The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-07-21
ERIE TAYLOR'S LETTER.
Many IDcOnyenieLces Caused by the
Continued Heavy Rains.
Volunteers Desire to he Mustered out
AT san Franci-cO-Other
Items Of Interest.
ILoILo, Isle of PANAY

MAY IL, 1873.
Mn Brar Mdmd:-Wh IL is cool
this morning will write you letter
One OF the "Freedom's" that came in
yesterday said volunteers would begin
to 90 home soon, and in the order in
which they came over; but rs there are
enough transports in the service TO
carry us all without making two trips,
we will not have to wait long after the
hrst leave. We hope to get mustered
out at San Francisco, and IL we are /
will get home with enough money to
buy my winter clothes, for we will be
paid about $3.50 II we are mustered out
home for about $50.
Ny health is good. The heat may
Nave caused me to "fall off" some, but
you will be surprised when | tell YOU
that have not been to the hospital but
twice since have been in the army,
and not single time since we left
Camp Merritt for the PresidiO. There
Is very little sickness in our regiment
now. Capt Gillem is back with us, but
not yet able to do duty.
know the children go barefooted
Old men, Young men, and women go
barefoOted here and consequently have
broad feet and toes spread out like this.
ole draws picture the HERALD can't
reproduce, but we can vouch that the
toes stand each to itself)
Meb would be astonished to see a lit
tie girl eight or ten years of age with
a big cigar in her mouth. Everybody
smokes here. They have for pets,
parrots. | want to bring monkey
home with me.
MAY 10, 1899.-"Co. F's" quarters are
now at JarO. We have plenty of room,
and very nice quarters All of US have
gotten us bed from the vacant houses.
Tables, desks, chairs, ETC., are plentiful.
Three Of my friends and myself have a
corner of big room. In this we have
two beds we have ornamented in
various ways, and especially with
mosquito bars. We have our corner
fenced off with screens. We have
chairs, settees, curtains to our windows,
pictures and other wall decorations /;
and, too, we have boxes Of mangOes
and fine apples we gathered ourselves.
Our boys are just starting to catch a
chicken. There are great many here,
but they are very wild and stay in the
woods. We must shoot them or kill
them with rocks. Happy are the
lucky marksmen of the First Ten
nessee.
] sent you and some CulleOka friends
some Manila papers few days ago
"FT eedom" has gotten out large
edition for the States We are now
having rain every day and soon it will
be raining all the time. If they would
send the volunteers home now many
lives would be saved.
MAY q, IS99.-This is a dreary, rainy
morning, and | am homesick and blue
The rain has not ceased to fall for five
minutes in the past three days.
| was on guard on outpost Yesterday
about half mile from quarters in a
big rice field, and had to w abe in water
up to my knees in order to reach my
post, and had to stand in it while or
guard. You would laugh to see us
standing guard in the rain, bare footed
pants rolled as high as we can GET
them, and standing in deep water. We
are amused AS we make up this picture
A small river near our quarters over
flowed last night and now we see moth
ing but water and trees in that direc
ton. 1t ran our guards in last night
but the deep water is good guarC
itself
A Senator from Indiana was the
guest of our officers yesterday. He
visited our outpost in the rain, anC
was surprised to see us in such goOc
spirits under the circumstances. lie
said he came over here to see the
Islands and also to see what it is to be
volunteer. l guess he realized tina
war Is not all fun. One of the boys
said last night that we would all &C
over to the cOmmissary this morning
and draw canoes | understand tina
the Bird Battalion boys on outpost No
3 had to swim yesterday, and that they
now have boat in which to go to thei
outpost.
In our quarters is a court with paved
bottom, and there we do our bathing
and washing. When we want to wasl
our clothes we strip off and get out il
the rain to wash them. We are having
manifold experiences here. Since
have been in the army | have cooked
scrubbed floors and windows, washet
clothes, sewed, carpentered, especial,
put on gutters) swept floors, cleanet
streets, eaten canned horse" climbed
Cocoanut trees, dug trenches, bull
breast works and bridges, tough
mosquitoes, insurgents and ants
driven buffalo in carts, cut weeds an
Bamboos, buried the dead and don
many other "odd jobs" Now don
you think the army an excellent plac