The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-12
BOYS WANT TO
GO TO MANILA
OFFICERS AND MEN AFRAID
THE WAR WILL END BEFORE
THEY GET A CHANCE.
COL. CARR AND A PRIVATE TALK
These Boys" Said the Durhamite, " Have
the Stuff in Them Out of Which SOL
diers are Made"

Colonel Julian S. Carr of Durham
was visitor to Camp Dan Russell yes
terday. He was warmly received by
Colonel Burgwyn and the other officers
and soldiers, many of whom knew him
personally. He reached the camp durin.
the morning drill by some of the com
panies, and complimented the men upon
their efficiency. He brought good news
to the troops of their comrades ut Jack
sonville and told Of the cheers with
which the First North Carolina Regi-
ment was received on parade at Jack
sonville.
Within n few minutes after it be-
came known that Colonel Carr was III
camp. the officers and men who had
n personal acquaintance with him called
TO pay their respects. and every man in
uniform felt satisfied that 1.-THE soldiers
friend as they all regard him, was III
their midst. He was beseiged with re-
quests to go to Washington and try to
get the regiment ordered to the front.
The Colonel. the Majors and the Cap
tains and the privates are all of one
mind, and they all besought Colonel Carr
to try to get them ordered to the front.
1t was a singular thing. and high
compliment to Colonel Carr. to see how
the soldiers had more faith in his ability
to serve them than in the ability of any
public official. There is an intuition
among the men in camp that is as un-
errng as Il woman's instinct.
After leaving the camp | saw Colonei
No tha4 IA ~,
recovered from an attack of malaria, he
would not longer postpone a visit to the
men in camp Just to see how the boys
were faring and to say 'howdy' to my
friends of the regiment" He said that
the thing that impressed him most was
the anxiety of the men TO get in battle.
''They all want to 90 and are chatting
right now because they are not with
Shafter at Santiago or with Merritt at
Manila. / believe the majority of them
would prefer to be ordered to Manila
but they wonld, be happy to go anywhere
where fighting is to be done. They are
beginning to be afraid the war will end
before they have a chance to fire Il shot
One officer said to me: If / had sup
posed we would be penned up here and
no chance in action, | would never
have volunteered That's the spirit
evidently that animates them all, anc
instead of being deferred by the slaugh
ter at Santiago it seems to have given
them a consuming desire for an oppor
tunity to win glory at the lannon's
mouth
One of the chief officers said to Col
onel Carr: IF you can possibly do so.
get us ordered TO Manila without de-
lay. We would like to start tomorrow.
We have $50 men not yet uniformed.
and we lack belts and leggings, but we
do not trouble about these things half
so much as we do at having to stay here
while others fight their country's bat
ties. We did not come here to be near
our homes and friends. We are making
sacrifices to take part in battles. and we
begin to be afraid that the war will be
over before we get chance to fire
shot"
As Colonel Carr boarded the street
car to return to the city. a private sit
ting in front of him said:
do you think the authorities can be
induced to order us to Manila?'
Colonel Carr said he did not know. and
asked the young man if he really did
want to fight so much as all that. Il
was not so anxious to fight" was the
reply, "but / am tired of the monotony
Of camp life. If had chosen a monoto-
nous existence. l would not have volun
teered. Having joined the army | want
to go with the army where fighting is to
be done"
Colonel Carr reminded him that Raj
eigh was very pleasant place, and sug
gcsted that it was pleasanter here where
nobody was trying to kill him than
III Santiago where Spanish bullets were
flying in the air. The young man adj
mitted that. but said he had joined the
army to fight and he wanted a chance to
fight
''These boys" said Colonel Carr, as he
was leaving have the stuff in them out
of which soldiers are made. They believe
in Lord Wolseley's advice. IF you want
to get on in war, do your best to get
killed -,