Chapter II: Part 2

Salem witnessed scenes of enthusiasm as Company H marched away. The streets were packed, and thousands of small flags were waved by the cheering citizens as the company marched to the station, escorted by the Second Corps of Cadets, Grand Army Post, Naval Veterans, Letter Carriers and Clerks, the Salem Light Infantry Veteran Association, the Veteran Firemen Association, and a barouche containing among others, Francis D. Cahill, Salem's survivor of the Maine explosion. The Mayor and the City Government reviewed the parade at City Hall, and a large crowd packed the streets near the station to witness the train, containing the members of the company, pull out for Boston.

In Danvers, the people were early astir to give Company K a rousing farewell. It was escorted through the principal streets by a cavalcade, the Grand Army Post, High School Cadets, and a body of citizens.

Lawrence turned out in force to speed the departure of Company L. At the Armory, Rev. Dr. H. E. Barnes offered prayer, after which the men marched to the station escorted by the Grand Army Post and Battery C. As the train bore the company out of the station, Battery C fired a salute, and the whistles of the locomotives in the engine yard mingled with the cheers that arose from thousands of throats.

At Somerville, on the evening before departure, Company M was entertained by the citizens at Union Hall. The next morning they were escorted to the station by a large company of citizens, the Grand Army Posts, and members of the Relief Corps.

The reception of the regiment in Boston was equally enthusiastic. The Evening Transcript described the scenes along the line of march as follows:--

"From 9 o'clock this morning until the order to march was given,
the Union Station was filled with cheering thousands and
marching companies. They came by different trains, according
to the places from which they started. As the companies left
the train, they formed in the train shed, and marched to Lowell
Street, where the parade was formed, with the right of line
resting on Causeway Street. At 10.50 o'clock the regiment had
formed on Lowell Street. An orderly announced that all of the
companies had arrived at their positions in the line. Colonel Pew
gave the command, and the clear, shrill notes of the bugle echoed
along the line. Just then the sun, which had been hidden behind
gray and threatening clouds, broke out, and the men welcomed
this as a good omen in their coming service. The regiment swung
off to the tune of the 'Stars and Stripes Forever' by the Eighth
Regiment Band. Half way down the line was the Fife and Drum Corps
playing 'The Girl I Left Behind Me.' Lowell Street, Merrimac
Streets, and in fact all of the streets about the Union Station
were crowded by thousands, and the various companies were given
a most enthusiastic reception all along the line of march, which
was over the following streets:--Merrimac to Haymarket Square,
Washington and School, Beacon, Arlington and Boylston Streets to
Huntington Avenue, a special train being taken at the Huntington
Avenue station of the Boston & Albany R. R.

Far down Beacon Street could be seen the crowding thousands
from a point of vantage on the State House steps; people were
standing on tiptoe and craning their necks for a glimpse of
the approaching troops. Presently the strains of martial music
floated from below, mingled with the subdued and far away cheers
which heralded the approach of the soldiers. The cheerings grew
nearer and louder. One could catch now and again the air of the
stirring march, and now the platoon of mounted police swung
around the turn. On a chestnut horse at the head of the regiment,
came Colonel William A. Pew, Jr. of Salem.

The head of the line passed Park Street and approached the State
House steps. The cheering grew continuous, and there was a great
waving of flags and handkerchiefs. General Curtis Guild, Jr.
stepped to the side of the railing and swung his hat, calling for
three cheers for Colonel Pew. They were given with a will, the
thousands packed outside of the police lines taking up the cry.
Colonel Pew and his staff saluted, and the review was in progress.

To none of the troops which have passed in review before Governor
Wolcott and his staff at the State House, has there been given
such a demonstration as that accorded to the Eighth Regiment
this morning. It was shortly after 11 o'clock when the head of
the line reached the corner of Park and Beacon streets, and from
the moment that the first company had passed in review until the
last of the batch of raw recruits which brought up the rear had
gone from view, there was one continuous round of applause and
cheering. General Curtis Guild, Jr. led in the cheering at the
State House, and every time that he waved his hat there was an
answering thunder of cheers. There were cheers for Colonel Pew,
for the Eighth Regiment, and Essex County. Old Glory was cheered
to the echo, and the gathered multitude was not too hoarse to
give three and a tiger for the raw recruits who brought up the
rear. Governor Wolcott and his staff reviewed the parade as
usual, from the lower steps at the entrance to the State House.
Above the upper steps were packed with gaily dressed women and
enthusiastic men. The balconies were crowded, and the streets in
all directions, as far as the eye could see, were jammed with
crowding thousands. No more soldierly looking body of men had
passed the State Capitol for years than the Eighth Regiment,
which passed in review on its way to the front this morning.

The Commanding Officer and Staff were mounted, this being the
first regiment parading with these officers mounted. The men were
in heavy marching order, with rations for twenty-four hours in
their haversacks. Officers and men of the whole regiment wore
their campaign hats, and this gave them a businesslike appearance
that seemed to say,--'We are going to the front to work.'"

_Muster In_

Shortly after 2 o'clock on the afternoon of May 5th, the Eighth marched onto the State Camp Grounds at South Framingham. The Second and Ninth Regiments turned out with a hearty welcome as the Fife and Drum Corps swung through the gate playing "Teddy Was a Sojer."

