the Surgeon General of Massachusetts, to visit the camps of the
Eighth and Fifth Massachusetts regiments and report on the sanitary
condition, rations and hospital accommodations of these regiments. As
a result of this trip, General Blood made the following report to the
Governor:--
"After three or four days at Camp Meade, visiting the Fifth
Regiment, I proceeded to Camp Hamilton, Lexington, Kentucky,
where I arrived in due time. I found the camp of the Eighth
Regiment about four or five miles out from Lexington, and in
the heart of the blue-grass country. This was a most delightful
situation, and I think, one of the finest locations for a camp I
have ever seen.
I was cordially received by Colonel Pew, commander of the Eighth
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and every opportunity was
given me by the Colonel to inspect this camp. This regiment was
stationed at Camp Thomas for a long time. There had been a great
deal of sickness, mostly typhoid fever, but at the time of my
visit there were no new cases, and the cases in the hospitals
were progressing favorably. At this time there were no regimental
hospitals. Orders for re-establishing the regimental hospitals
had just been received from headquarters, but no medicines or
medical supplies had been issued. I looked the camp over very
carefully, saw the men on duty and off duty, and visited other
camps for comparisons. I saw no regiment at Camp Hamilton that
seemed so thoroughly up to all that goes to make a good regiment
as the Eighth. The men were soldierly in their bearing, the
grounds were kept in perfect condition, tents were all in order
and scrupulously clean. A great many of the men had fixed up
temporary bunks or cots for their beds. Altogether this was
perhaps the cleanest regiment, excepting the Fifth Massachusetts,
that I saw in all my visiting soldiers in the field. It was
certainly equal to any.
I saw almost nothing in the sanitary arrangements of this
regiment to criticise. The only thing, as with the Fifth
Regiment, which I think could be improved, is the company
cooking. Of course this will improve in time. I stayed with
this regiment nearly a week. I visited and dined with General
Breckenridge, commander of this post, and with other general
officers commanding divisions and brigades. General Breckenridge
was very kind to me, showing me every attention, and all the
officers I met at Camp Hamilton treated me with the greatest
consideration. I take this opportunity to thank them. This army
corps was, I believe, under better discipline than any other
corps I saw during the summer, with the exception, possibly, the
regulars at Montauk.
I desire to say here, that, in my judgment, Colonel Pew is a most
excellent commander, and all the officers of the Eighth whom I
met seemed to be well up in their profession and doing most
excellent work. The regiment as I saw it was an honor to the
State."
By the end of October the nights had become chilly, and although bed
sacks and extra blankets were issued to the men, it was difficult to
keep warm. Americus, Georgia, had been designated in orders as the
future home of the Eighth Massachusetts and Twelfth New York and a
detail from the Eighth was already upon the ground preparing a camp
site.
Orders were issued for the Eighth to entrain on November 10th for
Americus, and upon this date the regiment was transferred to the
Second Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps. The regiment
had been ordered to entrain early in the morning near the Montrose
station, but owing to the delay in loading the baggage of Brigade
Headquarters, it was impossible for the Quartermaster of the Eighth
to begin loading his baggage before afternoon.
The regiment had risen early, and had its breakfast before 5
o'clock, and in compliance with orders, all baggage had been packed
and transported to the station. The day was cold and raw, and a
steady downpour of rain had converted the camp site into a mass of
mud. Tents had been struck and shipped to the station, and the men
were required to remain on the camp ground all day without food or
shelter, waiting for the passenger sections to pull in from Lexington.
Many of the men in their efforts to keep warm, drank too much
whiskey, and a large number in the regiment became sadly demoralized.
The guard house, a wooden structure, was set on fire, and some of the
prisoners had a narrow escape from cremation. The event was known as
the evacuation of Lexington. The troop trains did not arrive until
after dark, when the regiment embarked, and for the first time since
five in the morning, the men were served with food and hot coffee.
The departure from Lexington was sad and dispiriting and was made
under trying conditions.
