FIRST DAYS AT CAMP ALGER.
From the little valley, in which the Troopers had pitched their tents
seventy-one days previous, they rode away late in the afternoon of
Thursday, July 8th, in the best condition of any command which had been
mustered in at Mt. Gretna. No comrades in arms remained to be drawn up
in line to give the cavalrymen a parting cheer, but fully two hundred
cottagers of the Chautauqua grounds were at the station to witness the
departure. The train was in waiting, made up in two sections; the
baggage, horses and horse detail were to go in the first, and the work
of loading was at once begun.
While the greys were being led aboard the cars, many friends of the
Philadelphia men gathered upon the railroad platform to say a last
good-by. Among those from whom the Troopers parted with sincere regret
were T. Dawson Coleman and William T. Smith, President of the Cornwall
and Lebanon road, both of whom had done much to contribute to the
pleasure of the men in camp during their long stay.
At seven o'clock the first section pulled out of the station, Stable
Sergeant Wagner and Troopers T. Cadwalader, Goodman, Pemberton and
Rogers being detailed to accompany the horses. An hour later the
remainder of the Troop was allowed to start.
The train arrangements were excellent, every man in the squadron having
a full seat to himself. It was interesting to note the various ways in
which the Troopers prepared for their night of travel. A trip through
the train showed all sorts of games in progress--cards, checkers,
dominoes and the like. The good story tellers of the various troops were
the centre of laughing groups; many of the business men had their heads
buried in the commercial page of the evening papers; some of the more
stolid warriors attempted to go to sleep the moment the train started;
in all it formed a picturesque grouping, and furnished rich material for
the students of human nature among the troops.
The discussions of the men regarding the general campaign were
interesting, as the war fever was then at its height. Four days before
the Atlantic Squadron, under Sampson and Schley, had destroyed the fleet
of Admiral Cervera during its attempt to escape from the harbor of
Santiago. General Shafter's men were then pressing upon Santiago, and
its surrender was hourly expected. Then it was believed that the word
would come "On to Havana," and many of the Troopers believed that their
command would surely have a part in this movement.
[Illustration: HAVING FUN WITH "HAZEL."]
So far the war had been one of surprises, scarcely an engagement having
taken place at a point where a few months before the military leaders
would have deemed it possible to expect one. Spain's navy had proven no
match for that of the United States, but her little army about Santiago
had made a good showing, and hard fights seemed probable before the main
army would be driven from Cuba.
The train first came to a stop in Harrisburg, in the midst of a mass of
enthusiastic men and women, assembled to greet the members of the
Governor's troop and Sheridan troop. The crowd rushed pell-mell through
the cars containing the troopers of the other organizations, knocking
down carbines and sabers, and upsetting things generally. But sentries
had thoughtfully been placed by Lieutenant Browning at the doors of the
City Troop cars, and this company's share in the demonstration was
conducted through the windows. "Hazel," the goat presented to the Troop
during its service at the time of the Hazelton riots, gravely surveyed
the scene from her outlook, and came in for a lion's share of attention.
Just as the train started an enthusiastic young woman, who had been
fighting her way toward the train, thrust a white kitten into the hands
of Corporal Wister, with instructions to be good to it. In all it was a
pleasant break in the monotony of a long ride.
By midnight the State line was passed, and at Baltimore the first
section of the train was overtaken. The Troopers, with the exception of
the officers, were in day coaches, and made a picturesque sight, asleep
in all conceivable attitudes. Enough were awake, however, to chat for a
time with the members of the horse detail. By half-past four the men
aroused, and thirty minutes later reached the station at Dunn Loring,
Va. A breakfast of milk and sandwiches was eaten on the train, and then
the unloading began. This work was speedily accomplished without a hitch
or accident, and by nine o'clock the canvas of the three troops began to
go up on the site of the camp formerly occupied by the Eighth Ohio
Infantry, commonly known as "The President's Own."
All day long the cavalrymen worked upon the sun-baked slope, and by
nightfall the grounds were in splendid order. In one regard the Troopers
were fortunate, an artesian well being within fifty feet of their camp.
This, however, supplied the wants of the men only, the horses, at first,
having to be led more than a mile for water. Shade was abundant near
the camp, the horses being better off in that respect than at Camp
Hastings.
