Chapter IV: Part 4

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.

A naked drum corps furnished music for a couple of hours, and the men danced about like a mob of naked savages. At a distance, passing natives gathered on the highway and wondered what it was all about. The colored people were willing to believe that the evil one was at the bottom of it all. After the regiment had boiled itself free from germs, the guard was relieved, and went through the same process.

Everything in the regiment which could stand boiling, was boiled, and everything which could not stand a soaking was otherwise disinfected. Measles were thoroughly stamped out, and at the end of a week when the regiment left for Cuba, but five men remained behind for this reason.

On January 4th a large delegation of citizens visited camp to say good-bye. After evening parade Colonel Lane, in behalf of the City of Americus, addressed the regiment. He spoke in laudatory terms concerning the conduct of the soldiers, and how the presence of Massachusetts troops in Georgia had created new bonds of sympathy between North and South.

Colonel Lane had requisitioned a wagon as a convenient platform from which to address the soldiers. Many citizens had come in carriages, and these carriages were wedged in about the orator, facing the regiment. At the conclusion of Colonel Lane's remarks, Drum Major Thomas, catching the enthusiasm of the moment, caused the drum corps to break into "Dixie" under the very noses of several hundred horses. Horses turned short in their shafts, and stampeded to the rear, the orator's platform slid from under him, and it was some time before the ceremonies of leave taking could be resumed with proper decorum.

The next evening the regiment returned the courtesy of this call by marching into town and holding an evening parade in the public square. On the return to camp, it found that Harry E. Stiles, its bandmaster in the Militia service, had reported for duty, to organize a band and accompany the regiment to Cuba.

More changes among the commissioned officers occurred during this month. Lieutenant Eugene Larrivee of Company L resigned. Chaplain George D. Sanders, who had resigned, was re-commissioned and rejoined the regiment. Lieutenant John M. Pettengill of Company B was promoted to captain and assigned to Company C. Second Lieutenants Frank Stinson of Company B and Frederic P. Smith of Company C were each made first lieutenants in their companies.

First Sergeant Edgar J. Whelpley of Company H, First Sergeant James W. Jackman of Company K, Sergeant Charles R. Warner of Company I and Sergeant William H. Clendennin of Company M were commissioned second lieutenants. Lieutenant Whelpley went to Company C, Lieutenant Jackman to Company B, Lieutenant Warner to Company G and Lieutenant Clendennin to Company L.

On January 6th the First Battalion under command of Lieutenant Colonel Stopford, entrained for Savannah, where it embarked on board the transport Obdam. It broke camp during a rain storm on the coldest day the regiment had experienced in Georgia.

As soon as the Twelfth New York left, Colonel Pew began to collect a supply of lumber for use in Cuba. The buildings which this regiment had occupied were pulled down, and every board washed with a solution of corrosive sublimate. Two cars were obtained and loaded to accompany the regiment.

On the evening of January 8th the Second and Third Battalions and Headquarters entrained for Savannah. The most of January 9th was spent in being shifted about in the freight yards at Savannah. A casual visitor to one of the sections told the officers that the ground in the yard where they were was so saturated with pine pitch, that a lighted match dropped would start a conflagration. One of the officers, thinking to call this bluff, made an experiment. The visitor had told the truth, and the regiment had a conflagration on its hands. The flames licked up the ground as if it had been saturated with kerosene. The soldiers were powerless to stop the fire with the means at their disposal. The railroad fire department appeared with chemical tanks, and soon had it under control, before any damage had been done, except blistering a few cars.

In Savannah the Colonel received a letter from Major Eldredge, telling him the character of the camp site the regiment was to occupy at Matanzas. The Major suggested the men would have to use iron tent pins and do some blasting to make their Cuban home comfortable. The Depot Quartermaster at Savannah was called upon and furnished a supply of drills, sledge hammers, powder and iron rods. The soldiers spent most of the night in the cars, while details were loading supplies onto the transport. At 3 o'clock on the morning of January 10th, the men began to embark, and at daylight the transport Michigan had cast off, and was slowly steaming down the river. At last the regiment was off for Cuba.

