TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
[Illustration: COL. WILLIAM A. PEW, JR.]
_Twelve Months with the Eighth
Massachusetts Infantry in the
Service of the United States_
_By_ HARRY E. WEBBER
_With an Introduction by_ Maj. Gen. J. P. Sanger, U. S. A.
(retired). Sometime Commander of the Third
Division, First Army Corps,
U. S. A.
[Illustration: (small image of U.S. flag)]
SALEM, MASS.
_Newcomb & Gauss, Printers_
1908
COPYRIGHT, 1908
By HARRY E. WEBBER
To the Officers and Men of the
Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.,
this volume is dedicated
CONTENTS.
Page
Preface, 9
Introduction, 13
Call to Arms, 35
Muster In, 47
Chickamauga, 57
Sickness at Chickamauga, 77
Lexington, 95
Americus, 113
Matanzas, 131
Muster Out, 151
Welcome Home, 157
Roll of Honor, 169
Some Statistics, 177
Field and Staff, 187
Non-Commissioned Staff, 193
The Band, 197
Company A, Newburyport, 203
Company B, Amesbury, 217
Company C, Marblehead, 233
Company D, Lynn, 247
Company E, Beverly, 261
Company F, Haverhill, 275
Company G, Gloucester, 289
Company H, Salem, 303
Company I, Lynn, 319
Company K, Danvers, 333
Company L, Lawrence, 347
Company M, Somerville, 361
Chronology, 377
Appendix, 387
_Preface_
It is a habit with the citizens of old Essex, one of the pioneer
counties of the grand old Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to
point with pride to the fact that since the earliest days of the
settlement, she was ever ready to take up arms at the country's call,
and her sons were always found ready and willing to go forth to do
battle for what they believed to be the right.
The record of her soldiers and sailors is a splendid one, and her
sons have nobly represented her on land and on sea. It is perhaps
a far cry from the early days of the settlement to the opening of
hostilities in the last conflict at arms in which the men of the
county figured.
In the earlier events the hazards of warfare were perhaps more, but
on the other hand, in those days it was necessary for all men able
to handle a gun to fight, while in the recent clash at arms the men
who answered their country's call volunteered their services, seeking
the privilege of bearing arms rather than having the duty forced upon
them. Honor to them all, not only for "what they did, but all they
dared."
Massachusetts has furnished her full quota of men at every call of
the country. Old Essex has given her share, and as one of the Essex
Regiments, the Eighth has figured on several occasions.
Of those previous to 1898 this volume has no detailed account to
present, but it is a matter of pride to the citizens of this county
that it is said of the Eighth Massachusetts that it was the first
National Guard regiment ready, after a canvass of its officers and
men, to volunteer, and was one of the first to leave the state in
the service of the nation in the conflict with Spain.
The call to arms on this occasion did not come unexpectedly. For some
months events had been so shaping themselves that it was evident to
all close observers of national affairs that a conflict was almost
inevitable, and the government had been placing itself in a position
to enable the country to acquit itself creditably when the clash came.
War has been declared between nations for many causes, some of them
trivial. Some have been wars of oppression, some of conquest, and
so on, but the conflict of 1898 was in its way unique. It was a war
waged in the interests of humanity. For years upon years, one of our
next door neighbors, so to speak, the island of Cuba, lying just off
our southern coast, had felt the iron heel of the despots of the
Kingdom of Spain. As act after act of oppression galled upon the
natives of the island they were stirred to revolt, only to be subdued
and then subjected to even more crushing indignities.
The last great revolt was perhaps the best organized of any, and
spreading from one end of the island to the other, became of such
magnitude as to almost reach the dignity of a war between nations
instead of the rebellion of a colony against its dominating power.
With the same spirit that made heroes out of our forefathers in the
days of '76, the Cubans fought for their rights and for independence,
and their gallant struggles not only enlisted the almost universal
sympathy of this country, but many soldiers of fortune from the
United States fought under the Cuban colors.
While the attitude of the government was diplomatically neutral,
the press and a large majority of citizens were out and out
sympathizers with the Cuban cause, and it was but a question of a
short time before arms, ammunition, supplies and men found themselves
surreptitiously on the way to Cuba, in aid of the cause of the
islanders.
Naturally this state of affairs was resented by the Spaniards, and
the feelings of the two nations gradually became more and more
strained, even though diplomatically there was no breach.
No doubt the sensational press, especially the so-called "yellow
journals", had a great deal to do with inflaming the public passion,
but carefully planned investigations of the conditions on the island
revealed a state of affairs so gross that the worst stories of
cruelty and inhumanity seemed plausible, and the feeling against
Spain eventually became so bitter that it needed only the spark to
kindle the flame of war.
This was eventually furnished, and is one of the blackest chapters of
the Cuban war, by the destruction of an American warship while lying
peacefully at anchor in Havana harbor, under the guns of the Spanish
forts, and in a time of peace.