_Americus_
When the regiments of the Second Division were moved from Lexington,
they were assigned to camps in southwestern Georgia, in the cities of
Macon, Columbus, Americus and Albany. The Eighth Massachusetts and
the Twelfth New York went to Americus, where three regimental camp
sites had been prepared, and orders were issued for the Eighth United
States Infantry to join the brigade. This order was countermanded,
and no other regiments went to Americus.
On the morning of November 12th, the four sections bearing the Eighth
Massachusetts and its impedimenta reached Americus. The two camp
sites were about a mile from the city, and separated by the highway.
The Eighth was assigned to a large sodded field, where substantial
wooden company sinks had been constructed, water pipes laid to each
company kitchen, and an electric street lighting system was being
installed.
For a week the men of the Eighth were as industrious as ants. Each
company erected a long shed at the foot of the company street, one
end of which was closed in for a kitchen, in which was assembled
every convenience for preparing food. The rest of the shed was used
as a mess house, and furnished with long deal tables and benches,
where the men could sit and enjoy their meals. Canvas awnings
were attached to the long sides of the mess hall, to be used as a
protection against rain and wind.
Deep pits were dug for kitchen sinks. These were covered with tree
trunks and the dirt replaced and carefully arranged in a mound. A
detachable hopper was placed in the top of each mound to drain
liquid wastes into the sinks; the solids were than collected in
closed iron cans, and were carted twice daily to a crematory. The
hoppers were enclosed in wooden boxes with covers, which were always
resplendent with a fresh coat of whitewash.
Long wash stands were constructed with an overflow trough into the
kitchen sinks. A pipe ran the length of these stands, with frequent
faucets and iron wash basins. Each company was supplied with a
bathing tent in which a shower bath was constructed, where the men
could bathe every day if they so desired, and were required to bathe
twice a week. Tent floors were provided, and lumber for bunks and
clothing racks. A system of drainage was installed, and each company
street ditched and crowned to the center.
Battalion water plants were constructed, where all the water supplied
to the regiment for drinking purposes was boiled, filtered and iced.
The means for caring for the sick were excellent. In addition to
a regimental hospital, used as a dispensary, but supplied with
quarters sufficient to care for a number of men, there was a brigade
hospital located in a dwelling house, and adjacent to this were
erected a number of hospital tents with double boarded floors, and
with sides also boarded, so that patients were as comfortable in
the mild climate of Georgia as if they had been in the best managed
institution of the kind in Boston. The Brigade Hospital was in charge
of Major William Cogswell.
A building was erected for a post exchange, which was successfully
operated by a council of officers consisting of Captains Alexander
G. Perkins of Company A, William C. Dow of Company F, and Edward J.
Horton of Company G. All necessaries that were needed by the men
were offered for sale here at reasonable rates, and its restaurant
became famous for egg sandwiches and oyster stews. All these
paraphernalia of comfort and health were daily inspected by company
commanders, battalion commanders, regimental commander, and the
brigade commander.
Just before Thanksgiving, Colonel Arnold A. Rand of Boston, visited
the camp and reported its condition to Governor Wolcott. He said:--
"I think you would be glad to know that the regiment is in most
excellent condition; the officers cheery, trim, and a credit
to the State. I did not see the regiment on parade, but which
was very much better, I saw quite thoroughly the quarters, and
examined everything as to the sanitary condition, from the sinks
to the corral. I also saw the men at mess, and the quality of the
rations. The whole regiment seemed in excellent condition, and is
such a credit to the state that it is a very great pleasure to
make such a report to you."
The men were allowed much liberty between drills, and passes were
issued to visit the city during the day. Many side trips were made
to Andersonville to visit the site of the celebrated prison where
many Federal soldiers were confined during the Civil War. Order was
preserved in Americus by a provost guard, under command of Lieutenant
George H. Dow of Company A. This guard arrested all soldiers found in
the city without proper passes, and returned them to the guard houses
of their respective regiments for trial for absence without leave.