_Matanzas_

On January 10th the Obdam bearing the First Battalion of the Eighth, came to anchor at Matanzas, in a wide, shallow bay, where ships lie a mile or more off shore to discharge. Hills topped with palms, rose on either side of the city, which spread out on a strip of land between two little rivers, and straggled up the slopes, until the stone houses of the town proper gave place to palm thatched huts on the outskirts. The city upon a close inspection, was dirty and battered, but from the sea its pink and blue walls presented a picturesque appearance.

General Wilson, the Military Governor, and his staff, immediately landed, and were received by the Twelfth New York. The men of the Eighth witnessed this function from a distance. They were kept on the transport during the day, while their baggage was landed.

The military camps were located on the western shore of the bay, where the northeast trades blow continually across the bay from the open ocean, always insuring pure air. It was a scant mile from the city, and pipes from the municipal water service were laid, insuring a bountiful supply of water.

The camp of the Eighth lay behind the old Spanish Fort San Severino, and between the camp of the engineer battalion, and the Twelfth New York. A broad boulevard in a bad state of repair extended from the old fort to the town. All the troops were encamped along this boulevard, on ground that for rockiness and general hardness of appearance, outclassed any perpendicular farm in New England.

The rocks were of coral and volcanic origin, thrown up ages ago, and appeared above the surface in many fantastic shapes. Every square yard had its share of rock jutting above the red soil in sharp pinnacles. The ground had been covered with brush and cactus, but the engineers had been at work during the week prior to the arrival of the Obdam, clearing this away, so that when the First Battalion landed, it found the ground cleared of all vegetation.

The landing was made at a small wharf near the fort, and a few steps across the dilapidated boulevard, brought the men to their future home. The regiment had an excellent site, the bay lay before it, and the ground rose in terraces from the water until it terminated in a range of hills a mile back of the camp.

Major Eldredge who had preceded the regiment as a member of General Sanger's staff, received the public property turned over to the United States by Spain, in accordance with the evacuation agreement, in Matanzas, and later in the City of Cardenas and other towns in the province. When the regiment arrived, he was busily engaged at Matanzas in establishing charities, and in reorganizing the police department. The country about the city, as in other parts of Cuba, was a waste, and the people were in a destitute condition. It was the first duty of the United States to care for the people, and supply them with food.

While the First Battalion was locating itself at Matanzas, the Second and Third Battalions were enjoying a delightful voyage. During the whole trip the sea was calm, and the Michigan glided along as smoothly as any pleasure yacht upon a summer cruise. Very few men complained of sea sickness, and soon got over any unpleasant feeling, and enjoyed the trip.

It was warm and stuffy where they were quartered in the hold, but their discomfort vanished with daylight, when they climbed on deck to loll in the shade and enjoy the steady northeast trade. The Michigan was formerly a freight vessel of the Warren Line, used as a cattle boat to carry live stock to England.

The enlisted men were assigned quarters between decks. There were no berths, but each man was furnished with a duck hammock, which at night was hung on hooks in wooden uprights. These hammocks were hung in tiers, one over the other. In the morning the hammocks were rolled and stored, and the quarters prepared for inspection, which took place twice daily, at 10 A. M., and just before retreat. These inspections were made by the Colonel, accompanied by the transport quartermaster, the police officer, medical officer, and master of the ship. After the morning inspection, daily exercise was required on deck.

Sometime during the day every man had a bath. They stripped on the forward deck, and were pumped upon with a stream of water from the ocean.

The officers quarters were as cramped as those of the men. There were only ten state rooms. The ships guard consisted of one company detailed for each day, the captain acting as officer of the day, and the lieutenants as officers of the guard. Each company commander provided his command with proper police utensils from the ships quartermaster, and looked after the policing of the company quarters. Cooking was done in the ship's galleys. During the trip, Stiles commenced work with the musicians on board, for the new regimental band. This nucleus had band practice every day.