The "Maine" had been ordered to Cuban waters to look out for American
interests. She was received in due form by the Spanish authorities,
and her berth was picked out by them. While lying at anchor on the
night of February 15, 1898, she was blown up from the outside,
presumably by a mine, and many lives lost, while many more men were
horribly injured.
This was undoubtedly the specific act that led to the opening of war
between the United States and Spain, the details of which will be
found in other volumes.
It is the purpose of this book to treat simply of the part played
in the conflict by the Eighth Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, U.
S. V., which was the official designation of the boys of the Eighth
Regiment Infantry, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, when called into
the service of the United States.
Although one of the first volunteer regiments to get away, it so
happened that it was so assigned for duty that it missed getting
into an engagement with the enemy, although being sent to Cuba and
performing several months of its service there. It was the first
foreign service of the regiment, and was a performance that will take
a prominent part in the history of the Eighth Massachusetts, which
embraces so long and honorable a record.
_Introduction_
_To the officers and men of the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U.
S. V._:--
I have been requested by the author, Mr. Harry E. Webber, to write
some account of the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment, while under my
command during the Spanish-American war.
I reported for duty in Chickamauga Park, June 20th, 1898, and was
assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division of the First Corps,
consisting of the Third Illinois, Fourth Pennsylvania, and Fourth
Ohio Regiments. These were all good regiments, especially the Fourth
Pennsylvania, under Colonel David B. Case. As I expected to remain
with this brigade throughout the war, I began an inspection by
company, battalion, and regiment, so that I might learn something
more about their actual condition, and the capacity of the officers
than could be learned on parade. I mention this circumstance, not
because it concerns the Eighth Massachusetts, but because the
information I gathered was of the greatest use to me later on in
dealing with other volunteer regiments.
I did not complete this inspection, however, as on the 28th of June,
I was assigned to the command of the Third Division of the First
Corps, composed of the Twelfth Minnesota, Fifth Pennsylvania, First
South Carolina, Eighth Massachusetts, Twelfth New York, Twenty-First
Kansas, Ninth Pennsylvania, Second Missouri, and First New Hampshire.
Subsequently, during the changes and vicissitudes which occurred,
there were assigned or attached to this Division, the Third United
States Volunteers, Engineers, the Fifth Missouri, the One Hundred
and Sixtieth Indiana, the Second, Third and Fourth Kentucky, Third
Mississippi, First Territorial, and the Third and Fourth Immune
Regiments of Infantry, and one squadron of the First Kentucky
Cavalry,--so that I had ample opportunity to observe and compare
different volunteer regiments.
The Eighth Massachusetts arrived in the Park May 19th, and came under
my observation about one month later, and before I joined the Third
Division. It was the only volunteer regiment I saw fully uniformed
in khaki. As this dress was new to me, it attracted my attention
at once, and I rode over twice to the Second Brigade of the Third
Division for a better look at the regiment, which, needless to say,
made a very favorable impression.
As will doubtless be remembered, the Third Division remained in the
Park until the 21st of August, when it was transferred to Lexington,
Kentucky, where it went into camp on the Bryan road at Clark's Farm,
about five miles east of the city. There it remained until November
4th, its official designation was changed by orders from the War
Department, to the Second Division, First Army Corps, and on the 10th
it was ordered to Georgia, the Headquarters Signal Company, Third
United States Volunteers, Engineers, and First Brigade to Columbus,
the Second Brigade to Americus, and the Third Brigade to Albany. At
this time the Second Brigade consisted of the Eighth Massachusetts,
Twelfth New York and Fourth Kentucky, under Brigadier General Waites,
U. S. V. The Fourth Kentucky was ordered to be mustered out, leaving
the other two regiments to compose the Brigade, and this arrangement
was not changed while the Division remained in service.
On the 16th of November I was relieved from the command of the
Second Division and ordered to the Second Brigade, relieving General
Waites, and was thus brought into closer contact with the Eighth
Massachusetts. The Brigade remained in Americus until November 26th
when, under orders from the War Department, the headquarters, the
Brigade Hospital and the Twelfth New York Regiment, were ordered
to Charleston, S. C. en route to Matanzas, Cuba, where it arrived
January 1st.
A few days later the Eighth Massachusetts rejoined, and not long
thereafter the One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana, Third Kentucky,
Tenth United States Infantry, and six troops of the Second United
States Cavalry which composed the garrison of the city and district
of Matanzas, and the Second Brigade of the Second Division of the
First Army Corps, practically ceased to exist. When the Third
Division became the Second Division, Major General Ludlow was
assigned to command it. He remained in command until December 17th
when I was ordered to relieve him. I rejoined the Second Brigade in
Americus December 26th and went with it to Cuba.
