The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-11

ated them with diligence The acting band
master, Prof. George Yeager, formerly Of
the National Military Band at the Marion
Soldiers Home. is doing fine work, and the
band is rapidly improving.
Quartermaster Ransom Allen has returned
from Ossian. Ind. and Indianapolis. He re-
ported at the capital on business connected
with the regiments affairs.
Guard duty is now made a more serious
undertaking than it has been considered in
the past The instruction that should have
been primary and which should have been
given at Camp Mount in early May is now
being given. Guards are made responsible
for prisoners, and it is threatened that am
munition will be issued to sentines put over
prisoner tents. The provost guard has been
handling ball cartridges very recklessly re-
Gently. Several wounded soldiers and one
dead man, a member of the Twelfth New
York, being fruits Of the reckless shooting
Sunday. The colored immunes are restless
and have become incensed at Indiana men
on account of treatment received from
Hoosier guards at Lexington. Most of their
quarreling is within their own camp. A col
ored sergeant of the Seventh immunes was
murdered Sunday. A guard named Kellum,
from Company c of this regiment, shot a
day evening.
Three or more at a load the ambulance
carried the sick to the hospital on the hill
to the northeast. From here one can see
most of the big hospital camp, where more
than six hundred are cared for, the number
constantly increasing in spite of daily dis
missals to quarters and on furloughs. There
are A tents enough for a regiment on a
r11a mt fho 11rr1if ira
the long, cool wards where the cots are lined
on either side. and where the sick are able
to sit up and observe visitors and converse
with friends. The days are warm and en-
joyable when the rain ceases, but nights
grow cool and frosty and make canvas hos
pitfalls scarcely fit. The noiseless passing of
a pleasant-faced woman on her rounds as
nurse is novel and helpful to a sick man.
Visitors take flowers and the surgeons re-
fuse to receive them, telling the kind
hearted ladies to take ice, ice cream, rags,
lint, anything but flowers, which fade, with
er and spread, rather than prevent disease.
Board walks are laid like yellow snakes
among the tents and along the hollows
There is a large floor space under roof,
and among the supplies there kept are great
piles of cots and collins. The deadhouse
where from day to day young patriots lie
waiting for the ancient negro and his slow
team, and the last long ride to town, is
the bane of superstitious guards, and men
there stationed have been known to offer
big inducements for an exchange of posts.
A dormitory is now being erected for the
housing of trained female nurses. That de-
partment Of the work is in charge of Sister
Lydia, formerly at Holy Angels Academy,
at Logansport, Ind. The typhoid ward is
isolated The surgeons say they have shat
tered the back bone of the fever in Camp
Hamilton. There are about two hundred
cases of that serious malady at this time,
but the hospital reports are said to show
that it's spread has stopped. At the same
time there are standing ponds where green
sickness forms it's scum in the neighborhood
of many camps. In the Indiana camp is an
undrained pool of considerable size 1t has
just formed and if the regiment turned out
with picks and shovels it could be moved
in a few hours. At present it is a menace
Lake Herman, no fishing" is the sign
stuck by a pioneer wag from Minnesota in
the middle of pool a few yards from the
headquarters of the first battalion This
pool has been banked and drained, but upon
its cracked bottom are rank weeds of sickly
color and thes odorous covering seen on
swamp 1dHu HOfmS an un1nV1t1ng carpet.
Still the alarming sickness among officers
and men seems to be rebus that many
cannot solve.
The engineers have perfectly drained their
camp, and the ignorant are inclined to be-
lieve that this regiment could perform the
same duty and so save many soldiers from
the grasp of sickness
This week the One-hundred-and-s
will march twenty-one miles to High
Bridge for rife practice. The day for start
ing is not set. The Third Kentucky will
march with the Indiana men. The boys are
anxious to leave the present camp for any
destination.
During the absence of Major Backman
to-day Captain Brown, of Company A,
had command of the regiment. Mai. Miller,
of the third battalion, and the senior cap
tain, J. r. Harrison, of Company G, are on
court-martial duty. G. S.