During the second day the transport steamed along the Florida coast within sight of a continuous stretch of beach sand and palm groves. At Jupiter Inlet a salute was exchanged with some guns mounted near the summer hotels, and the ship went so near the shore that the winter visitors could be counted on the hotel piazzas.

Late in the afternoon of the 12th, the first glimpse was caught of Cuba. During the night the transport lay off shore waiting for a pilot. On the morning of the 13th, a pilot came on board and the vessel steamed into the Bay of Matanzas, and came to anchor about two miles from the city. A guard detail was immediately placed upon the small wharf near San Severino to guard the baggage as it was landed. Details were made to clear up the ship and assist in discharging baggage and live stock.

As soon as the sentries were posted on the wharf, the soldiers began to be lightered to the shore. A corral was established near the wharf, where the horses and mules were soon assembled. Before night the men on the Michigan were landed, and had joined their comrades of the First Battalion in a pup camp, between the Boulevard and the water, under the walls of San Severino.

For a week the soldiers of the Eighth were busy preparing their new camp. Large hospital tents were issued to the command. Each company was divided into squads of six men under a corporal, and assigned to a tent. These tents were large enough to accommodate ten men, and in them seven men had all the room they required. A large fly was issued with each tent. As it was impossible to drive tent pins, large joists were used in the framing of the tent floors, and portions of these joists were extended on either side, to which the guy ropes were attached. The tent floors were laid about a foot above the surface of the ground on posts. To every man there was issued a Gold Medal cot.

Each company, with the lumber brought from Americus, erected a frame mess house with substantial flooring, and constructed mess tables and seats. The roofs of these mess houses were covered with canvas, and in the rear of each a kitchen was built. The quarters of the battalion commanders were upon a terrace slightly raised above the level of the line officers street. Behind this terrace was another, the center of which was occupied by Regimental headquarters. On one side of this terrace, a Regimental hospital was established, and on the other end, a stable with a canvas roof for the horses and mules.

The greatest difficulty was experienced in constructing roads through this camp. The rocks cropped out in points, which had to be broken with sledge hammers, or blasted with powder. Major Graves performed the important duties of superintendent of streets, and soon had a beautiful macadamized road running the whole length of the camp in front of the line officers quarters.

From the center of this road, a well constructed way led to the field officers terrace, and to the corral on the headquarters terrace. Each company street was also macadamized. The rough pointed stones which had been broken off were laid as a foundation and gravel and sand were brought in as a covering. These roads were crowned in the center, and were a most creditable production, and the source of much favorable comment and praise. Major Graves was often congratulated upon the work of his new department.

The gray walls of San Severino early attracted the attention of the soldiers. It was an old Spanish fort erected to defend the approach to Matanzas, and had just been evacuated by Spanish troops.

The Cuban visitors to camp who could make themselves understood, spread harrowing tales of death recently inflicted upon insurgents within its gloomy masonry. The old fort had been standing for centuries, and looked to the imagination like a suitable home for any kind of horror or torture. The tales told were to the effect that insurgents were often lined up in squads against the walls and shot to death, or decapitated and their bodies thrown into the bay. A special wall in the counterscarp was pointed out as the execution place.

The American soldiers, ever on the outlook for souvenirs, succeeded in probing many battered bullets from the coral masonry of this wall, which were sent home as evidence of these tales. The fort was soon occupied and used as a military prison.

Lieutenant James H. Craig of Company L was detailed as its first commander, and under him the casements were made habitable for its guards, and for the prisoners awaiting general court martial or serving sentences. An old piece of Spanish ordnance was mounted on the parapet and did duty for a sunrise and sunset gun.

This picturesque pile was always in the foreground of any outlook from the camp of the Eighth, and under its shade the men loafed, or took they daily dip in the waters of the bay. All shipping passed the fort or lay at anchor under its guns. In the morning or at night the water in front of it was alive with birds and pelicans, diving for food, with great fish bags hanging from their lower jaws, and in the lazy afternoons, these same birds were seen perched on pieces of flotsam taking siestas.

