The National tribune., 1900-08-02

The Boys First Day in Camp.
| 1t was long tramp to the camp Of the
200th Ind, but weak as the boys were
| they took little thought of the distance.
EfatiOn over being once more inside our
lines, and going back to their old regi-
| ment, made them regardless of heat and
hunger, only feebly stayed by the little
food 81 had distributed. The Colonel con-
tinued to lead his horse, on which Gid
Alackall was seated, and piled 81 and
Shorty. who walked on either side, with
questions as to the details of their prison
life: 81 told the story in his quaint way
and Wabash dialect, supplemented with
cnlargements and additions by Shorty,
when he thought his partner did not put
the event strongly enough The Colonel
laughed at their horse-stealing and simi-
lar adventures, sympathized with their
mishaps, and famed into rage over their
;lltreatment. He vowed that there should
be Il day of terrible reckoning for the
outrages upon defenseless men.
On the other hand the boys were burn
ing with eagcrnesS to know what had been
done by the regiment, and what had hap
pened to it since they had left it-whO
had been killed, wounded and promoted
and whenever they could get an oppor-
tunity they worked in 4 question as to
these.
20, the old regiments worn down to
mere bone and muscle. and mighty thin
at that" said the Colonel, summing up
his answer. You can imagine it, when
|, the junior Captain when we came out,
am in command, with the rank of Lieu
tenant Colonel There's not enough left
to let me be mustered as Colonel, so III
have to do without the eagle unless we
can recruit up. But I'm mighty glad to
get the silver strawberry leaves. Theyr re
tl1.ast tnI md fool
Il little guilty in wearing them since the
splendid man who rightly earned them is
now lying i'll a bed Of red clay i'll kene-
saw. But I'm proud to say that l COM
mand the finest body of men that ever
stood in line. What there is left of them
is all pure grit, vim and 20. I'll back
them against any equal number of men
that ever stood in army brogans, and bet
every cent I'm worth. including my com
mission, that they'll start quicker and go
farther and fight harder than any other
crowd i'll the whole world, bar none. But,
see how the line has shrunk. 1t isn't as
long as two companies were when we
crossed the Ohio River"
\ yell of welcome from swarm of
men coming over the hilltop attracted
their attention, There was a general
thFGTnS HdS qP tPl9f Gf fspf M kIess nnd shouts Of
Hello, there, Shorty
''Hooray for Co. Or
''Hooray for the 2OOth Injiannyr'
"Three cheers for Col. McGillicuddy"
Hello; the boys have heard that you
were. coming, and have come out to meet
YOU" said the Colonel. THE whole of
Co. Q is there, and pretty much all the
rest of the regiment"
Every one was bringing something
which he thought his released comrades
would need. Two carried between them
Il camp-kettle full of hot coffee, the fra
grance of which seemed to sweeten all
the surrounding woods. Another had
roasted chicken. TO get which he had run
considerable risk iii his foraging the day
before. Others had hardtack, bits of
boiled ham, fried pork and anything else
they could draw from the commissary.
buy of the sutler or forage from the well
reach the boys The Surgeon came gallop
ing up in hot haste and intcrposed:
Here. stop that, boys. You must not
give them that. You'll kill them, sure.
just heard about it, and rushed over to
stop it. Colonel. won't you please order
take those boys in hand? / want to take
them over to the hospital and treat them
Blame the hospital" shouted ST. Il
never was in no hospital in my life, and
don't want to go there at this late day.
Blame that old Sawbones. He always
WIS tTSliS lD Slt Ills HODhS ol Hlt-
mad because he failed. He thinks he kin
do it now. There's nothing the matter
with me or any of us, except that ou:
stomachs are chawing up our livers, for
want o something better to gnaw at
We don't have to go to no hospital
to cure that" interjected Shorty. 1T can
be treated hest in camp by the Commits
sary. Just give us prescription, Doc
tor, for one days full rations, and let the
Commissary fill it. That'll straighten us
in no time"
Halt there. men," commanded the
Colonel to the newcomers. .Do as the
Surgeon says. Don't give these boys a
to. Now, boys" he continued, in gentle
expostulation. to 81 and the rest, ''be rea
sonable. BE reasonable. You know as
well as | do how much the Surgeon has
your good mt heart, and that he is only
thinking Of that. All of you know that.
You know how devoted he has been to
you all of these years that we have been
together and that he has spared himsef
no trouble TO take care Of you. You
know how many of your lives he has
saved by his care and attention, and the
trouble you have gotten into by not fol
lowing his advice. You must now do ex
actiy as he says, and you ought to do it
willingly. without my ordering you.'
Every one in the regiment believed to
the uttermost in the Surgeons skill, in
his boundless devotion to their health and
well being, and his entire unselfshness.
but they had the common belief among
Youngsters that the man of medicine was
entirely too careful and fussy over trifes.
Il am decidedly of the opinion. Colonel
said he, that you ought to turn these
men over to me, and order them to stay
with me until discharge them Their
condition is much more serious than you
or they think The 1st Oshkosh received
eight men back from AndersOnyile yes
tcrtlay, and today six of them are dead
| hear of similar mortality in other regi-
ments. 1t is simply incomprehensible the
way Imprisonment has sapped the mems
vitality
Even the Coloncl's words could not re-
press Il murmur Of dissent from 81 and
Shorty over the prospect of being shut up
in the hospitaF grounds for an indefinite
period. ~ %S
1T would never do in the world to turn
these boys right into camp in their pres
cnt condition. continued the Surgeon,
firmly Their comrades will simply kill
them with kindness. Every man in the
regiment is eager to- do something for
them and stuff them full of everything,
from fried crackers to roast chicken and
sorghum whisky. They're not only hun
cry to the verge of starvation, but they'll
be anxious out 'iof politeness to eat every
mess that is cooked for them, and. it'll
be the next thing to criminal to expose