When the four volunteer regiments were mustered into the service, they dispensed with bands. The Eighth, however, took its drum corps, which as early as March 16th had volunteered, through the Drum Major. Drum Major Thomas was and still is (1908) an institution in the regiment. No one remembers when he was not Drum Major. Rumor says he was drummer boy at Bunker Hill, Lundy Lane and Chepultepec, and all know he marched with Sherman to the sea. Invincible against fever and malaria, he is never sick. Always busy, never complaining or tired, he is a cheerful regimental inspiration. Time does not change him, except as it adds new glories in the form of service stripes. His reveille from Low Scotch, through Austrian, Hessian, Double Drag, Dutch, to Quick Scotch, is always welcome as an eye opener. It is a tradition that the Colonel gets up before reveille for the mere pleasure of seeing Thomas lead, and of watching the drum sticks rattle. It is certainly true that the regiment was never late when Thomas led the band.

Camp was soon established. The Second Regiment, which assembled May 3rd, occupied the right of the line; next came the Ninth, which came into camp May 4th, followed by the Eighth. On the left was reserved a position for the Sixth, which was to assemble the next day. Adjutant Edward H. Eldredge was detailed as Brigade Adjutant General, and his place on the Regimental Staff was filled by Lieutenant Thomas D. Barroll of L Company.

Dame Rumor was soon busy spreading reports that the United States, personified by impartial and inexorable army surgeons, was rejecting men as unfit for foreign service. Already ten officers of the Second had been rejected for physical deficiencies. What pledges, words and wills had been unable to accomplish, the dread of a full service medical examination accomplished, and officers and men, who for years had smoked or broken minor rules of health, stopped on the moment to brace themselves for this ordeal.

The officers were ordered before the doctors the day after arriving in camp, and at intervals of twenty minutes they reported in groups of threes. Major Dudley B. Purbeck, who had recently suffered from a serious illness, was rejected. There was much excitement in the streets of Company C when it was reported that Captain James Tucker, Lieutenants Edgar J. Marshall and Frank B. Denning had failed to pass. The Selectmen and influential citizens of Marblehead were appealed to, and in some way secured a re-examination and a reversal of the finding in the case of Lieutenant Denning, who was finally mustered and commissioned as Captain.

After the officers had passed, the enlisted men faced the surgeons, the companies going up in alphabetical order. Many men were rejected and sent home. It was the rule not to muster a company until it had a full complement of qualified officers and men. The process was slow, and it was not until May 10th that the first company of the Eighth was mustered, followed in rapid succession by the others. The last company was mustered May 11th, and the Colonel sworn in.

The ceremony of mustering was interesting and impressive. Companies were marched to Brigade Headquarters, with the men arranged alphabetically in line. Facing the colors, taking off their hats, and raising their right hands, after roll call, they subscribed the following oath administered by Captain Erastus M. Weaver, U. S. A.:--

"All and each of you do solemnly swear that you will bear true
faith and allegiance to the United States of America, and that
you will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their
enemies whomsoever, and that you will obey the President of the
United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over you,
according to the rules and articles of war, so help you God."

There was much pleasant rivalry between the Eighth and Ninth Regiments in a race to be first mustered in the United States service. The last company of the Ninth was mustered in just before the last company of the Eighth, and the Colonel of the Eighth being the last officer in the Regiment to be mustered into the service, was mustered in before the Colonel of the Ninth. The important question was never settled, which regiment was first mustered into the United States service.

After a company was mustered into the service, its Captain was given a copy of the Articles of War, and directed to read them to his company. From this tiresome reading of all the articles at once, a company wag said it was the general impression that the whole regiment was ordered by the President to suffer death or such other penalty as the court martial should prescribe.

The designation of the Regiments as finally mustered into the United States service, early became a matter of interest. It was rumored that in as much as Massachusetts sent sixty-two regiments to the Civil War, the numbering of the regiments in the Spanish War was to begin where the numbering of the Civil War regiments left off. In that case the Eighth would be known as the Sixty-Third or Sixty-Fourth Regiment. This enumeration was followed in some states. The designation of the regiment was left to Governor Wolcott, who published as the official name, Eighth Regiment Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.

The facings on the uniform was immediately changed from blue to white, and a collar device adopted consisting of crossed rifles with the figure eight above, and the abbreviation "Mass." below the rifles.

During the stay at Framingham everyone was busy, recruits were drilled, the regiment was exercised in striking and pitching tents, company cooks and kitchen police were made familiar with the army ration, battalions and companies were drilled, guards were instructed, and the usual parade and daily ceremonies held. The days were crisp and clear; the evenings, however, were chilly, but the dampness was dissipated by roaring camp fires on the parade, about which the soldiers clustered until taps.

It was the intention of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts to have the regiments leave the State in order of the seniority of the Colonels. This would give third place to the Eighth.

On May 13th, the Adjutant-General of the United States Army telegraphed the United States mustering officer at South Framingham to notify the Colonels of mustered regiments to report direct to the War Department when their regiments would be ready to leave the State. This notice was sent to the Headquarters of the Eighth and Ninth. Colonel Pew immediately telegraphed the War Department that the Eighth was ready to leave at once, and in a few hours received a telegraphic order to take the regiment to Chickamauga Park, Georgia. Owing to the lack of railroad transportation, it was impossible for the Regiment to get away until May 16th.

Saturday, May 14th, was Eighth Regiment day at Camp Dewey. On Friday evening as soon as the soldiers were notified that the regiment was to hold itself ready to move at once, they rushed to the telegraph station and sent word to their friends at home that if they wished to see them, they should come to Camp Dewey in the morning, as it was expected that the Regiment would be on its way south by Saturday night.

