Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-06-27

greater and more uniform than in the
National Guard and as discipline makes
the soldier the National Guard cannot
COMPETE WITH TIE REGULAR
in soldering
At the present time the majority of
regiments here from the various states,
If equipped, would be ready to move on
the enemy and would give just as good
an account in action as the most of the
regulars.
Never before have men been known to
improve so fast in the school of the
soldier as the troops now encamped on
this historical field. | believe the spirits
of the brave fellows who fell here on
September 1920, 1868, have been coach
ing us. The regular army officers de-
tailed here are as much surprised as our
own officers in the great improvement
of the men in soldiery bearing.
The influence of the Pennsylvania
troops in this camp is being felt by all
other commands. None here elicit more
praise than the First Pennsylvania
Volunteers, and General Grant has
stated to the staff of General Poland,
our brigade commander, that nearly the
whole regiment was fit to be made line
officers and he would make no mistakes
to appoint any of the men to commands
in the army.
The First Pennsylvania Volunteers
was the First regiment, n. G. p, before
being mustered into this big army, and
as we were only allowed 63 in com
pany in the state service, and now are
recruited to log, you can see that only II
little more than half our number are
National Guardsmen. But the new
recruits are showing up nobly and it is
hard now to detect the diflerence-so
perfect have all become in military
work. The rank and file of the First
has all trades and professions represent
ed in it, and as most of the boys come
from Philadelphias first families a high
spirit prevails in the regiment. In the
Guard we were known as the DANDY
First" and this title still follows us
"DANDIEs But NOT DUDEs,n
DTlcHy ucSCrlDcS tnc pcfSOnnel oil Jnc
regiment.
While encamped at Mt. Gretna, Pa,
our colonel Wendell p Bowman, had
the misfortune to fall from his horse
and injured himself so badly that as yet
he has not joined us. Being without Il
colonel we do not know when we will
move from here. If he had been with
us we would now be with General Shat
ter in Cuba, or at least at Tampa instead
of thy Third Penn'a.
The life of soldier would be all right
If we could get enough to eat of what
our stomachs crave, instead of the stuff
they give us. Prominent men who visit
here go away and tell that we live like
princes, but If they would only live three
days on our fare they would think decid-
edly different. We are supposed to get
one and one-fourth pounds of fresh meat
per man every day. The commissary
gives to each company about forty
pounds and ten pounds of that 90 to
waste in cooking and trimming. The
small piece left gives each only taste
| We get fresh bread now but we don't
get enough, and as for vegetables we
| have to buy them ourselves. If il were
not for the boxes of canned goods the
people in Philadelphia send individually
we would always be hungry. 1t is no
fault Of our officers that we fare no
better. The blame rests upon the Off
cials in Washington. II is shame that
an army of such a rich and fertile
country should fare like we do. We
live in hopes that it may improve, It's
one consolation to know that we are
! Continued on Fourth Page.