The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-29


Special from a STAFF Corr espondcnt.
Camp AlCer, Va. Juno 2S.--If the
war department doesn't got their forces
away from here yoon it will need to
send on an army of paCiiication. There
were serious conflicts today, in both Of
which blood was spilled and permanent
injuries inflicted. A sham battle was
arranged for this morning between the
Sixth. Massachusetts, and the other
two regiments of the Second brigade
the Eighth, Ohio and the Sixth, Iili-
nos
Tha Massachusetts men were TO he
given an hours start toward Dunn
LOring and We're to be attacked there
by the other two regiments. The main
work os battle was to be maneuvering
for strategic points, hut, to add little
Of ;hc flavor of real war, blank car.
tridEes were eiveu to the mon on both
sides. on the way t. the battle ground,
the Massachusetts regiment cnCOun-
tered the Second bIiCadc of the Second
division coming from its practice march
20 Difficult Run,
Each command kept its own side Of
tn road anG everything went lovely
until the rea" guard, composed Of the
Third, Missouri, was reached. They re-
fused to allow the Sixth to pass and
when Colonel WOon attempted to push
his way through his horse was siozed
His men fixed bayonats, dashed for
ward and waded in. The Missourian's
were taken 10y surprise and gave way
after brief resistance.
BADLY CUT WITH BAYONETS.
y colored member of the Sixth was
badly cut on the face with a bayonet
and a number on both sides were
bruised and gashed by musket butts.
In the sham battle, an hour later at
Dunn Loring, squad Of the mckless
Sixth Massachusetts and another from
WV |iSH'H oIIl' S'l INTO dnl-lO-
hand conflict over the possession of a
natural broastworks that both sighted
about the same time. Private Harvey
Reed, OF Company b, Sixth Massa.
chusetts, had his left eye blown out
and left ear badly lacerated by blank
cartridge. Captain Mcdowell. of Com.
pany {, same regiment, had the sleeve
Of his coat burned away and his arm
sinGed by another blank cartridge dis
charged from a gun placed within a
foot of his face, He threw his arm III
none too soon to save his eyesight.
Mimic warfare at this camp, it is SAD
to say, is at an end.
As predicted he would. General
Goblin today gave two places of dis
t!nction to Thirteenth mon. Licuten-
ant Marcus Crisman, of Company G.
was made acting assistant brigade
quartermaster general and Lieutenant
W. w. Inglis, of Company d. was Sc
lected as an aide. Rain has fallen
periodically since Saturday night and
the dust has given way to Virginia
mud. Between the showers the heat i.
intense.
TWO MONTHS AGO.
Two months ago yesterday the Thlr
teenth left home for the war Tw,
brief months yet the Thirteenth ha,
already accomplished three hundred o
the three thousand miles of its tour
ney and all but $50 of its SSS men ar,
thoroughly uniformed, equipped. drille,
and ready to jump into action at
moments notice. Should this remark,
able rate Of progress continue unin.
terrupted they will be up and doin.
that which they set out to do, day,
and days and mayhap weeks befor
their term of enlistment expires. |
fairly makes the head swim and brail
TO reel and various other members an,
families TO do divers other gymnasti
things to stand by and contemplate.
But, in another vein. Although tn
Thirteenth bears an unlucky label an,
had most Of it's men sworn in on Fri
day, the thirteenth Of May, it has il
every respect barring the one indi
'dNSu lluHttllS ABOVE, experienced tn
greatest Of good luck Not a singI
death has occurred in the ranks. Wha
few accidents happened were all Of tn
most trivial nature and the cases o
serious illness weCe so marvellously
few that they might be fairly disre
garded altogether in this summarizing
All this in the face Of the hardship
the men endured and the extremes q
climatic conditions they encountered i
the contracted period in question make
the regiments good fortune stand on
with pinnacle-like prominence.
1t is far from being the same regi
ment that left Scranton on that mem
orable Wednesday night in May, /
one company, for instance, the senio
private has been in the service les
than a year. Five hundred and TWEEN
ty-fve Thirteenth men faced the bliz
zard that greeted the regiments al
rival in Gretna, Only 375 of this mum
ber-enlisted-are sweltering in the on
hu 1sss. H. VFs.HIg H.