Early in the morning, the friends of the soldiers began to arrive on the field, and every train brought crowds until by noon there were hundreds from every town and city having a company in the regiment. As the families of the soldiers came into camp, they brought with them boxes and bundles of the good things which a New England housewife knows so well how to cook, and during the hours between drills, there were family picnics all about the camp.

In the afternoon, Governor Wolcott and some of his staff visited the camp to present the officers with their commissions in the United States service. After passing in review before His Excellency, the Regiment formed three sides of a hollow square, with officers in the center. The Governor and his party formed a fourth side. The square was surrounded by friends of the Regiment, who covered half of the great parade ground. The remarks of His Excellency were deeply impressive, and at times he visibly showed the emotion which he felt. In a voice audible to everyone on the field, Governor Wolcott said:--

"Men of Essex and Middlesex:--Two days ago your parting cheers
made sweet music in the ears of your comrades of the Second
Regiment as they left the Commonwealth in the high service of the
United States of America. Today you obey the same summons, and
are ready, as they were, to endure hardship and suffering in the
same exalted cause.

Your cause, men of Massachusetts, is a just and righteous one. I
greatly misread the heart of this great nation if the historian
of the future shall not record that this war was entered upon by
a mighty and free people, who had heard, as long as they could
endure them, the sighs and groans of an oppressed neighboring
population, bending beneath the tyranny of a nation of the old
world.

It is to set free the oppressed and to bind up their wounds that
you now enter the service of the United States. You will find
yourselves shoulder to shoulder with the men of other states.
Let there be no other rivalry than generous emulation, that you
shall show that the men of Massachusetts, where valor calls for
sacrifice, or where the duty of the soldier calls for prompt
obedience and good discipline, are second to the sons of no other
Commonwealth and no other State in the United States of America.

You leave with the prayers and the confidence of the people
of this Commonwealth. Officially, as the Governor of the
Commonwealth, I bid you Godspeed! And may the God of battles
bring you victory and an honorable peace!

It is now my privilege and honor to present to the officers of
the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, United States Volunteers, the
commissions under which they enter the service of the United
States."

After presenting the commissions, Governor Wolcott said:--

"Colonel Pew:--You have a regiment worthy of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and of the service of the United States of America."

The following officers received their commissions from Governor Wolcott on this occasion:--

Colonel--WILLIAM A. PEW, JR. of Salem.

Lieutenant Colonel--EDWIN W. M. BAILEY of Amesbury.

Majors--WILLIAM STOPFORD of Beverly; FRANK A. GRAVES of Marblehead; EDWARD H. ELDREDGE of Boston.

Adjutant--LIEUTENANT THOMAS D. BARROL of Boston.

Quartermaster--LIEUTENANT CHARLES F. WONSON of Gloucester.

Surgeon--MAJOR WILLIAM COGSWELL of Salem.

Assistant Surgeons--LIEUTENANT THOMAS L. JENKINS of Topsfield; LIEUTENANT FRANK P. T. LOGAN of Gloucester.

Chaplain--REV. GEORGE D. SANDERS of Gloucester.

Company A, Newburyport--Captain, ALEXANDER G. PERKINS; First Lieutenant, GEORGE W. LANGDON; Second Lieutenant, GEORGE H. DOW.

Company B, Amesbury--Captain, HORACE S. BEAN; First Lieutenant, JOHN M. PETTINGILL; Second Lieutenant, FRANK STINSON.

Company C, Marblehead--Captain, FRANK B. DENNING; First Lieutenant, LINVILLE H. WARDWELL; Second Lieutenant, FREDERIC P. SMITH.

Company D, Lynn--Captain, CHARLES T. HILLIKER; First Lieutenant, THOMAS J. COBY; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM F. YOUNG.

Company E, Beverly--Captain, FREDERICK W. STOPFORD; First Lieutenant, CHARLES H. FARNHAM; Second Lieutenant, FRANCISCO A. DESOUSA.

Company F, Haverhill--Captain, WILLIAM C. DOW; First Lieutenant, PER JUSTUS SWANBERG; Second Lieutenant, DAVID E. JEWELL.

Company G, Gloucester--Captain, EDWARD J. HORTON; First Lieutenant, CHARLES M. MCISAAC; Second Lieutenant, JAMES C. NUTT.

Company H, Salem--Captain, WALTER P. NICHOLS; First Lieutenant, GEORGE N. JEWETT; Second Lieutenant, AUGUSTUS G. REYNOLDS.

Company I, Lynn--Captain, JOHN E. WILLIAMS; First Lieutenant, FRANCIS H. DOWNEY; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM H. PERRY.

Company K, Danvers--Captain, A. PRESTON CHASE; First Lieutenant, HENRY W. FRENCH; Second Lieutenant, STEPHEN N. BOND.

Company L, Lawrence--Captain, JAMES FORBES; First Lieutenant, JAMES H. CRAIG; Second Lieutenant, ROLAND H. SHERMAN.

Company M, Somerville--Captain, HERBERT W. WHITTEN; First Lieutenant, GEORGE I. CANFIELD; Second Lieutenant, FREDERICK W. PIERCE.

