered from
an attack of the measles, and is on
duty again at headquarters as ord.
nance officer.
The regiment as a whole is not
as sickly as some of the press state
and what cases of fever there ex.
lists can be traced to the hot, mud.
dy river water we were compelled
to drink while in Jackson. Com.
ing to such fine climate as this,
where the purest of spring water
can be had at all times, day or
night, the malarial poison in a
mans system soon begins working
out, and short illness is due him.
There is every indication of a
pay day in the 1st Mississippi as
we'll as all other regiments here in
few days, as the pay rolls went
in on the 3Oth, and the pay masters
have arrived with something over
100000 of Uncle Sans dollars
This news is aff0rding the boys
much pleasure as most of them are
like myself-dead broke, but hap.
py in the thought that it will not
always be thus. There has been
issued, so the press states, all Or
der for the movement of 27 regi-
ments from here, and that the
movement will begin in few days.
The Mississippi boys are very sore
over the fact that they are not in.
cluded in the list, and it is but nat.
ural that they should be consider.
ing the length of time they have
been here and the fact that they
enlisted to 60 to the front and fight
instead of coming to summer in the
mountains of Georgia. While they
are not as thoroughly equipped as
they will have to be, they are we'll
drilled, hard fighters and will stand
Cuba's climate with the best of
them. However, Uncle Sam does
as he thinks is best, and before he
gets through with the boys they
may have more fighting than they
want. The boys have all shown
up fine in their two last dress pA.
rades and are winning the respect
of every other regiment here.
Music for dress parade has been
furnished us by the 52nd Iowa
band, and there is not finer band
or more pleasant set of gentle.
men in the park than the Iowa
boys, and our boys have 10 regrets
to express in being in the same
brigade with such jolly set of fel.
lows.
The boys all regret very much
ttat none of them could attend the
Cold Springs picnic, as it would
not only have resulted in a pleas.
ant time, but would in all proba-
bility have brought our required
number of recruits, which, by the
way, are coming in rather slow
from that section. l am glad to
state, however, that Company 81
has a reputation sufficiently good
to bring them from other sections
Of the State, and it the mushroom
boys about BrOOkhaven haven't
any desire to join us we trust the
girls will have a good time with
their pocket books during the sum-
mer attending church festivals