Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17

sets respected one another, and the
men respected their officers. Not only
that, the Massachusetts officers and men
looked up to and respected the regular
officers and men. This fact was i'm
pressed upon me in many ways at Camp
Wikoff, and I could see the spirit which
had made good soldiers ont Of these
novices Colonel Clark of the Second
said "Our men didn't equal the rsgu-
lars, but did we'll There was the best
Of feeling between rs and the regulars.
We found the regulars gentlemen, and,
much to orr surprise, comrades. We
supposed they'd be critical" The reg
ulars criticised the Massachusetts, men
for careless discipline, but praised their
courage and pluck
The Second Massachusetts bears an
old number famous in the militia and
in the civil war. It's district is western
Massachusetts, headquarters at Spring
field. About So per cent Of the men are
skilled mechanics from Springfield,
Worcester and. ether manufacturing
cities 1t is the best drilled and best
equipped regiment in the state, so Colo
mel Clark says, and there must be truth
in it since Governor Wolcott designated
it as the first to be mustered in in re-
Spouse to the call of President McKin
ley Two Of the field officers Colonel
Embury p. Clark and Major F. G.
Southmayd, are Springfield men, and
two, Lieutenant Colonel e. R. Subway
and Major II. B. Fairbanks, from
Worcester. Major R. A. Whipple is an
Adams man. Lieutenant Colonel Shum-
way and Major Whipple are war vet
Grams, and instead Of being looked upon
as back numbers by the other officers
and the men they are the stars of the
regiment.
The truth is that the Second Massa-
chusetts went to Cuba expecting hard
line, prepared to face it and anxious
30 take points from old hands at the
business of soldering. About half the
men We're raw recruits, for the old
members didn't all pass the doctors.
/ The recruits were of the same class as
the original members and from the
same towns and cities. Springfield has
3 companies out of IL; Worcester, 3
Holyoke, 1 Orange 1 Gardner,
Northampton, l Greenfield, l. and Ad-
ans, /.
The Second left the ship at Daiguiri
without rations, and as one Of the cam
paigners declared, the Great Hunger
commenced as soon as the regiment was
ashore. A hurry cali took the regiment
out to Sevilla to re-enforce General
| Young's cavalry on the field of Las
GuasiInas. Getting short of rations the
mounted officers turned their horses in
to pack animals to get up supplies from
Siboney landing. Tobacco became sc
scarce that s. would be given for fine
cut plug The adjutant went to Siboney
for a supply of the weed but could moi
get more than square inch OF thir
plug per man. All these trials and pri
vations have been gone over again an(
again in print, and the most has beer
made of them. | mention them here a
the outset to show that the Second haC
its share of every i'll, and l found thu
men at Camp Wikoff not disposed I,
dwell much upon them. They wer
proud of their military achievement ant
took all, except the fever, as a matte
Of course. The fever record Of the Sec
ond was terrible.
But it was on the march from Sevill
to Ell Caney that the real hardship O
the campaign began. Rations for tire
days had been distributed and the mel
had orders to cook them, but few obey
ed. Some Of the rations were not dis
tribrted by the company commissarie
and were carried in bulk by men detail
cd for the purpose. All of this brings u
the issue as between novices and old sol
ders, and of course, officers as well a
men must be included in the structures
The idea of the crowd is that the gov
eminent can and will do everything
There is time when soldiers must Il
for themselves.
1t was 6 o. clock p, m. when the regi
ment, with the rest of General Lud
low brigade set ont for FL Caney. I'll
march was over a rough and slipper
hill trail, wet from an afternoon rain
The men detailed to carry rations, ha
also their Springfield rifles and extr
, ammunition 30 the trail was soon strew
G. with bacon in the side, bags Of coffee
e cans of tomatoes and hard tack. Whe
the men subsequently returned alon
, this trail to recover the sorely needle
rations, the horde of Cuban camp fol
lowers had carried off everything.
, About 10 at night the comman
reached level, grassy fields south of /
Caney and east of Santiago, The me
n were under orders not to build fires, NJ
= to talk loud, and worn out with the hea
, a and tedious march, they lay down i
= the wet grass and slept. Under the OIL
ders they could not strike light fC
&c smoking and could not make COTE,
h The chronicler Of all this is not dispose
= to gloss over anything but he says tina
g there was no fault finding, az the me
= realized that absolute secrecy and a
If lence were necessary to success.
lie The short march on the morning c
July was toward Ell Caney battkfielt
Led by the regulars of the Eighth an
Twenty second the line marched pas
Capron guns, which had already oper
if ed the ball. Finally, while the Secon
y vas marching west along narro'
r trail orders came to move by the rigf
. flank into tho brush. This shift Of d
y" rection brought the men soon in fror
l. Of the Spanish lines. Capron's frin
I'd meanwhile grew heavier, and the Ma,