From May 14th to May 16th the Regiment waited, uncertain when its train transportation would arrive. Shortly after noon on the 16th, camp was struck. It was a damp and dreary day. There was no large crowd to cheer their departure, as the home stations of the companies were too remote, and the movement too sudden for the friends of the regiment to see them off. Late in the afternoon the regiment passed in review before Governor Wolcott, and took up its line of march for the railroad station. There it was quickly embarked in three sections. Each battalion had a section consisting of eleven cars, one for baggage, one for guard quarters, and two for each company. A Wagner sleeper was furnished on each section for the accommodation of the officers. The first section pulled out of the station at South Framingham at 6 o'clock, followed shortly afterwards by the others. The last section left at 6.30. The three sections carried 47 officers and 896 men.

_Chickamauga_

The route of the regiment to Chickamauga was through the valleys of the Hudson and Shennandoah. The cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Knoxville, were seen in passing, but stops were only made to allow the officers to obtain meals for themselves and coffee for the men. The Government furnished travel rations for the men consisting of hard tack, canned corned beef, beans and tomatoes, and a money allowance for coffee. In their year of service, no one in the regiment ever discovered a use for canned tomatoes as a travel ration.

During the trip hard tack circulated as souvenirs among the girls at the various stops, usually inscribed with the donor's name and address, and given in exchange for pieces of ribbon and other feminine favors. Enthusiastic crowds were in evidence at all the stations, where they gathered to see the troop trains pass. The men were confined to the cars, but managed to carry on many flirtations and make exchanges through the windows. Every day they were taken out at some stop for a run around or a bit of setting up exercise, and once the Third Battalion took advantage of a mountain stream for bathing purposes.

On the morning of May 19th the regiment awoke to find itself in the Citico Freight Yard, just outside the city of Chattanooga, together with other troop trains containing the men of the Twelfth New York, and the Twenty-First Kansas, with whom the regiment subsequently brigaded. After spending a day in the freight yard, the sections began late in the afternoon to slowly travel the fourteen miles between Chattanooga and Chickamauga Park. At Battle Station the battalions disembarked, the baggage was piled near the track and left under guard, while the regiment enjoyed its first bivouac on a neighboring hill.

The Colonel reported to General Brooke and was told that a camp site would be assigned and transportation for the baggage furnished the following day.

Chickamauga Park is a National Reservation in the northwestern corner of the State of Georgia, embracing some ten squares miles of territory, and commemorates the battle which was fought there in 1863. The park is wooded, with here and there open fields. Much of the underbrush had been cleared away, and good dirt roads constructed by the Government. The water supply consisted of a few dozen wells, which had supported a small farming population before the Government purchased the land. The soil is clayey above a limestone formation, which frequently outcrops and renders digging difficult. The months of May and June are liable to be pleasant and dry, but in July and August, abundant rain turns the ground where vegetation is worn off, into a mire of sticky mud. On one side, the Park is bounded by Chickamauga Creek, meaning in the Indian tongue, "The River of Death", and into this creek the whole surface of the Park drains. The Government intended to organize on this ground the First, Third and Sixth Army Corps, and at one time assembled about 55,000 men for this purpose. The camp was named, Camp George H. Thomas, in honor of the gallant soldier who rendered conspicuous service to the Federal cause in the battle of Chickamauga.

The Eighth Regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third Division, First Army Corps. As Colonel William A. Pew, Jr. was the senior Colonel in the three regiments comprising this brigade, he was assigned to the command, pending the arrival of a Brigadier General, and the command of the Eighth Regiment devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel Edwin W. M. Bailey. Colonel Pew remained in command of the Brigade until June 29th, when he was succeeded by General Waites of Texas. Lieutenant Thomas D. Barroll, the Regimental Adjutant, and Lieutenant Charles F. Wonson, the Regimental Quartermaster, were detailed to Brigade Headquarters, and acted respectively as Adjutant General and Brigade Quartermaster. Their places in the regiment were filled by the detail of Lieutenant George W. Langdon, Acting Regimental Adjutant, and Lieutenant George I. Canfield, Acting Regimental Quartermaster, while Lieutenant Augustus G. Reynolds acted as Regimental Commissary.

The Third Division of the First Army Corps encamped on the Alexander Bridge road, near the southeastern corner of the Park, and about three miles from the railroad station. The camp of the Eighth was located in the woods, which were not dense, but more than sufficient for shade purposes. The tents of the Commanding Officer and his staff faced the west. Fifty paces in front of Headquarters were the tents of the line officers, and fifty paces in front of the quarters of the line officers were the heads of the Company streets. The tents of the men faced south, and were five paces apart. The Company streets were thirty paces wide. Thirty paces from the last tent in the Company street were the Company kitchens, and fifty paces in rear of the kitchens, were the Company sinks. The Eighth had the longest camp front of any Regiment in the Park, and later when sickness began to appear in the various camps, the wisdom of this arrangement was apparent.

Until May 23rd, when wagons and mules were issued to the Regiment, water was scarce. Every farm well in the vicinity was under guard, and had a line of details waiting for a turn at the pump handle. The wells were pumped dry many times daily. The details remained in line waiting for them to fill up. Chickamauga Creek was already contaminated by drainage, and long expeditions were made to obtain enough water for drinking and cooking purposes.

With the issuing of transportation, water was hauled for all purposes from the Blue Spring, some five miles from camp, until the Government constructed a pipe line and brought water to the vicinity of every camp. This pipe line water was never used in the Regiment for drinking, and during the whole stay of the Regiment at Chickamauga, all drinking water was daily brought from the Blue Spring.