The Eighth remained in Matanzas until April 4, 1899, when it sailed
for Boston, where it was mustered out of the service of the United
States, and reverted to its status as a regiment of the National
Guard. While it was not given to the Eighth Massachusetts to undergo
the supreme test of the battlefield, it proved beyond the shadow of
a doubt by its calm indifference to death in other forms and its
devotion to duty, that it would have met that test with a glorified
record of good discipline and steadfast courage. Who among all of
those who had the misfortune to remain in Chickamauga Park through
the summer of 1898, will ever forget the trials and dangers of that
encampment? From forty to sixty thousand men huddled together within
an area not too large for a sedentary camp of two divisions.[1]
Prior to August 1st the camps of all the regiments of the Third
Division, were in the woods with an average of from six to eight men
in a tent, many of which were unfit for occupancy. Polluted water,
insufficient supplies and protection from the incessant rains of that
year, and the fact that neither the camp nor the tents were ever
moved, from lack of space, produced their inevitable result, and when
the Third Division left the Park, August 21st, there were twenty-nine
officers and 1237 enlisted men on the sick report, out of 337
officers and 9464 men present; or, in other words, one officer out of
twelve and one man out of eight. Although questioned at the time by
those high in authority, it is now well known that a large proportion
of the sick had typhoid fever; in fact it was epidemic.[2]
My recollections of Chickamauga Park are not pleasant for reasons
which I cannot very well explain here. It is sufficient to say that
I was fully cognizant of the wretched conditions which sent the sick
report higher each day and subjected the sick in hospital to needless
privation and suffering, but was powerless to prevent or ameliorate
them. In fact, for administrative purposes, I was very little more
than a figure head, although held responsible by the regiments,
whose appeals for a relief which never came while we remained in the
Park, were most distressing to me. At that time the collapse of the
war had not been foreseen, and although the Spanish forces in the
eastern district of Santiago, Cuba had capitulated July 16, it was
not until the protocol of August 12th, providing for a cessation
of hostilities, that we felt the war was over and that the Third
Division would probably never fire a hostile shot. In the meantime,
however, under the orders of the Corps Commander, the Division was
held in readiness to move at a moment's notice, and every effort was
made to prepare it for service against the Spaniards.
To this end, and on the day after I assumed the command, orders were
issued to prepare the Division for active service in accordance
with the instructions of the War Department. These prescribed the
clothing, ammunition, and rations to be carried on the person and
in the two wagons allowed each company,--all other clothing and all
other personal belongings of the men to be packed in boxes legibly
marked with the company and regiment, and turned over to the depot
quartermaster for storage or shipment. To render the officers and men
expert in packing, and to determine just what could be carried under
the instructions referred to, each regiment was required to strike
tents and pack up, after which it was marched to the regimental
parade grounds, followed by its wagons, and inspected by the Brigade
Commander. It was well understood that all regimental and company
property which had not been disposed of when marching orders were
received, must be abandoned.
As up to the time I assumed command of the Division there had been
no target practice, on July 1, Major Edward H. Eldredge, of the
Eighth Massachusetts, was appointed Inspector of Rifle Practice,
and preparations were at once made to begin target practice.
Nothing could have been more fortunate than the selection of the
major for this most important branch of instruction. Conscientious,
enthusiastic, and thoroughly competent, he had the target ranges
established, and the Division at work firing within a week, and this
was continued daily (Sunday excepted), until just before the Division
left the Park.
On July 26 a division rifle competition was held, each regiment
furnishing a team of 12 men; ten shots were fired off hand by each
man, at 160 yards (possible score 600 points). The highest score was
made by the Eighth Massachusetts with 481 points; the lowest score
was 409.
In the course of the instruction it was found that many men had never
fired a gun and were correspondingly ignorant of this most important
requirement. What would they have done in the line of battle? Well,
I will tell you. Those who were not killed would have been perfectly
demoralized until they either ran away or perhaps were wounded, in
which case they would have added vastly to the cares of the Division
Commander and his medical staff. In either case, they would have been
of no possible use except as stretcher bearers. Nothing could be more
objectionable on the part of the high military authorities than to
send such men under fire, and there is no possible excuse for it.
Other measures taken to prepare the Division for active service were
careful instruction in guard duty, the service of advance guards and
outposts, by battalions and regiments; litter drill and "first aid."
As it was rumored that the First Corps would be sent against Havana,
orders were issued for the formation of a pioneer detachment in each
regiment to consist of one officer, two non-commissioned officers and
ten privates, to be specially selected for their practical knowledge
of the duties of pioneers, viz: the removal of obstructions,
corduroying roads, the building, repair and destruction of simple
bridges, culverts, railroad beds and embankments, and the use of high
explosives. No difficulty whatever was experienced in finding the men
who in the discharge of their duties rendered most valuable services
to the Division.
To give the brigade and regimental commanders some idea of the
difficulty of forming the Division in line of battle on broken and
obstructed ground, and to exercise the officers and men in preserving
the line, supplying ammunition, and caring for the wounded,--problems
in which the entire Division took part, were carried out practically.
