The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-13
SLEPT ON THE WET GROUND
COLD EXPERIENCE OF FIRST AND
 SECOND REGIMENT MEN.

vCA AOH AOsn
 VIII Attack Camp Mclean This Morn.
 tng-Governor Arrived at Mantle
 Rain Stopped Camp Routine.
 "A bed; A bed! My kingdom for a
 bed, a cot or any old thing to sleep on, '
 was the cry of over 1900 men compris-
 ing the First and Second regiments of
 the Connecticut National Guard, last
 night, who were stationed at stop
 called Payne's Plains about mile from
 the South Lyme station, and who were
 obliged to bunk on the soft, wet earth.
 Itwas the first night after the frs day
 of the annual encampment of the Con-
 necticut regiments, and both the day
 and the night will long be remembered
 by every man Of the two regiments,
 for from the time the Second and First
 regiments left New Haven and Hart
 ford respectively until taps last night
 it was work of a hard kind and work
 that was a fair reminder of days in ac-
 tual service to the many who know
 what real service is from personal ex- PCiiCliCC. Iiic otNOiii lOSihiViie iSI ' = New Haven yesterday morning at ' o'clock 6S5 strong, including officers and
 men, and not including the First Sepa- rate company and they arrived at Lyme at S.3O in good shape and without an accident. There were forty absen- tees and these, it was learned, were mostly due to the men being out of town, though a few of the forty were unable to leave their business. The reg iment had entirely dsembarked at S:45, and then came a wait of about an hour for the arrival of the First regiment from Hartford, who was to take the station at Payne's Point with the Sec- ond.
 From the time of the arrival of the Second and the coming of the First there were drills by the different com panies and when the Hartford crowd disembarked both regiments set out for the place in which they were going to bivouac for the night, a distance of sev- en miles from camp. The tramp would have been a hard enought one ever on nice dry day, but as it was raining very hard, and in consequence the roads were tiresome and unsatisfactory ones. Wh~n the men reached Fred Payne's place they were soaked through almost and the ground on which they were going to make their beds looked any thing but inviting. The rain continued nearly all the afternoon which didn't improve the sleeping conditions or the spirits of the men, About , o'clock the rain let up a little and it was de- cided by the officers in charge that 1t fn1s tha night where they were. The little shell ter tents were pitched about o'clock, and by o'clock everything in the preparat ton of the temporary camp was completed. The officer in charge was Colonel Schulze of the First, who is the senior colonel of the two regiments. General Frost, Major Marigold and number of other officers who were at Mantle took journey to the place of bivouac, for it had been announced that if the weather was not good and if the health of the men would be en- dangered by their stayinf at the place, the two regiments would be ordered to march on and take their places with the other regiments at Mantle Gen eral Frost and those who went with him for the purpose of learning the condition of affairs, and about two hours after the weather cleared up making the officers believe it would be wise, in carrying out the plans for at tack to-day, for the men to stay over night on the spot, and hence the stay.
 As soon as 1t was learned by the men that they were going to put up at the farm they skirmished around the deso- late neighborhood for something to sleep on. A few barns were footed of their hay and straw and many trees were relieved of their branches in the hope that something of bed could be rigged up. Most of the soldiers rigged up a fairly comfortable bunk and of course hundreds used nothing but a blanket or two with their ponchos. They seemed satisfied with their sur roundings, but of course there was grumbling from a few. As Major Marigold put is Some would kick if the sun was out" but the thousand of more men as a whole rather liked the experience. The Shelter tents were somewhat of a shelter but they are so small that man can hardly wink without waking up his tent-fellow They are about three and half feet from the ground and are entirely open at the sides and one thing the men were certain of, and that Is they had plenty of ventilation. If they didn't have too much and If they survive without pnuemonia, grip, or a cold or something else they wont kick. The officers slept under "A' tent, which was almost as open as the shelter tents.
 Fred Payne's farm is big one, and an ideal one for a bivouac, and was hired by the state for the purpose. MT. Pavne's large farmhouse is at one end of the farm and many of the officers and newspaper men enjoyed the hospi- tality of the family. They were allow ed to use the telephone in the house and were invited to share the porch in order to keep dry as much as possl- be. Everything was done by the fam fly for the soldiers and officers who l were gratified for the attention. The | farm or plains, and the place is some | times called, is situated a little over | mile from the South Lyme station and | about four miles from Mantle, on | small hill. The country round aboutis | very hilly and picturesque, and if it | had been a good day the march and | would have been greatly | enjoyed.
 The baggage train of the First and l Second regiments carrying the things | necessary for the bivouac left Ninatic |