The lack of water led to the circulation of many absurd rumors at home. It was reported that the wells had been poisoned by the Spanish spies, and that some had been detected in the act and shot. The water famine was much exaggerated in the reports from Chickamauga. The regiment undoubtedly suffered much inconvenience at first, but not greater than should have been expected from the hurried manner in which the troops were brought together.

For some time the army mule was a source of entertainment and worry to the regiment. The Government issued to each regiment twenty-seven wagons and one hundred and eight mules. Previous to this issue, these mules were assembled in a large corral near the railroad station. Usually, a detail of four men was sent to draw a wagon, four mules and harnesses. The mules were turned over to this detail, together with various parts of harnesses and a wagon, as they came from the factory. It was the duty of the detail to hold the mules and at the same time assemble harnesses and wagon. This was new work for most of the men, and the outfits were brought into camp after many sad experiences. It was not unusual for the detail to start from the corral driving in a careful manner, but after going a mile or two without mishap, the desire to speed a little overcame this caution, and the mules were urged to a trot or canter. As few of these animals had been broken, the first turn of a road presented an opportunity for a spill.

There was such a turn near the camp of the Eighth, and many of the men used to sit under the trees watching the details from other regiments navigate their mules around the bend. Often mules would continue on a straight course into the woods, and bid up when some tree separated the leaders and threw them down, with the wheel mules and wagon piled on top. This performance was at first a daily occurrence, and apparently resulted in no injury to the mules or men.

Another source of amusement was to hire the darkies who loafed about the camps, to break the mules. They were usually ridden bare back, and succeeded in throwing their riders several times before they would submit.

The mule quarters at first consisted of a cable stretched from tree to tree, to which the mules were fastened by halters. This was the practice in all the camps, and every night each regiment lost from ten to twelve mules. The mules usually wandered around the park until appropriated by some Quartermaster to make up his quota.

After submitting for a few nights to this loss, Lieutenant Colonel Bailey determined to construct a corral of rails, and for this purposes obtained permission to use the top rails of various fences along the Alexander road. This work of construction took place on a moonlight night, and in the morning it was discovered that the rail fences for a long distance had disappeared, and a large area in the camp of the Eighth was surrounded with a Virginia fence some 12 feet high. The detail charged with the work of construction stoutly maintained, when explanation was demanded, that none of them had taken anything but "top rails". With this improvised stable the Quartermaster of the Eighth was able to maintain his supply of mules.

There were two entrances to this corral at which sentinels were maintained, with orders to allow any stray mules to go in, but none to come out. Every morning an extra surplus of mules was found in the corral.

The wagon master, who was a civilian employee, and had been hired by the Quartermaster on account of his experience with mules, soon had his pick of all the mules in the Park. His first duty in the morning was a readjustment of mule property. Any surplus was held and delivered to inquiring Quartermasters who had lost mules. As all mules look alike to most Quartermasters, it came to pass in the course of time, that the wagon master of the Eighth had by far the best mule teams of any Regiment. It was, in fact, a selection from the mules of fifty odd regiments.

Apparently no one suspected this process of eliminating poor mules, and the corral of the Eighth was looked upon as a public benefaction, where lost mules could usually be found and identified. The process of identification was directed and controlled by the experienced wagon master of the Eighth.

During May the evenings were delightfully cool in contrast with the heat of the day. Work finished, with parade and after supper, the men collected in groups to sing, listen to the drum corps, or gossip about the future of the regiment. Rumors of immediate moves were always in circulation. It was generally believed that the First Corps was destined to invest Havana in the fall, but this belief was often shaken by rumors of orders to go to Manila, Honolulu, Santiago, or Porto Rico. The regiment was always expecting marching orders in the immediate future.

Almost every large congregation contains some men who need a free application of soap and water. In a camp where many men are herded together, the personal cleanliness of each soldier is a factor in the general health.

As soon as the pipe line was established, and water was abundant, orders were issued in regard to bathing, and were enforced by weekly inspections. The men were required to strip in quarters, and were examined by the surgeons. The first inspection disclosed an unfortunate who had secreted on his person, a liberal amount of Georgia real estate.

Eight husky sergeants, armed with fresh stable brooms and soap, were detailed to accompany the victim to the stand pipe. The detail, clad only in their birthday clothes, marched through the camp, conducting the victim in solemn procession, to the place of execution. The novel sight of the naked detail and prisoner attracted many spectators from the regiment, who observed the enforced bathing, and materially assisted by their advice and presence the cleansing operation. The man was washed as he had never been washed before.

The result of this public exhibition deterred others from disregarding bathing regulations. During the service of the regiment, no other man was ever reported as the result of these inspections, for personal uncleanliness.

At midnight on May 28th, the first death occurred in the regiment. Private Herbert O. Burnham, Company D, passed away at the Regimental Hospital. He contracted pneumonia at Framingham, was taken sick on the train, and gradually grew worse until the end came. The next night, a second member of the command obeyed the summons and was mustered out by death. Clarence L. Bartol of Company C, died at the Regimental Hospital of heart disease. The two deaths coming so close together, produced an effect upon the men, and caused them to realize more fully the duties of the service upon which they had entered.

The regiment early established a club for the enlisted men where they could loaf and make small purchases. These clubs were authorized by Army Regulations, and known as Post Exchanges or Canteens. They were managed by a council of officers. The profits on all sales went to the men. Regular dividends were declared and paid to company commanders, and were accounted for by them to the government, as a part of their company fund. Canteen dividends could be used only to improve the ration or condition of the men. The sale of beer and light wines was permitted.

