The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27
ALMOST A MUTINY.
Tho Quartermaster Tells of the Trouble He
Had with o Volunteer Regiment.


silver lace with his full dress uniform, came homo
on furlough the other day. and for the first time
in more than a year had leisure 10 smoke his
cigars clear TO the butt without having 10 lay II
down. He had been 10 almost all the receiving
camps 10 the new colonies, across the continent
and around through the Suez Canal, and al last
he had set foot on his modest little two acre lot In
nearby New Jersey town. After square meal and
a good nights rest on real bod he grew
reminiscent and told this yarn as an illustration
of one OF the thousand different kinds Of persons
that went 10 make up our army Of invasion.
Il had been hustled around from pillar to post
for a month or two" he said, when was ordered
to 60 and stabiish a quartermaster and commits
sary department al new reception camp that
wasn't quite 1000, 900 miles from Mississippi
got things started expecting regular commissary
10 he sent TO relieve Of that part Of the work but
before he came the troops began to arrive, and in
the end II turned out that the commissary had
mista ken his orders gone 10 the wrong camp and
had been left there. My camp being in the South,
the Southern volunteers sent there 20 me- and
as most Of them were green we had the funniest
looking army that ever went on parade. The
commanding officers were all home bred, brave.
fine looking and all that but in some instances the
most Impractical set Of men. The regulars had no
end Of fun at their expense for while but about
ten times as much trouble in the bargain. 80 that
their laughter was mingled with teara One OF
the queercet Of the lot was a regiment from my
native State I can't tell which one Il was for
family reasons, the Colonel being a distant relo-
tive OF mine
Tho Governor OF this State had offered his men
TO the President knowing full well that they wero
neither uniformed, armed nor trained. II was a
matter OF pride with him, he said, and he added
that he had done it Just to keep even with the
troops were ready.
We'll when that regiment came into camp on
a hog train. my men nearly died laughing. They
were the gawkiest, akwardest lot OF clod- hoppers
that ever watched the companies punches
is the proper name for their formauon-pass me
on the way from the railroad station TO the camp
and they didn't have more than four uniforms
to a bunch. The rest Of them wore blueieans.
duck overalls and anything at all down TO red
flannel drawers little the worse for wear and.
upon my honor they had only three or four guns
TO a bunch Several OF the men carried their
weapons in the manner that the Bible pictures
tell us Moses carried his staff and ono OF my men
called out to big lank mountaineer:
Hey. Bud, where'd We get yer Gamer
"Grow'd IT,. said Bud.
Now did ye? said my man why don't ye
heft 1t like a gun.
Zoos tn dod.gasted shootin' irons galded my
shoulder raw. thefs haow' said the lanky one,
Il halted tho colonel and taking him aside,
said:
Now. look here. Colonel you and your boys
can have anything you want There's plenty
here and all you have to do will he 10 send your
wagon down every morning and you'll get all
that you neod-fresh meat, fresh bread. vege
tables and all the equipments that you wont
He listened and looked me over as II l were
CarHut arf h1rua IL LII
grunt As far as knew for about ten days
everything went we'll Tho new arrivals drew
equipments, put on their uniforms and. under tho
influence of the camp began TO spruce up. They
had real good stuff In them, and in spite OF their
awkwardness, got down 20 business quickly and
in the end made the best fighters that our volun-
teer army turned out
Il heard one day that there had been bit Of a
row in this camp and there some was whispering of
a mutny but open outbreak. stroiled around
TO the camp ono night but didn't find tho Colonel
i heard myself being pretty literally cursed and
abused as went down one Of the company streets
and was puzzled to know what the matter was
The next morning found out whom the first
mail came In. Among lot of general orders
and other matters was a big parcel for me- II
was enclosed in a Department envelope and when
l opened 1t you could have knocked me down with
a feather. II was letter from Washington
from the Chief Commissary. asking me what In
all fired cannon balls the matter with me and
my department II went into some twenty fiye |
particulars that were not very pleasant to read |
and attached to the document string of |
letters that would reach the length OF box car |
In less time than IL takes TO catch pig by the |
tail, had learned from this document that this |
regiment of mountainous had not had an ounce |
Of fresh meat since coming TO camp. gathered |
from the number and character OF tho letters at
tached that about every man in the regiment |
that could Crite had complained to Washington,
and had nd oontented himself with calling mo |
by my proper title. In short they had accused |
me Of being every kind of a criminal known 10
this century and-well, / really couldn't repeat
all OF tho epithets and charges without doing
damage to your feelings
i was innocent entirely. Every morning that
'egimental wagon had been loaded with beef lust
rs the other wagons had and was hot got on
ny horse and went around TO that camp on q run
The Colonel was there. glum as stone Jug. He
wouldn't even respond to my not too deierential