Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-08-27
liar by reason % his imaginative powers.

The Ninth was put on the left OF the
line, taking its position July 2. 1t was
at 10 O'Clock that the Spaniards made
that famous night charge. The train OF
bullets" you read about was there. The
screaming shells came our way with dis
turbng frequency. We jOked at the bull
lets going too high, but shell with n fan
and wing attachment was Il different
beast. Some of the Second broke and
piled down the hill into dark road,
throwing away rifles and ammunition.
Some OF ours chased after them. 1.-The
Spaniards are coming in thousands
through the BUSH" was the cry. The
captain yelled to to hold steady. He
asked me what | thought. l said l
guessed it was up to us. But little
major jumped into The Second men and
they stayed, SO some Of the voting popu-
lation Of South Boston was saved to the
Democratic party.
| We had three or four wounded that
night. The Spaniards lost 500 men, they
say, in that charge. They were game to
try It.. 1t was not twenty minutes.
After 1t was over Nj and | dug out
about 40 men, ours and the regulars. from
Il cosy little nook about POO yards back
One man showed up at roll call mex,
morning all out of breath. We asked
him where he had been. He said. ''Ovrr
in the bushes" | asked him il he ever
had the asthma. He said, "No; why?"
TOUGH CAMPAIGN.
The fever struck IN mere in good shape.
We buried seven men, including two ma
jOrs. There are several billetcd for Il
higher berth if we don't get out of here
soon. We have had some tough cam
paigning. 1t rains every day. 1t poured
| for nine hours one night. IL was during
our first two weeks, wheh we were with
ont tents. Some of us ha, blankets
most did not. The crowd just stood up
and took it,-St0od up like cattle for
eight or nine hours in n pouring rain.
Three of us laid down and slept ON the
hillside as the best way out Of it. \ mem-
Der of Company woke Us up at 3 o'clock
fearful we had got too much of it. The
water was sluicing about our heads two
inches deep We got up and sang songs
in sheer desperation. The men were on
the verge of Mysteries then. One man
went crazy for time. After an hour of
singing we laid down and slept ill sun
rise. We woke up, one man used up.
one in violent chill and had Il pain
where the pleurisy hit me last winter.
We started fire and were half dry when
it rained again and it kept on raining till
2 o'clock that afternoon.
Now, we three put in IL nj ght no lIarLe.
than did many thousands who had no
tents. Not all were without blankets, us
were most of us, but Il blanket after an
hour or two was about rs useful as Il
bathing suit in surf. We went for two
weeks with only the clothes we had;
slept with no other covering at night in
the trenches. Wee Oh dry, the men llid
down. curled over and tried to forget
themselves till morning.
We lived OIL bareback and water from
the time we lett the steamer (Friday)
until the following Monday. We did not
have enough bareback at that, aud picked
stray bits up when we saw any lying
around. On Monday we had bacon issued
to us. We could build no fires and ate it
raw.
We have had really good food at no
time. You may read about sbiplOatls Of
jams, jellics, soups, oranges, eggs, etc,
being shipped to us. None of it has got
to US yet. We had dish of oatmeal one
day-but only once l have tasted canned
peaches and they were beyond question Il
sweet mOuthtuI, but | stole them trCm
the 34th Michigan headquarters. I'm at
tanning total depravity.
The toughest part of the game is the
sleeping. We have only Il blanket be-
tween us and the ground and often that
ground Is more or less damp. Then there
is usually six inches of mud lying around
the street. Before man Climbs into his
tent he has to take off his shoes unless he
has lost all sense of cleanliness. It's an
awful job to keep clean. We are given
two hours in the evening to wash in the
river. Half the time it is raining then
and Il trip would mean drcnching
through of clothes.
we have had to abandon Il f:c time
and time again just as we have almost
worked coffee up to boiling and bacon to
sizzling, You should see us cooking. |,
myself, have made stews Of many ingtc-
dients U put in everything can tlnd) |
started in ON beans once but omitted to
soak them beforehand. They were intend
ed for break fast-1 late breakfast, | told
the squad. 1t was late break fast, but
next day. Beans need lots of boiling.
They were small and all white. saw
one squad start In on some one morning.
They missed breakfast When the lire
was re-started for dinner they tried il
again; they did not com around, ami
were abandoned. A second squad gave
them Il whirl for SUPPER but it was no
go, A third squad had them for break
fast next morning.
But it is ~ sickness that the men have
really been tested. I've seen men quar-
rel almost continuously about trllcs and
then when one got sick tire other tended
him as well rs any nurse could have
done.
ALL KINDS OF FEVER.
We have had all kinds of fever here.
The yellow fellow was with us. He's not
so bad when you get near to him. | wa>
laid up for week, but kept away from
the hospital. spent two bad nights,
though 1t hit me light.
We heard that we leave here ia Il few
days for somewhere in the States 1.-THE
war IS over and there Is no other nation
aching to give US go suppose we will
be mustered out of the service by O:tO
Der or November. have had an expert
ence that felt would be of use to me. l
would not have had IL ont If my life for II
great deal-a great deal. 1t lacked the
one thing to round i. out: We were not
In a charge. I'd give Il year of life (On
the last end, of coul se), to have been in