Many of you will doubtless remember those exercises and how difficult
it was to form the Division in line without wide gaps between
brigades, or to move it in any direction without breaking the
formation. These problems, although extremely simple, were of great
benefit as a relief to the monotony of drill, and in testing the
field efficiency of the medical and ordinance services.
In the meantime, the Corps Commander, with the First Division of the
Corps, left the Park en route to Cuba and Porto Rico, and on August
15th I went to Lexington to select a camp for the Third Division,
in which the typhoid had spread rapidly, and on August 21st, the
movement to Lexington began. Although we left between three and
four hundred men in the hospital when we moved to Lexington, the
Division was so thoroughly impregnated with this disease and with
malarial fever that more cases were inevitable, and the hospital
of 1000 beds, which was established in anticipation of this very
contingency, proved inadequate, and but for the timely removal of the
convalescents to other places, would have needed a large extension.
Those of the regiment now living will not have forgotten the struggle
which then took place to stamp out the typhoid fever. It was a fight
to a finish, in which every available means known to medical and
sanitary science was used during a period of three months.
For the information of those members of the regiment who have joined
since the war with Spain, and because it was the most serious
condition which confronted the regiment during its service in the
field, I venture to give some account of our efforts to overcome this
dread disease.
In selecting and arranging the site of the Division encampment,
I was influenced more by sanitary requirements than by any other
considerations whatever. To the camp of each regiment fifty acres
of cleared land were allowed. This insured wide company streets,
sufficient space between tents to admit of their being moved, plenty
of room for the regimental and battalion staffs, guard tents, cook
tents, sinks, corrals, and regimental parade grounds, with sufficient
isolation from neighboring regiments.
Ground was also set aside for division and brigade headquarters, and
for a general parade ground, the division hospital and the various
departments of supply, and these were far enough removed from each
other and the troops to prevent any encroachment. All told, the
Division occupied about 1000 acres.
The different camps were then laid out by the division engineer,
aided by the pioneer corps, and a copious supply of pure water
secured, and all the sinks (kitchen and men's), were dug, ditched
and housed, and tent floors made ready before the first regiment of
the Division arrived, so that there was no occasion for defiling the
ground or for unnecessary exposure to the weather.
As soon as practicable after the regiments arrived, the following
sanitary orders were carried into effect. A non-commissioned officer
was placed in charge of every sink, who received his instructions
from the regimental surgeon as to the use of chloride of lime, quick
lime, crude petroleum and corrosive sublimate, large quantities of
which were provided by the medical purveyor and chief quartermaster
of the Division.
For example, a box of the chloride of lime was kept in each of the
men's sinks and it was the duty of the non-commissioned officer in
charge to see that a small quantity was thrown into the sink three
times daily, and that the sink floors were scrubbed every morning and
then mopped with a solution of corrosive sublimate. All the men's
sinks were lighted at night. Quick-lime and crude petroleum were also
used in all the sinks, not only as disinfectants, but to keep the
flies away.
Tents were moved once each week, the sites vacated thoroughly
sprinkled with quick-lime, the under surface of the floors lime
washed, and the tent floors mopped with a solution of corrosive
sublimate; tent walls were raised, clothing and bedding thoroughly
aired daily; all bed sacks were filled with clean straw, the old
straw burned, and the bed sacks boiled every month, and whenever
a man was sent to the hospital his bed sack received the same
treatment; all water barrels were burned out every two weeks, all
stable manure removed from the camp daily, and together with all
other refuse, burned, and for this purpose regimental or brigade
crematories were constructed as might be most convenient.
Facilities were provided in each company for washing and bathing and
every soldier was required to bathe at least twice each week and to
keep his hair and beard neatly trimmed. All drinking water was boiled
and filtered and the men cautioned against drinking water of any
other kind.
The indiscriminate sale and use of farm products, garden truck,
fruit, pies, cakes, and all soft drinks were prohibited, nor were
hucksters permitted in any of the regimental camps without the
written authority of the commanding officer.
To insure the execution of these instructions, a division sanitary
inspector was appointed, whose duty it was to visit the camp of each
regiment daily and, together with the medical officer on duty and
officer of the day, make inspection of the police of the camp, giving
all needful orders for the correction of sanitary abuses and defects.
As no regimental hospitals were contemplated by the War Department,
and none were permitted in Camp Hamilton, men sick enough to require
treatment in bed were removed to the division hospital. On arriving
there their clothing was removed and carefully disinfected, labeled
and packed away, and if their cases were of doubtful character they
were sent to the detention ward until the nature of their disease
could be determined, when they were disposed of accordingly.
At 2 P. M. daily a medical officer of each regiment reported at the
division hospital, and with the medical officer in charge of the
wards, visited the sick of his regiment and decided whether they
should be returned to duty or not. This had a very good effect, as
it brought the medical officers of the regiment into daily contact
with the sick of their own regiments, which was a great comfort to
them, and besides kept the medical officers fully informed of their
condition.
