Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-09-15
A Soldier Letter.
FORT PRESIDE, SAN FRANCISCO, Sept
4, 1898.

i
/ will endeaverto write
you short note and let you and the
rest Of the Audubon people know how
we are and what kind Of treatment we
are receiving. 10 start with the
Audubon boys are all well but there is
a large amount of sickness in the regi-
| ment, more than there ever was before
| since we came here and Il few deaths.
| In the twenty-four hours ending Fri
day noon there was six deaths and two
silce and as many 1t W cases Oftyphod
| fever. We now have i'm the division
hospital sixty-four men and there is
from one to three hundred OH the sick
| book every morning.
One man from Des Moines came here
last Wednesday after his son who was
sick in the division hospital and wanted
to take him to ii private hospital
| where he would receive better treat
| ment and lie was refused even that
small a favor and his son died Thurs
day night. One of my tent mates is in
the division hospital amy lie said they
receive very poor treatment.
Our last issue from the comm issary
was very bad, our peaches were wormy
the potatoes rotten, but our bacon was
as good as amy we have as yet drawn.
Company l. is the best led company in
the regiment, as we have Il company
fund and buy what we need. But /
must give you clipping from the San
Frisco Call:
WANT TO BE MUSTERED OUT.
"Amd now 1t is the Fifty first Iowa
Volunteers who are divided against
themselves, and the strife is bitter and
TO the knife. AS in the case Of the
Seventh California, the men of the
ranks are trying to wreSt from their
| officers the right to make known to the
powers their troubles and their wants
"The UNANIMOUS sentiment OF the
ranks is for mastering out. Now that
unhappy war is over and their services
no more needed, their eyes are turned
toward home and their one desire is
| that they be- sent there us soon as the
order can lie given.
''The officers, however, are of another
mind Visions of Il fat salary and Il
warm garrison have led them to send
up a petition setting forth that they
and their men desire TO remain in the
service and further praying that they
be assigned to garrison duty.
when this fact became known to the
men it required all of the power that
attaches to Colonel Lopers rank to
prevent Il mutinOus demonstration He
intercepted petition that WAS going
the rounds, asking on behalf of the
men that they be mustered out and re-
turned to their homes and avocations,
and announced publicly that such ac-
ton in the future would result in
cOurt.martial.
"One of the men in the ranks said
yesterday: "Since we arrived in camp
we have lived without complaint amid
insufferable evils. Our daily sick call
is larger than that of amy other regi-
ment and our sick men are treated like
| Il lot of dogs.
"Quinine has been the panacea for all
our Ills, and little else has been kept
in the medicine chest. Our bacon is
green and full of vermin, and instead
of getting the 26-cent allowance for IA
tons provided for by the Government
we are by actual computation getting
but 16 cents. Our meats are bad, and
other ratiOnS are more often short than
not.
"These conditions Lave existed with
us from the beginning, but while there
was Il chance of seeing service and
demonstrating that we were deserving
of better treatment, we did not kick
Bnt now that there is no excuse for our
| suffering as we do we propose to kick
and kick hard, and our officers will find
that we privates are about as strong in
politics as they are before we get
through with it,"
l will give you some of the bright
side of army life.
About Il week ago we had sham
battle and it was great sport. Our
battalion fought the other two, of
course we whipped. l tried to get
captured so wouldn't have to carry
my gun in, but luck was against me. l
| guess they was onto our scheme for
some of them tried to do the same
thing, and last Tuesday we passed
another one of those reviews. There
was seven thousand soldiers that
passed General Miller with flying colors
and at port arms. The city papers
gave it great send off and it said
| there was about ten thousand specta-
tors OH the field covering fences, knowls
and every place that one could get a
good view. Well it is nearly time for
dress parade so l will close for this
time hopeing can write letter with
out so much kicking in it the next time
l remain,
| Yours truly,
| HENRY A. JOHNSON,
/ Co /, H1ct Inmn Vol