The times., 1899-04-16
TROOPS WHO MARCHED
TWO THOUSAND Miles
Exploits Of Californians When
the Civil War Began.
Tortured by Thirst in the Great
American Desert.
Saved From Perishin. by an Unex-
pected Rninstorm - Hnrassed
by NaynjOs and Apaches.
Washington correspondence of the New York
Journal

Washington correspondence of the New York
Journal)
THE First California Volunteers of the
Civil War" unused a veteran who has
reached one of the top rungs in the ladde.
of success, had altogether a different time
from that which the First California Vo.-
unteers of the Spanish American war are
experiencing in the Philippine Islands.
California was in those days almost as far
distant from the centre OF government as
are some OF our new island possessions.
The mail time from the Missouri River 10
San Francisco was between five and seven
days by pony express, and while many
things were happening in the East, on ths
Pacific Coast we did not hear of them un il
some time afterward.
When the call for troops came the peo-
pie of California seemed to be about equsl-
ly divided upon the sentiment of the
slavery question, and friends loyal to both
North and South busted themselves in
raising troops to go to the front. The
First Volunteers were ready to move in
August of 1861, and for some time were
camped at Oakland, across the bay tom
San Francisco. Soon after we were or
dered to Los Angeles by water, and from
there started for Fort Yuma, the line of
| march taking us directly across the Great
American desert. q,
1T took us between ten and eleven
months to find the particular enemy for
! which We were looking, but we had plenty
of other enemies who kept us busy be-
| fore the Confederates were sighted and
| during that long march | learned the value
| of drink of water. Water had never
seemed to me 10 be worthy of any great
amount of consideration, but if there is
| one place that a cold draught of the fluid
can be appreciated it is in the middle of an
| alkali desert after a hot days march IN
| der the broiling sun.
THE cook OF our regiment also learned
| something of the value of fresh water on
that trip, as the absence of it nearly cost
him his life. 4 Upon each move of the
| troops a detachment was sent ahead to
locate a camp for the next night and dig
| wells to obtan,a Sufficient supply of water
to last while stopping at that point. After
a tedious days march under the hot sun
| the advance party was on one occasion
still too far ahead to locate before dark
and the men were fatigued beyond further
endurance, so that at night they had to go
| to sleep without water, the much coveted
| treasure of the desert. Upon awakening
| the next morning the men were oyerjoyed
| to see the coffee kettles boiling over the
fire, and in their glee forgot to ask any
| thing about the source of the supply but
hurried TO the Kettle with their cups and
were soon feasting on the fresh coffee
ITO the men the coffee appeared to have
been salted. They complained of braci-
ish taste, and their Indignation at what
they believed to be the carelessness of the
cook in getting salt into the kettles in
stead of sugar ran high, and so great was
their disappointment that threats were
made to lynch the luckless fellow. The
cook. however, pleaded ignorance of the
origin OF the salty taste to the coffee and
pointed out TO the soldiers the old well