The Eighth carried on its list of Canteen supplies, draught beer, which was furnished by a Chattanooga brewery, together with a supply of ice sufficient to keep the beer cool. This was the only supply of ice in camp, and the only place where a cool drink could be had.

In close proximity to the Canteen, was the Y. M. C. A. tent, which offered another home for the enlisted men where they could read, write letters, play games, and meet for social or religious purposes. The most excellent young gentlemen in charge, viewed with disapproval the sale of beer in the rival club. The beer was also condemned by the surgeons, on the ground that it was not up to standard in quality, and that the poor quality of the beer aggravated intestinal troubles.

One day at mess the Commanding Officer entered into an agreement with the Y. M. C. A. representative, that the sale of beer should be prohibited at the Canteen as long as the Y. M. C. A. furnished for the enlisted men a barrel of distilled ice water in front of their tent. The Regimental Quartermaster furnished daily transportation to Chattanooga where barrels of distilled water and ice were purchased from the brewery company, and duly installed by the Y. M. C. A. This supply was maintained during the time the regiment remained at Chickamauga. The water and ice cost as much as beer, but the expense was borne by contributions solicited by the Y. M. C. A. manager from the various friends of temperance in the north.

This substitution of water for beer gave the Colonel some notoriety as a temperance reformer, and caused him to receive much advice about running the regiment.

One lady who had devoted fifty years to the cause of temperance, wrote a poem which she sent to the Colonel and requested him to have the men learn it by heart and recite it in unison as part of the ceremony at evening parade.

Another friend of the cause sent a few thousand printed pledges, with the advice that the men be required to sign a few pledges each day and carry them in their various pockets. She thought every time anything was taken from a pocket, a pledge would come out, and stimulate by its sight, each man to renewed interest to the cause of temperance.

The old battleground offered opportunities to the souvenir hunters, and many bullets, pieces of shells and rifles were picked up and sent home. Another craze was collecting State buttons from the uniforms of volunteers from various states. These buttons treated to a gold wash and attached to a belt, were favorite souvenirs for sweethearts.

In addition to his duties as Battalion Commander, Major Edward H. Eldredge was detailed as Division Inspector of Rifle Practice. Under his supervision a rifle range was opened near the Alexander Bridge, and twenty-seven targets were installed. Three targets were assigned to each regiment of the Division for daily use. Lieutenant George W. Langdon of Company A, acted as Inspector, and supervised the regimental work at this range. Near the end of July, a division rifle match was shot, in which the following scores were made:--

Eighth Massachusetts, 481
First New Hampshire, 474
Twelfth New York, 473
Twelfth Minnesota, 457
Fifth Pennsylvania, 457
Twenty-First Kansas, 456
Second Missouri, 436
First South Carolina, 409
Ninth Pennsylvania, 409

The war strength of a company in the United States service was 106 enlisted men. Under the first call, Massachusetts was required to furnish three batteries of Heavy Artillery. Influence was at once brought to bear upon the authorities at Washington to accept the First Heavy Artillery as a Regiment of twelve batteries. To accomplish this and keep within the quota allowed Massachusetts, infantry companies were cut down to 74 men. To this extent the four infantry regiments which were raised for foreign service, were crippled to increase the strength of the coast guard.

Upon the second call for volunteers, it was decided to raise the infantry companies to full war strength of 106 men, and about the first of June the Eighth was ordered to send a recruiting detail of three officers and twelve men to Massachusetts for recruiting purposes. The officers in charge of this detail were Major William Stopford, Captain Herbert W. Whitten of Company M, and Lieutenant Henry W. French of Company K. The detail left Chattanooga on June 8th. The first batch of new recruits arrived at Chickamauga on June 25th, from which time until after the 4th of July, recruits arrived daily.

The average recruit who responds to the first call for volunteers, is usually an all around better man than the average recruit obtained upon subsequent calls. The interference with the original Government plan of raising four full regiments, not only weakened the regiment at first, but later lowered its morale by introducing a poorer class of men than could have been obtained if the companies had recruited to a full strength at their home stations under the first stimulus of war.

On June 12th the regiment had its first experience with a Southern rain storm. After a long dry spell, the heavens opened, and the floods descended. Innocent looking gullies became rushing brooks, which soon overflowed their banks and inundated many canvas homes. After the storm, a system of drainage was inaugurated, and the men were set to work on a main drain and connecting trenches, constructed on lines taught by experience.

In the wake of the storm, and as it were, a silver lining to the clouds, came Paymaster James C. Barr of the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, M. V. M., with $17,500. from the State of Massachusetts in payment of the men for the time they had served at the Framingham camp. This was the first pay the regiment received, and the paymaster was welcomed like flowers in the spring. He was met at the railroad station by an armed party and escorted to camp, where his little fortune was safely guarded until distributed in payment to the men.

On June 22nd Captain Walter H. Nichols of Company H resigned, making the first break among the officers of the regiment.

On June 26th the camp was stirred to excitement by reason of an order transferring the regiment to the First Brigade, First Division, First Army Corps. The First Brigade was composed of the Eighth Massachusetts, Second Wisconsin, and Fifth Illinois Regiments, and was commanded by General Oswald Ernst. The division was commanded by General J. M. Wilson. The Brigade was expected to move in a few days to Newport News, where it was to take transports for Santiago. Camp took on new life and excitement. All superfluous baggage was packed for storage or home shipment. The excitement lasted a number of days, but the regiment was doomed to disappointment, as the order was countermanded and the regiment restored to its former place in the Third Division.

