The times., 1898-05-16
TROOPS PASSING THROUGH
Northern and Eastern VOlun-
teerS En- Route TO Tampa.
MASSACHUSETTS IN THE VAN
The second Regiment of That State
the First to Reach the Capital
The Seventy-first New York n
Close Second in the Race South
ward-EarIy Morning scenes.


is moving South.
AT the gray of dawn this morning the
first train load Of troops pulled into
Washington and came TO a stop in front
Of the long freight depot of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad on Maryland avenue, he
tween Ninth and Tenth Streets south
west This train was the first of three
section which were required 10 trans
port the Second Massachusetts Volunteer
Infantry. II consisted of sixteen coaches
and reached the Maryland avenue freight
depot at 4:50 O'Clock. The other two sec
tons, consisting Of thirty cars in all. ar
rived at intervals of a half hour between
each section.
There were only a few drowsy all
niehters, several railroad men and
Times reporter 10 greet the arrival Of the
first detachment Of the volunteers. The
sleeping boys in blue themselves We're
only awakened when the arrived senti-
nels. stationed on the platform Of each
car. opened the doors and shouted:
Tumble out! We're in Washington"
This was the signal for general clat-
tering as the soldiers raised the car win
dows and shutters and stuck out their
heads TO get glimpse Of the Capitol.
They We're in the ordinary passenger
coaches and having slept on the seats,
it did not require much time to prepare
their toilets Some of the men wore
their brown duck uniforms intended for
campaigning in Cuba, while others were
attired in their uniforms Of blue.
Soon they came trooping from the cars
like schoolboys, Laughing and joking with
each other and seeking some place to
wash their faces and hands. The rail-
road had provided long wooden troughs
with water along the curbstone on Mary
land avenue and as soon as the volun-
teers spied the troughs they made for
them. The space about this improvised
washing place soon became beehive of
blue and brown, and the Massachusetts
boys went at the water like ducks.
Attached 10 each train was a Pullman
car for the officers, who soon appeared
on the sidewalks with clattering swords
and revolvers attached 10 their belts.
Emblazoned on the sides Of every car
was The significant inscription, which has
already become the American battle cry:
'.RememBer the Mainer'
That's our war cry exclaimed stall
wart lieutenant from Holyoke, and it
VIII inspire the Massachusetts boys to
fight 10 the DEATH
The Second Massachusetts Regiment is
commanded by Col, Z. P. Clark and con
sists Of twelve companies, of seventy
seven men each; eleven field and staff
officers and the non-commissioned staff
Of eight men. a total OF $50 men The
headquarters of the Second are at
Springfield, and the regiment was sta
toned al Camp Dewey. Mass, for eight
days before it started South. The first
section to arrive here brought three com
panies from Springfield and one from
Holyoke The second section. two COM
panies from Northampton, one from
Greenfield and one from Orange. Third
section. three companies from Worcester
and one from Gardiner.
I'VE are proud, said Col. Clark. speak
ing TO q Times reporter. that MassachU-
sets troops are the first TO reach Wash
ington en- route TO the war. as they were
in 1861 And we are doubly proud that
the honor has fallen to the Second Reg
iment."
Col Clark IS high sheriff Of Hampton
county, Mass. and he is a man Of grit
and patriotism. He stated that his orders
We're 10 proceed to Tampa, and they had
not been countermanded up to the time
the trains pulled out and crossed the
Long Bridge into Virginia. 1t was the
opinion Of some of the officers that the
troops would be ordered TO Chicamauga
before they reached Florida. The officers
and men are, however, impatient to
reach Cuba by the most direct route and
enter AT once into hostilities with the
Spaniards
Company c, from Springfield, Capt. ].
]. Leonard had the right of the line in
the "On TO Cuba" movement, as the sol
diers occupied the first cars Of the first
section.
The men shouted for hot coffee as soon
as the train stopped, and several early
morning milk wagons were quickly
bought out by the troops who bought the
white fluid as a substitute. The men
were literally supplied with hardtack
and Boston baked beans, but they did
not receive their rations of coffee until
Richmond was reached, where Col. Clark
had ordered it by telegraph.
The newsboys also reaped harvest, and
their supply of The Sunday Times was
soon bought up Company c, of Worces-
ter. the sharpshooter company, Capt
Frank !. Allen commanding. is a repro
duction of the original Company c, Of
Worcester. which was among the first
Massachusetts troops to pass through
Washington TO the South in 1861.
The Massachusetts Volunteers are a
rudy. rolicksome stalwart lot Of young
men, and one of their officers stated that
they would rather fight the Spanfards
than eat hot crulleTs." The Massachu-
sets contingent carried with them one
car load Of ammunition and a commits
ssry car fun of vital statistics" as the
boys have dubbed their rations Of hard
tack, pork and beans.
The Seyenty-frst New York.
About 7:20 o'clock loud hurrahs from
the men of the Second, who were group
ed about the sidewalks, announced the
arrival Of the first of the three sections
containing the Seventy-first New York
Regiment. AS the train rolled in with its
freight Of guns, boyonets and boys in
blue from the Empire State the Massa-
chusetts troops caught sight of the in
scriptions emblazoned on the sides of
each car in the New York train. They
read:
Remember the Maine. To he'll with
Spain"