The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-18
AT CAMP CUBA LIBRE.
How General Lee Fares While Wait
ing His Opportunity.
Golfers Weekly.

Here he is, mingling with the throng on
the piazza of the Windsor Hotel the hero
OF Havana, the idol of the South. the
leader-to-be of the forces in Cuba, Gen.
Futzhugh Lee He holds the keys of jack
sonville town, the only city in Florida not
owned by an individual like Mr. Plant or
Mr.. Flagler. Lees corps, the Seventh, num-
berS twenty thousand men. They are en-
camped all around the outskirts of the city.
therefore the Windsor Hotel is equi-distant
from all camping centerS; fact which en-
ableS the general to visit his men day by
day and attend banquestS at night, with
great personal convenience on both occa-
sions. How fine he looks in his major gen.
erals uniform! He is portly, but he carries
his go pounds gracefully. He has the same
at the corner of his eyes as when last saw
him, at Key West, after that voyage from
Havana. April 8. 1 remember now now he
shook his fist at Havana he stood on the
deck of the Olivette while that plucky
steamer pulled out of the harbor of our
enemies. Lee shook his fist at the Span
to show them" later. His hopes are about
to be realized. For he has been promised
the leadership of an army against Havana.
And he is preparing for the fray. He is
proud of his men. He knows he will lead
them to victory. In their turn, the men
think there is no general in the army,
Miles and Brooke and Shafter included, like
Lee. l am bound to say that, of all the
camps have visited in none have l found
the cheerfulness, the enthusiasm and the
health which characterizes Camp Cuba Lii
bre. There's a little too much pomp and
ceremony and professions and brass bands
just at present but the boys will get over
that when the order comes to board the
transports. Before Lee arrived at Jackson
Vile some one named the encampment Camp
Springfield. But Lee. did not like the name.
1t was commonplace, it meant nothing. So
he rechristened it Camp Cuba Libre, and
thus gave to Jacksonville the honor of hav-
ing the camp with the most unique name.
And oh, how Jacksonville bows and scrapes
to Lee! There are Lee billiard parlors, and
Lee restaurants, and Lee shoe stores on
every corner. There is a Lee brand of ice
cream, and the bootblacks have what they
call a Lee shine.
You see, Lee is very obliging Ask him to a
banquet and he accepts and makes just the
sort of speech you expect. He rides horse
at the head of professions, dimes at the head
of private tables, is serenaded nightly by
brass bands from Illinois and North Caro-
line and Iowa, and altogether he is kept
quite as busy socially as in a military sense.
Meanwhile he does not forget that ne must
prepare for the campaign against Havana.
He is trying to reduce his weight by riding
horseback at least one-half hour every day
and by taking the natural Turkish bath af
forded by tive minutes walk in the sun.
At the same time he keeps eye on the
newspapers looking for news of Lee-for
he loves to read about Leland for news Of
the transports. He would like to know
whether his corps is to embark here or at
Fernandina, twenty-nne miles up the coast,
or at Tampa $50 miles across the State.
AS Jacksonville has only fourteen feet OF
water and Fernandina only twenty, while
Tampa has twenty-four, he rather thinks
we VIII All go PACK 10 Iampa- anyway,
he hopes the embarkaion point will not be
Fernandina, for there is no big hotel up
there, no room for professions and brass
bands, no facilities for speech making. For
Lee is Napoleonic in his ideas. He believes
in amusing the people, in giving them for
ever something new. The greatest compl-
ment can pay General Lee is to say that
he has as many faults as merits. There
fore he is human, and the man who is
human is bound to make mistakes, and he
who makes mistakes is the sort known in
South
have reason to know all this showing off
bores the general, bores him fearfully. But
he is a man who is bound to be agreeable
at the sacrifice of personal comfort and in
clination. He itches and aches and pines
and bankers for the real thing, the killing
and exterminating--of Spaniards-in the ISL
and which, since reconcentradoS were in
vented lost it's claim to being the pearl
of the Antilles.