Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-06-27
SOLDIERS LETTER.
Continued from First Page.

faring better than the Spainards, and
that, with the belief that we will soon
be at the front, is enough to keep our
spirits up,
We rise every morning at 5 a. M,
breakfast at Sis, company drill $40 to
80, battalion drill 6.45 to 7.45, then
we have until 3.15 p. IN. before we drill
again, 1t is too hot between and to
do anything. Our afternoon drill is for
one hour, followed by supper at 6. At
8 o'clock we 90 to bed and as the nights
are cool we sleep Soundly, There are no
mosquitoes here to bother us, but there
is species of the ant in this locality
that gets quite friendly and bites worse
than the mosquito. He always leaves
his mark after him.
Water is very scarce and sometimes
you will stand in line three hours wait
ing for drink. Some regiments have to
carry water two and three miles. A
bath here is luxury that all cannot
enjoy.
IT rs NEARLY FIVE MILES
to the tennessee river from our camp,
and when we first came here some OF
the boys went looking for place to
battle and when they found it they stay
ed so long that the lieutenant colonel
shut down on swimming.
The Ninth Penn'a is encamped about
four miles from us and often got to 81 e
the boys from old Luzcrne. 1t is a
pleasure to me, for | seldom run across
men who can talk about mines and min
ing, The Ninth is the only coal region
regiment in this camp, the Eighth
(SchuylkilD and Thirteenth Lacka-
wanna being stationed at Camp Alger
in Virginia. | have just learned that
one of Frecland's boys, Sine Neuburger,
is here with the Ninth, and | shall look
him up. | think when we move that
the Ninth will be with us. 1t is regi-
ment thought highly of by Ma ior General
Brooke, commander of the First corps.
of which the First and Ninth are part.
We are being equipped with the very
latest Springfield rifles Qs05 model.
There are nearly $50 sharpshooters in
the First and 200 of them hold first-class
marksmens medals from the National
Guard. The rest will be good shots too,
for in few days rifle range will be
opened for this regiment to practice.
Every company has its singers here
and at night we have some good concerts.
IL is not all work and our amusements
are many.
Every regiment here has its chaplain,
and as all religions are represented in
each corps every man can have his
spiritual needs attended to by clergy of
his denomination.
The Southern troops are very court
eous men and it is no wonder the North
ern soldiers could not put them down
sooner than they did. All hands look as
though they can fight while life lasts.
Grigby's Rough Riders are encampcd
near us. They are a very nice set of
men, but you should see them ride.
They beat anything ever seen in circuses
or Wild West shows and am sure they
will play very prominent part in this
war. They ride like demons and shoot
as straight as Dewey did
Each regiment here has eighty mules
and they are worse then the notorious
mules used in the mines. Every one of
our mules must have been selected on
account of his kicking ability or his
disposition to balk. The men of the
First have to get outsiders to handle our
lot. | was hoping that our regiment
would get few drivers from the mines
in our new recruits, but it seems they
did not They are the only men |
know Of who could master the mules as
signed to us.
AS every army must have its scouts,
those of the First corps have been select
ed and are receiving instructions daily
in this branch of the service. Picked
men from the twenty-seyen regiments
comprising the First corps form the
scout company, and
IT WAS MY FORTUNE
to be one of the chosen few. The work
is said to be extremely hazardous in
actual war, but when the PENNSYLVANIA
boys said yes" at Mt. Gretna they pre-
pared themselves for everything that
may come, even death itself.
There is feeling among the men that
the war is going to be of long duration.
They have not the same opinion OF the
Spanish soldier as the citizen has. We
think he will put up good, stiff fight
when the time comes, and are preparing
ourselves to meet desperate men.
The heroes OF this camp are Dewey
and Hobson. All mascots are named
after either OF these brave men, while
every mule in camp is known as ''Wey-
ler' or "Blanco."
A rumOr that seems to be reliable is
that we will go to Porto Rico under com
mand of General Fitz Hugh Lee, and we