The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-11

fore the Thirteenth leaves for the
southwark. Monday everybody said
"Oh, If you'd only been here Sunday"
1t was the universal cry, you ought
to have seen us Sunday"
l suppose that Sunday, May 8, will
be indelibly fixed in the mind of the in
fantryman, the trooper, the soldier of
high or low degree who spent the doeful
day beneath the weeping skies with
only a tent cover between, as the one
wretched, miserable day of his eXis-
tence. 1t must have been awful, and
yet Monday beneath the glorious sum
shine with the everlasting hills smile
Ing In their verdure, which is ever
so much more brilliant than the foli-
age OF this region just at present; with
rows of tents agleam in their dazz-
ling whiteness, and the glitter of cav
airy, the flash of steel, the splendor
of banners and the brave blue of our
army, war seemed nothing but the
merry bugle call and the pride of
curveting horse and the glory of manly
strength and purpose. 1t Is a pity, 1
say, that all you good people who have
loved ones in the field, cannot have
! this last sweet memory of one of the
, loveliest days heaven ever sent to
brighten the coming months of anxi-
ETY. and worry.
1t is a blessed thing that you cannot
see the fair hillside as it was on the
| day previous with the fearful and Won
| derful mud of Gretna, Pompean in
! hue. mucilageous in consistency ana
| fathomless in depth. and over every
| thing and in everything the pitiless,
| driving rain, which Tor sixteen hours
! reduced all things to the condition of
| gelatine.
1t wasn't a gentle, beneficent rain,
| for at night on the swimming earth
| ice was frozen in the shiverng SOL
| diers' quarters. Anything more calcu-
| lated to drive patriotism from the
manly breast than this memorable
! Sabbath must be difficult to imagine
! There were many who wouldn't have
| found it so hard to say mo" when
| muster roll was called If 1t had been
| on that day.
But Monday was different. Sun
| shine makes a deal of change even
| when it falls on the face of woe. 1t
| is blessed provision of Providence that
| the gluey soil of Gretna is so porous
| that nothing short of Noah'S flood
| could leave much trace after a few
| hours of sun. Then the peak of a tent
| affords an excellent place for drying
! soaked garments and there was an
! array OF Monday washing" hung out
on the tented field that would
| have astonshed the housewives of this
| city. The back doors of the tents bore
indications of the deluge. There was n
| collection of suspicious looking bot
| ties even in the vicinity of the quar-
ters of the Thirteenths members who
| have widely known prohibition ten
! denotes. There were frivolous little
! oil stoves, hot water bags, high boots
| that may sometime have been black,
and queer looking objects that may
some day have been patent feathers,
but which now bore every indication
| of being early Indian footgear. There
were sections of uniforms that may
! sometime have been in shape to wear
| on dress parade, but which never
| again. unless touched by a miracle
will figure in that proud capacity.
We asked General Goblin if there
would be dress parade later in the af-
ternoon.
Dress parade! Lord, not" he cjacu-
lated. THE boys won't get dry enough
for two days yet"
In front of the regimental headquar-
ters of the Thirteenth was a pool sur
rounded by deep footprints. The boys
led visitors TO its indented rim and
! proudly pointed it out as the regimen
tai bath tub, where on Sunday every
body was accommodated with a plunge
without distinction as to rank or class.
The headquarters of the Second brig
adc occupy the highest point of ground
and while they were dry enough yes
terday, they were exposed the day be-
fore to the fury of the cold and beating
storm. General Wiley, who, by the
way, is generally considered the hand
soonest commander of the state troops
and who Is remembered in Scranton as
captain of the F%nklin Greys during
the riot period of ~ told us that II was
simply impossible to keep the tents
from blowing down on their heads and
that seldom in any service was a more
uncomfortable day spent. He and his
brother officers had no frills on theil
camp accoutrements and had not ever
board floors in most of the tents, They
are probably the most democratic di'
vision of the lot, as the officers put VI
their own tents.
In many respects the Thirteenth regi
ment is more comfortably QuartereC
than any other
Monday we had mess If that
what they call ii, with Lieutenant
Colonel Mates, Quartermaster Coke
DR.. Parke, Major StraIton and othel
officers of our own regiment, 1t WASH
a mess" in any sense, but was an eX
: cellent dinner, served in nice style b!
, Johnny Stanton" who is young for I
soldier The polite quartermaster fel
: distressed az the absence of a table
} cloth for the company" the first dere
LECTION Of the kind yet chronicled since
they went into camp, but unavoidabl,
} owing to the universal wetness of tn
household supplies, 1t will be one o
the last dinners, however, eaten from
: either table or table cloth, and prob
, ably the next Scranton guest will b.
regaled with roast beef a la tin plat
. and cafe au battered pewter cup, TO
! ell the splendid luxury of thick, whit
tableware, German silver spoons am
tresselled table will be sent home t
: repose in the quietude of our time worI
but not honored armOry.
: In a day or two ut most. our gallan
officers of the Thirteenth will be liv
ing in real army style and finding on
thu actualities of war.
Somehow, we can't imagine Colone
! Coursen eating with q kitchen knife o
: DIR. Parke conveying bean soup to hi
, mouth with a huge iron spoon, hut tina
4