The National tribune., 1902-10-02

the homesickness and disgust with military
life that had been rife in the ranks came
to an end. While they were doing mere
garrison and provost duty the men were
very much dissatisfied and wanted to &c
home. They said they did not enlist to dc
garrison duty. They did not want to be
mere play soldiers. If there was no tight
ing to be done they wanted to get out OF
the service. Let the Regulars come ovel
and do garrison duty. They We're all OF
the opinion that their time had expired, as
the war with Spain was over for which
they had enlisted.
At an informal meeting of the officers OF
. the regiment in January this matter was
discussed and a proposition was advanced
= to send letter to the Governor and Sena,
tors asking that they use their influence to
get the regiment sent home. A number OF
us combated this proposition vigorously.
We said that it was perfectly apparent
there would soon be war with the insur-
gents, and in all probability it would break
out while the letter was in transit, and we
would be humiliated by having made re
quest to be sent home while there was ac-
-tual fighting going on. Such actually
proved to be the case, though the letter
was not sent. We also said that we were
not "Quitters," and that SO long as the
Government needed our services we intend
ed to remain, whether we thought we were
entitled to discharge or not. This proved
!. to be the majority sentiment. and nothing
was done by the officers, but the nOn-com-
missioned officers raised about $50 by sub
.scription among themselves and sent ca
blegram to the Senators to the effect that
when regiments were sent home they
wanted the Senators to use their influence
to have the ones first to come out to be the
first sent back. This was needless waste
of money, for the War Department had
IL ;}c fn
that policy, which it eventually did, but it
served as a safety valve for the surplus
homesickness steam in the ranks. and the
men felt better. Three weeks later the
hostilities began and then the men could
not have been hired to go home until after
they had had their share of the fighting.
OUR FIRST CAMPAIGN.
Notwithstanding it was the dry season,
a rain was falling gently as we marched
out of the barracks that Sunday afternoon
bound for the lines at San Pedro Macati,
pronounced by an Irish Corporal as Ma
carthy and cherished by him as the only
Irish name in that heather land. Our
tramp was only one of seven miles, but
before we had gone more than half way l
was carrying the gun of man who ought
to have been in the hospital instead of
going out to fight, but no man able to
walk could have been kept out of that
march and first battle except by orders.
1t was hot in spite Of the rain, and the
men who had not yet learned wisdom from
experience resorted often to their canteens,
with the result that some of the men had
drank every drop they carried before l
put my own canteen to my lips for the
first drink. 1t was seldom that l took
drink during the first two or three hours
of a march, and then only wet my lips. 1t
is my experience that man can go long
time without drinking at all, but after he
once begins there is a constant craving for
water that has to be satisfied, and can
teen full lasts but little while with
man having no control over his appetite.
Before starting the men had been spe-
cially cautioned to be sparing with their
canteens, as it was probable they would
have no opportunity to fill them again for
four hours. Yet in the face of such warn
ing as this, some of them had not drop of
water left an hour after they left the
cuartel. Such is the utter improvidence
and lack of self-restraint of many soldiers.
These began borrowing drinks from their
good-natured comrades, q custom which it
took not many days Of experience to abol-
fish. The regiment had not been tramp
ing a week before the man who asked for
q drink was told to go to, that he had as
full canteen as the others when he start
ed, and they did not propose to pack water
for him to guzzle.
Sometimes when it was possible to pro-
cure water at a hut along the line of
march, refused permission to these wa
ter topers to fall out and fill canteens, not
because Of hardness Of heart, but simply
as a matter of discipline and to make sol
diers Of them by making them take better
care of themselves. The experienced SOL
der always has a little water in his can
teen and a little of something to eat in
his haversack, even if hut bit of cracker.
BE never eats or drinks all until he has a
pretty well defined idea where more is
coming from, except in an emergency.
remember one night, in the mountains
near Antipolo, when every haversack was
scraped clean for the final crumbs, and
having no haversack and no crumbs my
self, / went to bed supperless, and SO re-
mained until the afternoon Of the following
day. We had gone on a raid around a
Filipino position and had sent our wagons
by the main road to meet US at a given
point, the meeting being expected to occur
some crackers in their haversacks for
lunch, and took my usual midday supply
Of two crackers with small slice Of bacon
between them, wrapped in a piece Of pa
per and carried in breast pocket Of my
blue shirt. l never carried q haversack.
There never was a day that would not
rather 90 without eating from breakfast
haversack, but there were other officers
who thought they could not stir out from
camp without one Of these things dangling
from their shoulders with five or six
pounds Of grub" in 1t.
This was the time when the man who
packed rations with him had the laugh on
me and few other officers who would not
thus burden themselves, but l took my
medicine without grumbling and lay down
to sleep with a stomach filled with water
from nearby creek. More water in the
morning made q quick breakfast, and it
was not until noon that l was favored
with cup Of coffee by the Surgeon while
my company happened to be halted for q
time at point on the summit Of noun
tain where he had established a temporary
station for the care Of q number of wound
ed men we were carrying along with us
on stretchers. Yet we were not in as bad
q hx as battalion of Regulars of the 4th
Infantry, whose officers had started them
On the march little after midnight with
out any breakfast whatever. They were
q growing and almost mutinous lot Of men.
One Of my Sergeants was q sort Of dry
wit, who was constantly saying things with
more or less point to them. Every once in
q while, as q squad or company Of these
hungry men passed by, he would remark
to some Of our men:
"And yet the Regulars haven't had any
thing to eat"
Only discipline prevented a row. He
was very solicitous about their health, the
Regulars at that time being "tenderfeet"
In the Philippines.