The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-12-09
THE SOLDIERS
WILL STAY HERE.
Effort Made the First of
the Week
TO MOVE THEM TO NASHVILLE.
The Secretary of War, However, Re-
fused to Grant PermI ssion for the Re-
mOval.

No little excitement was aroused
here the first of the week over a
rumor that the Mississippi troops
would be moved Immediately from
this place to Nashville.
This rumOr had its origin in the
fact that an effNrt was being made
by the officers of the two regiments
to effect the removal of the troops,
in order to procure quarters in Nash.
Vile where the soldiers could be
housed and sheltered from the
weather. The exceedingly inclem.
ent weather last week and the snow
Sunday had made Camp Hamilton
very undesirable habltation, for the
time being, the rain aud mud and
the cold air which penetrated the
tents causing some Of the men to
wish for more comfortable quarters
A large number of the soldiers, how
ever, were averse to making the
move, fearing that thereby the mus
tering out might be delayed and
choosing to suffer some hardships
rather than be required to remain
in the service a day longer than nee.
.essary.
Mai. Donald and Lieut.. Harris
went to Nashville Monday to see il
desirable quarters could be secured
for the troops The Nashville mer
chants Immediately took the matter
up, and within few hours time had
all arrangements made for the sub
sistence and quartering OF the sol
diers, even to the minutest detail
EAr tinNn II lAAbaA fI,.,nn.h ho
move would really. be made, but the
following telegram sent from hare
to the president of the Nashville Ra.
tail Merchants Association Tues
day evening, diSpelled the hopes Of
the Nashville merchants and settled
the matter:
Secretary of War positively refuses
to take further action. A u very sorry.
CHARTS, Lieutenant"
The officers here had in the moan
time received advices from the Sec
rotary Of War, stating that unless
the move was an absolute necessity,
he could not issue orders to have it
made. This, coupled with the facts
that the weather had greatly i'm
proved, and the move would have
entailed the expenditure of thou
sands of dollars, caused the matter
to be dropped. Some of the ousi-
ness men of Columbia, who were in
favor of having the troops kept here,
started a popular subscription as
soon as it was learned that an at
tempt was being made to have them
moved, and soon several hundred
dollars was raised with which to
rent vacant houses for the soldiers
to sleep in, If it became necessary
for that.
1t is safe to say now that the troops
will remain here and tough it out
until they get their discharge pa
pers. Most of the soldiers will re-
main out at camp, while a large
number of them have procured
boarding in private residences and
boarding houses at their own eX
pense, and the provost guard, to the
number of 100, will retain their quar-
tiers in the Brown building on South
Main street.
The soldiers still have hopes o
bidding adieu to Uncle Sans ser
vice on the 10Th of this month. The
large amount of work attendan
upon mastering out is being pushed
steadily along, and the officers thint
they will have everything in readi
ness at the desired time. TIT
amount of pay which the men viii
receive when mustered ont, is con
servatively estimated at $3.50 900. A
large amount of this, as matter o
course, will be turned into the chan
nels of trade here; but the create
portion of it will accompany the sol
diers to their homes in Mississippi