The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-14

the battlefield and showed the advantage OF
hands of General Mckee and the most of
MS stan. General Mckee had been IN the
service twenty years, Assistant AdJutant
ten years. 1t was a bitter parting, bur
there was no outward sign of the feeling
within.
AS the afternoon wore on Charles f. Wiz
son, the Governors military secretary,
James X. Gore, adjutant general, and W
L Durbin, member Of the Governors staii
drove up to Colonel Gunder's headquarters
in a hack. and, alghting, went into the
room formerly occupied by General NC
hee. To this room We're called all OF me
colonels and conference was held, from
which newspaper men and all outsiders
were excluded. 1T was understood that the
conference was to impress on all those pres
ent that Colonel Gunder was the comman-
dant of the camp, and that until TINS was
acknowledged by all the commissions would
be withheld. This was gracefully ylelded
to by any who might be disposed to dispute,
and there was but one of those present. ana
the work of the conference was soon ended
Then the commissions were distributed.
The camp had filled with visitors ana
things were going on in the usual humuruM
way, with no prospect OF interruption py
anything exciting, when a telegram came
that electrified the place. Colonel Stude-
baker, of the Third Regiment, received q
telegram that he should move his regiment
at once to Chickamauga that he should
get his transportation from the chief quar-
termaster at Chicago, and ten days rations
from the chief commissary at the same city
The news borne by the telegram flashed
through the camp in a remarkably snort
time after it had worked Colonel Studebaker
up to a high state of excitement. Lieut..
Peterson, of the regular army. WHO has
been acting as quartermaster for the fed
eral troops of the camp told the contents
of the telegram to the newspaper men, VINO
fiocked to headquarters when the report
went around that it had been received. He
was asked if the telegram could not pc
know it's exact style. He replied that, as
the telegram had come to Colonel Stude-
baker and not to him, it would be impossl-
BILE to allow it to be copied until .Colonel
Studebaker's consent had been given. lie
added, however, that the telegram was no
secret, and he had not the Least th6 6ieat
There was a rush for Colonel Studebaker
who had gone upstairs but the newspaper
nance. He had changed from the young.
affable colonel whom they had known since
the camp opened. and was now dignif1ed
regimental commander of fifty years or
more experience who had been honored
with the order that his regiment should pe
the first to go to the front, or as far front
as Chickamauga. With one hand thrust
into the bosom of his coat, he waved the
newspaper men back with the other. ana,
in answer to the request that they be al
lowed to copy his telegram replied, in
freezing tone: You newspaper men are
always in the way. | will give you nothing
until the, proper time comes; and then II
thing AS he spoke he hurried down the
stairs and rushed across the grounds to his
headquarters,
ing, his regiment was in the first rank and
he himself was major general in command
of a division.
The Governors office was called up by
telephone and it was learned that he had
received telegram from the War Depart
ment that the four regiments and two bat
colonels had been sent kilograms notifying
them of the order. Sure enough, in snort
time the other and fne to
that of Colonel StudebakerS and all his ex-
element and worry had been caused by the
fact that his telegram had been written ilrst
and the others had been somewhat delayed
When the orders had all been received
preparations were begun for moving from
Indianapolis was the first to get packed
up and in each tent could be seer from
the company street neat rolls bound with
straps Of the personal belongings of the
men, If ii had been necessary the battery
boys could have left the camp last evening
in good order The other companies of the
brigade Were not far behind. Though the
usual programme of drills was gone through
it was remarkable the short time it took
journey. A train that pulled upon the tracks
west of the grounds to take back to
Frankfort a crowd of eXcursionists that had
paid a days visit to the camp was mistaken
for train which would bear some of the
troops, that were ready away to Chicka-
mauga, but the excitement that the rumor
which flew through camp caused was soon
Stilled by a report of the facts told above.
The news of the order had been bulletined
persons who called up the camp by tee-
phones. The idea became general that the
troops might move last night or early in the
morning and the street cars became crowded
with relatives and friends of the Indianap-
oils boys in the camp going out to bid them
goodbye. Though they were soon set right
in the matter leveeS were held wherever
there was an Indianapolis boy until taps
sounded. OF course, the order was of deep
interest to the boys but the knowledge that
it coming and the two weeks of camp
life had prepared them for it and foot
ball game that had been in progress since
the opening of camp went on without inter
ruption and the frtations with the girls
who visited the camp were not abandoned.
After the order to leave for Chickamauga
had claimed it's share of attention the sub
Ject was brought up as to the time it would
be possible for the troops to move. The
colonies of the First and Fourth Regiments
were concerned because all of their equip
ment, except that necessary to clothe the
troops. had been taken away from them
and given to the Second and Third Regi-
ments, in view of the report that those two
regiments would go first. 1t was explained
afterward that equipment for thousands of
troops was being poured daily into the
camp at Chickamauga, and that it would
be no trouble to secure equipment for the
troops after they had arrived there
The quartermaSter of the Second Regi-
ment yesterday afternoon received several
wagon loads of shoes and tents that had
been procured in the city for the troops
AS to the sentence in the Geographic or
der referring to drawing ten days rations.
the local commissary department reported
in the camp as follows: Hardtack 10000
pounds; sugar, 6,150 pounds; coffee. $3.50
pounds; vinegar, 40 gallons; pepper, 100
pounds; salt, 1640 pounds; rice, 1850 pounds;
beans, 3,075 pounds; bacon. 30.750 pounds;
tomatoes, 1890 rations; potatoes Is roo ra-
tions; soap, 1640 pounds candles 6l5
pounds. These items make up Al, 900 rations,
each costing 16 cents, total of $780, The
commssary has about 81, 900 coffee money to
be used on the trip south.
Lieutenant Colonel May gave his opinion
to Journal reporter that transportation
could not be secured for the troops until
Sunday at the earliest, for special trains
must be made up. The camp went to sleep
calmly when it became known that it might
be two or three days before the troops could
start for the South, though the incidents of
the day had been by far the most exciting
since the camp was established at the fair
grounds.