July 4th was observed as a holiday. Congressman William H. Moody of the Sixth Massachusetts District, who was spending a few days in camp, delivered a patriotic address. A program of sports had been arranged for the day, but the arrival of the U. S. Paymaster caused the games to be called off. About $45,000 was paid to the regiment, the men being paid from May 5th to June 30th. Many of the men took advantage of the arrival of the money for a trip to Chattanooga, where they passed the remainder of the day visiting the city or Lookout Mountain. In the evening there was a mammoth bonfire in camp, red fire was burned, and the drum corps gave a concert of patriotic airs, in celebration of the victory of Sampson over the fleet of Cevera off Santiago, the news of which was received that afternoon.

As the summer advanced, and the heat increased, reveille was sounded at 4.30 and drills were held at a correspondingly early hour, so that by the middle of the morning, all drills were over.

Soon after arriving in camp, the brigade was practiced in extended order and the use of cover. This drill was known to the men as "snake drill." Major Parker, of the Twelfth New York, a Regular Army officer, acted as instructor at first. Before many weeks the regiment became proficient in advancing on a position, and at the same time taking advantage of natural cover. On several occasions the regiment gave exhibitions for the benefit of officers of other organizations.

The evening parade was usually witnessed by many spectators. The field where it was held was near the camps of the Third Army Corps, and the men from this organization usually assembled to watch the ceremony. The drum corps had been increased to forty-seven pieces, and became celebrated for its military marches.

The men, early in the summer, discarded the blue uniform for brown canvas, and with the ponchos worn white side out in a yoke from the left shoulder, presented in ranks a natty and business-like appearance. Their drill and marching was excellent, and upon all ceremonies and reviews they created a most favorable impression.

On July 8th Captain Jacob C. R. Peabody arrived in camp and assumed command of Company H. On July 11th Assistant Surgeon Thomas L. Jenkins resigned.

Late on July 14th, news was received that Santiago had fallen. A celebration was promptly inaugurated. The three regiments in the brigade interchanged marching calls, headed by their band or field music. As the Eighth marched through the camp of the Twelfth New York singing patriotic songs, they were received with a novel illumination, a man stood at the entrance of each tent holding a lighted candle. In the camp of the Twenty-First Kansas, speeches were made by the Colonels of both regiments, after which the Eighth returned to its camp.

On July 21st the camp was again stirred by the report that the regiment had been selected for Porto Rico, and would embark in a few days. There was much activity in camp securing requisitions for the men. General Brooke, who commanded the First Corps, left for Porto Rico, and some of the regiments of the corps reached that Island before the order was countermanded.

The dull routine of camp life, repeated disappointments in orders to move, continued excessive heat, rain and mud, and the prevalence of camp diseases, were fast impairing the efficiency of the First Corps. General Breckenridge who succeeded General Wade in command, immediately planned to break the monotony by a practice march. The Third Division was ordered on a march into Tennessee, and a detail was sent in advance to secure camp sites.

Pending this general movement, the Eighth was granted permission to make a short march to Pea Vine Ridge. The start was made at daybreak on July 19th along the Ringgold Pike, which had been traveled by Sherman in his march to Atlanta. The morning was spent in advanced guard work. The farmers along the route cherished unpleasant memories of Northern troops, and spent their time guarding live stock while the regiment remained in the vicinity. Camp was made at noon near the Craven House, and the afternoon was devoted to play. Many of the men dammed a mountain brook and spent the afternoon splashing in its pools.

The Craven House was occupied by an old sailor from Newburyport, Massachusetts, who had ended his sea days many years before, and had settled with a Georgia wife in the Pea Vine Valley. The old gentleman was filled with enthusiasm to see the regiment, when he learned it was from Massachusetts, and had a company from old Newburyport. Unfortunately Company A had been left in Chickamauga as a camp guard. After the camp was established, the Colonel called to pay his respects. The excitement of the day had been too much for the old gentleman, and he was found stricken with apoplexy.

The neighbors were too busy watching their property to render assistance, and a detail from the regiment cared for the old gentleman until he died that night.

As the day wore on and no raids were made by the Northern troops upon barns or hen houses, the farmers allowed their curiosity to overcome their fears, and visited camp. They were soon selling peaches, butter milk and sweet potato pies to the troops. These pies were christened "rubbernecks" by the men, and were held in light esteem, although heavy as lead.

On July 23rd all the state knapsacks were condemned. They were little box affairs, covered with enamel leather, and had seen service at many a Framingham muster. They were piled at the head of each company street and burned. Blanket bags were later issued and were more acceptable. The tents brought from Massachusetts had been earlier condemned as unserviceable, and were replaced by a new issue.

August 1st, Lieutenant George N. Jewett of Company H resigned.

On August 9th the regiment was presented with a new set of colors. During its term of service it had three sets, two furnished by Massachusetts, and one drawn from the Government Quartermaster's department. The Regimental flag furnished by the Quartermaster's department, bore the coat of arms of the United States upon a blue field. This flag was rarely carried, and is the only one of its kind in the collection of flags carried by Massachusetts regiments, preserved at the State House.

