Fortunately my efforts at dislodging them threw me into a drenching
perspiration, which broke up the high fever, after which I felt
better. I was off duty for five days and afterwards enjoyed our stay
at this place. The salt air brought out all the evil fevers which had
gotten into our systems at Jacksonville and soon not forty men out of
one hundred answered the roll. The duty was light, but we often found
it necessary at times to appeal to the other companies on duty with
us to help us out, so that some of our men should not go on duty two
days in succession. We were particularly short in our non-commissioned
officers. Out of six Sergeants and ten Corporals only Sergeant Baxter
and myself were available for a whole week, Corporal Rusk having charge
of the Quartermaster's Department, the rest being either sick or on
furlough. A great many of our friends have been in hospitals, but
have any of them seen the effects of typhoid after the most rigorous
measures have been taken? Over four hundred men were at a convalescent
hospital near the beach and they were in all stages of recovery. A
few did not get well. On the ground floor were men who had fought the
malady sufficiently to walk around and fold up their mattresses every
morning. The floor space these occupied was needed in the day time.
At every meal nourishing food was served and nearly two hundred young
men stood in line, some with camp stools to rest upon every few steps.
Oatmeal, rice and soups formed the principal diet, varied sometimes on
Sunday by something more solid. But it was the general appearance of
the poor fellows that sent a wave of sadness over me. "Who knows," said
I, "but I may be like one of these myself some day." These invalids
were improving, however. But upstairs, the more recent arrivals were
lying upon cots, helpless, gazing into space, their teeth showing
between bands of white skin once full red lips, a wasted arm thrust out
with the flesh between the bones shrunken. A terrible sight. The boys
who so bravely marched to war wanted now only to see the dear home once
more.
[Illustration]
The food issued to the company at this time was about the same as
it had always been, but once or twice a day we were sure of some
combination of the coarse food that would astonish and delight us,
thanks to the skill of a competent black cook, Bob by name, who had
seen considerable service on board tugs and other craft around the city
of Jacksonville, and also to the tireless persistent devotion to his
duty of our Quartermaster, who succeeded in obtaining oat meal, sugar,
raisins and other things not on Uncle Sam's bill of fare. Oat meal and
milk, which savored of our northern homes, was furnished to the sick of
the company.
After the first two weeks at this camp those who had been in the
hospital and those who had withstood the fever so far began to brighten
and to gain strength and they continued to do so until we started for
home, and also because of two conditions--our position at the seashore
and our well cooked food. The morning after our arrival we were struck
with consternation on hearing of Corporal George H. Roe's death at
Jacksonville. His was a serious case when he was taken from camp and we
heard no encouraging news from him; but nevertheless when the message
reached us it was quite a shock. He was Senior Corporal in the Company
and was extremely popular. His body was sent to his home in Auburn,
N.Y., where it was met by a bereaved mother and carefully laid away
near the side of his father.
Two days after the death of Corporal Roe occurred the tragic death of
Private Peter Reddy by drowning in the surf. He evidently got beyond
his depth and was caught in an undertow which speedily exhausted his
strength. Private John B. Buck, of Company B, Second Alabama, seeing
Reddy's danger, immediately swam out to his assistance and after an
heroic struggle finally brought him, already dead, within reach of
willing hands. But all the efforts at resuscitating him were unavailing
and the surgeon pronounced him dead. Not being satisfied with this
official announcement, his comrades carried him to the company street
and worked over him for nearly an hour, but without result. He left at
home a wife and three young children. The Company felt these two deaths
severely. We had now lost five men from the ranks. Men were going to
the hospital daily, and we wondered on whom the lightning would next
fall.
In the midst of all this gloom suddenly appeared the commission
appointed by the Governor to investigate the condition of the Second
and its willingness and fitness to proceed to Cuba. This commission was
composed of Gen. Bird W. Spencer, Inspector General of Rifle Practice
State of New Jersey, Senator William M. Johnson, and ex-Judge James M.
