Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-15
CONDITION OF CAMP MEADE.
A Delaware hoy Writes n Letter TO
Friend In This city.

Friend In This city.
The following letter has buen re-
ceived by WilningtoniBn from a
member of the First Delaware Regi-
ment, request having been made for a
description OF this condition Of affairs
from soldiers standpoint:
"Camp Meade, Sept, 18TH, 1898. Il
hardly know how to reply to your re-
quest concerning camp. But there is
one thing certain, We are not receiving
the treatment we did while at NJ iddle.
town. Del This, porhaps, is caused
by so many troops being here, and the
minority Of the men having the subj
sistenro and oommissary stores in
charge heing comparatively green at
This work This lie, Of course, no ex.
cuse, ms tho government Hhnuld have
placed the most experienced men at its
disposal over these departments.
"The fond question has no doubt
caused much OF the present dissatisfac-
tion. and this man are asking tho ques.
tion, IL they are treated this way in
their own country and right on one nj
the largest trunk lines in the world,
what would the conditions be in Cuba.
Porto Rico or the Philippinesy
II think it wus n great mistake to
mobilize so many men at ma place, as
the camp ID so large that IL takes quite
a willis to deliver the goods when they
are on hand. 1t is almost impossible
to keep meat, as you know, when it ia
ON ice, such weather as We have been
having, and it can hardly be expected
| that Ii would be fresh, in the correct
sense of the word. after being hauled
| niles to tina different regiments. Thon,
| ,sk hu Ia. t,.. "A
right away, as wo have no means Of
keeping it.
1--WE have lived chiefly on a comhi-
nation of white POTATOES and beef,
called by various names by us and by
some perhaps trifie harsh 10 civil
| isn'n cars, but which might be recog-
nized by you as an Irish atew. Those
| sam Pile meals described by some of the
mem ers of the regiment 10 the news
papers were, of course, the worst ones
and all OF the meals ara not as bad as
those. But, ne / have said, the mealE
are not what We did get. Chs material
seems 10 be OF an inferior quality alto
gether.
1.-The water supply is not what il
might be either. The quality is al
right, but the quantity is not. Sovera
times our company las heen compelled
to carry the water needed to prepare
thu meals with. We have to walk abou
half mile to get IL, but it ia worth
the walk IL we want il to drink, as il
is cold and pure. We filter all wate
brought to the company, that is If WI
have IL In time before using for cook
ing or drinking On account OF thu
scarcity of water We are usually with
out our customary morning wash, ant
this goes preity hard with US, too.
1.-The sanitary Arrangement OF tn
camp is very good, and had there beef
no regiments brought here that has
fever in ths ranks | don't think Their
would haye been any trouble along thi
lins. We have been very fortunate, a
We havs not been troubled with feye
yet and sincerely hope we will not
IA We are far removed from the gen
oral hospital, | cannot say whAther tn
fever is gaining ground or not, blu
every precaution is being taken TO pre-
vent its spreading.
"The news that we are to be retaine
in the service is not ballad with gtes
Joy, / can assure you, and fully two
thirds Of the men would like tn
mustered out. II the men had though
! for az instant that We would have bee
held after the war was over thetms
4 jority would not have taken the cath
!, Well, as we did, and the governmer
! will not muster us out, wo will have
5 grin and bear it and lose the two bet
9 years OF our lives.
n "In conclusion, would say thi
] those descriptive letters printed in th
papers were not all corrsrt and thoi
), meals were the worst ones we have ha
o to put up with. Once day we gel
:, orally strike good meal. A pc,
g meal TO us would he very poor to yol
suppose