Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-04
Large Contingent at Camp Alger
Awaiting Orders.
DEPARTURE FOR SOUTH
Great Notification Over the Victory
at Santiago.
THE LEADING EVENTS
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

the I'd Brigade, list Division, I'd Army
Corps. rejoiced yesterday and today in
| the hope of being soon sent to the front.
| For some time past waiting orders have
| been in the hands Of the brigade command
er, and his entire command has held itself
| in readiness for departure at any time.
| But day after day lapsed without the long
| hoped-for orders, and the men had finally
! given up the idea that they would be sent
| to take part in active warfare at any time
before their comrades of other Commands.
| Yesterday it was intimated that the War
| Department had decided to reinforce Gen.
| Shafter with troops drawn from Camp AL
| ger, and that the LIST Rhode Island and Gen.
| Garrettsons men had been selected for
this purpose. There was, accordingly, no
end of rejoicing about the camp Of the I'd
| Brigade and the Rhode Island men. With
| the call for mess this morning came the
| news, however, that Santiago was almost
| taken, and 1t was generally agreed that
| the reinforcements contemplated would
| Eot be necessary Touching this point
Gen. Garrettson said:
I'VE have received no orders for moving
since those of week or SO ago, direct
| ing us to be ready to move at hours
| notice. We have waited patiently to be
! sent away. and I suppose we can wait
patiently a great deal longer / anticipate,
| however, that my brigade and the LIST
Rhode Island will leave Camp Alger either
| tonight or tomorrow morning, two regi-
| ments Of the I'd Brigade going to Newport
News and the remaining regiments of my
| brigade going to Charleston, s. c., with the
LIST Rhode Island. These men will then
| be transported. at least so 1 am Informed,
directly to Santiago, Notwithstanding the
report that we are not to take III the oper-
atoms before that city. If we do go l am
confident Camp Ayers representatives will
do their best, and will render as good an
| account of themselves as any other men
who have gone to the 'front.' We are now
fully equipped. We have little to ask for
except an opportunity to use those equip
ments.'
In the camp of the LIST Rhode Island ev
erything Is confusion. The state of Rhode
Island gave its volunteers everything for
| which a soldier can find any use. The
weight Of their equipments seemed so in
significant when thrown under the seat of
a Pullman car that nearly every one
brought with him to camp a great quantity
| of extra cooking utensils and food. All this
and all the souvenirs acquired since the regi-
| and sent home and It is this work that
occupies the time and turns the holiday
into working day ofhthe busiest sort.
False Rumors Afoat.
Various newspapers have recently pub
lished lists of men in the service here who
have succumbed to the heat and have left
their readers to believe that about one
fourth of the 10000 men now in camp are
under, the surgeons care. Letters of in
quiry are pouring in from every source,
and the surgeons, to whom they are re-
ferred have been driven nearly wild. Some
of them have asked The Star to make clear
the true state of affairs. which Is that very
few, if any, men have really suffered from
the heat of the sun.
The various ,colonsls have all taken
ser sible view of the situation and have
suspended drills completely. except during
such time of the day they can be con-
Quoted without danger. One or two enlist
ed men have come to the hospital COM
planning of vertigo, but so far neither OF
thesltwo division hospitals have had any
great amount of work to do to take care of
all the heat prostration cases that have
occurred. OF course, a good many men left
the line of march while their regiments
were returning from the Potomac, but not
single one of these cases has proved to
be In anyWiSe serious. Col A. c. Girard
inc Surgeon-in-chief, in order to give Off
c1al sanction to what the several colonies
nave done In the matter, has issued the
following order:
General Order No 13-Upon the recon-.
mendation of the chief surgeon of the III.
vision, commencing the 9Th instant the
following changes in the hours for drills
Will go into effect: First drill, to I am:
second drill, to am; supper. $40 n m
dress parade, Z pm
The nature of the drill will be determined
by brigade and regimental commanders.
~ command of Major General Butler.
tolgneo) F. l.. STRONG,
Assistant Adjutant General
Celebrating the Victory
Before the announcement of the victory
at Santiago the enlisted men in camp here
Prepared to celebrate the Fourth rather
quietly. Fireworks fade into insignfficanee
when viewed In the light of prospective
active campaigning, and the men had been
warned that few passes would be granted
Tor trips to the city But the news that
the fleet toward which all Americans have
u rned their attention had been complete
ly destroyed, and that the city of Santiago
had been given choice between surrender
and bombardment, was considered too i'm
peftant to go by without notice. All the
stores with fireworks" signs in front were
soon sold out and their supply was added
to the quantities of blank cartridges issued
several days ago. With this in hand the
men started out to celebrate. The woods
rang with the sound of mock engagements
ana We're clouded with smoke.
Men marched up and down the company
streets singing and hhrrahing wildly, and
small crowds congreSated everywhere to
near the news read and announce their APP
tervals.
Except in the 6sth New York there were
no set events In the morning. The men
leit Tree accordingly to do as they pleas
ana they pleased to celebrate as joyously
and noisily as they could. There was, how
ever, serious strain through 1t all. When
the little procession marched past regi-
mental headquarters anywhere the matter
DeIore them was never so interesting or the
song then being sung SO absorbing that any
one In line forgot to remove his hat In
honor OF the colors. Most OF them felt
somewhat dissatisfied that they were forced
70 celebrate whileTothers did the fighting
This view Of the matter appealed to them
particularly whenitheS reflected that the
Ssd and sath. MichfgaH and 9th Massachu-
setts regiments, which were stationed at
camp Alger only ia week or SO since, had
taken no small part IN the engagement
Gen. Graham's Gficial action in the mat
ter was confined TO the following general
order, issued late SATURDAY afternoon:
HEADQUARTER&a2D ARMY CORPS,
Camp Russell A. Alser, Va, July 2, 1893.
General Ordsr No, ,S9:aat
g. Monday being theai 123d anniversary of
the Declaration ofsAmerican Independence
all military duties and exercises and ia
tigues, except netssssAfy guard duty and
police. will be suspended for the day. Di-
vision commanders will give special in
structlons to avotih danger. OF fire and in
jury to persons through the use of fire.
works. BY command Of
z. s. ROBERTS, Adjutant General.
Horse for Gen. Butler.
The presentation of horse to Gen. But