The camp at Americus was at first named in honor of Major Forse. The
name was subsequently changed to Camp Gilman, as another camp had
earlier received the name of Camp Forse.
During the first few days at Americus, the Eighth was greeted with
many showers. The weather, however, was so mild that the men did not
wear overcoats except as a protection against the rain. During the
entire stay of the Eighth, wildflowers and roses were in full bloom.
On one side of the camp an extensive cotton field waved acres of
bolls, breaking into white flowering balls, which at a distance
looked like a sea of white roses. It is said that the low prices of
cotton did not warrant picking this field, and it was left intact and
beautified the approach to camp.
At no great distance were fields of sugar cane fit for harvesting,
where the men were often welcomed and treated to a supply of chewing
cane for the company. A solitary peanut farm was discovered by some
of the soldiers in their peregrinations, and its product brought to
camp.
The Georgia pines attracted much attention. Many of these trees were
transplanted and grouped about the camp for landscape effect. Every
line officer had one at his front door.
All the officers constructed wooden porches in front of their tents.
The porch had two faces, in one of which was a door, and in the other
a glass window. The interior space between the two faces was utilized
for a Sibley stove, and the pipe was carried through the wooden roof
of the porch. All these porches were whitewashed. A line of officers'
tents looked like a row of diminutive cottages, and in the morning
when every funnel was smoking, suggested the busy preparation of
breakfast in many little homes.
The officers of the regiment, however, messed together in a
commodious building, which was divided into a dining hall and
kitchen. The dining hall was also used as a regimental school room,
and as a place for social meeting in the evening.
On one occasion a birthday dinner was given in this hall at which
a historic cake figured. A lady sent this cake with an appropriate
number of candles to one of the officers, and by way of a joke, wrote
a letter to the Secretary of War, pretending to be the officer's
sister, and asked to have the regiment held at Americus until her
brother got his cake. This letter was preserved by Secretary Alger as
a bonafide communication, and was later commented upon in his history
of the War with Spain as follows:--
"Of all the requests however received, perhaps the most unique
was that which came from a young lady in Boston. Her note paper,
hand writing, and rhetoric vouched at least for the culture of
the writer. Her request was simple and plainly worded. With much
unfeigned earnestness she stated her case. The press despatches
had announced that the volunteer regiment of which her brother
was a member, was to leave for Cuba at a fixed date, but the
brother's birthday came two days before the date assigned for his
embarkation. A birthday box of cake, jellies, pies, etc., she
said, had been forwarded to him, and would not be received if the
regiment left on the date announced. She naively asked that the
regiment be detained until the sweetmeats arrived, as she was
sure it would make no difference to the Government, whereas, it
would be such a disappointment to her brother."
During the first few weeks at Americus, the camp was overrun with
colored people. They came from far and near to see the soldiers.
Many of them carried covered baskets, and it was not long before a
well-founded suspicion grew, that many of these baskets came into
camp empty, and went out filled with plunder. The Eighth soon had a
little race problem of its own to solve. In each company a squad of
strong men assumed the duty of elevating the colored race.
The process of elevation consisted in capturing every colored man
with a covered basket, and tossing him on a blanket into the air,
until the arms of the soldiers got tired, and they could keep it up
no longer. The sight of a negro with a basket was the signal for
a rush in his direction with a blanket, and he was soon traveling
skyward, in spite of every objection on his part to such treatment.
For a few days, every such colored visitor was received in the open
arms of a regulation blanket.
As objectionable visitors became scarce, and covered baskets
disappeared, this moral propaganda ceased, and as far as the Eighth
was concerned, the race problem was solved.
Major Edward H. Eldredge was detailed by General Waites to select a
rifle range for the entire brigade. He selected one about half a mile
from the camp, where targets were installed under his direction at
200 and 500 yards. It was reported that the regiment was to be armed
with the Krag-Jorgensen rifles before the command was sent to Cuba,
and it was the intention to have the soldiers spend a portion of each
day at the range.
