The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-17
MAKING READY FOR HIS MEN.
COL. TYSON AND OFFICERS OF THE
SIXTH UP FROM THE CHESTER.

. ] GaFtN tame u Inst Oh
j. H. EstIII-COI. Tyson VIII At
tend to Details Concerning the
Camp This Morning-SIay Go Down
on "a Tug to Meet the Chester.
Vessel VIII Arrive During the At
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Has Been Do
ing Duty in Porto RicO-SOmething
of what the Men Have Been Doing
and a Bit of the History of the
Regiment.
The Sixth Immunes, or the Sixth United
| States Volunteer Infantry as the regiment
| is officially known, will reach Savannah
! some time during this afternoon. Col.
Laurence D. Tyson, Capt w. D. Hender-
son, Lieut.. Frank E. Murphy, quartermas-
Ter, Acting Surgeon u. D. Massey and
| Capt. w. p. Williams, quartermaster of the
| Chester, the transport upon which the inn
munes came from Porto Rico, came up last
night from their vessel on the pilot boat
| j. H. Esiill, and are at the De Soto.
Col. Tyson win probably go down to-day
TO meet the Chester as she comes up the
river. Before he leaves. however, he win
have details to arrange in preparing for
the occupancy of the camp that has been
designated for his command. He believes
the regiment will get off the Chester this
afternoon in case clothing that is TO be sent
down for the men early this morning is
not issued while the command is still on
the vessel. In that case he considers too
much time viii be required to admit of the
regiment being taken off, and to the camp,
which is that the Third Nebraska occu-
pied when here
ha INN ratt utrN Of
whom are officers. Five men were left In
hospitals in Porto Rico and a number of
the hospital corps were also left behind
The men all return in good health and
pleased with the prospect of being mus
tered cut. 1t is not known just how long
viii be required for the work of mastering
out, but it is presumed some days viii be
| necessary. The preliminary work has not
progressed very far yet, and the regular
officers who have been detailed for the
purpose VIII find good deal to be done
before all the records of the regiment have
been made up. Lieut.. Benton of the Sew
enth Artillery, is on the Chester having
been detailed in Porto Rico to assist in the
mastering out and under his direction
something has already been accomplished
The Sixth has been stationed in the
| northern part of Porto Rico for some
months. The regiment left New York Oct
| 10 on the Mississippi It
was assigned by Gen Brooke
| to the most turbulent province i'm the ISL
and, and the regiment has had a hard
time since in maintaining order and sup
| pressing the natives, who have been in
clined to rise up against the Spanish resi-
dents. This work, however, has been ad-
mirably done, and the immunes can be
mustered out with a sense of duty well
| performed.
The headquarters of the regiment, while
| In Porto Rico, were at Arecibo, on the
| north coast, a town standing fourth in
| point of Importance on the island There
| were four companies at Areciba and the
| other eight were stationed at posts
| throughout the district to which the regi-
| ment had been assigned. These posts
were tributary to Arecibo, and from that
| place the colonel directed the forces. The
/ district through which they were scat
| tered constituted about one-fourth of the
| island
Col Tyson was seen at the De Soto last
| night, and gave an account of the duty
| his regiment has had to perform during
| the time it has been in Porto Rico 1t
| was on extremely arduous duty at times,
| the natives thinking they had license to
burn and destroy in order to get even
| with the Spanards, Spanish property
| was regarded as legitimate spoil, and it
| was thought no less than a duty for the
most turbulent and vindictive of the ma
tives to burn and pillage. 1t
was to prevent this wanton
| destruction and TO save the lives of
! the objects of the hatred of the Porto RI
| cans that the troops were stationed
| throughout the district, giving protection
to all and arresting the dis turbers of the
| peace. During the months of the greatest
violence. which were from the time of the
arrival of the regiment until Jan. l. many
| arrests We're made by the soldiers. the col
| onel having sometimes as many as $50 pris-
| oners at Arecibo. The troops aften
clashed with the natives. The natives.
| however, we're always repulsed. Six ma
| tives were killed by the immunes during
| these times and many were wounded. Only
one man of the regiment was shot. An
| other had a narrow escape from a slash
| in the head, portion of his campaign hat
| having been cut away with machete by
a native who rose up from the thick jun
gle by the roadside and made vicious
sweep at the man, who was riding along
on small Porto Rican pony
| Threats were constantly being heard
the natives swearing they would take
wholesale vengeance against the Span
| ards. These the soldiers were bound to
| protect and often trouble was imminent
| Probably the time of greatest danger was
the day before Christmas. when ii was
| heard that the natives intended general
|
cautions. He had his men patrol in squads
of from two to five, with the result that
his display of force had the desired eff
| feet. The time of the intended trouble
was thus made the quietest that had been
known since the regiment had been sta
| toned in the province.
Several weeks ago news was received
that the regiment was to be mustered out
| Col. Tyson at once made his arrangements
| for mobilization. 1t was only two DAYS be-
fore the command was to sail, however,
that he got all the companies together.
| Two of these were near San Juan, from
which Arecibo is about fifty miles 10 the
| westward The remaining ten companies,
under Col Tyson, and the band went
aboard at Arecibo. The Chester left Are
cibo at o'clock Sunday afternoon and ar
| rived of. Tybee at an early hour yesterday
morning. She could have got into the
roads before O'Clock had it not been chat
the captain was unable to ascertain his
position, heavy fog preventing observa-