Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-08-25
SOLDIERS SOUR.
FIFTH REGIMENT BOYS IN A BAD
HUMoR BECAUSE THEY DID
NOT GET TO FIGHT.
Hutton Suggests That Perhaps They
Will Cultivate Ysms for the Boys
at Msnila-Nothing But Tin
Soldiers - Too Badl
Too Badil

Too Badll
Correspondence OF the Ledger.
CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL PARK,
August l7.-As the Chicago Times
Herald says: "Spain is now able to
sit up and notice things'-so are the
"boys In blue" For long time q
great many conditions have presented
themselves to the boys, but now there
are but two-are we to be mustered
out or are We to do garrison dutyP
Well, there is one other and that is to
join the Chickamauga Park Improve
ment Association and put in a scenic
railway and few other attractions
for the visitors In the future. It has
also been confidently asserted that
several regiments will be held here to
put in a crop of pumpkins and sweet
potatoes for the boys in Manila. The
Fifth Missouri regiment is, of course,
booked for this event il 1t is pulled
off. AS some Of the Mexico writers
would say, we would be crop mer-
chants. Poor old Fifth Missouri! She
has done her best to get into "this
thing" but outside of "the volunteer
ed' the credit side of her ledger is
blank; but then there are others In
the same fix, and goodness knows she
tried to be one of the boys. Political
pull CHATS big word for an enlisted
man to handle publicly I suppose
fixed our clock.
Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Nor
gan, who is as near and as dear to the
hearts of the privates as would be q
relative, has spent his entire time In
an attempt to further the interests of
the regiment, but he had too much to
work against, and as day began to
dawn and he had the promise that the
Fifth Missouri would be the next
ordered into the field, the white
winged bird of peace fiuttered over
the country and dispelled all hope In
the breasts of those who were seeking
military honor.
There are many of the boys who
hate the idea of going home without
having seen active service; they hate
to face the taunts of their friends who
will cry "tin soldier" Should they be
ashamed after they have offered their
lives AZ did the boys before Santiagof
All volunteered with the same spirit,
but fate decreed that we should stay
and others should 60. Who Of those
who staid at home has right to taunt
the boys with their misfortune?
We now have four men absent with
leave and two men absent without
leave from Company L. The latter
are Robert A. Landrum, Laddonia,
and O. D. Smothers, believe from
North Carolina. Those with leave are
VIM. Mason, Mexico, ten days; Fred
W. Schambach, seven days; Frank
Richardson, Vandalia, twenty days;
Corporal Dudley, Auxvasse, seven
days. OF sickness we have quite q
number, but none serious. Fred Luckie
has been appointed as Col. Morgan's
clerk and Tony Knoderer is doing SER
vice as hospital orderly.
Lieut.. Mckinley, who has been on
Mt. Lookout for two or three weeks,
is expected back soon. He has en-
tirely recovered from q spell of ILL
ness.
On next Saturday the regiment will
enjoy a day of field sports. The boys
of the company are trying to find
some one to compete with Second
Sergeant Frank Roberts in q long
distance walking match. 1t was Frank
who was the leading guide of the
company on our march back from
Owen Spring, when the company
made such a record as marchers. The
boys say that Frank can step further
and faster and stay at 1t longer than
any man in the regiment. He is a
bunch of muscles and can hold his
own in any kind Of sport;
TheChattanoogaT Times contained the
following this morning:
FIFTH MISSOURI.
The 9th has always been anxious to
60 to the front. Though now de-
prived of the opportunity OF seeing
active service in battle, they are new
ertheless loyal to the spirit OF the con-
tract in the article of enlistment and
are willing to 60 to Cuba, Porto Rico.
or even to the Philippines II for no
other purpose than to do garrison
duty. Gen. Wade, when preparing to
go to Porto Rico earnestly requested
that the 9th be sent with him and
threw his influence In its favor. But
the 4th 10 said to have had the strong
or political pull and was sent instead.
As a matter of record, the 9th has
been the healthiest regiment In the
camp at Chickamauga. At no time
has 1t had more than two men in the
division hospital; now 1t has only
one, and for a long time 1t had none.
The 9Th is the first regiment ut
Camp Thomas to organize convales-
cent mess. The purpose is to make
special preparations Of the food for
the convalescent sick and to supply
them with such delicacies and dietary
articles that sound judgment would
| dictate % being for their welfare. The
managers of this mess are Capt. Jas.
E. Payne, Go. B; Capt. Black, Go. L;