The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-08-03

Present Camp of FernandtnO-The Town
and Sights and Treatment Received by
the Boys in Blue There-Turtle- hunting.
Fernandina, Fla July 26, 1898.
We are now situated in our new
home. We left Tampa, Friday night
and got here Saturday night and
slept in our pup tents that night.
Sunday we fetched our big tents and
Monday we cleaned up camp, so that to-
day is the first chance l have had to
write.
There was quite difference between
our departure from Columbus, when we
were still dress parade soldiers and from
Tampa, when we were all ready for bus
iness. In Columbus we made all nee
essary arrangements and all tents fell
at once. Men were hired to clean up
camp after us. We marched to the train
at attention, amid crowds of cheering
people and flags flying from every build
ing. We boarded tourist sleepers and
lived in fine shape until we got to Tam
pa. But in Tampa, in the state of Flo
rida, of boiling sun, palmetto roots,
and sand, we received orders to move,
we packed up in hurry, dropped our
tents, cleaned camp, fall into line,
march to the railroad, load our equip
ments, together with wagons and mules
and then at midnight march at rOul step
to the station, take our train. Of the old
est kind of day coach and landed here
Saturday afternoon.
Camp here is an ideal place, to camp,
it is an island surrounded on three sides
by the Atlantic ocean and on the fourth
by a river and canal. The water seems
to drain in all directions and the island
is all slopes. We are camped on beau
tiful slope with the headquarters on the
brow OF the hill overlooking the entire
camp.
: We are about one mile from the oceaif
On the east and the same distance from
Fernandina on the west There is a
fort on the coast three miles north,
} where great many artillery are camp
: cd. We have regular grass to walk on
9 and that Is something | have not done
= since we left Columbus. We have as
e fine place to camp here as could be
r found in the south.
I The last few hours i'm Tampa were
very interesting. We got packed and
r wagons loaded just before dark and
: formed into regimental formation, arms
: stacked, equipments unslung, then the
: bOn-fres were started, and it was very
T impressive sight to see the boys waiting
y for orders to march, and then as a eli
max to the whole thing, the canteen,
the boys closest friend (when they have
: money burst out in flames and made a
. veIy pretty sight.
y got the Enterprise yesterday also a
p bunch of EpwOrth Heralds from some
: One,-many thanks. / distributed them
among the boys and they were glad to
q get them or any thing else to read
n July 80, 1898.
:, was down town this morning, and
:, the town and people are fine. Every
j. thing is clean and neat, the stores and
!. lawns are slick and tidy, the streets are
O paved with oyster shells. Ina number OF
q places people set out barrels of ice water
= in their yards for the boys, the people
treat us we'll.
II They keep II provost guards on thu
n streets and no one is allowed out with
II out pass. In one place where there il
provost guard, two houses almost fgh
). to see who will bring him his meals frs
70 and he gets everything that is going
Last night IL of the boys, went after Sc;
- turtles and caught one whose shell
} measures 3x31s It. and he measured 81
! It. from tip to tip. We had turtle steal
! and soup today. The soup was fine Onl,
the steak was a little too strong to b
) good. They are getting the shell dress
I ed and polished and it will 80 to on
2 company rooms when we get back as
) souvenir Of Florida. 1t weighed owe
$50 pounds after being bled. COmpan
2 L caught one just as large but ours ha
5 1859 eggs in and theirs only had "a, b
= we are still ahead. l am going over t
9 that old fort, three miles north II | ca
get away. got gone alligator teet
3 from an old negro, also two wild boar
9 tusks, and will send them and som
. shells home.
3 There Is not much prospect OF Ou
9 leaving here, more troops are cOminI
. daily, there are now the lst, 3rd and st
3 Ohio, 1st Florida, 69th and End Ne
9 York, 32nd Michigan here.