A few miles across the bay the walls of a settlement said to be occupied by Cuban insurgents, broke with a broad band of glittering white between the bright blue of the water, and the green expanse of grass and palms, which on rolling hills, rose to meet the blue sky on a distant horizon. The steady trade wind, beginning about eight in the morning, and dying away just before sunset, rendered life in the shade of the fort pleasant and comfortable, however high the thermometer mounted in the sun.

As soon as the camp was put in condition, military work outside of guard and provost duty was usually performed in the early morning or late afternoon. During the middle of the day officers and men had leisure to enjoy the pleasure of just living and being in the tropics.

Much of the hard work in unloading transports and getting the camp sites ready for occupation was done by Cubans in the employ of the government. Some two hundred of these worked about the camps in squads, under the charge of non-commissioned officers from the engineer battalion. A large number were employed in cleaning up the city, and putting it in a sanitary condition. Much work was undertaken by the government to furnish employment to the poor.

Lieutenant Colonel William Stopford was appointed general police officer for all the camps, and had quite a force of civilian employees under him. In his sanitary work he was charged with the duty of destroying the many reconcentrado huts that had been constructed on the outskirts of the town. The sides of these huts were made of dried palm bark, and the roofs were thatched with palm leaves. They had been built by the poor country people compelled to come within the lines of concentration by the Spanish soldiery. Their owners were usually glad to take the fifteen dollars offered by the government and move out. The purchase and moving out process was completed in a few minutes, and the evacuated homes set on fire.

There was a great deal of destitution throughout the cities and towns of Matanzas Province. Most of the towns had been occupied as fortified camps by the Spanish troops, and the people of the surrounding country had been brought within the limits of the camps to prevent their helping the insurgents.

The food supply was inadequate to support the population herded together in this way, and there were many deaths from starvation, and great mortality, especially among the children. Committees were formed throughout the Province for the purpose of getting food to these people. Captain Horace S. Bean of Company B was sent into the interior to organize these committees and superintend the distribution.

Chaplain George D. Sanders was detailed on special duty as chairman of the commission on charities and corrections for the District, where he served with much credit until mustered out.

Many poor people came to the camp to collect scraps of food that were thrown away. They were mostly children and were not burdened with much covering. They were special objects of pity to the soldiers, who supplied them with food and clothing. After the depots were opened in the city for the distribution of food, people were forbidden, for sanitary reasons, assembling about the mess houses.

The men were annoyed by other visitors for whom they had no compassion. There was a large variety of bugs and insects that made their homes among the coral rocks. Centipedes and tarantulas were especially unwelcome, as they formed the unpleasant habit of spending the night in flannel shirt sleeves and trouser legs, and resented being disturbed in the morning when the owner put on his clothing. Fortunately, their bites, although very painful, were not deadly. It was soon discovered that they disliked tent floors which had been washed with a solution of corrosive sublimate, and after a while these pests either died, or migrated to other quarters, where they were treated to less frequent doses of corrosive sublimate.

Everything in the City of Matanzas, including streets, people, buildings and language, were at first matters of great curiosity to the soldiers. The city was supposed to have a population of some 40,000, and was the chief sea port and capital of the province bearing the same name. The streets were narrow and ill kept. The sidewalks were not over two and a half feet wide, and most of the roadways were so rough that it would be impossible to drive a light American wagon over them without great discomfort.

The houses were mostly alike, built of stone or stucco, and many were colored a light blue or pink. They were built about a square court yard, and usually not over two stories in height. The front of the houses were flush with the sidewalks, and the windows barred on the outside. No glass was used, but behind the iron bars, were shutters, which, when opened, permitted anyone in the street to look upon the family life within the front room. The front door was usually large enough to allow a carriage to enter the house, and opened into a passageway leading to a court. The kitchen was in the corner of this court, or in a covered way leading into a back court. This back court was sometimes used as a stable, and the exit from the stable was through the court and front door of the house. Charcoal brasiers were used exclusively for cooking, and a stove was unknown. The sleeping rooms were usually upon the second floor, and opened upon a balcony, which ran around three sides of the court. In the better class of houses there was usually a fountain in the court, surrounded by flowers and shrubbery.

