The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-29


more than half OF them joining big Pat
| Callahan I'm cursing the government.
| Hamilton and I began breaking car
| tridges. while Cloyne started fire near
| the cookhouse and looked for something
! I'm which to melt the lead After much
searching he settled on one of the cooks
| frying pans. Then he had TO boil the
bullets In water and get the grease from
| them, so an hour passed before We had
| any new bullets.
That job OF loading pistols hung on
amazingly. Some OF the cylinders did not
work well, so we had To nurse" them,
! for II would never do for any man TO be
| without pistol I'm the face of the enemy.
/ became so sleepy that | had to pinch
myself TO keep awake. Once In awhile
Cloyne-did not close the mold tightly be-
fore pouring the lead. so the balls wouid
be little too large 10 ft the cylinders.
and we tried 10 make them smaller by
scraping the sides with out pocketknives.
Daylight began 10 dawn. and still 20 or
more revolvers remained unloaded.
Reveille blew. the captain came TO look
on. spoke impatiently and then said we
were doing very we'll Breakfast call
sounded and the men got not only their
breakfast but three days rations 10
pack I'm their haversacks. Still we had
some unloaded pistols. Then one man
after another came up and told about the
horses and made me almost wild with
anticipation and fear. the latter because
they said each man was allowed 10 Sc
lect his horse, 80 what would be left
for us but the poorest nags OF the hun
dreds?
Finally the last revolver was charged.
j went at Doubt quick pace TO the coon-
house for my breakfast and rations.
The latter consisted OF hard tack ana a
great piece OF pork. How was ! 10 pat
that lump OF fat into my haversack? had
not even a bit OF paper. much less a sau-
Ger or box | settled the matter by throw
ing II away. Fat pork was disgusting
stun anyhow Then eating as l ran, /
hurried To the stable.
The stable orderly looked at me
grinned most Extensively and pointed
to the only horse that remained. | went
into the stall to look at him. but got out
again just In time to save myself from
a kick. There was no time to be lost,
for most OF the men had already mounted
and were being cursed into some sort
OF line in the company street.
Fall I'm on the extreme left! roared
the captain. / obeyed orders. being near
there already. A mounted sergeant was
already there but he was not
there n moment later. He went TO
the hospital with a compound fracture
OF the lower leg. caused by the hoofs OF
my horse, and he never saw active
service again.
AS we sat there and were again
brought to some semblance OF line the
captain remembered that he had not yet
appointed his full complement OF nom
commissioned officers. The company was
entitled to eight sergeants and eight cor
porals. OF whom only five sergeants had
been designated, and one of these had
been sent to the rear by my horse. or
corporals we have none.
who loaded those pistols?" asked the
captain.
"Cloyne, Hamilton and Frost" replied
the first sergeant.
And Brainard," said from the left.
"Cloyne, said the captain, you will
act as sergeant: Hamilton, sergeant-and
commissary-Frost'
How did my jacket buttons succeed I'm
holding in my heart during that glorious
second OF anticipation? / forgot every an
noyance and disappointment OF the past.
loading revolvers was to be reecognized
and rewarded. The captain was a splen-
| did fellow l wanted 10 order three cheers
| for him at once. but just then familiar
| line.
II was promised to be sarjint meslf.
Didn't I recruit sivinteen min?"
so you did, McTwyny." said the cap
tain looking at the ruffian a moment
before he spoke. Wei, you shall be the
remani1s and sergeant prost frst corporal;
The captain continued through the list
OF corporals and my heart sank. Twas
better TO be corporal than private, but
TO have had my expected honor snatch
ed from me by some one else, and that
somebody Mick McTwyny-to have Mick
for my official superior! oh, II put my
spirits to flight, and some or my patr-
otism tried TO go with them.
"Sergt. McTwyny 10 his post!' shouted
the captain.
Down beside me came Mick McTwyny
oh, II he had but been there when first
arrived and his leg instead OF the other
sergeants had been broken by my horse
lei H.. NOT and Gn n
horse. could hope.
From the parade ground. where the col
onel and adtutant sat mounted, bugle
blew the assembly the signal for form
Attention" the captain roared. "sergt.
Cloyne. front You Will command the third
platoon. From the right count fours."
"One. two. three. four; one, two three,
four ran down the iine In rapid sue
cesson.
Forward" blew the colonel's bugler.
"Fours right. march, shouted the cap
tain ITO the left. march,
We obeyed orders as well as we could
according TO the tactics In which we
top OF the tents we could see the other
companies filing out of their respective
streets and forming column In the road
trouble and n great deal OF profanity
which began TO seem an army necessity
as different captains endeavorcd TO take
place I'm column according to seniority,
and were hindered by other captains
whose lines OF march crossed their own
Some OF. the men In the newer companies
got drcadfully mixed up and made lot
OF trouble before they were set 10 rights.
for they were not accustomed TO horses.
much less TO riding. Finally, however,
the whole force was I'm columns OF fours
I'm the road. and when ehe adjutant. learn
ing this by galoping down the TANKS.
slgnaled the colonel. the latter had his
buvler once more sound Forward
Forward" repeated the bugle OF each
OF the - companies.
Forward" shouted each captain.
with confused trample OF horses
hoofs. clank OF sabers, rattle OF car
hines Jingle OF snurs. n tumble or
''Nvhoal" "Git up!" "G'lonE! and "Durn
ve!" from the recruits and I'm q great
halo OF dust the regiment was on.
And yet-a regiment two-thirds or
whose men had never seen their horses
until that morning and half OF whose re-
cruits had never before been on horse
back who had to have their pistols load
Cd for them. and who had never been
drilled together nor taught ever the
smnlest company movements on horse
back
Well twas the way with hundreds Of
athrr rcqfn,ct1te during tho earlier wears