The Republican journal., 1900-08-23
2023 1St. street n. W,

2023 1St. street n. W.
WAsHINGTON, ID. c., Aug 13, 1900.
To THE MEMBERS OF THE OLD FIGHT
ING 10TH:
In August, 1862, Eastport, Maine, on the
call of the President, contributed number
of its braves for the defence of the country,
and sent them by steamer to Portland, and
thence by rail to Bangor.
These raw recruits represented the
wealth, talent and bu ;iness ability of the
town, and they were all young and un-
sophisticated.
Upon their departure from Eastport the
band played "The Girl left Behind Me, y
| and there was in consequence much Weep
ing, wailing and gnashing of teeth, with
not dry eye in the audience, though some
of the boys were "dry'' enough.
On arrival at Portland we were met with a
hearty welcome, and on our departure there
from the band again played "The Girl left
| Behind Me- with the same result as be-
fore. When we reached Bangor, we were
hustled to the outskirts of the city, where
we, reported to the powers that were, and
took up our abode at Camp John Pope.
After a day or two's higgling, we conclud-
| ed to dissolve partnership and enter into a
| new deal; the result being that Co. H re-
ceived the following recruits to complete its
organization, to wit:
T. Eldridge, Jas. Eldridge, Jr., VIM. P.
Higgins. James B. Lawler, John A. Lowe,
Joseph Morang, Nathaniel Norwood and
James Peters. The remainder of the squad
went in other organizations some in the
18th, some in the 9th, some in Corcoran S
irish Brigade, and few in the 18th U. S.
Infantry: OF the Eastport squad, Potter
was made Sergeant. The remainder held
the distinguished rank of private, and hav-
| ing good sound teeth and ditto stOmachs,
naturally kept the bread from moulding.
Morang died of disease at New Orleans
La, June q, 1868; Norwood died at Boeuf,
La, May s, 1868; Peters was discharged at
Hospital, n. O., Feb. 81, 1868; Jas. Eldridge,
Lawler, and Potter have died since dis
charged. There remain to tell stories at the
| camp-hres OF around grocery store stoves,
Bibuer, c. T. Eldridse, Will Higgins and
Jno. Lowe.
When we left Bangor in October, 1862, we
| were full-tiedged soldiers, regular terriers,
| IN other words, (bull dog of war, and it was
! nip and tuck with your humble servant for
| a time whether he would be able to accom-
pany the command for the reason that he
had made himself useful in the office of the
! Hon Gideon Mayo and Hon. Llewelyn
Powers (your now able and worthy Cover
| nor) at the Headquarters Of the Post, who
/ endeavored to use all manner of means to
detain him and send him to the regiment
later; but as it takes two to make d bar
! pot luck with the boys. Well, we boarded
the train at Bangor, at Portland we recev-
| ed big ovation. with more music by the
| band and the same tune, and many she'd
ding tears. On arriving at Boston We had
another big surprise. Being placed in the
night, we were expected to be good, and we
We're good. Friends called to see us, but
they could not come in. Next day we took
tram for New York, and on lining up |
heard somebody with good sound lungs yel-
ling ''Where's "Chick'' Eldridge >" 'Chick
ha n
! tain for the reason that he was all in one
lump. knapsack and blanket constituted
Eldridge. Well, the fellow with the sound
lungs found him and weighed him down
with more bundles; this time fruit-cake and
bottle of ''tonic.' Arriving in New York
we were rushed to Park Barracks for lunch,
and took our medicine without a murmur.
Dread and coffee and meat.) At Jersey
City we were treated to pie, but were told
not to eat it because it contained ground
glass. At Philadelphia (Cooper's free
/ lunch rooml we were treated to coffee and
! fine diet for able-bodied young men. No
i butter on the bread and no milk in the cof-
, fee. We were gradually getting down to the
| hard fare of the soldier, or in other words,
/ dropping from the sublime to the ridiculous.
! Like the Frenchmen, we marched up the
countermarched to Arlington Heights and
/ Washington. All for orders and exercises.
Slept on the brick pavement on l4th street
all one night. At Camp Casey, Arlington
| Heights, we pitched our tents at the close of
October, in good weather, and in the morn
| ing found over foot of snow around us.
We had big reputation as wOod-chOp-
| pers, and the result was We were ordered to
fell forest near Balls Cross Roads. We
did 1t in apple-pie order; but if all hands
had done as well as l did the forest would
be standing to-day. After this little hard
1,nd
corn fields to Alexandria, Va, where some
of us took the propeller Pocahontas and the
others took the MatanZas. The latter
steamer, on which we assembled, was
the largest and best, and a good sailer,
staunch and strong. We had smallpox on
not. We launched few dead comrades
over the stern of the ship, and for want of
better Judgment and care were put in dur
ance vile at the Quarantine Grounds-the
old battlefield of famous Hickory Jackson
and kept there for ten days, living on
oranges and blackberries. At Baton Rouge
we lived higher; ON higher ground, l mean
and we had no sooner landed than we had a
funeral on our hands. The company tifeI
was sick and | was roped in to till the bill,
and as the Irish Washer-woman'' was the
only tune | was familiar with | played that
in funeral time going to the cemetery, and
played it in 'srag time returning to camp
1t was all right .'Everything vent" as
we say, but when think OF it now, it makes
| me weep.
When the command was sent to Port Hud-
son in March, Joe Clark, Frank Milliken
and myself were left behind to take care OF
the commissary and other property. II
came very near being lucky day for Joe
Clark, for while he was asleep and snoring
in his tent some unknown soldier across
the bayou who was out for ;snipe, snipeed a
for few moments with oaths, and the only
ings was to fall on my neck and weep at hav-
ing been fortunate enough to escape the sur
geons knife and saw. But Of all the harum
scarum critters ever had the pleasure OF
knowing, Frank Milliken. the Commissary
Sergeant, was the man. He was not afraid Of
man, maid or devil. He was here, there
and everywhere, knew body, and those
he did not know he made believe he did
He was not overburdened with conscientious
scruples, and would cut pictures out Of
Harper's Weekly ana pass dsrties them of Oft on un-
money, and receive all manner of country
produce in exchange He was the only
original in the regiment, and had absolutely
no cOunterfeitS.