Owing to the absence of decent roads, everything brought from the country had to be carried upon pack horses. The milk dealers carried their cans in the pouches of a huge saddle placed upon a very small horse. Fodder was carried through the streets on similar saddles, and a horse bearing a load of grass, looked as if he was going to a masquerade disguised as a hay cock. Venders peddled bunches of poultry tied together by the legs, and fishermen went about carrying blue lobsters hanging by their tails from sticks, and advertised their wares in shrill invitations to buy "langostas frescas."

Life in the streets and in the stores, the manner of preparing and marketing foods, the different business methods, and the Spanish language as a setting to all this strangeness, was new and interesting. The men enjoyed the custom of storekeepers charging different prices to officers and enlisted men over the same counter for the same article, and the bland way a haberdasher would meet an officer's protest, by telling him that everything ought to cost him more, as his pay was larger. On Sunday, the only places of business closed were the U. S. Quartermaster and Commissary Depots.

Sunday afternoons and evenings were holidays for everyone except the storekeepers, and during Lent the streets were filled with masqueraders. This manner of life was new to the men from New England. Passes to visit the city were freely issued, when not interfering with military duty, and men with good records were allowed to visit Havana for a few days.

The City Hall in Matanzas, known as the Municipal Palace, was situated on the Plaza in the middle of the city. The Plaza was planted with palms and other tropical trees, and was the center of business and social life. In the evening, one of the military bands furnished music, and the citizens promenaded or gathered about the tables in the restaurants, whose many open doors made them a continuation of the sidewalk. The buildings facing the square were stately and picturesque, and in the evening when the Plaza was thronged with merry groups, and the electric lamps sparkled among trees and fountains, life seemed very gay and foreign.

The provost guard was always on duty, and patrolled the streets to maintain order. During the last of the stay at Matanzas, Major Eldredge acted as Provost Marshal, and Companies M, E, K, and H were detached from the regiment as a permanent part of his guard, and were quartered in the old Spanish barracks.

On January 20th, the Cubans began a celebration in honor of independence. No restrictions were placed upon these festivities, but troops were held in readiness to suppress disorder. Many cruelties had been inflicted upon the people of Matanzas by representatives of the Spanish Government, and intense hatred was manifested against the power that repressed them so long. As many Spaniards remained in the city, it was feared, in the enthusiasm of the celebration, some outburst of violence might occur against them. General Betancourt, who commanded the Cuban insurgents, assured General Wilson that his people were too happy to commit any breach of the peace.

Orders were issued to the troops in camp that a single gun fired from San Severino, was the signal to assemble, and that any disturbance was to be at once suppressed. At the end of the boulevard, near its entrance to the city, a marble statute of Alphonse XII, King of Spain, was walled up in a brick casing to hide it, and preserve it as a work of art against vandalism.

The celebration was held in a most peaceable and orderly manner, and was a joyful expression of gratitude for deliverance from oppression. Extensive preparations were made by the people; public and private buildings were decorated, and numerous arches spanned the streets, bearing appropriate inscriptions in both Spanish and English. One arch bore the inscription, "Hurrah for us." The word "us" painted in small letters, referred to the United States, and was evidently the way the author remembered the marks on Government property. The American and Cuban flags were waved together throughout the city.

The exercises commenced with a street parade of Cuban troops, the fire department, school children and citizens. The Eighth Drum Corps did duty at the head of the insurgent soldiers. In the afternoon, vespers were held in the Cathedral, and at night there was a display of fireworks and general public rejoicing throughout the city.

An interesting feature of the celebration took place the next day opposite the camp of the Eighth, where a solemn high mass of requiem was celebrated to the memory of some sixty persons who had been garroted on the spot by the public executioner. These were political prisoners who had suffered in the death chair, by having their necks broken while held in an iron collar, by a screw driven against their spinal cord, and operated on the back of the chair, very much as the screw of a letter press is worked.