As far as possible the sick of the different regiments were kept
together, and no one except the regimental and company commanders,
the medical officers, chaplains, and immediate relatives of the sick
were allowed to visit them. This restriction was rendered necessary
by the danger of infection in typhoid cases, and to prevent the
excitement and noise caused by visitors.
I am aware that many of the requirements and restrictions ordered at
that time were considered harsh and unnecessary and gave rise to some
bad feeling and grumbling, but as they had the unqualified approval
of the medical staff, I had no hesitation in enforcing them. That
they were fully justified was clearly shown by the results.
Within a short time after our arrival in Lexington the number of
sick increased so rapidly that the division hospital was filled
to overflowing. But in the course of five or six weeks, and as a
consequence of our strenuous efforts, the number began to diminish,
until finally, and before the Division moved to Georgia in November,
not a single case remained in the Division outside of the hospitals,
and no new cases were ever reported to me while the Division remained
in service.
Of the part taken by the Eighth Massachusetts in this heroic
struggle, a great deal might be written by way of commendation. It is
probably sufficient to say that Colonel Pew and his officers appeared
to realize fully the gravity of the situation, and relying on the
good discipline and high order of intelligence of the rank and file,
had but little difficulty in carrying out the sanitary regulations of
the camp, thus preserving the lives of many of the men.
Before leaving this subject, and at the risk of exhausting your
patience, I can not refrain from giving you a word of warning. Of all
the diseases which infest sedentary camps, such as those established
in the United States and Cuba during the recent war, none is more
insidious or deadly in its effects than typhoid fever.
It would be very unusual indeed for a regiment of the National Guard
or of Volunteers to assemble in camp at any time without bringing
with it at least one case of undeveloped typhoid fever. Now, a week
may elapse before such a case is discovered and reported, and in
the meantime the man who has it may have given it to a dozen other
men through fecal and urinary discharges, and through carelessness
in using the sink in washing his hands and bathing, and in keeping
his clothing absolutely free from that kind of pollution. Hence the
importance of personal cleanliness and the strictest enforcement of
all the sanitary rules which may be established.
In a camp of regular soldiers thoroughly instructed in the duties
of sentinels, and not afraid to enforce their orders, this is not
difficult, but among volunteers where guard duty is often not
understood, or is looked upon with disfavor, and but little sense
of individual responsibility, it is a very difficult matter, and
such camps may speedily and easily become hot beds for the spread of
typhoid and other diseases.
Bear this in mind and resolve that should the exigencies of the
military service ever require you to go into camp again, you will
not only keep yourselves clean, but will insist on a clean camp,
clean kitchens and sinks, clean food and mess kits, and that you will
mercilessly punish all infractions of sanitary rules, as well as the
sentinels or other guards who knowingly permit them.
I remained in command of the Second Division until November 16th,
when I was relieved, and on the 21st assumed command of the Second
Brigade at Americus. Although I knew the Eighth Massachusetts quite
well, I now determined to know it thoroughly, and on November 28th,
commenced an inspection of the regiment by battalion, and in order
that every officer and enlisted man might attend, it was ordered that
no guard or other detail would be furnished by the battalion under
inspection.
I began with the First Battalion of the Eighth Massachusetts and
wound up with the Third Battalion, giving each just such a critical
inspection as was prescribed for regulars. In other words, I made a
careful examination of the arms and equipments, clothing, camp and
garrison equipage, mess books, records and drills of each company,
battalion and regiment.
Target practice was resumed as soon as the Brigade was settled in
camp, and each regiment was given the most careful and detailed
instruction in outpost duties and those of the advanced guard. An
effort was also made to instruct the Brigade in the principles of
a front and flank attack, beginning at short distances, which were
extended finally to 3000 yards over obstructed ground, the enemy's
position being indicated, and as far as possible the exercises made
as realistic as possible.
The month spent at Americus was full of professional interest and
profit, and caused me to realize more fully the very great advantage
of a brigade camp over larger ones, and how much better it would
have been at the outset to have fully equipped each regiment in
its State camp, to then have assembled it with other regiments
in a brigade camp--preferably in the same State--commanded by a
thoroughly competent and active general officer, there to receive
the preliminary instruction so easily given under such circumstances,
and so next to impossible in the camp of a Division of an army corps.
The Eighth Massachusetts and Twelfth New York were fairly well
equipped when I joined them in the Park, but the First South Carolina
regiment was without arms, equipment or uniforms. The men ate with
their fingers for several weeks, and relied on such crude dishes as
could be improvised from tomato-cans, etc. I have no doubt that much
of the complaint made by this regiment about the rations, was chiefly
due to this.
The Eighth Massachusetts in two detachments left Americus January 6th
and 8th, and arrived in Matanzas January 10th and 13th and went into
camp near Fort San Severino on the west side of the bay.
