The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-10

nant Trull with flash of bis clear blue
eye that betrays the soldier instinct,
"but DR.. Van De Waters duty to him.
self, as the man that he is, did not al
low him to stop there. An army chap
lain bears no arms and wears the insig-
MIA of the Red Cross on bis left arm, ,
which is supposed TO hold him sacred
in the eyes Of the enemy. But the
Spaniards took the Red Cross fer a tar
get, and it Is positively true that they
fired time and again on our wounded.
DR.. Van De Waters duty as a chaplain
did not require him to charge with the
| regiment, but he was right there in u e
| fighting line with us, alongside of Ma
jor Bell. And, by the way, too much
can never be said of Major Bells her
oism in the charge on San Juan. The
day of the fight cur chaplain was very
much in evidence at all times. Where
the men were falling fastest there he
was, for he was assisting Major Bell in
caring for the wounded. Major Bell
was dressing mans wounds so near
the firing line that another wounded
man who was waiting to be attended
to was hit.
"The scene in the First Division hos
pital that day was something awful,
and DR.. Van De Water was entirely
practicable in everything he did. When
he wasn't out on the line cheering
those who were fighting and removing
the wounded to the rear he was in the
hospital arranging the men so that the
worst wounded ones would receive first
attention, and he bandsged many a
wound himself. In the DAYS after the
battle he labored night and day With
out sparing himself.
"Oh, you want me to talk about DIR.
Van De Water, do your Well, I'm
downright glad to talk about that man.
He is the bravest of the brave. To
begin with, before the Seventy first
was mustered in some one said to our
chaplain: IF your regiment is sent to
the front, don't suppose you'll co.
This made him very angry, and he
answered: You don't, don't you? Well,
you'll see. OF course III 60 wherever
my regiment goes, anywhere that it is
ordered,' and he has too.
Gan army chaplain enters the SER
vice as a commissioned officer. A re-
cent regulation, l believe, puts him
right in with the rank of captain. His
duties are just what they are in his
own parish and are largely left to him
self. Indeed, 1 should say that an
army chaplain's duties depend upon
the individual. He can make them
very onerous or very light, and DR..
Van De Water certainly pursues the
former course. He has held religious
services every Sunday since we started
out, never missing once, even under
the most trying circum stances, and
words can never tell how he has cheer.
ed the men and encouraged them and
kept their spirits up. The first Sun.
day after we settled at Camp Black
was one of the worst days ever saw.
A great many tents were blown down
and the rain poured in torrents. DR..
Van De Water held services in the
storm in the hospital tent, and, as l
said, he hasn't missed time since.
On our way south we passed through
Washington in the early morning.
We were divided into three sections,
you remember, and our chaplain held
services on the train for the boys with
whom he happened to be.
awhile we were in camp at Lake.
land mem Der of the Twenty-second
Massachusetts regiment died, and, il
stead of his own chaplain being asked
to conduct his funeral services, DR..
Van De Water was asked to officiate,
and did so in the little Episcopal
church there. Our men didn't really
know why this was done, but it would
be hard to make them believe that it
wasn't because of the love that every
one feels for the chap lain of the Sew
enty. first.
Spy long odds the most impressive
service was the one that our chaplain
conducted The Sunday evening before
the big fight. He tried to hold meet
ing in the afternoon, but the men were
too busy with their preparations for
battle, and so he OIL ly said few words
to them and told them to 60 ahead and
get things in shape, and that he would
| conduct services in the evening. He
did so in a big engine house in Sibon-
ey. OF course the men had to stand up
and nearly all of them turned out.
The only light that we had came from
the campfire outside and the old ell
gines and machinery cast gruesome-
| looking shadows. Our beloved
chaplain gave us a brief talk on the
duties that were before us in the next
few days. He urged us to bravery and
filled us full of hope. He begged each
individual to do his best for his
country. That was the kind of religion
he gave us. He said in conclusion
that he hoped we'd ali be there next
Sunday, but there was a possibility of
some being wounded and even killed,
and he was quite right That was the
last service for many of the heroes.
The whole service hardly kept us
thirty minutes, but every man went
away cheered.
at has been said that many of the
men gave him mementos before the
battle to send TO loved ones in cas-
they were killed. That's pretty story,
but it isn't true. Our chaplain is a
practical soldier, and don't think any
of us had much time to think of such
things. OF course, the lines drawn be.
tween the officers and men in the field
are very rigid. When man not of the
regular army once goes to war he soon
learns why this must be SO. 1t is
necessary to maintain discipline, and
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