The Indianapolis journal., 1898-05-28

Wilen iiGy get up III TIC ilDilliuS 30 carry
and wash their faces they turn to their lit
tie tin plates, and each man goes up to the
cook and gets his greasy slice of bacon,
which he slaps down on tiny mound OF
rice The bacon is not appetizing nor is
the rice cooked to that delightful consist
ency which makes rice palatable. Perhaps
a couple of sliced potatoes may complete the
morning mess, with cup of coffee thrown
in. When dinner comes this menu is re-
versed, and at supper possibly spoonful of
cooked tomatoes from a can or once in
every few days q hunk Of fresh beef will
be added. Science and experience have con-
vinced the powers that be of the suf1iciency
of these rations to maintain men i'm good
health and make fighters of them. Who
would ever dream of rushing up a hillside
to the fray, determined. to do or die, just
after eating terrapin with mushrooms or a
plum pudding.
Day after day the monotony of this i'm
placable vengeance against those who have
lived well continues, and it is no wonder
that one of the boys, as he told me, dreamed
the other night that he was invited UP to a
Z o'clock dinner OIL North Meridian street.
They first brought in consomme. A second
file of walters a moment later brought in
fish, and-but let the artillery man continue
turkey, ice cream strawberries, fresh peas,
oyster patties, cherry pie up so fast that the
table was stacked before my eyes could
contract from their astonishment grabbed
at turkey, got good grip on its leg and
pulled it to my watering mouth, but just
then awoke and found l was pulling with
all my might on Andy Forsythe's nose and
he cussing like blazes."
1t used to be said at home that Capt Jas.
B. Curtis was an extraordinary commander,
in that he could make his boys obey him
| as if he were a czar and yet continue to be
| idolized by his men. If this were only half
| true in Indianapolis 1t is the whole truth
| here, for in no camp has the discipline been
| slapped harder on the men that it is in old
| Battery A. There is not the vestige of tin
| solderism about the quarters, and the
| slightest back talk is the passport to the
| guardhouse or unpleasant duty When
command is given the young fellows move
| with alacrty, and a minutes hardness is
| absolutely inexcusable
War is a grim thing said Captain Cur
| tbs yesterday, land monkey business has no
part in it. When the time comes to try
| these men we propose to have them as per-
| feet soldiers in every way it is possible
| to make out of volunteers We are not pre-
pairing for a championship drill, but for
war and hope and am confident that the
boys will do as we'll on this new field of ac-
| tion as they have done in the past. Major
Rodney, senior major in the regular army.
will be in command of the Indiana batter
les, as well as those of Missouri, Illinois
and Pennsylvania, the whole comprising
one battalion. He is expected to-day or to-
morrow, and will give us full instruction.
| The artillery iS under the nd Of
| Brig. Gen. E. B. Williston one of the best
artillerymen in the United States. Some
| time ago he was lieutenant colonel of the
| Third Artillery, a crack regiment, and es-
| tabished the Fort Riley artillery school,
! where men and officers were sent from all
parts of the country to receive instruction.
| We are expecting daily to receive our new
field pieces and to begin work on them"
| AT 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon. in little
groups of a dozen each, the artillerymen
were scattered around under the trees at
| school, the noncommissioned officers in
| structing them in tactics and in their
! duties. There is not case of sickness in
| the battery worth mentioning. The all
ments caused from the change in water
| have been very slight The officers have
| barred all hucksters from approaching the
| the road near the artillery camp, in this
| way preventing the men from overlooking
| their stomachs with the unwholesome stuff
| sold by the great army of venders f1ocking
| over Chickamauga. The first rations
drawn in camp by the artillery yesterday
| included beans, hardtack (or hard bread as
| it is officially known), side meat, canned to-
| matoes, potatoes and unroasted coffee. No
| equipment being at hand for roasting or
| grinding coffee, some contrivance will have
| to be devised for the purpose. The rations
drawn also include fresh beef the allow
| ance, however, only being for one day. Bat
terry AS canteen fell off in it's profits yes
terday, as the men are not drinking so
much beer. One surprising feature of the
establishment of these canteens and a fea-
ture which is gratifying to the officers, is
the decline in patronage after the first few
days ***
In Battery A many novel styles of
whiskers are growing, some of the mems
fancies turning to dwarf Dundrearys. Four
of the men have brought down on their own
heads the ignomy of being dubbed Span
iards, since they have persisted in cutivat-
ing bushy, piratical growth of hair on
their chins. These "Spaniards" are Hutton.
Palmer. Worries and Forsythe.
The full battery drill. under direct COM
mand of Captain Curtis, is now feature
each day. Few of the boys have been up
to Chattanooga. Much of the time off duty
is spent in admiring the fine sleek horses
which came from indianapolis These ami
mails have not yet been named, and when
the time comes for christening the beauties
will probably find themselves the name
sakes of sweet girls left up North that is
where the names of girls can consistently
be given to the animals. Only in the morn
ing is the butternut clothing worn by the
artillerymen, as it is intended for fatigue
service and in the afternoon they don their
blue. Captain Curtis finds this habit to be
conducive, not only to economy in their
wearing apparel, but to health as well. He
seeks to break up the habit of sleeping
in uniforms and thinks that a change of
clothing during the day has it's sanitary
advantages. The blue uniforms are the tidy
ones and when the men wear these in the
afternoon and evening they are more apt
to take them off before retiring
Over in the old Fourth and Second Regi-
ments lumber is finding it's way into floors
for the tents. Each company in Colonel
Gunder's regiment is constructing these
floors, the men being assessed 10 cents a
head for the comfort Lumber sells at a
minimum rate of $14 thousand at the camp.
The gas belt boys are hearing from their
fair correspondents whose addresses they
secured from cards attached to flowers