On the 12th of January the last of the fifteen thousand Spanish
soldiers under Generals Merina and Molina, composing the garrison of
Matanzas, sailed away, and about 8 o'clock in the evening, General
Bettancourt and his detachment of insurgent troops marched into the
city, which went wild with excitement. The First Battalion Eighth
Massachusetts and Twelfth New York were held in readiness that night
lest there should be any hostile demonstration towards the Spanish
residents of the city. It turned out that the natives were so intent
on celebrating the departure of the Spanish troops that no attention
was paid to anything else, and apart from that the night passed
quietly.
On January 12th Major-General J. H. Wilson relieved me from command
of the Department of Matanzas, and on the following day I was
assigned to command the District of Matanzas with headquarters in
the city. Up to this time I had been interested chiefly in arranging
for the evacuation of the Spaniards, in caring for the troops, and
getting them settled in camp.
On January 5th a bureau of street cleaning and sanitation had been
established as the result of a careful inspection of the city, and
the prevalence of yellow fever during the preceding month. Six deaths
had occurred, and we were all somewhat solicitous about the future.
Two cases occurred, one a civilian who died, the other a soldier, who
recovered.
As a precautionary measure the old yellow fever hospital was burned
and a new one of canvas erected near the district hospital. I then
gave my attention to the very serious and delicate duties connected
with the administration of the District and City of Matanzas, in
accordance with the laws of war, and the orders of the President.
Although by virtue of the military occupation of Cuba martial law
prevailed, it was the President's wish that as far as possible the
inhabitants might be secured in their persons, and property, and in
all their private rights and relations as long as they performed
their duties, and that they be protected in their homes, their
employments, and in the free exercise of their religion. That as far
as possible the municipal laws such as related to the private rights
of persons and property, and provided for the punishment of crime,
should be continued in force, to be administered by the ordinary
tribunals substantially as they were before the occupation.
The frame work of municipal government in Cuba was excellent, far
better in some respects than our own, but Spaniards filled nearly
all the insular, provincial and municipal offices and municipal
government was under the direct supervision of the provincial and
insular governments. Nevertheless, the municipal organization was
complete, excellent of its kind, and ample for the government of
the city and district, and I determined at the outset to instil
into the local authorities a proper sense of their responsibilities
and authority as the agent of a free and liberal government, and
to require them to perform all their duties, using the troops only
when necessary to aid their efforts to maintain law and order and to
prevent any disorderly conduct on the part of the officers or men. To
this end a provost marshal with a suitable guard was appointed and
Fort San Severino was converted into a military prison.
The scope of this article will not admit of a detailed account of
all that was done for the people and City of Matanzas during our
stay there. It is probably sufficient to say that we cleaned and
disinfected the city and established a system of sanitation so
thorough that a recent traveler through the island told me that
Matanzas was the cleanest and healthiest city in Cuba, and that there
had been no case of yellow fever there since we left. To accomplish
this a certain number of our officers and non-commissioned officers
and men associated with the various city officials, who were,
however, required to take the lead, the officers acting as advisers
and assistants when necessary.
Matanzas was suffering at that time from the effects of the
reconcentration ordered by General Weyler, and the population has
been increased from about 25,000 to 40,000, chiefly refugees. As soon
as it could be done these people were returned to their old homes, or
provided with homes elsewhere. In the meantime, they, together with
all other indigent poor, to the number of 19,373, were fed by the
United States Government. Prior to this many--chiefly children--died
of starvation, and many more would have followed but for the timely
arrival of the troops.
Some idea of what was done by the Army for the people of Matanzas
may be gathered from the vital statistics of the city. During the
year 1897 there were 6,729 recorded deaths, and in 1898, 5,972,
or an average of 6,350 or over 500 deaths per month. In April,
1899, the last report rendered before we left showed a total of 68
deaths, quite a perceptible decrease in four months. I have enlarged
somewhat on this subject because the results of our efforts were so
gratifying, and because the Eighth Massachusetts took an important
part in this work, especially Chaplain George D. Sanders.
Another most useful and special service rendered by the Eighth was a
settlement of the first strike ever inaugurated in Matanzas. Labor
unions and strikes were unknown before American occupation, but it
was not long before labor union delegates from the States arrived in
Havana, and soon unions were formed and rumors of strikes reached
Matanzas, to be followed later by two delegates who organized a
union and started a strike for shorter hours and higher pay among
the employees of the railway and the stevedores engaged in loading
the annual sugar crop, then arriving in vast quantities. As a large
number of the native workmen did not care to strike, those who did
immediately began the kind of intimidation usually resorted to in
this country, and several were assaulted and more threatened, and the
situation became serious.
At this point the manager of the road appealed to me for protection
and I sent two companies of the Eighth to the freight yards to see
that protection was given. I gave no instructions but relied on the
experience and good sense of the officers and men, and they ended
the strike to my entire satisfaction. No doubt they can recall the
circumstances, and the very effective measures resorted to.
