The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-06-09
FROM THE FRONT.
Capt. Johnson Tells of Co. B's
Experience in d Sham Battle.
EXPECTS 10 GO TO PORTO RICO.

CAMP THOMA@, GA, JUNE i.
| ED. TIMas:-Co. has just finished
all drills and inspections to see if it
Is fit for Immediate service, Gen.
| Breckenridge L. ). \. was the inspec-
tor. The result Is not made public at
this writing. Last night at II o'clock
| Col. CafTee received Information that
the first division would attempt to
| cross Chickamauga river sometime
| between and 80 a. III. to-day
and our regiment was TO assist III
keeping them from crossing. Officers
call was sounded and all officers had
to get out of bed and report and we
had a council of war This morning
we got up early and took up posi-
tion along the woods about two miles
above our camp and waited for the
enemy, and the enemy not appear
/ ing the End concluded to hunt the
aforesaid enemy and run him out of
the park. We marched about
four miles from the river with the
| 9th Penna. on the right flank, the
end Mo. in the center and the 1st y.
II. on the left, and concluded that
the enemy had got scared and gone
home, when all of a sudden we
heard q yell in our rear and on look
ing around found a whole battalion
of the 3rd Mass. coming full tilt
through the camp of the 1st Vt.
| Well, we were in a fix owing to a blum
der of the 1st n. H. in letting them
flank us and our regiment had just
formed in three lines to resist a
charge from the front so it was inn
possible to turn it TO do any good, so
Col. Demuth yelled for Co.'S and A
to see if they could form for n flank
attack and both Capts misunderstood
| orders (as they were supposed to do
and ran clear around the fanks of
the battalion and charged THEM in
the rear. Well, they were SO aston
ished that in less than three minutes
of hard running they surrendered,
and have been kicking themselves
ever since for giving up to two COM
panies. They thought from the noise
that a regiment was thrown in their
rear. Gems. Breckenridge and Sher-
| idan saw the mix and said ii was
fine piece of work. All of the sham
| battles fought here are on the same
ground and the same points are tried
as in the battles here in 1868.
| This afternoon the regiment wa :
inspected and drilled and officers ex-
amined to see if were o. K. and i'm
/ 4o} a.Ic
issued to supply us with revolvers,
rifles, haversacks, etc, so | think
that we will soon get out Of here. l
think we go 10 Porto Rico, which L.
some better than Cuba.
| Yesterday we had division review
and hard six hours drill, and to-day
we were at it all day. The boys are
all in good health and have not lost
man from heat as yet, and nearly
all of the regiments near Us lose two
or three every day. The Ills. men
have had five or six men die since
they have been here, Kansas one,
Nebraska one drowned, Maryland
one this evening, also drowned, 1st
Mo. has lost two, l think, Penna.
aud End Mo. none, and have none
sick to amount TO anything.
| Co. was vaccinated to-day and
some of the boys will soon be having
sore arms. Private Meyer, Co. b Is
in the guard house for not cleaning
his tent properly, DeArmond and
Wade are trying 70 raise boards.
Privates Campbell and BRYANT are
the best cooks in the park and when
there is anything TO cook 1t Is always
we'll cooked. Colyer, Clardy, White,
A. Morgan, If. Graves, George and
Thomas Caruthers, Jno. Hartsock
and Rex Heinline have established a
mess and buy eggs and other luxuries
supposed to be unknown to other
soldiers. Lieutenant Adams has been
detailed Brigade Ordinance officer
and is filling the Office ia good shape.
Co. B has one Of the prettiest mas
cots in the end. It is q small spotted
dog and ii is beauty, and has learn
ed soldier ways already, he picks up
everything laying around loose.
Last week the company received
104 testaments from their friends at
home. and today a large box OF
/ cakes and canned provisions and |
expect at least Jw0-tirc3s OF them TO
! be on sick report tomorrow and IN
/ able 10 drill. All letters should be
addressed, Camp Thomas, Lytle, Ga,
| Walker Go. 1t requires twenty-one
postal clerks to handle the mail for
this camp and we only have one de-
/ livery per day, and must furnish two
men and mules to go to the postomce
after it. They have a small post
Office here, and the End No. usually
gets one sack and there are so regi
mentS here, so you see what that
| little postoffice has 10 do and why
they are two or three days behind
with their mail.
Y. L. JOHNSON.