Evening star., 1898-06-29
FROM COL. HARRIES
A Statement to The Star About tn,
Food Supply.
TIE FOLKS At HOME AXE WARNED
I'VE Can't Build Fighting Men
Out of Confectionery"
HINTS HE WANTS HEEDED

Special From a STAFF Correspondent
TAMPA, Fla, June 2e.-The question of
food supply for the boys of the District
regiment has been one that has caused
much annoyance to the officers by reason
OF letters from anxious parents at home as
to what their loved ones at the front are
eating.
Colonel Harries has received a number Of
such letters recently, and in order that the
fathers, mothers. wives and sweethearts of
the boys may rest at ease on the subject he
has asked The Star representative TO pub
lish the following statement from him in
regard to the situation:
FROM the day when this regiment went
into camp at Alger there has been at
least a sufficiency of good food Tor every
man In the command. There was one brief
period at Chickamauga when a variety was
lacking, but no one was necessarily hungry
The supply Of bacon, hard tack and sugar
was ample.
Since We came to Tampa even the pro-
fessional grumbler has had no cause for
complaint. He has grumbled of course
because the government fails to supply him
with chicken. pineapple, oranges, water
melons, lemonade and ice cream and such
things, which he deems essential to his
welfare, but he has growled without rea-
son."
The Breakfasts.
"A consolidated daily mess report taken
haphazard from a number shows that yes
terday's company breakfasts had In them
oatmeal, milk fresh bread beefsteak. with
brown gravy, beefsteak fried, hot biscuits.
cold ham, stewed ham. boiled beans, baked
beans, fried pork. hard tack and coffee.
THE simple breakfast in the lot consist
ed of beefsteak, bread and coffee, plenty of
it, for everybody and splendid material to
drill on Parents. sweethearts and friends
should not permit themselves to be imposed
upon, either by the many artful or the
few fasnt-hearted men. Occasionally we
can use money in purchasing additional
vegetables. but the demand even for that
purpose is almost Insignificant.
When the LIST District of Columbia In
fantry suffers from hunger or improper
food while the regiment is within the
United States I will be quick enough TO
call upon the good people Of Washington
for relief. Meanwhile. 1 wish the good
people of Washington would assist us in
keeping their boys out of hospital The
improper food and drink purchased by the
individuals through the frequently mis-
taken generosity of the home folks has
ment than all other causes combined. We
cannot build fighting men out of confection-
cry
Learned the Tricks.
The boys in camp are not the same ones
that left Washington six weeks ago by a
jugfuL They have learned all sorts OF old
soldier tricks, and from appearances are
working them on the home folks like veter-
ans. Most of the sickness in the hospital
has been caused by eating canned goods
sent from home or purchasing all sorts of
messes- sold by dyspepsia venders with the
money sent by sympathetic relatives and
friends at home. The drill this morning
was devoted almost entirely to the loading
and firing movements The men were fur
Dlshed blank cartridges, and for more than
an hour the camp sounded as if a Fourth
CT July celebration was going on. This is
great practice for the men. They have
about ten thousand rounds of blanks which
they will use up.
Yesterday afternoon there was q lively
scrap in the cook tent of Company NJ
James M. Carico. the cook, got into a fuss
with private, who let him have a good
one under the left ear. Carico fell like
log and struck his head against a meat
block. He was at fault and was taken TO
the guard tent. Shortly after his arrival
there he. went into commissions. but DIR.
Cook soon brought him around all right
There were no cases of Importance at the
hospital this me rning. Corporals Jas. A.
Bresnahan and Charles C. Butterfeld Of
Company H have been reduced to the
ranks, and Privates c. F. Bryant and III.
n. Pendleton o, the same company have
been promoted to be corporals in their
stead. Discharges have been granted by
the War Department to Privates A p Taft
of Company ard VIM. E. Niecy of Com
pany K. These men will return to Wash
ington.
Have Their Blue Shirts.
Thanks to Quartermaster Field, the men
have all been supplied with the regulation
blue shirts. Capt. Field found a car con-
tanning 700 yesterday, and he stuck 20 them
until they were issued to him. The boys
are very much disappointed over the fact
that al least once a week they are ordered
t. march up the Lill and then march down
again. They had hoped at this time To
have some definite or6ers. The censor will
not allow news Of any kind regarding the
movement of the regiment. The boys had
some bad news yesterday that the censor
will not permit correspondents to chronicle.
If they should get some good news today
or tomorrow. as they expect, he Will not
allow that to be published either. 3.