Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-06-26
FROM CHICkAMAUGA.
Letter Received From Wheeling Boy,
Who Enlisted Recently With the West
Virginia Regiment


Who Enlisted Recently With the West
Virginia Regiment
The following letter was received
/ by the Register yesterday from John H.
| Gillespy, who left Wheeling about
week ago among recuits enlisted here
by Lieutenant Connors for the FIRST
| West Virginia regiment:
In Camp at Chickamauga Park, Ga.
June 70, 1854 day in camp life is
not one Of loafing as many think. You
must arise at a. m. for roll call and
shortly after this you assemble for
breakfast. After breakfast you must
clean up your tent and the street in
'front.' OF your tent, after which you must
be ready for Grill at 7:15 a. m You
drill one hour and about 8: 80 you COM
mence another hours drill and when
this is finished you have school in tao
tics from 10 to II a. M. At u o'clock
you assemble for dinner and at o'clock
an uncommissioned officers school is
held for one hour. At o'clock you
have anther drill of one hour, and then
you have nothing to do until about 6
O'Clock, when mess is ready. Retreat
is sounded at about Z: Is and roll is call
ed. You are free then till 8 o'clock,
when taps are sounded, at which you
must put out all lights. One of the
greatest privileges granted to the boys
is that of the Y. NJ C. A., which is just
outside of the West Virginia guard line.
| To this tent any Of the privates may
pass through the guard line without an
uncommissoned officer or pass. At
the Y. NJ. c. A. the boys may write let
tiers, pen, ink, paper, envelopes and
lo1 ~ 60, jch fro nd
stamps sold here There is also read
ing matter here if you want to use it.
Also entertainments are furnished by
| the talent from the different regiments
stationed here. One of these entertain
| ments was given on last Tuesday night
and about five hundred were present.
| One of the chief features of this enter
tainment was a professional entertain
er from New York. but who is now
with the Thirty-first Michigan reg1-
! ment
There are many Wheeling boys here
mostly in Company NJ, of Moundsville,
but there are some of the Wheeling
boys in the other companies. Yester-
day there arrived sixteen recruits from
Wheeling, and they were received with
the usual applause, after which the
boys shout: Had good home and
left. left left" which is drawled out in
very peculiar manner probably to
sicken the recruits. The boys are all
sickness Of any kind in the camp. Some
have been here for six weeks and
about four or five weeks in Camp Lee
and some haven't received their money
from the State There is very little
sickness of any kind in the camp. Some
few have stomach and bowel trouble,
but are not on the sick list.
The first recruits of the West Viz
ginia boys here are becoming very
proficient at drill, and they all await
anMously for any word to move to the
front. One thing that is dreaded here
is the guard house. 1t is dreaded even
more than the jail or lookup are at
rhome, for here you must labor at hard
labor, such as digging sink holes and
bitches. The scenery here is very beau
titfu as we'll as inspiring to the sol
diers' patriotic heart. 1t is the scene
of May a lost life. All around you
YOU see signs describing the position
of the different troops on the grounds
when the battles were fought. Gigan-
tic trees surround you on every side
And the movement Of troops on the
field only serves to set off the scenery
of the park.
The sun is very hot here, but the hui
midity is not as great as 1t is in Wheel
ing. One of the greatest Joys boy
in the camp has is to receive letter
or a box from home or friends. Many
a heart is inspired by the thought that
there are friends at home thinking OF
him here on the field So friends OF
the boys in Uncle Sans service write
many letters and cheer the hearts of
those who are willing to take the
front in behalf of their country and
your homes and honor.
JOHN H. GILLESPY.