Van Valen. General Spencer polled the nine companies at Jacksonville
camp and the one on provost guard in the city; Senator Johnson, Company
G, in charge of the rifle range, and Judge Van Valen, our Company at
the seashore. I was delighted to be recognized by the Judge as the son
of a once close friend of his. The result of the poll determined the
Governor to petition the War Department to have our Regiment mustered
out.
PART SIXTH
PABLO BEACH AND THE JOURNEY HOME
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
September 2d the Regiment moved down and occupied the ground to the
south of us about one mile and one hundred yards from the ocean. The
ground was covered with scrub palmettos, the roots of which ran all
over the ground. This necessitated considerable axe work before tents
could be pitched, and it was late in the evening when the camp was
finally in a condition to sleep. Rattlesnakes seemed all too plentiful
in this scrub and boldly invaded the camp. One careless young man
crawled into his tent without first exploring its interior and was
badly bitten by one of these horrible reptiles. The idea of sleeping
amongst such bedfellows was anything but pleasant, and the weather now
becoming stormy and cooler, the danger from the snakes increased, for
they had a natural tendency to seek the warmth which they could find
alongside a sleeping body. Before we left other regiments camped to
the south of our Regiment, notably Colonel Bryan's Nebraskan.
A favorable pastime of the boys was to go out to the beach at daylight
for a swim in the surf and incidentally gather the pretty delicate
ribbed shells, which seemed to reflect all the rays of the rising sun,
which here shone out in all its glory. This King of Day made a most
gorgeous picture, such as I had believed existed only in an artist's
very elastic imagination. His golden shafts of beauty will never fade
from my memory. We made quite a collection of shells and sent them
home. There were two vacancies among the Corporals owing to the deaths
of Roe and Cohen. Charles H. Wallis and Ed W. Killmer were appointed to
fill those positions.
One evening, some time after taps had sounded and just as the boys had
begun to have a drowsy feeling that sleeping on pine boards wasn't so
very bad after all, a considerable commotion was raised in camp by the
cry of fire. We hurriedly kicked off our blankets, gave a hitch or two
to our trousers to keep them on, and then sallied out. One of the four
frame houses at the north edge of our camp was on fire. These houses
were built of only one thickness of board, having no plaster or lath.
Standing in front and looking sharp, one could see pigs rooting behind
the house. The building was like tinder and burned fiercely.
As we passed the quarters of the company of Texans who were on guard
with us, their bugler was trying to blow his head off with a lot of
weird, shrill blasts, which their Captain kindly explained in forcible
language was the "fire-call," and he'd be so and so if he wouldn't
court-martial every son of a Texan if they didn't fall in and obey
orders. There was considerable confusion around the house for a while,
but the soldiers soon got to work under the leadership of the officers.
Members of our Company climbed up the front porch and to the roof of
the adjoining house, not thirty feet away, and sat there for over an
hour wetting the roof and sides, while the steam floated around them.
During the conflagration the half wild hogs and their litters would
run up close to the flames, stare stupidly into the cauldron until it
became too hot for them, when they would scamper away, grunting and
squealing, into the brush. The house burned completely up, for not a
stick was visible after it died out.
At this time we received word that the Regiment was to be mustered
out, and a Regular Army officer who had been detailed to our Regiment
ordered us to prepare our books for transmission to the War Department.
This writing up of the records was a complete revelation to the
companies. Not one in the Regiment had made any successful attempt to
keep the books properly. G Company probably came the nearest to it, and
theirs were the first to be O K'd. But it was over two weeks after the
order was issued before the mustering officers could state just when
the Regiment could start for home.
The final week proved a busy one indeed and the patience of the
clerical force of the Regiment was tried sorely. Sergeant Baxter,
Private Stevens and myself were detailed for this work, and we kept at
it every day and sometimes far into the night. No instructions other
than verbal had been given to start the machinery in motion. Nobody
seemed to know just what should be done. Tedious work performed with
care had to be done over again. Missing orders, letters and other
documents had to be accounted for and records which could not be
procured had to have affidavits made out to that effect.