By the middle of August the camp in the woods was water logged. Continual rain had saturated the soil. The drains took care of surface water, but as there was no seepage through the clay the drains were powerless to carry off the mass of water imprisoned in the soil, and for which evaporation was the only escape. Rain and evaporation were in equilibrium. The mud on the legs of the men like mercury in a thermometer, registered the fluctuation from this equilibrium. Ordinary rubbers were useless, and sometimes rubber boots were inundated.

Although the Government had furnished no lumber for tent floors, the men had quite generally appropriated means to raise their beds above the ground. The larceny of boards was encouraged as a sanitary virtue. A few buildings which the Park authorities cherished as ancient landmarks, about which the tide of the great battle ebbed and flowed in 1863, has entirely disappeared. The companies of the Third Battalion had purchased lumber at Chattanooga and constructed tent floors. The quarters of the enlisted men were on the highest ridge and were less exposed. The quarters of the Colonel and Staff were approachable only through a sea of liquid mud, and were shifted onto higher ground.

Application was repeatedly made for permission to change the camp. The order for a change came just before the regiment moved to Lexington. The First Battalion was the only unit to occupy the new camp, which was located in an open field on the eastern side of the Alexander Bridge road.

On August 19th Lieutenant Roland H. Sherman of Company L, resigned and was discharged.

In order to fill the vacancies in the line officers of the regiment, the following promotions were made while at Chickamauga: Second Lieutenant Augustus G. Reynolds was promoted to first lieutenant in Company H, and First Sergeant Thomas O. H. Pineau of that company was commissioned second lieutenant. First Sergeant Eugene Larrivee, of Company L, was commissioned second lieutenant in that company.

On August 21st orders were received to furlough all sick men, as the regiment was to leave Chickamauga. Some two hundred furloughs were issued. On the night of August 22nd a huge bonfire in camp celebrated the last night at Chickamauga. Early the next morning camp was broken, and the regiment marched to Rossville, Georgia, where it entrained early in the morning and was enroute to the blue grass region of Kentucky. Chickamauga was left with no regrets.

_Sickness at Chickamauga_

The prevailing sickness at Chickamauga was diarrhœa, dysentery and typhoid. During the spring and summer about 80,000 men passed through the park, but there were probably never over 50,000 encamped there at any one time. The board which investigated the sanitary conditions of 44,803 men at Camp Thomas, reported 9,960 probable cases of typhoid, and 713 fatal results from this disease. One man in every five suffered from this fever, and almost every man was afflicted with some intestinal disorder. Much has been said as to whether this suffering was preventable, and was due to ignorance and neglect, or was paid as the necessary price of war.

In the first call for troops the War Department expressed a desire that the States should give preference among volunteers to National Guard organizations, in the expectation that they were equipped and had been prepared for war by a previous training.

Massachusetts perhaps, satisfied this expectation as fully as any state. Her regiments were at least uniformed, armed, and equipped with means for preparing food, but they had no experience in caring for themselves in the field. The Government ration consisted of bread, coffee, potatoes, onions, canned tomatoes, fresh beef seven days, and bacon three days out of ten. One hundred rations were sufficient in quantity to feed one hundred men one day, but this required careful management on the part of company commanders, and proper preparation by company cooks. Any system of training men for the field should make provision for accustoming men to live, and live comfortably upon this ration.

It is not an answer to say that the United States Army in time of peace, does not live upon this ration, but supplements it by purchases from their company funds. A volunteer regiment going into the United States service, will have no company funds, and must live on the ration until companies accumulate funds, which ordinarily would be impossible in the field. Any system of training which fails to recognize this fact is false in theory and practice.

Previous to the Spanish War, the Massachusetts Militia were fed by caterers at their summer outings. There was a Commissary Department, but its officers were appointed for other reasons than efficiency and experience in handling supplies. Some states had commissary departments which furnished rations, and required the companies to prepare the food, but there was no where any systematic attempt to train men to manage and support life upon the Government ration.

Resulting from a lack of previous experience, the Massachusetts regiments suffered during the first six months of their field service. Men were starving in the regiments, because unable to assimilate the Government ration, which, through a lack of experience in handling and preparing, was served to them in a form which did not properly nourish, and aggravated and perpetuated the ordinary intestinal troubles which recruits usually experience when first taking the field. Many men were improperly nourished, their vitality lowered, and their power of resisting disease impaired. So far as this resulted from a defect in their militia training, the State of Massachusetts was responsible.

For a number of years the Massachusetts Militia had been equipped for eye service. The men were supplied with the equipments they could carry on their person, and which contributed to the success of a parade, by giving it a ready-for-war appearance. Not much attention was paid to other equipments.

There was a limited supply of blankets, ponchos, buzzacotts and tentage, but not enough for all the troops. These were held at the Framingham Arsenal, and did duty for a mysterious field equipment, ready for instant use. There were no shelter tents or wagons. Some of the supplies were of a stage property kind. The shovels carried by an improvised pioneer corps in one of the Boston street parades, lasted two hours when used for digging by a detachment of the Eighth. The Militia of Massachusetts had never been properly equipped for field service.

The appropriation of $500,000 by the Legislature in April, enabled them to take the field better supplied than the Guard Regiments from many states, but they were never fully equipped by the State, or instructed in the A B C of a soldier's duty.

They had been assembled for years in brigade camps, and taught ceremonies and parades, but no attempt had been made to teach company commanders the important lesson of how to meet the requirements of the field, and care for their men under service conditions. The increasing sick list reported in all the camps, accentuated this absence of individual experience and trained company officers.