Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-06-16

troops.
QUARTERING THE TROOPS.
Where to quarter and how to feed
all these men, who must sleep and eat
somewhere and somehow, was a diff
quartermasters and commissaries were
but newly learning their duties.
The sleeping problem was first solved
by quartering the troops in the public
buildings, an arrangement which had
the added advantage Of insuring the Sc
curity of the buildings by the mems
presence
Thus the Sixth MASSACHUSETTS,, when
on the evening of April 10 1t nad ar
rived, sore and battered. from Balt-
more. was sent to the senate chamber
in he capitol There. on seats and
under desks, in galleries, Hobbies. writ
ing and cloak rooms, the regiment spent
the night, and many nights following'
Colonel zones himself finding rest IN
the vice presidents chair.
Their comrades of the Eighth took up
their quarters fin the capitol rotunda,
where the incomplete dome assured
them adequate ventilation. The Rhode
Island troops had three-tiered berths
in the patent office, and the Seventh
New York found accommodations in the
representatives chamber.
Thus as the regiments came they
were sent some in one direction, some
in another. The Seventy-first New
York passed its first night in the in
auguration ballroom, but was later
transferred to the navy yard; the
Twelfth New York, at first in the as
sembly rooms on Louisiana avenue, was
subsequently quartered in Franklin
square, where so frame shanties were
erected, each to hold is men.
IN THE CAPITOL.
Theodore winthrop, who told of the
march of the Seventh New York from
Annapolis, also described their life, typ
ical of that of all the regiments, while
quartered in the representatives cham-
Der in the capitol
''Some of our companions" he wrote,
were marched upstairs into the gal
leries. The sofas were to be their beds.
Most of us were bestowed on the am
pitheater. Each desk received It's man.
He was to scribble on it by day and
sleep under it by night. When the
desks were all taken the companies
overlooked into the corners and into
the Hobbies The staff took committee
rooms The colonel reigned in the
speakers parIor.
'sThe best of the entertainment was
within the capitol. Some 5000 or more
of us were quartered here. The Massa-
chusetts Sixth were eloquent for their
state in the senate chamber.
.In the recesses, caves and crypts OF
the capitol what other legions were be-
slowed do not know. daily lost my
self, and sometimes when out OF my
reckoning was put on the way by SEN
tries of a strange corps, a Reading light
infantryman or some other.
1--WE all fraternized. There was fine
enthusiasm among us, the brotherhood
of ardent fellows first in the field ana
eager for the cause"
WORK AND PLAY.
Work was not hard, hardships were
few and spirits were high. The Seventh
drilled morning, noon and evening In
the pretty square east of the building,
while Gin the rests between the drills
we lay under the young shoots in the
sweet young grass and amused ourselves
with watching the evolutions of our
friends of the Massachusetts, Eighth and
other less experienced soldiers as they
appeared on the field.
Evenings found the men at their desks
writing letters home to parents, wives
or sweethearts, since not few OF the
men had become engaged on the eve
of their departure for Washington, and
a daily letter was a necessity. The Sew
enth New York included more than one
member of congress, and these were con-
tinually sought after for their official
frank that the Scent postage stamp
might be saved
The Seventh was young. and did not
take life with undue seriousness. "As
soon as we awoke." wrote winthrop. the
Dit began to chafr the galleries and the
galleries the pit. We we're allowed noise
nearly ad libitum. we joked, we shout
ed we sung. we mounted the speakers
desk and made speeches-always to the
point
Meanwhile the men must eat, and the
problem of food was even more consid-
cradle than that of sleeping quarters At
first they were marched by companies
to the various hotels, but subsequently
regimental kitchens and messes were es-
tahlished.
In the latter part of April, when fear
OF famine was entertained, the public
buildings had been stocked with flour
and other supplies. The Corcoran art
gallery was converted into an army
storehouse: the enormous vaults of the
capitol, the galleries under the senate
chamber, were turned into granaries and
filled with barrels of flour, beef, pork,
hams and other edibles.
What crypts and dens, caves and
cellars" wrote winthrop. there are
under that great structures! And bar
rels of flour In every one OF them Do
civilians eat in this proportion. OF does
long standing In the position Of sol