The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-07-14
FROM CAMP THOMAS.
The Fourteenth Minnesota Gets Right
to the Front In Striking Camp
and Clearing Up Land.
How the Boys Received the News
d From Santiago Parading at
. Night and Clothing Nit.

& CAMP CAN THOMAS, Ga, July 8, 1885,
Company NJ is still here, although it
has not been in camp all the week.
tuesday morning we struck camp and
marched; about seven miles east to a
spot up in the mountains where rife
practice was considered safe. We
made the march without losing man
from on our battalion, although it was a
very warm day. and had our camp
made, shelter tents pitched and
kitchen fire. lighted before $50, The
country was heavily wooded and in
order to get a 200-yard range it was
necessary to clear the ground. Here
the lumbermen in companies F and M
came in very handy. Axes and cross
cuts were brought out and soon. a
lively crew was at work and for the
next three hours there was a steady
crash of trees. By 2:30 we had the
range cleared, pits dug, the four tar
gets in place and then the sound of the
axWas superseded by the crack of the
rifle. We remained there until Thurs
day afternoon and the boys enjoyed
every moment. While we were there
wewere visited by the colonel of the
First Georgia, who remarked that we
were fortunate in finding such nice
opening for a range. Major Scheffer
informed him that we cleared it our
selves in three hours and we're shoot
ing on it five hours after we halted.
He was greatly surprised. ut would
have taken my whole regiment two
days to do that" he said. land then
the boys would have considered them
selves overworked" '"The only
trouble we experienced, colonel,'' said
Scheffer, ''was in stopping the boys.
If we hadn't forbidden it they, would
have cleared the whole d mountain
by this time" - .. >.~
Thursday afternoon we started back
to camp and on the road we met the
Second battalion going out to take its
tnrnson the range The. day wassvery
hot and the boys had made a hurried
march, so hurried in fact that we met
stragglers who had been obliged to fall
tout all along the road home. They
were a tired, thirsty set, while our
boys, wi it'll couple of exceptions, were
fresh and hearty. The exceptions
were two men who tempted death by
tackling the so-called pies of the south.
This article of food must be staple in
this cou ntry, as every farm house we
pass has sign on the gate ''Pies for
Sale" The crust has every attribute
of leather and has a similar effect on
the digestion, while the filing is in.
describable.
Just as we were preparing to leave
Emory Norton, M. D., went to the
corral to get his team. An innocent
looking jackass standing near objected
to Emory's presence and as he was
within range of the mules business
end, Norton is now in the hospital
He is not seriously injured though
He received the blow on the right fore
arm and though the bones were MOI
broken, they were cracked and Norton
will be off duty for some time. H..
The country about the range is wilc
enough to suit the most fastidious
taste. Those who have read-of.s the
moonshiners' country know something
of the lay ofithe land. Right here lei
me remark, the boys were given an op
portunity to taste this glorious product
of the south. Three Of them discov.
cred still a couple of miles from camp
and purchased a small flask. On their
way home they sampled the goods and
for the next hour the trio busted them.
selves with trying to climb the same
tree.
We celebrated the Fourth by break
ing camp. Every man in the regiment
was kept in quarters that morning and
when the .bugle sounded the general:
it was a sight to see the canvas come
down. Less than minute after the
last note sounded there was not yard
OF canvas standing in our battalion and
in six minutes companies r. and M
had their tents rolled and landed, to.
gether with all the baggage and uten.
| Sils of the companies, and the bows had
donned their rolls and were in line
ready to move. The rest of the bat
TALON were close behind and eight
minutes after the call had sounded
Major Scheffer was standing before the
colonel under arms saying: "Sir, j
have the honor to report that the FRS
battalion is under arms and ready t
move.' One Of the other battalion'
took twenty minutes to do what we hal
accomplished in six minutes. It was