WE STAY IN YBOR CITY AND THEN ENJOY (?) LIFE ON TRANSPORTS IN THE
HARBOR.
Our stay in Tampa lasted from May 31st to June 7th and it was not
wholly unenjoyable. In some respects the place was better than
Lakeland, but we felt the heat far more than was the case in that town
and the camp location was not as good as that of our camp there. But we
were near Tampa and there were many opportunities for us to get to the
city, our camp being in one of the suburbs some three miles from Tampa
and known as Ybor City. Its population was made up mainly of Cubans and
negroes and a number of cigar factories were located there. The Cubans
were all "patriots" of course, but our disenchantment as to Cuban
patriots had already begun and we paid them little attention. On our
right was camped a battalion of the Fourth regular artillery (heavy)
and this was probably the occasion of a rumor which had persistent
circulation for several days that we were to be transformed from
infantry to a heavy artillery regiment and assigned to sea coast duty.
We had a lovely time pitching our tents and making camp. Owing to a
delay in laying out the camp it was not until after dark on the day
of our arrival that we set to work to pitch our tents and as a result
it was not only late before we got to sleep but the next morning
considerable work had to be done in rectifying the alignment of the
company streets. The soil was nice white sand which made fairly good
beds.
On the afternoon of the next day we found out what a Florida "shower"
could do when it tried. The rain came on unexpectedly and within a very
few moments everything was in a flood. But few of the boys had taken
the precaution to dig trenches around their tents and after the rain
began to come down in sheets they were compelled to get out in it and
dig or else have their quarters flooded. Here was where the value of
the rubber blankets issued to us at South Framingham was shown.
It was while we were at Ybor City that our regiment was definitely
assigned. We were put into the First Brigade of the Second Division
of the Fifth army corps, our brigade commander being temporarily Col.
Van Horn of the 22nd infantry while Gen. H. W. Lawton was in command
of the division. This set at rest all the rumors about our being heavy
artillery, cavalry and several other things. It also meant that we were
to go to Cuba among the very first of the invading troops and there was
no end of enthusiasm when this was understood.
During our stay in Ybor City Wagoners Kingston of B, Shene of G and
Boule of K became expert drivers of the army mule wagon although their
trials with the mule were many and various. In B street there were some
pathetic scenes when the members of the Kanewah club got together and
talked over how nice it would be "to be there" even if the gasoline
stove did not always work.
Payday came June 4th and we got our first "whack" at Uncle Sam's good
money. It was welcome, for since leaving South Framingham but little
had been in circulation among our boys and we gave the paymaster
the "glad hand." In return, he lined us up by companies and gave us
greenbacks and a little silver. We had expected a full month's pay but
were disappointed, our pay being calculated from May 3d, the day we
had officially been mustered in, to the first of June. There were many
applications for passes to visit Tampa that day and the majority of
them were granted. The Seminole hotel and the stores in Ybor City and
Tampa did a rushing business that afternoon and evening.
The "Wee Haws" of K contributed not a little to the gaiety of our camp
life at this time and one of their songs to the air of "Rally 'Round
the Flag" and reflecting upon the subsistence department was popular.
It went like this:
Down with the hardtack!
Hurrah, boys, hurrah,
Down with the canned beef;
We wonder what you are;
For we'll rally 'round the beans, boys,
We'll rally once again
Shouting the battle cry of "Wee Haw."
'Please pass the butter,'
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
If the coffee was much thicker
We'd sell it off for tar;
For we'll never look like Billy Fish
Unless we get more grub--
Shouting the battle cry of "Wee Haw."
Ade Potter's growing thinner,
Healey's just the same
Brazzil, Breck and Nesbitt swear,
Their biscuit box is lame;
For George Potter ate his canteen
And Aiken ate the strap
And McCullough shouts the battle cry of "Wee Haw!"
About this time some brainless individual sent alarming news home
in a letter, which was published in the Springfield newspapers, to
the effect that sickness was prevalent in our camp and that a large
proportion of the men of the three companies from that city were in
the hospital seriously ill. As a result we soon began to get letters
of anxious inquiry from the folks at home, and it was some time before
we could fully reassure them that the reports had been extremely
exaggerated and that there was but little illness and none of a serious
nature in our ranks.
While in Ybor City we lost two men, Privates Luther of K and Monteverde
of G. Both were ordered to be discharged from the service, because
of having enlisted while under age and without the consent of their
parents or guardians. Monteverde was reluctant to leave the regiment
and pleaded hard to be allowed to go with us to Cuba even as a civilian
employee, and when that was refused he offered to go without any pay.
