The leader., 1898-10-05
CAMP McLAURIN.
Sergeant Hardy Magee Gives u Brighter
Report Of Camp Life at LauderdaIe.
Special Cor. of The Leader.l

Sergeant Hardy Magee Gives u Brighter
Report of Camp Life at LauderdsIe.
Special Cor. of The Leader
LAUDERDALE SPRINGS, Sept. 30.
Since writing my last letter
things around camp have under.
gone a great change, and what
once seemed like thirty days of toll
and hunger now has an air of
"peace and plenty"-thanks to the
kindness of Major Donald, our
commander, who, by the way, is
one of the cleverest and best es-
teemed officers in the regiment, if
he doesn't belong to the Third Bat
TALON.
Our little squad of f"property pro.
tectOrs" are now enjoying life in a
very satisfactory manner and the
guard duty has been reduced to al
most nothing, while the "grub bas-
ket" has been dished into literally
and the boys, with few exceptions,
have their rations prepared for
them by female cooks of the color
ed population around here. Some
of the boys are out fishing or hunt.
ing daily, and as fish and game are
plentiful in this section, our ta.
bles are generally supplied with
extra dishes from this source as
we'll as neighboring hen roosts,
which, by the way, are very thick
in this section, and the people are
so filled with goodness and Chris
tianity that.when a soldier makes
night attack Oh their hen house
and pulls out pullet or two, next
morning the whole blame is laid on
q poor mink or owl.
Camp McLaurin, which by the
way is named for Gov. Anse as an
honor (!) to his loyalty to Missis.
sippi's soldiers, is now quarantined
against the world so far as soldiers
are concerned, and it would be to
civilians, but we are sure no citizen
with brains would come to this
place unless it was to escape some
officer. A guard is now stationed
at the depot and no soldier is al.
lowed to alight from trains and
won't be until all danger of yellow
fever is over, so there is little dan.
ger of it breaking out in camp. The
fever scare has caused some talk of
moving the two regiments from
this place to some northern point,
and correspondence to this effect,
as we'll as to thirty days exten-
sion OF all furloughs, has been
going OH between officials here and
in Washington. 1t is hard to tell
what Uncle Sam will do in regard
to the matter, but 1T is more than
likely that all furloughs will be
extended, as the people of this sec,
tion won't allow the boys to return
here until after heavy frost.
There is great change in the SEN
timent of the boys here as regards
to being mustered out, and those
who were so anxious to get out
some time since are now content to
remain in service. This change
has heen brought about by letters
from boys now out Oh furlough,
saying situations are few and far
between, and that they wish they
were back in camp, where there is
no worry about "a place to sleep
and something to eat. 1t is more
than likely that twO-thirds of both
regiments will want to remain in
service by the time their fnrloughs
are out.
The Second regiment has sent
upwards of sixty sick boys home
from here within the past two
weeks, and the first will send four
out tonight, leaving only one man
in hospital. Thus it will be seen
that we are at last to be free from
sickness in such large numbers.
Boys from Company Oh" on
duty here are in fine health and
two of us will join the fair sex OF
Kemper county in "A dance Monday
night next, and as it is some dis
tance from here we may not get
back without falling by the way
side, as Capt. Ewing did, and
come up late to roll call. If we
do we trust to meet with his good
luck and have a couple Of the fail
maids to plead for us.-Until then
good. bye, with regards to all.
Harry MAGEE.