[Illustration]
When the men of the National Guard were mustered into service they had
the uniform given them by the State, which in some instances had been
worn over four years. They also received at Sea Girt new suits of State
uniforms to replace old ones and got them with the understanding that
the State would not charge for them. In one or two instances clothes
were torn to get a new suit. Now the United States charges these same
National Guardsmen for two suits of clothes--the suit which had been
worn four years and the new one which did not fit, and in many cases
had never been worn. The total amount charged us by the Government
was over twenty-one dollars and this amount was deducted from each
soldier's clothing allowance in the last payment.
The final order for striking tents was received on the 20th of
September, and daylight of the 22d found us all ready to throw the
tents, strap on our knapsacks and start home. The tents and baggage
of the Company had to be loaded on flat cars. To do this a car of
lumber had to be unloaded. It belonged to Colonel Bryan's Regiment and
his men were going at the unloading in such a matter of fact way as
to exasperate Lieutenant Blake, and at his order a dozen of our boys
jumped on the load and commenced to get rid of it in such a way as to
open the eyes of the Nebraskans. They were roundly chafed by their
Lieutenant "for allowing a lot of Jerseymen to put you to sleep in
unloading lumber, you who have handled it all your lives."
After this was completed the Company's luggage was packed away solidly
upon this car and we were called into company formation ready for the
train; but the railroad could only take one battalion at a time and
it was after 1 o'clock before we could get started. The train had
passed through a heavy shower and the floors of each car and the wooden
bottoms to the seats were deep in water which had come in at the open
windows. A heavy shower drenched us as we marched through Jacksonville.
The boys received hearty handshakes from the friends they had made.
[Illustration]
We were worrying about our wet blankets, which were strapped on top
of our knapsacks, when we were ushered into Pullman sleeping coaches.
It was an agreeable surprise and we immediately proceeded to ensconce
ourselves in the most comfortable positions. In a short time, amid
a lot of noise and banging of cartridges, we drew out of the depot,
scurried out past camps and through groves, catching a glimpse of
Torrey's rough riders, with whom we had left one of our number, out
over rushing torrents, swelled to overflowing by the recent rains and
covering vast areas with their yellow tumbling waters.
These we passed cautiously for fear of washouts. As we passed to the
rear of Savannah it grew dark; but sitting musing at the window
I could not help noting the wild, desolate region we were passing
through. Here and there stood some giant tree stark naked in the
moonlight and swaying from the branches, with gruesome effect, was that
remarkable product of nature, Spanish or Florida moss, and I could not
help recalling the shuddering stories told by Sherman's troopers of
ghosts and dead men, clanking chains and bloodhounds of the Southern
forest. The palmettos reared their shaggy heads in outline against the
sky, for all the world like a jack-in-the-box of our childhood days;
but I was here interrupted by my bedfellow, who insisted on my turning
in, which I reluctantly did. But wasn't it jolly to lay on something
softer than a plank? And after being served with our old stand-by,
coffee, from a bathtub, we slept soundly.
We passed through Columbia, South Carolina, due north to Charlotte,
North Carolina, and Salisbury, Greensboro, to Danville, Virginia,
places made historic by Sherman and after the surrender at Appomattox.
We stopped nearly an hour at Danville, and when we finally started
again had a goodly stock of everything to eat. Up to this point we had
passed acres of cotton in bloom, that farther south being taller and
handsomer plants, and every stop brought portions of the royal plant
of the South into the cars. In the early days of the Civil War the
triumphant voice of the Confederacy proclaimed "King Cotton rules the
earth." But before that strife of brothers ended the thunderous tones
of the North drowned that in the South with "Corn, not Cotton, is
King," and verily it proved so.
[Illustration]
Lynchburg and Charlotteville, Virginia, ushered us into the tobacco
district. But we saw very little of this plant, for it had just been
gathered. Darkness settled down on us before reaching the latter
town. Coffee awaited us there, and we were roused up at 10 o'clock
to receive it in its virgin liquid purity. Nearly half the car as a
result was awake all the rest of the night. At 4 a.m. on Saturday, we
reached Washington and were greatly surprised and pleased to find that
a bountiful lunch had been prepared for us by the good and thoughtful
women of the Pension Bureau--grapes, apples, sandwiches and the best
coffee we had had for five months. There will always remain in years
to come one warm spot in the heart of each one of our boys for the
patriotic devotion of these excellent women.