That they were good and sufficient may be inferred from the fact that
no one ever complained of them, except the two delegates, and they
were told they could go to jail or leave town, which latter they did
by the first available train, and peace and contentment prevailed
thereafter to the end.
On the 20th of January commenced the festivities to celebrate the
evacuation of Cuba by the Spaniards, and on February 22nd another
fiesta was held in honor of General Maximo Gomez, at that time
the idol of the Cubans. Upon both occasions the entire population
thronged the streets and the greatest excitement prevailed. General
Gomez remained in Matanzas three days, and with his departure the
city settled down into its usual calm.
Thanks to the tact and excellent conduct of the troops, nothing
occurred to disturb the festivities; the crowds were handled with
great skill and with due regard to their susceptibilities and their
first taste of personal liberty--not only as individuals but as a
community. And to the very great honor of the troops it may be said
that this was ever the rule in dealing with the residents of the
city, no complaint of misconduct, public or private, having ever been
made to me.
The Eighth Massachusetts was especially fortunate in gaining the good
will of the Cubans, and when it left Matanzas was the recipient of
a letter of enthusiastic commendation from the mayor of the city.
A copy of the letter was sent to me, and the very complimentary
expressions of the mayor were neither exaggerated nor unmerited. The
regiment deserved a great deal from the people of Matanzas, and it
was very gratifying to me to know that they appreciated your services.
I regret that in this brief sketch I have not been able to go
more into detail concerning the duties, the trials and successful
achievements of the Eighth Massachusetts during the Spanish War. It
is sufficient for me to say as your brigade and division commander,
that while we were together, a day rarely passed that I did not ride
through your camp, turn out the guard and take a general look around,
and on every Sunday make a careful inspection, and it gives me the
greatest pleasure to say that in point of efficiency the regiment had
few equals, and no superiors, among the volunteer regiments which
came under my observation.
Proper esprit de corps and a high sense of duty pervaded the
regiment, due in great measure to the excellent example of Colonel
Pew and his field officers, Lieutenant-Colonels Bailey and Stopford
and Majors Eldredge and Graves. During the summer of 1907 I visited
the regiment in camp at South Framingham and was glad to note that
the instruction and the experience of the war had not been forgotten.
In conclusion I beg to remind you that while all military efforts
should be directed towards the preparation of soldiers for the great
tests of the battlefield, because so much may depend on the result,
there are other tests which if successfully borne, entitle soldiers
to as much credit as good conduct under fire, although they may not
bring them as much renown.
Among disciplined soldiers it is the exception to find one who does
not behave well under fire, but it by no means follows that the
bravest will not falter in their duty if beset in a sedentary camp
with plague, pestilence or famine. It is not as much of a strain on
the nerves to see a soldier killed in battle as to see him die of an
epidemic disease, nor do I believe it is as hard for the soldier.
When a soldier goes under fire, he is facing the very contingency
for which he enlisted and for which he has been trained. He knows he
may be shot and wounded or killed, but his duty lies unequivocally
before him and appeals directly to his pride and to his manhood in a
way disease can never do. Who will say then that the men who fought
the battle of San Juan deserved more credit than those who died from
typhoid fever while acting as volunteer nurses to their comrades
or in the discharge of other duties, when by getting a furlough or
running away they could have avoided all risk. The excitement of
battle and the example of brave men have made a hero of many a man
who but for that would have run away.
But in a typhoid fever camp death lurks everywhere and there is no
stimulating excitement to strengthen those who have to face it.
Therefore the highest honors should not be given solely to those
soldiers who are so fortunate as to do their duty under fire, but to
those as well who do their duty where-ever they may be, regardless of
consequences, and in all the circumstances which may attend them.
Do not therefore complain, as I have heard some of you do, or tinge
your recollections of the war with regret, because you did not take
part in the only battle that was fought, but, hoping for better luck
next time, find supreme satisfaction in the reflection that you did
your whole duty in places where death was quite as imminent as on San
Juan Hill, and that no other regiment, regular or volunteer, could
have done more.
J. P. SANGER,
_Major General, U. S. A., Retired_.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] NOTE--In 1898, the Park proper contained 5530.4 acres, of which
2032.8 acres were cleared and 3506.6 wooded. Troops on the march may
camp or bivouac in the woods with but little risk to the health of
the men, but in a sedentary camp the tents must be in the open.
[2] NOTE--The records of the War Department show that in August there
were 1568 cases of typhoid in the Division and General Hospitals;
there were probably as many more in the regiments.
_The Call to Arms_
Between February 15th, when the U. S. S. Maine was destroyed in the
harbor of Havana, and March 28th, 1898, when Congress received the
report of the Naval Board of Inquiry, declaring the Maine to have
been destroyed by an exterior explosion, public opinion in the United
States was crystalizing in favor of declaring war with Spain and
recognizing the independence of Cuba.
