The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-08-10
FIRST REGIMENT,
s. G. Y. |.
OUR BOYS COMFORTABLY
CAMPED ON BANKS OF
THE ST. JOHNS.
specisl Cor. News and Courier

Headquarters Eltst . ". -
Camp Cuba Libre. Panama Psrk,
Fla, Angus. 6.-Yesserday aud to-day
have been busy 10 camp. All the
officers and many of the men are put
ting plank aocrs in their tents. hxiog
up washstands and benches and other
ooayenieuces, as oearly everyone seems
TO ebirk the regiment will stay here
for quite while. All want to stay
here, for their place SO for is much
better than camp at Chickamauga, Ga.
The atmosphere is not as hot aud close.
spd we get sea breeze all the time.
The dews are nothing like as heavy as
9: Chicksmauga, and With the e1cep-
ton of about two or three hours IN the
middle of the day the sun is not as hot.
aad even then it's pleasant IN the shade.
The water is excellent, and the supply
is inexhaussible Il comes from an
Arse.iaa will in Jacksonville. and is
conducted to the camp in underground
pipes. Each company has a bydrans
.. the rear of the company street,
pesr the kitchen. The quality of the
wa,er is similar to the white sulphur
water at Cleveland Springs. N. c..
only no. so strong. Many of the men
when they frst drank it did not like
the taste muoh, but since using 1t for
3 few days they like it better than the
Blue Springs water at Chickamauga
especially as the Government furnishes
ice to cool the water.
Each morning a fonr-mule team is
sent to Jacksonville to get the ration
for the day for each regiment.
As it usually the case with troops
when they move, aud especially new
ones ,sations were short wheu we arrived
here, bot now cur usual army ration is
being regularly issued. about the same
as at Gbicksmauga, aad everything is
running smoothly.
The camp is situated three. quarters
of mile west of the St. johns River,
four miles north of Jacksonville and
bali mile from Panama station, on
the Florida Central and Peninsula
Railroad. on high sand ridge, covered
with tall loug-leaf pines. with thin
underground Of scrub oaks, grass aad
palmetto. The aspd isyery deep. and:
% fast sssthe rain failsit is absorbed ).
consequently there is no mud and very
little dust here.
Every volunteer has the privilege of
swimming or bs.bIog from reville to 9
q. %. and from ] p. u. to taps. aud
pesrly everybody takes advantage OF
this. as i. seems nature has fitted this
oanp on the St. johns for bathing
place for large number of meo. The
bottom of the river slopes for two or
three hundred yards. giving any depth
O: water, from three inches to twenty
feet. The bed of the river lis covered
with thin layer of mud. then hard
sand or she'll beds. To add to the GOV
elsy of this feature of our convenience
the Florida Central and Peninsula Rail
road has runsa spur track out to the
river at this point, aud built track
and trestle into the river about three
hundred yards for The purpose of haul
ing in logs and dunpiug them into the
river for saw mill uear by. Al! of
these logs are dumped op the lower
side of the t.essle. aud the boys use the
other side from which to jump off into
the river, swimming aud turning somer
esul.s
Every company of the lst S. G. V
have men 60 fishing every day aod
they always return with 6sb. and some
times plenty Of them. Fish is a great
iuzu.y DOW to the boys. but of course
the taste for them will wear ont after
feas.ing 90 them for several days.
On the 4,b Instant the South Carolina
bows were ordered ont by Col. Aston
for review and parade. They marched
g mile or SO 10 thin sand before they
came to the parade ground. and when
the regiment vas lined up and -wss
passing in review Geo. Hubbard re-
marked that it was the 6oest parade
and review ,ha, be had seen in Panama
Park since be had commend here
About ttas .ime Company B. CON-
nauded by Capt. Langford. was pass
in review and Assistants Adjt. Gen.
Beacon said that that vas as 6ue as
eouId be, ,bar the regular army could
Dot beat it for line. time and order.
The baud Of the lst South Carolina
is compliuen,ed by everyone who has
heard it here. It has no peer here and
very few elsewhere. especially when
YOU take into consideration the work
they cid wheu passing 10 review before
Gen. Brooke at Cbickamauga. They
made ryshm of l2l steps to the min
u,e wheo regulation only called for l2o.
At the same sime the other bands fell
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