Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-07-22
CAMP NOTES.
CAMP SPRINGFIELD, NEAR JACKSON
VILE. FLA.

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sick just where he would fall into the
hands of kind Lady and he was Sc
tenderly nursed aud cared for, that his
condition was almost an improvement
on that OF the boys who have to drill II
i this Florida sand and eat bareback
The surrender of Santiago aroused the
% boys They cheercd and did many
things which enlivened this whole see
ton. Their enthusiasm was unbOunded
q Many OF them begin to think that the
a war will be over before they get shot
at the Spaniards.
The supplies that are now coming in
and the way they are disposing of sur
plus baggage looks as if the govern
s ment did not intend to keep MS in Camp
Cuba Libre all summer. Every order
gives birth to number OF rumOrS which
are passed from mouth to mouth ihcreas-
ing in detail continually, until they
vanish into thin air and are succeeded
by others of still more startling char
acter.
You have heard of the delightful
climate of Florida, with the golden
orange groves, the huge punches OF
bananas, and tropical fruits OF all kinds.
We really expected to see them and en-
Joy them. but we did not Our ideas OF
Florida have undergone wonderful
change. If you would have real, in
stead of a poetic, vision OF Florida, in
summer time, imagine large extent OF
OF country, the soil of which is some
what like our river sand only white, and
looser and many degrees hotter. Re
place the beautiful orange trees with
small bull pines which here and there in
terrupt our almost unlimited view.
/ From nm early hourin the morning till
the afternoon our Virginia midday heat
burns us, after that passes off, comes
cool breeze Just salty enough to make it
heavy and delightful Good nights to
sleep repay to a great extent the suffer
ings of the day. But after you get used
to it, it is not 30 bad, for we have many
pleasures which one would not have at
home.
The fishing down here is excellent.
Corporal Frank Coflman and some OF
the boys went out fishing the other day
and had a delightful time. They landed
one that weighed twenty pounds They
propose to send some Of the scales toI
Woodstock. 80 as to teach some OF our
home fishermen what they are losing by
not being soldiers.
As the clouds gradually thicken before
the lain. so the rumors about our going
10 the front arc becoming 80 heavy, that
am almost convinced that within a
very few days, we will be ont on the
Atlantic speeding our way towards San
Juan. II we could have our company
supplied with the Mau,er rifles that the
Dons gave up at Santiago, we would
soon show them that Co. A has some men
that know how to shoot.
Let The orders come, we will be ready,
and the 2nd Virginia like the old Second
that passed under its baptism Of fire on
the plains OF Manassas, we will show the
world that Yirgnians still know how to
fight, and if need be, to die for our
country.
Our colonel still continues to smile and
look happy. while our captain has a
facial expression that seems to indicate
that he would enjoy the light air Of the
Shenandoah Valley more than he does
our delightful sea breezes.
Adiutant Campbell is the same old
Wright. He perform, his duties well
and assumes the quiet dignity OF his
position, but we all know that there is
not boy among MS who would enjoy
several hours devilment more than he.
We have been IN hard rains in Vir-
ginia, but they are not at all like the
Florida rains. Here it comes down by
buckets full and when it clears off, it
Just begius to rain again. Our camp
was soaked and il was hard thing to
keep dry, though some OF the boys say
they have been dry" ever since they
struck Florida.
would love to send you an interest
ing letter, but You know that where one
day is Just a repetition OF the one be-
fore, il is a difficult thing to get up news
that would be interesting to the home
folks. Even our cooks have got into a
kind of tread mill way OF preparing our
meals. so that when a fellow gets one
meal from them he can accurately des-
cribe the meal that will be served a
month hence, and for that matter. all
that will come between. Some of the
old soldiers tell us that the day will
come when we will not banker afte
variety. but will consider the man for
tunate who has as much OF the soundlyI
abused bareback as he can eat. 1t may
be 50, but we have not yet seen the day
when we regarded it a luxury. 1t is said
tn at soldiers actually become fond OF it,
when ratons are only issued once in five
days and are correspondingly small.
Some Of our officers are now studying
Spanish. They want to be prepared to
entertain the beautiful Cuban senoritas
when they reach the island.
Mr.. r. E. Braithwaite has been pro-
NOTED to a Sergeant in Co. A.2d Va.
Vol
We have had another pay day. The
crowded condition of some of the guard
houses give ample evidence of this fact
The boys were made happy by the
recepticn of a box of good things from