The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-16
LIFE IN THE CAMP AT TAMPA
A GRAPHIC DESCBIPTION OF HOW
TINE Is SPENT By SOLDIERS.

4
ions Representative Men Get
| Along Well TOgcther-The Fare
i Provided for sOIdiers-scenes and
Incidents in the Army That Is Pre-
pairing to Move on Cuba.
| Tampa, Fla, May 15.-Years ago Henry
Ward Beecher made the remark that has
| since become historical: Il care not what
nationality a man may be, let him but send
his children to the public schools of the
| United States and l viii guarantee that
they will be turned out Americans" The
| famous divine might have gone a step
further and have added cor enlist their
fathers in the service of Uncle Sam
| through the medium of the regular army
and [ will vouch for their Americanism,
for in no other country in the world is 1T
| possible to find body of men of such
proportions and polyglot components, gath
cred together, as it is, from every corner
of the civilized globe. with
such singular loyalty to one
another and the flag of their country.
The reason for this will appear obvious to
anyone who will take the time and exer-
else the patience necessary to arrive at the
| facts.
The writer has spent the last few weeks
! at the camp on Tampa flights, in close
| touch with the soldier boys, eating at their
mess, sleeping In their tents. watching
their drills, sharing their fatigues and rec
reations and in fact, living their life, and
| is therefore in position to state that I'M
Gle Sans army Is the best fed, best shell
tered, best cared for soldiers of any army
in the world.
Although the American element predom-
mates among the enlisted men, neverthe-
| less the absolute fairness with which all
are treated by their superior officers irres-
pective of the nativity of the men, pre-
cludes the possibility of that bugaboo, fac
tionalism, becoming factor of army life,
or its twin brother, sectionalism, being toll
Grated. The Irishman and the Jew become
"bunhes," the Indiana. Hoosier and the
Carolina Tar Heel lock arms and go about
their business with singleness of pur-
pose, namely, to draw their $13 per month,
and follow Old Glory. 1t must not be in
ferred from this that army life is Ito
plan in it's character, for it is interesting to
note in this connection that while growls
and even good old fashioned fist fights be-
| tween square heads and Turks or Yankees
and Scowegians often occur seldom If
| ever, are they attributable to differences
in nationality, politics or religious belief
AS regards the latter quality, let not the
! layman imagine that private Y. Doodle is
| insensible to the value of it's elevatng in
huences. True, it might be thought that a
body of men living removed from the re-
fining influences of woman and home might
acquire an inordinate share of worldly
vices, but like Americans in other walks
of life, soldiers have had
the advantages of home training
and education, and the high standard of
morality that obtains in the army Is direct
ly attributable to the fact that the Ameri-
can soldier remembers that he is an Amer
lean ana a man. The regimental chaplain
is his friend. and they understand one an
other. Compulsory Christianity is a rec
ognized institution in European armies. In
Uncle Sans army 1t Is an unknown guam
tity, although it has been agitated by a
certain class of ultra radical truly good
and holy Wilies-a class that insults a
soldiers intelligence by working on the
theory that all that is necessary TO do to
harvest a crop of converts and cash col
lections is to assail a soldiers ears with
discordant PAROLES on time honored battle
songs written in juggling doggerel calcu-
lated to be within easy grasp of his infan-
tile mind. Your soldier is ready to resent
this idea to the last ditch-hence. the small
audiences that greet these well-meaning
but deluded men at their meetings on the
camp grounds.
Such has been the writer's observation of
this matter, but as 1t was his intention at
the outset to present to his readers a gen.
eral idea of the daily routine of camp life,
care becomes necessary to avoid DEPRESSION.
A soldiers first call is ''reveIlle" At the
camp on Tampa Heights this call goes at
$50 a. m, but there being fifteen minutes
between first call and assembly, most of
the men take advantage of the time to
snatch the. proverbial forty winks. They
lie around the conical shaped Sibley tents
in all stages of dress and undress, having
made themselves comfortable during the
night on hunks of moss and pine needles.
AS assembly sounds the tents present an
animated picture. What to the civilian
would appear as an indistinguishable pile
of rifles and belts soon assumes, under
the magic touch of trained hands, the form
of a well ordered rack, and before the last
note of the bugle has been sounded, are
respectively in the hands and on the backs
of their owners, who are in company front
position and answering roll call. This is
followed by mess call after reasonable
interval for washing.
Breakfast consists of fried bacon and
potatoes, bread, coffee, etc, and is eaten
on inprovised tables furnished by the
quartermasters department.. Some of the
soldiers of a mechanical turn have built
tables for themselves in order to obtain
more privacy.
General policing of officers row and the
company streets is next in order. This oc-
cupies about five minutes, after which a
soldiers time is his own until drill call at
z o'clock. This drill and the time consum-
ed at 1t is altogether within the discretion
of the commanding officer, he being entire
ly guided by the weather and the exigen-
cies of the moment. Latterly ito has con-
sisted of battalion and regimental
drill, both in the close and extended
order. the troops being equipped in heavy
marching orders and are tired and dusty
lot upon their return to camp after their
trip over the not Florida sands.
This completes the days work for Uncle
Sans men, or rather the part of 1t en-
hodyng labor or fatigue. except for those
that are detailed on police duty.
Dinner is served at 11;S0. the menu con-
sisting of roast meat, two vegetables,
| broad ola