On November 20th, General Sanger arrived to relieve General Waites
of the command of the Second Brigade. Under General Sanger, active
preparations were at once begun for Cuba. Medical inspections were
instituted to weed out officers and men unfit for foreign service.
The regiment received a consignment of Krag-Jorgensen rifles, and
its supplies generally were overhauled and replenished. General
Sanger made a thorough inspection of the regiment by battalions.
This inspection lasted three days. Permission was obtained from
the Adjutant-General of the Army to recruit the regiment to full
strength, by transferring men from regiments in Massachusetts not yet
mustered out. A number of men who served in Porto Rico with the Sixth
Massachusetts, and were at home waiting muster out, were transferred
to the Eighth under this permission, and joined the regiment in
December and January.
On December 9th, General Wilson, the Corps Commander, and General
Ludlow, the Division Commander, visited Americus to inspect the
brigade. Owing to a severe storm, the review of the troops was
omitted; but the camp was thoroughly inspected by the Generals.
At the hospital of the Eighth, General Wilson said to the officer
in charge:--"Surgeon, this is a model hospital, because it has no
patients." The health of the regiment had steadily improved since
the end of the first month at Lexington, and on the morning of this
inspection there were just 1000 men present for duty with the colors.
On December 27th, for the first time in seven months, there was not
a single soldier of the Eighth in either the Regimental, Brigade, or
Division Hospital.
On December 12th the mess-house of Company L burned. A kettle of fat
boiled into the fire, and the flames quickly caught the roof of the
kitchen and spread, exploding a can of kerosene. The building was
soon wrapped in a sheet of flames. The regiment turned out and saved
the adjoining buildings, but the mess house, with all the company
supplies, was a total loss. The men of L were assigned to other
companies for rations, until a new dining hall and kitchen were
constructed.
About this time, Company L met with another loss, in the death of
its mascot. The company had appropriated a young razor-back at
Chickamauga, which, becoming attached to the company, followed it
from camp to camp. He lived in the company street and was as familiar
with the men as a well-trained dog. By Thanksgiving, the pig had
grown to such proportions that he was ordered by higher authority,
turned over to a butcher and served to the company as rations.
Company F had a lady goat as a mascot. She went through the service
with the company, and was finally mustered out in Haverhill, where
her descendents are numerous. The goat would follow the drum corps
anywhere as long as it was marching away from camp, but immediately
the direction was taken towards camp, the goat became obdurate and
had to be pulled home.
Just before Thanksgiving, the Colonel received the following telegram
from Captain Augustus P. Gardner:--
"Should be glad to pay cost of best Thanksgiving dinner for your
regiment. If you approve, wire answer."
The proper answer was promptly wired, and the regimental commissary
was sent into market to purchase turkeys and all that goes to make
up a best Thanksgiving dinner. A similar dinner was furnished to the
regiment at Christmas time by Hon. George von L. Meyer. These feasts
were much appreciated by the men and were enjoyed amidst much merry
making.
About this time several changes occurred among the commissioned
officers, Captain Frank B. Denning and Lieutenant Linville H.
Wardwell of Company C leaving the service by resignation. Second
Lieutenants F. A. DeSousa of Company E and David F. Jewell of Company
F were promoted to first lieutenants. The former was assigned to
Company I and the latter to Company K.
At the same time First Sergeant Loran J. Harvey of Company I, and
Sergeant Alexander Robertson of Company E were commissioned as second
lieutenants, after a competitive examination. The former was attached
to Company E and the latter to Company F.
On December 22nd the weather bureau, predicting a great storm, sent
a telegram of warning to all the military camps. The telegram to the
Eighth stated that the thermometer would drop 30 degrees. Not knowing
just what to do with this information, the Colonel directed it to be
published at evening parade. At evening parade, the orders of the
day were read by the Adjutant, and on this occasion the telegram was
read as the last part of the daily order; then followed the usual
phraseology,--"By order of Colonel Pew." The reading of this telegram
at the end of an order, caused considerable amusement in camp, at the
idea that Colonel Pew would order the thermometer to drop 30 degrees.