After a good night's sleep the men were called upon for disagreeable
duty, which was at once cheerfully taken up. The "doughboys" who had
occupied the grounds previously had left the woods in the rear in such a
condition as to menace the health of the camp, and twenty men from each
troop were detailed by Captain Groome to police the woods, and at the
end of the second day the grounds were comparatively clean, and the men
were then called upon for their first drill at Camp Alger. There was a
great crowd around the parade grounds when the Troopers made their first
appearance, and the repeated cheers and applause of the spectators came
as an unexpected and pleasing surprise.
Upon return to camp Private J. Edward Farnum was notified of his
appointment, by the President, as an assistant commissary, with the rank
of captain. The new government carbines, saddles and spurs were also
received and distributed, but by some mistake no saddle blankets were
sent, so the Troopers continued to use their regular blankets.
Sunday the Khaiki uniforms arrived, and were at once donned by all the
men. The universal verdict seemed to be that the new uniforms were not
particularly adapted for cavalry service, and were as ugly as they well
could be.
Right from the moment of their appearance at Camp Alger the City
Troopers were in demand by the headquarters officers. Large details were
required each day for orderlies at Camp, Division and Brigade
headquarters, and for mounted patrol duty.
On July 10th quite an addition was made to the camp of the City Troop.
Eight government mules, with all the largeness of ears, friskiness of
feet and sweetness of voice, possessed by their race, were assigned to
Captain Groome's command. The men gathered about the new comers in an
admiring group, wondered how fast they could trot, what would happen if
a Trooper twisted one of their tails, and just what they were good for
anyway. Before the campaign was over mules had ceased to arouse any
admiration whatever, but the Troopers at Camp Alger could not see into
the future, with its endless mule train and trials, so they made the
most of their new possessions for the time being.
Besides the mules, two wagons and two teamsters were assigned to the
Troop, and these aids were greatly appreciated, as up to this time there
had been a constant struggle to find conveyances for troop supplies and
baggage between different points of the camps.
Although the mules were in a thriving condition, the Troopers had
troubles of their own with their greys. A majority of the horses had
contracted shipping colds, and incessant doctoring was the order of the
day and night.
All of the animals came through all right, however, with the exception
of the horse ridden by Sergeant Hart, which died the fifth day after the
Troop's arrival at the new camp.
The first detachment of mules was soon followed by another, until a full
score had been sent to the Troop. Other commands throughout the camp had
also received supplies of mules, and the animals showed a great fondness
for communicating with one another in the early morning. Far away on one
side of the camp a mule would raise his silvery voice to heaven;
somewhere from the headquarter's mules would come an answering bray, and
in a moment the chorus would resound throughout the camping grounds. At
first the novelty of these sounds appealed to the Troopers' sense of
humor, but the best jokes grow wearisome by repetition, and it was not
long before the men were mentally offering all sorts of rewards for the
man who could devise a plan to silence the long-eared singers.
On the morning of July 14th, Corporal Hecksher and Troopers Coulston,
Wheeler and Mills were sent by the Provost Marshal to escort back from
Washington fifteen foot soldiers who had overstayed their leave of
absence. The derelicts were turned over to the tender mercies of the
headquarters guard, to be dealt with as military regulations direct. A
private of a western regiment, who had evidently been in Washington,
returned to camp about eleven o'clock this night. After some parley with
the Troop's sentinel, then on guard on the main road back of Captain
Groome's headquarters, he proceeded to mix things up with the sentry,
and was promptly marched to the guard house, where he spent a repentant
night.
Since the arrival of the squadron at Camp Alger Captain Groome, who was
in command, had posted orders for Squadron Guard Mount every morning,
and for Troop Drill and Squadron Parade every evening. The number of
spectators upon these occasions kept increasing daily, and the
reputation for excellence in drill on the part of the squadron spread
rapidly. The officers of all the commands in the camp were attracted by
these reports, and the evolutions of the cavalrymen were frequently
watched with a critical eye by many of the best known officers of the
army. Though they came as critics they remained to praise, and many
admitted that they gained a vast amount of useful knowledge by an
inspection of the camp of the squadron.
The paymaster put in an appearance July 15th. The Troop lined up and
received their portions of hard-earned government money, and then
promptly turned the cash over to the Quartermaster. In the afternoon
General Butler honored the Troopers by riding out especially to watch
their drill, and he warmly commended Captain Groome for the fine showing
of the cavalry.