The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1898-07-20
MILITARY
LIFE
As Viewed by a Breckenridge
Boy,
Who Is in Camp on Chicamagua' S
Famous Battle Field.
ITS LIGHTS AND SHADOWS

CHCAMAGUA, July lS.-This camp is
interesting in more ways than one. 1t
was the means of booming the town of
Lyte, Ga, and at the present time
hundreds of temporary buildings are
being erected on the hills and ridges.
What was once a country road is now a
narrow street, hemmed in on both sides
by stores Of all classes, stands, museums
and picture galleries.
Like the "White City" at Chicago,
this temporary city has a prevailing
color tone and it could be appropriately
called the Yellow City, its hue being
derived from the rough implanted pine
lumber out OF which the buildings are
constructed.
Lyle is on the western edge of the
park and it would be difficult for one to
conceive Of the vast amount of business
and the hustle that prevails here.
The military camp contains 10000
soldiers. The regiments consist of twelve
companies and each company has three
army wagons and eighteen mules to
transport lite equipment. Besides an
enormous number OF mules, thousands
Of cavalry and artillery horses are u ed
and as can be judged this is great stock
market.
The park on which the soldiers are
encamped is a military reservation own
ed by the government. 1t is being
improved daily and car loads of marble,
bronze and granite memorial stones and
monuments arrive daily to be placed in
position on this historic battle field to
mark the places where the troops OF each
state held their positions in the great
battle of Chicamagua. There liz vast
number of monuments already placed
and they rise out from the briar patches
and dense tangle of underground like
the tombstones OF an abandoned and
neglected country cemetery.
There has been but little effort made
to take advantage of the natural scenery
and beautify it by landscape gardening
and were it not for the monuments and
the historic associations OF the place it
would not be as interesting as the barren
hills found in some parts of Brecken-
ridge county.
Thirty-hve years ago Americans
fought each other on this fateful field,
but today the Sons of those sires, irres-
pective of the sections they hail from,
drill where their fathers sought each
others lives and the intense patriotism
OF the boys of the north and south to the
stars and stripes shows that the Civil
war is indeed over.
We have boys here from nearly every
state and try to observe the different
characteristics of the different boys.
The north west boys are the best
soldiers.
love Kentucky and her people but
beyond any doubt the north west boys
are 30 per cent in advance of us from
standpoints OF physical ability, soldier
ship, bratherly association and gentility.
Soldiers from the north and north west
are more uniform in stature and in the
main much better men physically. They
present an appearance of square form
and robustness that we have not.
Now, for the boys themselves, they are
faring we'll here. II is a little warmer
than "Kentuck" and our nights are
much coooler. Now and then a to- is
visited by precursor of the soldiers
locust which is of the gray back species.
We are drilled two hours early in the
morning and two hours in the evening
But soldiers life requires lots OF miscel.
laneous labor out side OF the drill field
The boys have a scrap occasionally and
we have a rule for them TO go out o.
camp and settle it in manly fight with
out weapons. Being hot in the tent
some boy conceived plan of making /
hammock out of his blanket by getting
a rope (which are plentifuD and ti-ing t.
each end OF the blanket and swing il I,
two trees; in little while every boy haC
hammock made and was resting il
the shade. Then some OF us at nigh
thought Of some fun, got sh,ap knit
and went through the woods GuttinI
down hammooks, the unfortunate
awake only to find it very dark and tina
the ground had run up again them, G
course the boys wanted to whip some
body but knew not who to whip, bu
they reported to head quarters immed
ately and next morning no one was SUI
prised when orders were issued TO max
no more swings out of blankets undo
penalty OF court martial. There
plenty of ipviality and wit in the con
pany despite the fact the song Of IN
Old Kentucky Home" sometime brinI
tears from tbs X ,ntuckians eye.
o give you sample of the boy
jokes, yesterday evening came in irol
drill tired and worn out An lndiar
monument stands at one end OF our con
pany street; stretched myself prostIa
on the base OF the monument and con
! rade passed up and asked me what ! vi
, doing there l told him was restiI
! on the bed OF honor The eomrade Sc
! ing the tribute to Ipdiana's valor, o.
} witted me by saying, that bed OF hon
} would have TO be made for me, that
! would never make one Of my own. b
when there is any disorder, the boys Z