The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-31

get enough for all purposes with the
result that men coming I'm from hard
drill would not wait. but would drink
the well water containing the germs Of
disease. Dysentery soon became cpl
demic and fever commenced to rage.
The medical department at first fur
nished nearly all medicines in the tab
let form, which went through the weak
stomachs without dissolving, and the
sick, instead of getting well, got worse.
This condition and the character OF the
Tations served were the first causes Of
a disaffection. which soon began 20
grow with the men and which has con-
tinued to grow till the soldiers have
come to literally hate their officers, or
some of them. to an extent that Is al
most beyond relief.
The responsibility was said to attach
20 the medical and commissary de-
partments and to regimental officers.
The commissary officers, who seem to
he chiefly at fault. were said to be lax
i'm performing their duties and were
careless in their inspection Of o As
a consequence pork and bacon that
were unfit To eat would be issued to
the men and when the attention of the
commissary officers would be called to
il. If they took the trouble to condemn
the rotten grub al all. il would be cart
ed away and nothing whatever issued in
its place. The regimental officers came
in for their share of the blame. from
the fact that when the captains of
troops would complain that their men
were improperly fed and their sick
poorly cared for. there would he abso~
lutely no attempt to remedy the trouble.
the regimental officers apparently car
ing so little for the welfare Of the COM
mon soldiers and being so busy appre-
ciating their W importance. that they
did not have time to go to so much
fuss.
The provisions for caring for the sick
were said to be the poorest possible.
The regimental and division hospitals
were merely tents pitched In the open
under the hot sun, and here the fever
patients were cared for. At a stated
every day a bugle wound sound
the sick call and all who were sick
would have TO turn out and get i'm line
and stand there till their time To be
examined came. Some would be COM
PEELED to stand two or three hours in
the broiling sun and then the examina-
ton would be only cursory.
A great many houses available for
hospitals which were offered, but for
some reason We're not accepted, and
when the soldiers learned this il did
not tend to soften their feelings toward
the officers. Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd
came III lbI a ldi VI TIT NllAA'AHliiH -
was said that of an evening or morn
ing. when il was not sufficiently Light
for their identity to be distinguishable,
the men would gather near the picket
line and shout i'm hort why are we
called cowboys? Because Lloyd runs a
milk ranch" This and other similar dis
respectful things would be shouted, al
though Colonel Lloyd endeavored siren
uously to put a stop to such proceed
ings.
When the protocol was signed and it
was seen the war was over the men at
once began preparing petitions TO be
mustered out. This went on for some
time and, being purely p~etitionary in
character, was a right insured to the
men by the constitution, but after a
number Of petitions had been sent away,
the regimental officers learned of 1t,
and the regimental officers. who liked
their jobs and did not want to be mus
tered out. issued orders that any n
caught circulating or signing such pc
titions should be arrested and thrown
into the guard house. The Montana
captains d~isregarded the order n
never arrested any Of their men.
About the only regimental officer who
was liked by the men was Major j. II.
Monteath, commanding the Montana
battalion. He is said to be about the
only one who can still wear the same
hat he wore to Chickamauga. Major
Monteath. II was said, did all he could
for his men. but his authority was linn
tied. and all he could do was to tighten
their burdens at times and appeal and
protest in their behalf. Major Mon
teath was said to have had a lively APP
probation Of the sorry plight Of the boys
and when ordered out to drill would
take his squadron off into the woods
or somewhere out of sight of regimental
headquarters and let them lie down and
rest during the time they were supposed
10 be drilling.
Mastering out will begin on Saturday
and all of the Montana squadron should
ba home inside of two weeks. quite ev-
identity the newspapers will be furnished
with some highly interesting reading
when they get here.