The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-19
1888 TAMPA 1898.
THE TAMPA OF 60 YEARS AGO AND
THE TAMPA OF TODAY.
Wonderful Contrast Between the
Warfare of That Period and the
Present Time.

present time.
Tampa. Fla, June lS-Of all the army
officers that have come here during the
past few weeks in the army of invasion.
I know of but one who was In any way
connected with the army that operated
here In the Indian troubles of 1858, and the
years preceding. That officer is Capt. Al
Ign Capron, of the First L. S Artillery,
con of Capt. Erastus A. Capron, killed
while calamity leading a storming party
at the battle of Churubusco, in the Next
can war, Aug. %. 1877. when only 81 years
old. He was a native of Connecticut, but
went TO West Point Military Academy
from New York, in 1899, graduating num-
Der ten IN one of the most distinguished
classes ever in that institmion. He was
made second lieutenant in the First Artil-
lery, July 1888, and from 1885 to 1888 was
on duty in Florida, being made first lieu
tenant for gallantry at the battle Of the
Withlacoochee. He was again in garrison
al Fort Brooke from 1915 to 1871 In fact,
he did garrison duty from Maine to Mex
fco before his heroic death at Churubusco.
1t was while in garrison at Fort Brooke
that Allyn Capron was born, and his re-
turn here now as captain in the same reg
Nment his father served in land neither
served in any other) gives him emotions
such as no other officer can feel Born on
purely military reservation, in the woods
that skirted the mouth of 1illsborough
river, as 1t enters the Tampa bay he
comes back to find a big city swallowing
up the reservation, and where once no
white man lived has arisen the famous
Tampa Bay Hotel. Fort Brooke his birth
place, is not, however, as dear to him as
Fort Capron, on the east coast opposite
Indian river inlet established In 1850 as
memorial of the sturdy virtues. faithful
service and heroic death of his lamented
father. Capt, Capron has a son in the
service, thus giving three generations of
the family to the army. Standing at the
corner of Franklin and Whitney streets
opposite the Florida Central and PENN
sular Railway passenger depot the young
soldiers of the present army get some idea
of the difference in the warfare Of 1898
and that of 1898. Embedded in the ground
muzzle downward. TO mark the military
reservation bounds, stands an immense
cannon, such as was used half a century
ago. Within 100 feet from it. loaded ON
railway cars, can be seen the rapid firing
oreach-loading cannon of the present day;
the big siege guns and the Gattling guns
for light artillery and cavalry-a contrast
TOO marked for comment. as well as too
wonderful in death-dealing power.
A great deal has been said about ex-
uavagance in this war in the Quitting
and transportation of troops. But it seems
to have been no better in 1893 Under date
of Columbus, Ga, April q, the Sentinel
and Herald uses this plain and somewhat
sarcastic language
we learn that the United States troops
VINO have been ordered from Florida. viii
pass through this place on their way to
the Cherokee country. Large Quantities
be forwarded by the same route. The pay
master requests us to state that he win
purchase or hire from sixty to an hun
dred teams. Here is another chance for
our citizens to make a grab at Uncle Sans
crib
speaking of wagons and teams employ
ed in the public service, an officer of the
army told US the other day that in. con-
nection with the Florida service he had
examined an account against the gov
eminent, in which a wagon and six horses
were valued at $500, and the average
value of regiment of horses was set
down at 800 a head! 1t was our mis-
fortune to see the horses last named, and
$40 i'm suspension notes was the highest we
would have given for the best nag in the
crowd
There were some contractors, however
tn those days who did not have "sofe
snap" and one of these was the fellow
who carried the mail overland to and
from Tampa. On Feb. Is, 1888 the post
master reported to Washington, that the
mail which left here ten days before had
been lost The mail carrier was brutally
murdered some sixty miles from Fort
king, which was then at the junction of
six roads, near the OckIawaha river, an
Marion county. He was shot from his
horse by hostile Indians, the scalp taken,
his eyes dug out, his ears and nose cut
off, and other horrid atrocities and tor
- 4v.a4A III 4
mail bag were never found. Horrible as
all this seems to us sixty years later, 1t
was a common thing in this state at that
period.
Self confidence has been rather conspic-
Oous In the present war; but am glad TO
see that our slowness in winning great
victories has somewhat modified our boast
1ngs. Now as far back as 1888, Mai. Gen.
Edmund +. Gaines, Z. s. A, offered some
very good advice, officially, on this subject.
'''rhere is" he said, "a most essential max
Am of the science of war which should gov
ern us in all our measures of national de-
Tense, as well as In our preparations for
war, as In our efforts IN the field of battle.
The maxim to which l allude is, in sub
stance, in the following words: For the
safety of our position, our army, or our
frontier, we must rely upon our own
strength and resources, and not upon the
supposed friendliness of our neighbors, noI
upon the supposed weakness Of our antag.
onist; for our friendly neighbors may SCOT
become our most dangerous enemies, anC
our weak antagonist may, without oul
knowledge obtain strength enough to beat
or at least to annoy and vex us, as we have
in Florida been annoyed and Vexed, fol
want of some attention having been pait
by us to this important maxim: "Oul
present Cuban war mas so far had jus
the same set backs from this cause.
Already there have been many desertion.
from the volunteer regiments and somt
from the regular army, in the present war
The same was true of the troops in 1888
and a soldier who had been In the arm!
more than twenty years, ana CAREFUL!
studied the cause and cure for desertion
then declared that the recruiting office
was the one mostly to blame. The recruit
Is not fully posted as to his duties, and s.
he enters the army expecting TO be a sol
der and nothing but a soldier. However
when he Joins his company, sometimes be
fore he gets gun or a uniform he is pu
to work policing the camp, or clearing
parade ground for the regiment or build
ing barracks. if not TO doing more objec
tional manual labor. In many cases mel
enlist solely this ind 20