Middletown transcript., 1904-09-17
WASHINGTON LETTER

this city-that will be made to appear il
the official reports. But fratarnaIly, anC
possibly politically, the bringing together
Of some $1,000 men from distant parts O
the Union, who have never before me
each other, to stand should to shoulder
and hotly contest for supremacy in s
spirit of patriotism and desire to learn
tile art of war, cannot be beneficial in
many ways. In and of itself it is a good
thing to introduce men from Texas and
Georgia, all in the United States unifrom,
to men from Maine and Vermont; to let
Florida and Tennessee look into the eyes
OF Massachusetts, and New York; to see
the man with Parker button on his coat
grasp the hand of the man who wears a
Roosevelt medal.
M
Outside of army circles and those act
uaily engaged, little interest has been
manifested in Washington in the great
maneuvers in Virginia. Yesterday your
correspondent went to Manassas and
thence to the camps. Although a battle
was raging five miles away, and the can
nonading could be heard, the camp was a
quiet as deserted village. Near Manas-
sas we found soldiers from Florida, Texas,
Georgia, Vermont, New York, Massachu-
sets and Fort Myer in Virginia. Those
who remained in camp were recovering
from the fatigues of long march and
hard struggle ON Thursday, and were glad
enough to spend the day upon their backs
OIL bags of straw spread upon the ground
within the greatful shelter OF their brown
tents. The men had no complaints to
make, although some of the them thought
the task of marching from sixteen to
twenty miles in the hot sun by day, and
the dew of the night, loaded down with
blankets, cartridges, guns, and other
equipments, were more suitable for men
in the far East than the peaceful Ameri-
cans. The field of battle was covered
discarded articles as the day grew hotter
and hotter, and the men became more
exhausted. We met one great hulking
fellow from the University of Georgia
who said he thought the camp was to be
a picnic, with dancing lemonade, and a
lot of pretty girls, such as the boys of his
university have for week once year.
81 never would have come north," he
said, IF l had supposed it would be like
this" Another Georgia soldier, who was
OH guard duty, had much to say about the
question, and wanted to know the "faith"
of your correspondent regarding the doc
trine of lynching. The Florida boys were
boys were loud in their praise of the sweet
ness of the drinking water. The soldiers
from Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont, were
rather proud Of their march OF 300 miles
across New York State in fifteen days.
There was no intosication at the camp
and the best of fraternal feeling prevailed
among the troops from the various States.
We fell in with a regiment from Boston,
and noticed that their bill of fare contain
ed "baked BEANS" Pasturixed cream for
their coffee, plenty of hard tack, bread
piled up the cord, all kinds Of food in tin
cans, etc. There was even homemade
plum pudding for desert!
80
Throughout the period of the entire
encamplnent the weather has been de-
lightful almost cloudless skies, cool night
a gentle breeze from the South, and no
very high temperature. The Southern
soldiers were struck with the beauty of
the countrywide rolling plains, fields Of
golden rod and pumple asters, surrounded
by groves Of oak aid pine. The Vie ground, ground
while rather rough where it had been cul-
tivated, was as hard as a dry baked clay
can make it; the dust was not trouble
some, save when the regiments were
marching, and most of this was done across
fields, for the roads are very narrow and
winding.
There was great desire on the parts of
the troops from far South to visit Wash.
ington and get a view of the White House.
Alas! it is empty, just now, and the "fore-
most man in the world" as he has re-
Gently been called, is digging CLAIMS or
eating oysters on Long Island. Parker
buttons were largely worn by the South
ern men, and if their faith in him and
what he represents could materalize into
votes, it may be chairman Cortelyou
would be lying awake nights. While the
have been we'll supplied with water, and
there has been but little sickness, there
was great lack of water on the battle
grounds, the wells and springs having
gone dry. The troops suffering from thirst
and in some instances had to march sew
eral miles to get drink. The fighting
during the week between the Browns and
the Blues has been sharp, severe and pro-
longed. The Governors of number OF
States have been present to witness the
contest, and all the ''boys" will returned
covered with dust and glory. Yesterday
the fighting ceased in the afternoon, and
to-day there will be grand round up in
the shape OF a review of both armies.
49,
1t good thing that Secretary Wilson,
of the Department of Agriculture, has re-
turned from his stumping tour in Ver-
mont and Maine, and again taken the
helm. He will proceed to stop the leak
in the monthly cotton and other crop re-
ports, whereby some favored persons get
the news in advance of the rest of the
world, and he is contemplating the con-
structson Of wireless telegraph stations
along the Atlantic coast SO that sea cap
tains can tell him what the weather is
on the vasty deep. He reached this city
on Thursday, quite elated over the returns
from Vermont, where he says the people
were really alive to the importance. He
thinks they say danger to prosperity if
the Democrats should win. And he says
votes indicates the sentiment OF New
England. The farmers of Vermont are
Statistic thav Layo olaotaI t,rarty mann.