The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-12-01
COMPANY rs TRIP
TO The SOUTH.
Interesting Letters from Two OF
our Brave Boys in Blue.
The Trip Down South.

To the Editor Of The MonMouTH IsourRxn;
No doubt you have been informed
by this time Of our departure from
Pompton Lakes, N. j., where the 3rd
Regiment has been camping since
May 26 last and of our safe arrival
at Athens, Ga.
We were to leave Pompton on
| Thursday, Nov. 10, but owing to the
railroad not being able to furnish the
trains upon that day we were detain-
ed until the following day Nov III
and perhaps it was just as we'll for us
ID one sense of the word as it rained
continually on Thursday but as we
had packed. and shipped our oil
stoves on Wednesday we were with
out any fires, except few hunks
which by luck were not burned on
/ Wednesday, Several of the boys had
dumped and burned the straw out oil
their ticks and were compelled to
sleep upon tie floors of their tents
which could not have been otherwise
than wet. Preparations having been
made for our removal on the 10th we
were without food, except for few
pounds of meet which was telegraph.
ed for from Paterson. upon which
the boys Jared quite we'll
The Railroad Company were to fur
nish us with parlor cars but when
! they arrived we found upon investi-
cation that the majority Of them were
the poorest kind OF day coaches,
some without heat or light and some
with broken window glasses.
On Thursday night ma
;ority Of the boys enjoyed the
hospitality of the Pornpton peo-
pie who have trealed us like their
own people during our whole stay
there, by occupying a good feather
bed and eating their buck wheat
cakes, among which majority were
''Vetie Sam and myself. Fortunately
there were a great many old soldiers
who served in the last war living ia
and near Pompton and Sam and / OF
course frequently upon request visit
ed their homes and ate with welcome.
or at least Sam used to think so when
got at the chicken and lima beans,
as / could certainly make them dis
appear, especially after living on hard
tack and bacon a couple of days.
Having left Poinpton Lakes on Fri
day Nov. II at 2. 80 p. NJ, the first Sec
tion pulling out few moments ahead
Of us, We being in the second section
we proceeded 70 Jersey City where we
arrived at 405 P. NJ. and while there
Inspectors were set to work examin-
ing the cars in which we were; all Sec
tions, (of which there we're four Pas
senger sections and one freight were
condemned and other cars were placed
in the trains, the condemned cars hav-
ing been left there. At II P. NJ, one
section pulled out of Jersey City and
proceeded enroute to Philadelphia by
Railway, New Brunswick, Monmouth
Junction and Trenton and at which
places large crowds were awaiting
with boxes of eatables &C., but we did
not stop at any of them and some of
the people being SO anxious to give
what they had to the boys. threw the
boxes upon the cars, most of which
WAS smashed and lost, but Joseph
Meyer, former employee of your of
Ffice, who was struck in the face with
box, at New Brunswick, caught it
and it contained some nice eatables
We arrived at Philadelphia about /. 20
A. NJ, Saturday morning, at which
time most of the boys in my car were
asleep where we stopped about thir-
| ty minutes and then proceeded
| toward Baltimore, arriving there at
430 A. NJ. Our next stop was at
Washington arriving at A. NJ, and
there we remained until $50 having
been served with coffee. The next
important city we passed through
was fredericksburg at 10.40 A. NJ,
and at 1.30 p. M, we arrived at Rich
nond, Va, where we were given cof-
fee again and remained there until
215 p. NJ, where we proceeded toward
Petersburg, passing near there at 3
p. N. We crossed the line from Vir-
ginia to North Carolina at 4.45 P. NJ,
passing through several small towns
and settlements. At a small place
called Porrier, in North Carolina,
was talking 10 an old negro who
seemed to think that we had been
sent South to protect them from the
Whites, he stating to me that they
shot every nigger who attempted to
vote on election day. The boys were
greatly amused while going through
the different States, seeing the differ
rent shanties along the route
and watching the coons pick cotton.
While passing along some of the
bows who had blank shells, would put
their rifle out Of the window and fire
at some of the natives and you would
think that they had been killed sure
to see the way they disappeared.
Pleasant Hill was the first village
passed in North Carolina and at 5.15
p. NJ. we arrived at Weldon, N. G.,
when we had some more of the SO call
ed coffee, without sugar or milk, and
left there at $40 p. NJ, and arriving
at Raleigh, n. c., at 10 P. NJ. where
we remained until 1890 and there
proceeded to Greenwood, South Car
n. a