An altar, covered with black velvet and decorated with silver fringe, was erected on the site of these executions. The priests and acolytes were dressed in black. During the services the Cuban soldiers rested on their arms, and formed a military guard about the altar. The Eighth Regiment and the Cuban Infantry Bands furnished music for the mass. The relatives of the persons executed attended in deep mourning, and added to the solemnity of the services by their expressions of intense grief. The corner stone of a monument to the memory of these patriots was laid with Catholic ceremonies. A detail from the Engineer Battalion prepared and lowered this stone in place during the ceremonies.

In the afternoon the school children, dressed in American and Cuban colors, led by the Eighth Regiment Drum Corps, paraded and held a festival in the theatre. During the evening there were numerous balls and fetes and further exercises in the theatre. Twenty men from each company were given passes and allowed to go into town. On January 23rd the celebration concluded with a review of all the troops, before the Municipal Palace, to show that the American troops sympathized with the inhabitants in their festivities.

On February 9th, a shot was fired by a member of the Eighth Regiment in the discharge of his duty. It was the stormiest night the regiment experienced in Cuba. About midnight the sentinel in front of the Colonel's quarters thought he saw two men coming from the hills and creeping towards the tents. They refused to halt when challenged. The sentinel rested his rifle over a corner of the tent, with the muzzle a few inches above the Colonel's ear and fired. The sentinel reported that one of the men uttered an exclamation in good strong English, and the two beat a hasty retreat. As an investigation disclosed two goats in rear of the camp, it was generally supposed that the sentinel attributed some general remarks of the Colonel about this occurrence, to one of the goats.

On February 11th all the troops at Matanzas were reviewed by General Breckenridge, Inspector General of the United States Army. The review took place upon the boulevard, and was followed by a careful inspection of the camps. This inspection was thus commented upon in his official report to the War Department:--

"Matanzas Infantry Camp a model. ****** These same soldiers
had a perfect camp also at Lexington, Kentucky. Such seasoned,
well-instructed soldiers as the best of these, like the Eighth
Massachusetts, Twelfth New York, and Third Engineers, and
such handsome, healthful camps, wrung from adverse nature are
gratifying to all whoever commanded them, and are to be expected
from such officers as Generals Wilson and Sanger."

On February 20th the Regiment assisted in the reception of General Maximo Gomez, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Army. The men of the Eighth were stationed about five paces apart on each side of the streets leading from the Plaza to the railroad station. An escort consisting of six troops of the Second United States Cavalry, the fire department of the city, societies of citizens, and the school children, all under the command of Colonel Pew, met the General at the station, and conducted him between the lines of the Eighth, to the Municipal Palace. The streets were decorated with flags, and the citizens turned out in holiday apparel. The General was received with all the honors due his exalted station and standing in the island. Enthusiasm was unbounded, and the Cuban General appeared much moved by the ovation accorded him along the entire route.

Flowers were showered upon him from the balconies, and flags were everywhere waved. The General was slight in stature, appeared about seventy years of age, and was mounted on a handsome Cuban charger.

As the procession passed, the members of the Eighth fell in behind and brought up the rear in columns of fours. At the Municipal Palace the General reviewed the troops forming his escort. General Gomez remained in the city a number of days, and upon leaving was escorted to the railroad station by the Eighth.

During his stay, he visited the camps and spent some time at the target range, which had been installed under the direction of Major Eldredge. The General tried his hand at shooting, and received an excellent score card from Lieutenant Craig, who was in charge of the range. His visit was made the occasion of a reception and ball given at the theatre, by all the officers of the Garrison. This ball was the social function of the season, and was in acknowledgment of the many courtesies extended to the officers by the citizens of Matanzas.

