The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-09-16
HARD rlLlrARy FACTS.


The troubles Of the army--the yolun-
teer portion OF II, for the regulars have
found but little reason to complpIn~-be-
gan with the FIRST call FOR volunteers.
All sniscries. except yellow fever, that
have been suffered IN the war with
Spain were common In the first year of
. the Ciyil War, as nearly milton parti-
s ciphtors In that conflict rsnietnber Nell;
Yet Ia almost every state this y3hin-
teers called forlast spring wcrc officer
ed by men who knew nothing Of VAR
Or OF taking care OF soldiers. Any reg
ular army lieutenant who had been out
OF the military academy a single year
was better lit to command and drill
men. and keep them alive and pfoucfly
fed and otherwise cared for. than Athe
most important political pet of any
state governor; gu. seldom did any
governor ask for regular officers 10
command his regiments. Any healthy
man living out OF doors can live and
thrive ON the government ration. IL
this be properly cooked; Dat the volun-
teers, officers and men alike. knew
nothing OF cooking, nor were they quick
TO learn; IL takes months of hard work
to teach any class OF men to cook Well.
The FIRST and most caEstait care VI
regular officers is that their men shall
be properly fed new volunteer officers
seluom think OF IL except on compdl-
sion. Gen. Wheaton says there nevcrwas
q time ut Santiago when thercfwas not
on the fightirg-Iinc sixty thousand ra-
tions-about three days supply for the
whole army. The regulars got their
share of it; IL they had not Wagons TO
send for IL, they sent mules; II there
were no mules, detail OF men were
sent to bring on their backs the pre-
cious hardtack, bacon and coffee. Some
OF the volunteer officers seemed 20 wait
a long time for their share 80 be
brought TO them, consequently their
men went hungry.
Every soldier who left Tampa or
other camp for Santiago was supposed
to have a blanket rubber blanket and
half a shelter tent ~ he had them not
his company or reglmental commander
was to blame. The heat of the cuban
lowlands made volunteers load un-
endurable; he had ten pounds OF am
munition, and hts rifle. bayonet and
belts weighed about ten pounds more.
and he dared not throw any OF these
things away: so often he lightened his
burden by Throwing away his blankets
and tent. trusting TO luck TO pick up
others at the journeys end. or draw
neW one from the uutttciuidStei' D"e
he found no others. nor dill the quar-
termaster have any TO issue; so some
soldiers had no shelter whatever from
thc rain. Regulars never throw away
tents and blankets: they would as soon
shoot themselves; besides, their ofhcers
would compel them 10 rctake their
abandoned property.
The volunteers. through no fault or
their own, were physically unfit to take
part in the Santiago campaign. Ihey
had not been long enough I'm the service
to have full chests. strong hearts and
hard muscles. anc northern men were
sure to be weakened by several weeks
of camp life at New Orleans. Mobile
and Tampa; southerners would have
been far more suitable for trip to
Cuba via the Gulf camps. Even the sea-
soned regulars were somewhat enervat-
ed by the change from the northern
air to that Of the Gulf.--Collier's Week.
w