A flag pole was furnished the regiment and erected near the center of
the camp. On December 28th a garrison flag was received and broken
out from this pole with appropriate ceremonies. Thereafter, at
reveille and retreat it was hoisted and lowered. The flag and pole
were carried to and used in Cuba. On being mustered out, the flag
was presented to the regiment, and is now preserved at regimental
headquarters.
During this stay at Americus, Major Frank A. Graves and Captain
Charles T. Hilliker of Company D were absent from the regiment most
of the time on court martial duty at Columbus.
A common diversion in southern Georgia is cock fighting. Many mains
were attended by members of the regiment. A number of officers were
presented with railroad passes, and invited to go to Savannah to see
a review of part of the Seventh Corps, previous to its embarkation
for Havana. Permission was obtained for about 20 officers to make
this trip. The train left Americus at midnight, but through some
misunderstanding, the officers assembled at the hotel about 7
o'clock, and had an evening upon their hands.
One of the officers, thinking cock fighting was not tabooed by
law, and having been told by a prominent citizen that a main could
be arranged on short notice at any time, called up the citizen by
telephone in the hotel lobby, and invited him to bring the cocks to
the hotel and begin at once. He was promptly suppressed by the hotel
proprietor, and the law explained to him. A quiet, gentlemanly main
was tolerated, but not a public and bold defiance of the law.
A quiet, gentlemanly main was accordingly arranged for in a large
upper room, occupied by the grand jury as sleeping apartments, while
they were supposed to be engaged in an all-night session at the Court
House. Various mysterious bundles were smuggled into these quarters
by darkies, the windows were darkened, cocks were heeled, and
fighting was soon in progress. After several fights had been pulled
off, word came that the grand jury was about to leave the Court
House, and retire for the night. There was a wild scramble to put the
place in order, and a hurried exit of cocks and darkies. The officers
brought up the rear of this retreat, and wished the grand jury a
pleasant night's rest as they passed them in the hotel corridors.
About the middle of December, General Ludlow, who commanded the
Division, was ordered to Havana as a military governor. His place was
taken by General Sanger, and the command at Americus devolved upon
Colonel Pew.
Conical tents were issued in sufficient quantity to equip half the
command. This was the regiment's first experience with khaki canvas.
Company commanders were loath to substitute them for the wall tents
which they had been using. Accordingly each company was required to
erect these tents on one side of the company street. After the first
night, almost every company commander informed headquarters that
he had no objections to having his whole command in conical tents.
It did not take the men long to discover the advantages of khaki
canvas, and that they could burn a light behind it after taps, with
no fear of detection. Conical tents at once became popular in all the
companies.
On December 23rd, the Twelfth New York received orders to proceed
to Charleston and embark with General Sanger for Matanzas. Major
Eldredge was detached from the regiment to accompany General Sanger
as a member of his staff. The command of the Third Battalion was
assumed by Captain William C. Dow, of Company F. The New York
regiment left Americus the day after Christmas. Fifty-four men and
one officer remained behind as unfit for foreign service, and were
temporarily attached to the Eighth until they could be mustered out.
On December 30th, the Eighth received orders to prepare for Cuba.
They reported 40 officers, 1112 men, 29 wagons, 119 mules, 26
horses, and 26 civilian employees, with all necessary supplies ready
to move at once.
At this time, when the regiment was anxious to move, and
congratulating itself on the absence of all sickness, measles broke
out. The matter was kept quiet, and every company was inspected by
the surgeons twice daily, to detect and isolate suspected cases.
The surgeons thought the spread of the disease could be stopped if
everything in camp was boiled.
The last day of the year was as mild and pleasant as a summer day
in the North. Early in the morning, active preparations began for
boiling. Everything that could hold and boil water, was called into
service. Caldrons, pots, pans, and kettles, were soon steaming all
over the camp. Visitors were excluded for the day, and by noon time
the whole regiment had committed its belongings to boiling water.