But now came a kaleidoscopic change. Instead of indifferently
cultivated fields, barren wastes and swamps, behold here were
fields teeming with corn and garden truck of all kinds. The farmers
were out with their men hilling up the rows of celery, parsley and
onions; fine pasture lands spread out before us; well fed cattle
standing contentedly under drooping willows, and, to crown all,
well built, substantial farm houses and barns, all denoted with an
unmistakable stamp that which can be seen all through our Northern
states--prosperity. Baltimore was reached at 7, Wilmington at 8, and
Philadelphia at about 10 in the morning.
[Illustration]
From Washington we had the extreme pleasure of going real fast, our
train now running over the double tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Speculation was rife as to when we would reach Sea Girt. Every stop
or slow down would surely bring forth an impatient exclamation, and
then wagers would be made all over again. But while this was going on
we passed over the Delaware, and as the Jersey side was reached the
enthusiasm vented itself in cheers, as we fully realized how near we
were to home, and then how we did make time. We fairly seemed to fly,
but it was all too slow, past farming-lands one acre of which was
worth a dozen in the South; apple trees loaded with ripe fruit; fields
of corn ready for the sickle, yellow pumpkins, savoring of delicious
pies; _these_ were familiar home scenes, but temporarily lost sight of
in our recent surroundings; past historic New Brunswick, Freehold and
Princeton. At about 1.30 we pulled into Manasquan with Camp Voorhees
in plain sight. Here we unloaded and, escorted by the Fourth Regiment
Band, marched to camp, where Company L was taken in tow by Company L of
the Fourth, and so on through the battalion. But it was a sight to see
the fine rosy potatoes they had and the butter, "all you want on your
bread." We marveled greatly, to say the least. This lunch was quickly
over, and we boarded our section again. After several tedious waits we
finally reached Rutherford a little before 7 in the evening, amid red
fire and exploding crackers.
Through a dense mass of humanity the company marched. The scenes
attending our leaving for the war were again enacted, but with
three-fold vigor. Our relatives and friends struggled desperately to
break through and forcibly grasp some husband, brother or son, and
failing in this, would hysterically call out. Some were weeping, some
were laughing, but it was all joy unalloyed. Our drill and discipline
told to advantage here, and we succeeded in keeping our line, otherwise
we would have been scattered to the winds.
We were formally welcomed back by Mayor Turner, representing the
people of Rutherford and surrounding towns, and invited to partake of
a banquet in the near future. Lieutenant Blake now saw that it was
useless to try and hold the men together longer, so the final command
to break ranks was given and then every man "Tommy" of us was hugged as
he had never been hugged before. One week later the company assembled
at Sea Girt and there received their furloughs, which held good until
the final muster out at Paterson, November 21, 1898.
* * * * *
The month of May, 1898, had not passed before relief committees had
organized for the purpose of looking after the families of those
soldiers of the National Guard who decided that their duty to the State
and the country demanded their presence at the front, and little ones
at home were left without a bread winner and protector.
The members of this Relief Committee were Mayor E.J. Turner of
Rutherford, Mayor William McKenzie of East Rutherford, Rev. J.Y.
Hubach, and Messrs. Charles Burrows, Oscar Gunz, William H. Smith,
James Leyland, Cornelius Collins, Edward A. Jeanneret, James A. Morgan,
William H. Taylor and P.B.S. Hodges. This committee received a total of
$1,218.64, all of which was spent in the good cause.
[Illustration]
Sunday, July 10th, a Service of Thanksgiving took place at Grace
Episcopal Church. Special prayers were offered for sick and wounded
soldiers and sailors, and for those who mourned dead heroes. It was
in accordance with the proclamation issued by the President, and the
sermon by the Rev. Henry M. Ladd, was along National lines, emphasizing
the duties of the Christian soldier. After the presentation of the
offering, the congregation and clergyman read antiphonally the psalm
for thanksgiving after a naval victory, singing at its close the
"Gloria in Excelsis." The service closed with the prayer of thanks for
victory at sea, and a prayer for peace, followed by the Benediction.
