Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-06-22
OFF TO THE FRONT.
Sad Scenes at Old Point Yeste
ftsrnnnn. .

Sad Scenes at Old Point Yesterday
Afternoon.
AT o clock yesterday afternoon Rar-
terry G, of the Fifth Artillery, in COM
mand OF Captain Reed. and Battery F..
OF the Sixth. Captain Sage, left For.
Monroe for Tampa, Fla Early in thu
| day large barge on which were 81.
Seaboard Air Line coaches swuns
alongside the dock and very soon there
| after the work of loading war pur.
hhernaila was commenced. 1t was kept
up until 3 o'clock. when the last tene.
pole was snugly packed away and ev.
erything was in readiness for the men
to march aboard In the meantime
several hundred people. many of whom
We're women and children attired as il
they We're about to set out upon a hor-
day excursion, assembled on the dock
and restlessly awaited the coming OF
the batteries ~.
At twenty minutes to o'clock the
Artillery School band. in white pants
blue bouses and white caps, appeared
upon the briclS-paved roadway oppo
site the poStoftice. Immediately in the
| rear of the musicians came Batteries
b of the Third. E of, the Fourth. and f.
III, and X of the Sixth Artillery. ac:.
ing as an escort to their departing
comrades. Behind these were Batteries
G and T.. After passing the hotels tn.
band turned toward the curb on the
batteries composing the escort We're
halted and stood with arms presented
Thus they expressed their good wishee
and their final farewell to those wnt
We're going away. 1t was {: prcttA
sight, and yet one that brought teara
to the eyes of scores of people who had
no friends in the ranks. to see those
artillerymen. equipped as il for Ion.
and weary march, pass on toward this
dock to the inspiring strains of Hail
Columbia. 1t caused men who Witness
ed it to feel that mysterious sensation.
frequently and not inappropriatel>
likened to cold chills running up ones
back, and which. on almost every oc,
casion of the kind. is accompanied BY
the apparent appearance OF large
Jumps in their throat and the invisible
appearance Of moisture in their eyes
all Of which unite in warning the ind,-
vidual that silence is golden.
There We're many touching scenes on
the dock. When the soldiers dropped
their guns. on the ends OF nearly .
hundred of which little flags waved In
the light breeze borne in from the sea
the crowd made a rush for the rank.
Women holding with Il firm grip to
the hands of little children pushed
their way toward Battery c; to be
caught in the arms of husbands and
fathers who were going away to re
turn God only knows when. if ever. No
wonder those strong men wept as they
claSped the hands and pressed THEFT
lips to those of Wife and children. 1t
was not the hardship and suffering
which they felt are In store for them.
nor the dread of disease and death III
distant land. but the love In their
hearts for their homes and those for
whom they had worked and planned
for years, that made them quail when
the hour of their final parting came
In II "a =
men wept aloud while the warrior hus-
band stood by bound by that terrible
silent sorrow which whispers the GER
fraught heart and bids 1t break" The
babieS-God bless them-the little boys
and the neatly dressed little girls in
their spotless frocks. who chung to their
mothers skirts in that first bitter les.
son of war-they too wept.
But at other points along the line
there were other scenes-sccnes in
which attractive misses in becoming
summer attire. took part. They chat.
ted and laughed with the men, told
them to be good boys and to fight in
the spirit of brave American soldier,
and to go out expecting to return again.
Mingling with the voices of those Were
the cheerful farewells OF comrades OF
other batteries as they passed from
man to man, shaking hands with each,
leaving smile and a word of encour.
hum of the hundreds gathered there.
while the notes OF many popular air.
from the band near by, were born.
upon the summer breeze.
AT 4 o'clock the order to board the
cars was given and ten minutes later
the tug Dorothea steamed away with
barge and coaches and men. Shout af-
ter shout went up as the lines were
cast off. Handkerchiefs and banncrs
large and small. were waved as the
barge began to move. Cheer after
cheer came back from the crowded
coaches, from the windows of which
floated tokens of love which may never
again be repeated Women fingered
on the dock until the barge became a
speck in the distance and then. with
their faces bathed in tears. made their
way to houses in which it seemed as If
the hand of death had woven a wreath
of woe and hung 1t there to tortue
those that We're left behind
Battery G came to Fort Monroe fif-
teen years ago and was the Oldest bat.
terry at the garrison. Sixteen of its
members are married ana leave their
families here. Battery Z came to Old
Point on the 10th of May last from
Washington. where it had been station
ed some time.