Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-07-28
HUTTON HAPPY.
THOUGHT he WAS FIGHTING, BUT
WAKES UP TO FIND 1T ONLY
ANOTHER DREAM.
The ~sergeant's Heavy Diet Causes Him
to Picture a Scene Likely to be
Real to Some of the Boys Now
at Chickamsuga Park.

Correspondence OF the Ledger.
CHICKAMAUGA, GA, July 22.-What
is in a dream? 1 hope there is a great
deal in the n I had last night. After
rolling up In my blanket I went to
sleep watching an imaginary fight be-
two phantom armies, one under the
stars and stripes and n under the
red and yellow. Musing on this I fell
asleep and my brain, flushed by my
thoughts or by the half-cooked beans
1 had for supper, began weaving high
ly colored incidents.
First, l experienced the excitement
incident to breaking camp, then the
long march { 20 some distance railroad,
the embarkation on the transports and
the tiresome journey to Porto Rico
were vividly passed over, and then
came an engagement on the beach Of an
island. The frst fire from the enemy
seemed to brighten the men and they
huddled together and fired the first
volly without aim or purpose, and
then this fear left them. Forming for
attack they charged up steep incline
In the face of a whitening fire. They
were just driving the Dons from their
first intrenchments when I awoke.
heard martial music reverberating
through the night air of the park and
/ began to realize that some regiment
had received marching orders and
were leaving for Charleston, N. O.,
where they would take the same jour-
ney that / did in my dream. While the
bands and drum corps were playing
the cheering from hundreds of threats
could be heard. 1 envied the lucky
in their fortune or, as some would
think, misfortune.
How long will 1t be before the Fifth
Missouri will receive such orders?
Possibly tonight, possibly a week
from now and possibly never.
The heat here in the park is some
thing terrible and we need rain badly,
as it is becoming very d~isagreeable,
especially in drilling in bodies COM
posed of over one company.
Company Las a part of the third bat
talon, carried a skirmish drill owe 8
miles of ground in a little over two
hours. The men returned to camp to-
gether with the exception of two or
three, who we're compelled to fall out.
One of the boys of our company was
on Lookout Mountain yesterday and
heard a very f~iattering comment on
the efficiency of the Fifth Missouri.
The remarks were from the lips of
Lieutenant Colonel Morgan, of this
regiment, and he was praising up the
organization to some distinguished
looking stronger.
Every regiment in the confines of
the National Park is on the tiptoe of
expectancy awaiting Gen. Brooke's
choice of regiments to accompany him
on the Porto Rican expedition. They
all have their hopes, based on some
little point, that they will be among
the favored. This strain will not be
relieved until the train bearing the
last regiment of the expedition has
buried her nose in the forests Of
Georgia and whistIed a farewell to the
unhappy lot of men who will have to
remain in summer camp until the
Havana plum is ripe enough to be
plucked.
Gen. Brooke will 60 out of the First
Army Corps for a part of the men GER
tainly and now any body Of troops, be
it a company, battalion, regiment or
brigade, will instantly put new life and
spirit in its drill when anyone with a
double row of brass buttons makes
their appearance near the parade
ground. The first thought of all Is
that this may be some General looking
the men over and making the decision
which regiments shall go to the front.
The Morning Times says:
Advices are expected from Wash
ington at once and upon their receipt
it is probable that immediate orders
will be issued to begin the movement.
There is still some question as to
whether the corps will 60 al organ
lied. There are some fine regiments
in the Third Corps that are thoroughly
drilled and equipped and 1t is not
improbable that some of these will be
included in the force, being substituted
for regiments that have all along been
Identified with the First Corps.
In the notes of the camp the Times
has the following to say of the Fifth
Missouri:
The last shipment of canteens tor the
9th Missouri vas received and dis
tributed yesterday. Ten days' rations
Of hay for the stock of the regiment
was also drawn yesterday.
Adjt. Cobb and Battalion Adjt. 8. 8.
Gunlack yesterday received a visit
from Reid Ryland, Of Lexington, Mo.
"Fatty" McAlester, of McAlester, I.
T., was also q visitor yesterday. Nc
A~lester's father Is chief of q tribe Of
Indians at McAlester.
A plan is now on foot to have the
bands of the 9th Missouri and the I'd
Arkansas consolidated ct the next
brigade review. The movement is
under consideration by Adjt. Cobb, Of
the 9th, and Adjt. Wright, of the I'd.
A very serious difficulty occurred In
the camp yesterday. Pvt. Pat Kirby,
| Of Company M, stabbed Pvt. William
King, of the same company, through
the body with a bayonet, as a result Of
a dispute between the two men In the
company street. Kirby is in the guard
house and King was transferred to the
division hospital yesterday afternoon.
Something similar to the latter mem
toned event is of almost daily occur
renee In the camp.
Tue companies of our regiment have
been supplied each with a double filter,
which greatly improves our water
supply.
Corporal FL P. Robbins IL keeping
the regimental books straight in the
absence Of Sergeant Major Switzlsr,
Of Columbia. The Sergeant Major 10
on a short leave Of absence in Chatta-
nooga-
What the boys have been looking
for for some time, a rain, fell last