On March 16th a meeting of the officers of the Eighth Regiment
Infantry, M. V. M., was held in the Headquarters of the regiment at
Salem. The officers, with one exception, authorized the Colonel to
tender their services as part of any quota Massachusetts might be
called upon to furnish. Company commanders were directed to interview
each member of their companies and report to the Adjutant the number
of men ready to volunteer. The reports of the various company
commanders, show that by April 1st, all but eleven men had authorized
the Colonel to tender their services. It is said that the Eighth
was the first National Guard Regiment in the country ready, after a
careful canvass of its officers and men, to volunteer.
On March 29th resolutions declaring war with Spain were introduced
into both houses of Congress. Congress had appropriated $50,000,000
for national defence, and the Legislature of Massachusetts followed
with an appropriation of $500,000 to equip troops.
War was coming and troops were to be needed. This much was certain,
but no one could tell how the necessary troops would be raised.
It was rumored that the military advisors of the government were
divided in their councils, and that some favored the retention of
the Militia for local defence, and the organization of new regiments
of volunteers to fill the expected call. For weeks the Adjutant was
ready to tender the services of the Eighth as a militia, or volunteer
regiment, whichever way the call came. The tension was so great that
on April 22nd the following letter was sent to the Governor:--
"Headquarters Eighth Regiment Infantry.
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia,
Salem, Mass., April 22, 1898.
MAJ. GEN. SAMUEL DALTON,
Adjutant General, State of Massachusetts,
State House, Boston, Mass.
Sir:--
I have the honor to represent to the Commander-in-Chief that
the officers and men of the Eighth Regiment are willing and
anxious to respond to any call for volunteers, and I hereby
tender the services of the Regiment, if agreeable to the wishes
of the Commander-in-Chief, to form a part of any quota that
Massachusetts may be called upon to furnish.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
WILLIAM A. PEW, JR.
Colonel."
The above letter was acknowledged by the following communication:--
"Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Executive Department,
Boston, Mass, April 22, 1898.
COL. WILLIAM A. PEW, JR.,
Headquarters Eighth Regiment Infantry, M. V. M.,
Salem, Mass.
My dear Sir:--
I have this moment had placed in my hands your letter of April
22nd addressed to Maj. Gen. Samuel Dalton, expressing to the
Commander-in-Chief the willingness and desire of the officers and
men of the Eighth Regiment to respond to any call for volunteers
and tendering the services of the Regiment, if agreeable to the
wishes of the Commander-in-Chief, to form a part of any quota
that Massachusetts may be called upon to furnish.
I appreciate highly the zeal and patriotism of your offer, which
will be placed upon file for future reference.
Very truly yours,
ROGER WOLCOTT."
On April 23rd the President called for one hundred twenty-five
thousand volunteers, and on April 25th war was declared with Spain.
During the evening of the 25th, Governor Wolcott was notified by a
telegram from the Secretary of War, that the Massachusetts quota,
under the call of the President, would be four regiments of infantry,
and three batteries of heavy artillery. Nothing was yet decided how
these regiments should be raised.
The infantry organizations in Massachusetts Militia were at this
time five line regiments and two corps of cadets. This information
as to the Massachusetts quota increased the suspense, as it was
apparent, that even if militia regiments were accepted, all could
not go. About this time the newspapers published statements from the
Governor, which were construed to mean, the state militia would be
used for local defence, as there was much talk of a descent upon the
Massachusetts coast by Cevera's fleet, which was then rendezvouing at
the Cape Verde Islands.
The suspense of the militia was not relieved until late in the
afternoon of April 27th, when the Governor received a letter from
the Secretary of War, requesting him to furnish four regiments
of infantry to serve for the period of two years unless sooner
discharged. In his letter the Secretary of War expressed a desire
that as far as practicable, the National Guard be given preference.
To meet this summons to arms, the Governor, by an order issued April
28th, designated as the four infantry regiments to be offered the
privilege of volunteering under this call, the Second, Sixth, Eighth
and Ninth. The commanding officers of these regiments were required
to cause an individual canvass to be made of their subordinate
officers and enlisted men, to ascertain and make careful record of
those desiring to volunteer. These were to be held subject to future
orders and at the earliest possible day, mustered into the service of
the United States.
On the same evening that this communication was received from the
Secretary of War, the Governor notified the Colonel of the Eighth
Regiment to report to him in person the next morning at the State
House, Boston. Colonel William A. Pew, Jr. immediately notified all
the officers of the regiment to meet him at the State House the
following afternoon at 2 o'clock. The commanding officers of the four
regiments designated, to be given the privilege of volunteering, met
the Governor at the State House in the forenoon of April 28th, and
received their official orders. They were directed to recruit their
companies to seventy-four men, and were informed that the field,
staff, and company officers would be appointed by the Governor, upon
the recommendation of the commanding officer of each regiment.