It was a stirring service, and to have taken part in it was the event
of a lifetime, and not likely to be repeated. Services of like nature
were held in all the churches.
Tuesday evening, July 26th, a number of kindly volunteers, under
the auspices of the Relief Committee, gave an entertainment in the
Armory, which netted about $150. It was an excellent one, combining
serio-comic drama with highly cultured singing and pleasing tableaux.
The names of these devoted friends were as follows: "A Quiet Family,"
Messrs. George H. Whitman, James A. Morgan, Mrs. Mary Davis, Miss
Lizzie Davis; orchestra, Mr. Louis Baxter and others; Grace Church
choir, Mr. Charles H. Sunderland, leader, Mrs. T.N. Glover, Mrs.
McAvoy, Mrs. Sunderland, the Misses D. Stevens, B. Stevens, Fanton,
Williams, Reece, Johnstone, Smith, Elliott, Semken, Cosse and Haywood,
and Messrs. Douglass, Barrows, Elliott, MacAdee, Parker, Critchley,
Ahrens, Burns, Brown, Green, Shaw and Wilkins; tableaux: Miss Maude
MacHarg, Mr. Wilkin Bookstaver and the rest of the company.
[Illustration]
Another entertainment took place Thursday, July 28, which was very
successful, the net proceeds being $91, and was sent to Jacksonville
to provide better food for the sick of the company. The entertainment
was managed by Mrs. W.E. Fullagar, who took considerable interest
in the welfare of the company (she and her husband being with us at
Jacksonville and Pablo Beach for nearly a month). Those taking part
deserve to have a place in this narrative, and they follow: Mrs. M.
Casta, Mr. Louis Baxter, Miss Mae Games Amery, Mr. L. Botting, Miss
Nettie Dannheim, Mr. Arthur H. Hargrave, the Concordia Maennerchor
of Carlstadt, Miss Mabel Taylor King, and six members of the Kirmess
"Hornpipe Dance." Captain Ely, home on furlough, told anecdotes of camp
life, which were very interesting. Another entertainment took place the
week we arrived home, the proceeds of which were given to the Relief
Committee.
One year had passed when the company again assembled upon the
anniversary of its return from camp life; old friendships were renewed,
and yarns spun, while the good things disappeared at the well-spread
table.
September 30th, 1899, the company paraded through the streets of New
York on the occasion of the welcome to Admiral George Dewey, and all
along the line patriotic citizens gave its enthusiastic endorsement of
the manly devotion to the flag which L Company maintained through five
months of trying camp life in Southern climes.
PART SEVENTH
ROSTER OF L COMPANY.
CAPTAIN.
_P.O. Address._
Addison Ely Rutherford, N.J.
FIRST LIEUTENANT.
Joseph J. Blake Rutherford.
SECOND LIEUTENANT.
Robert A. Brunner Rutherford.
FIRST SERGEANT.
Edward M. Clift Rutherford.
QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT.
Addison Ely, Jr. Rutherford.
SERGEANTS.
Charles Dabinett Rutherford.
Frank Van Roden Rutherford.
John T. Collins Rutherford.
Frederick W. Baxter Rutherford.
CORPORALS.
George H. Roe Rutherford.
Hugh R. Rusk Rutherford.
Bennett Cohen Rutherford.
George W. Petty Rutherford.
William M. Cormack Rutherford.
Robert A. Burgess Rutherford.
Frank Koch Rutherford.
Harry C. Harrington Rutherford.
Walter Vandenburgh Rutherford.
John Festanau Rutherford.
Walter S. Major Rutherford.
Frank T. Yerreance Rutherford.
MUSICIANS.
John F. Quinn Paterson.
William Allen Paterson.
ARTIFICER.
Julius W. Doerflinger Woodridge.
WAGONER.
William Jonsen Rutherford.
PRIVATES.