But this was found to be impossible and he and Luther were obliged
to return home. The case of Private John K. DeLoach of B company was
a hard one. He had enlisted in South Framingham and in some way his
relatives, who resided in Atlanta, Ga., heard of it, and as he was
under age and had not their consent, applied for his discharge. Orders
to have him discharged were issued but they failed to arrive while we
were in Tampa, and did not reach us until after the regiment had landed
in Cuba and done its share in capturing Santiago. DeLoach had done his
duty during the most arduous part of the campaign, and as a result was
given a "bob tail" discharge and left to get back to the United States
as best he could. Sometimes the rewards of patriotism are not great,
and this was certainly one of the instances.
June 6th orders were received to break camp and proceed to Port Tampa,
there to go on board the transports for Cuba. We broke camp all right,
got our tents down and all baggage packed and saw them sent away
and then proceeded to wait. We waited all that afternoon and night
and until late in the afternoon of the next day before our belated
transportation was arranged for. As a result of a blunder in the
quartermaster's department, we were compelled to bivouac that night
without any shelter. This was our first real acquaintance with the
fact expressed in the statement attributed to Gen. Sherman, that "War
is h--l."
Late in the afternoon of June 7th, we marched to the railroad and
went on board a train which after a couple of hours brought us to
Port Tampa, distance about eight miles. Here we found some practical
illustrations of the beautiful manner in which the quartermaster's
department was working. It had been stated to Col. Clark that on
arriving at Port Tampa we were to immediately go on board the
transports, but after disembarking from the train and waiting for some
time it was found that no transports had been assigned to us. Nothing
could be done in the matter that night, and we were to be left to shift
for ourselves as best we could. There were no barracks in Port Tampa,
and it was too late to go into camp even if we had our tentage with us,
which we did not. After considerable scouting, Col. Clark discovered
that quarters might be found in the freight sheds on a long pier, and
we started for them only to have the entire regiment halted and held up
for some minutes at the point of the bayonet of a sentinel of the First
Illinois regiment, who was on guard at the entrance to the pier and had
orders to let no one pass. This obstacle was finally surmounted and we
marched onto the pier and made ourselves comfortable as best we could.
During that night on the pier the foraging instincts of Private "Dido"
Hunt of G company became active, and as a result he and several members
of that company passed the long hours of the night very comfortably.
The freight sheds were divided into sections, and in that allowed to
G was a lot of freight. Included were two innocent looking barrels,
but guided solely by instinct "Dido" decided to investigate their
contents. With this end in view he spread his roll and blanket by the
side of the barrels, and, lying on his side began to cut a hole through
the staves of one of them. This was rather difficult because of the
sentries, but it was finally accomplished, and much to the forager's
intense satisfaction, the insertion of his hand through the hole
and into the barrel, revealed to him that it was filled with bottled
beer. Satisfying himself in the only proper manner, that there was no
mistake, he acquainted the members of his squad and a few others with
his find and soon an impromptu picnic was in progress. Under the very
noses of the sentries, the contents of that barrel of beer disappeared
before morning, and to those in the secret the night passed very
pleasantly.
[Illustration: Lieut. William Young. Capt. Henry McDonald. Lieut. Harry
Vesper.]
The next morning four companies and headquarters of the Second were
transferred to the transport Orizaba, the companies being G, B, K and
D. The transport already had on board the Eighth and Twenty-second
regular infantry, and as a result our boys were crowded about on the
decks and compelled to sleep anywhere they could. The officers were
crowded into the staterooms and their experiences on the Orizaba were
not much more enjoyable than those of the men. Some of the regulars,
with a fine contempt for volunteers, did their best to make things as
unpleasant for us as possible, but the majority were of a different
disposition and aided us all they could, which unfortunately was not
much.
We expected to sail that day but did not. The same could be said
about our expectations and disappointments every succeeding day
until we did finally sail on the 14th. Before that happened we were
again transferred, this time to the well remembered transport,
Knickerbocker. This event happened on the 13th and when we found that
the Knickerbocker's number was 13, that she had that number of letters
in her name and that about everybody and everything connected with her
was more or less mixed up with the alleged unlucky number some of us
began to wonder what would happen. Fortunately nothing did, but that
was because somebody, not connected with the war department, or with
this world, was looking after us. The third battalion was added to our
force on board the Knickerbocker, the second being on the Seneca and
the Manteo.
On the evening of the 13th the 13 hoodoo began to work. A steam pipe
burst and some of the boys, thinking a general explosion would follow,
jumped from the deck to the dock, but although there was considerable
fuss and excitement no one was hurt. That night sleep on the
Knickerbocker was out of the question, for a gang of negro roustabouts
was engaged all night in loading provisions onto our steamer and
their cries, together with the noise of the steam winches prevented
any sleep. On the afternoon of the next day, the 14th, the steamer
finally cast off and started down the harbor in the wake of the other
transports. After being tied up in Tampa harbor for six long days we
were at last at sea and bound for Cuba.