The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-26

The tallow dips and candles, ensconced in
bayonet butts, give the only clew to the
habitation of these stately groves, save
where the light dissipateS itself on the white
canvas tents and makes ghostly its sur
roundings The drumming of a guitar back
in one of the tented cities, with some famil-
lar fireside or popular air as the burden of
the melody, carries the boys back to the
life which they left up north where huge
mosquitoes disappeared with the swamps
and where the summers heat does not begin
so early and hang on with such persistency.
Over in the little burrows or dog tents,
of the Hoosiers the One-hundred-and-fi
eighth Indiana boys are singing:
"Oh, the moonlight's fair tonight along
the Wabash
and one forgets the horror which a repeti-
ton of this sung-out ballad usually inspires
il is a Hoosier folk song to these lads now
The Baltimore regiment sings it's Mary
land, My Maryland, over and over again,
and other States may have their favorite
melodies. but none seems to so character
istioally belong to a State as does Along
the Wabash" TO the Hoosiers.
A dozen or more Of the boys have asked
me to listen to extracts from letters they
have received from home extracts which
have moved them to tears and whose tender
ness and sentiment they wish to share with
others These extracts are never sickly
sentimental; they all breathe noble feeling
that cannot fail to be helpful to those to
whom they are addressed. What a letter
mother can write TO her boy! What
world of love and sacrifice is hidden from
the world. only to show itself when such oc-
casions as these arise and the darling of
her heart has gone out on a most uncertain
mission! Two years as a soldier for the
United States seem to portend so much that
may alter or wreck lives. The danger of
oattle seems little remote just now, but
the suspense still exists.
one of the beautiful letters received in
camp this week was one from DR.. A. w
Brayton, of Indianapolis, to Chaplain Car
stensen, and it was read to a group of Off
GERS who had gathered in the chaplain's
tent last night, Mp. Christensen is beginning
10 get letters from friends at home who
read in the Journal the story Of the sensa-
tlon his sermon on Remember the Maine"
created in camp. These letters indorse the
views of the chaplain. Mr.. Christensen does
not thlnk his expression met the disapprov-
al OF the men, although regimental officers
disagree with him in this respect However,
Will soon be forgotten as it deserves to be,
Tor such things are usually tempests in
teapot The chaplain has shown so much
zeal in behalf of the men whose spiritual
welfare he looks after, and has rendered so
many little kindnesses to the sick and those
In distress, that difference in opinion as
10 the inspiration of the present war will
not lead to rupture of the pleasant rela-
tionS between them
In the midst Of the preparation for war
there is many quaint story and here is
one of unusual thrift. While riding in a box
car with Surgeon Charlton to CHATTANOOGA,
late last night-any method of transporta-
ton being eagerly seized-we saw a moving
object in the shadow of the car The object
dragged out, proved to be Ebert Grant, an
indianapolis negro, who offered as creden-
tlals, a letter of recommendation from Ed
ward Hawkins, of Indianapolis by whom
he had been employed. The vletter carried
little weight with the freight train brake
man, but Major Charlton's soldier straps
saved the man the long tramp to Chatta-
hooga- In his gratitude, after the long
freight train began to move, he presented
us with two bullets picked up on the battle
field after long search.
II come down with you all he said at
tended the horses till they wasn't anything
else for me to do Then got broke While
was walking across the park 1 caught a
young 'possum and sold him to an Indiana
soldier for 80 cents. With that 80 cents l
bought soap up town and peddled it among
the soldiers. doubled my money in an hour,
and bought more soap. kept doublin' and
doublin' and sellin' soap all along till 1 got
$24, and now I'm goin' to keep with this
army till it gets to Cuba. There's more
money in soap than anything 1 know Of"
The people at home may wonder why it is
some of the strong boys became i'll so soon
after reaching here. One of these lads whom
l saw at the hospital tent last night had
only eaten eight plates of ice cream, bought
of huckster that day. and had washed this
down with several bottles of red pop. An
other boy had eaten can of oysters bought
at the country store at Lytle. These same
oysters were, no doubt, the great-grandsires
of oysters already in the sere and yellow
leaf.
The case of young Steinhauer, so low with
appendicitis, deserves more than a passing
notice. He at first refused to consent to an
operation. but finally agreed to it. His con-
dition improving the use of the knife may
be averted. Though suffering much pain,
the young man has not uttered a groan and
greets the visitors with a smile His brav-
cry has excited comment G. T, u