The Twelfth New York was the first Volunteer Regiment to leave Matanzas. When the transport which was to carry it home, arrived in the bay, the band of the Eighth paraded through the line officers street, and company after company fell in and marched to the camp of the Twelfth to show the good feeling existing between the regiments. While marching over the band played "On the Bowery." As the column passed through the camp of the Twelfth, its band got together and joined the band of the Eighth on the march back, playing "Home, Sweet Home." The men of the two regiments fell in together behind the bands, and after marching through both camps, halted in the open space between the camps while the bands played "Auld Lang Syne."

On March 21st the Eighth, after evening parade, escorted the Twelfth New York to the wharf, where it embarked in lighters to go on board the transport "Meade", which sailed the following day.

On March 27th, orders were issued for the Eighth to be mustered out in Boston. On April 2nd, the transport "Meade" returned from New York, and the Eighth was ordered to embark the following day. In the evening the officers, with the band, called upon General Sanger to pay respects for the last time to their chief. During most of their service, they had served in his command. They appreciated the efforts he had made to maintain their health, and held in high esteem his qualities as an officer and soldier.

On the afternoon of April 3rd the post flag was lowered in the camp of the Eighth, and the regiment, numbering 46 officers and 1177 men, embarked. Early the next morning the transport steamed out of Matanzas Bay, and the foreign service of the regiment was ended.

Just before sailing, a messenger from the Municipal Government of Matanzas presented the Colonel with an official copy of a proclamation, which had been adopted and issued by the city the preceding day.

"TO THE EIGHTH REGIMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS.

The brief period which you have spent among us has been
sufficient to enable us to appreciate your patriotism, your great
virtues, and your self-sacrifice and generosity. An indelible
token of eternal gratitude and admiration you leave stamped upon
our hearts. You are worthy sons of George Washington.

You are returning to your beloved homes. Return then; There,
love, friendship and hope await you. Speed you, and be you happy
there, you who have accomplished in Cuba the greatest moral and
material undertaking of the 19th century. There you will be able
to hold up your heads among the great and the good; for great and
noble also are those who there have contributed to the glory of
the homeland. Believe therefore, and be assured that you leave
friends here, brethren whose gratitude will ever cause them to
love and bless you. Farewell!

Matanzas, April 3, 1899:
ALFRED O. CARNOT,
_Mayor of the City._

By order of the Council:
Municipal Residence."

_Muster Out_

The trip to Boston was uneventful, except that sea sickness among the cooks and the novelty of handling rations on board ship, somewhat disarranged the commissary department.

Early Sunday morning, April 9th, Boston Light was sighted. At quarantine, Governor Wolcott boarded the ship bringing the welcome of the Commonwealth. In the afternoon the regiment disembarked at the New England docks, and marched to the South Armory. A salute was tendered the Mayor at City Hall, and the Governor at the State House. There was a tremendous outpouring of people to welcome the troops, and their demonstration was magnificent. The soldiers marching with rhythmic swing and perfect alignment, and their brown, hearty and healthy appearance, testified to the drill and discipline they had undergone during their term of service. The regiment was furloughed to report at the South Armory on April 12th, and the companies were dismissed to their home stations, where they were received with great demonstrations of joy and many impromptu celebrations.

On April 12th the companies reported in Boston. The men were quartered in the South Armory. There was practically nothing for them to do except guard duty and evening parade on Boston Common. This parade daily attracted a large crowd of spectators. The clerical force of each company however, was busy on the muster out rolls, and the quartermaster's department was straightening out its accounts with the government, and getting ready for the final reckoning.

On April 19th the men were dismissed to report on April 28th, which was the day selected for mustering out the regiment.

A day or so previous to muster out a change occurred in the commissioned officers of the regiment. Captain Jacob C. R. Peabody of Company H, resigned to accept a position on General Ludlow's staff. First Lieutenant Augustus G. Reynolds was promoted to captain of the company, and Second Lieutenant William F. Young of Company D became first lieutenant of Company H, while Color Sergeant William F. Marston of Company G was commissioned a second lieutenant in Company D.

On the morning of April 28th the Eighth reported for its last day of duty. It did not take long to set the wheels of mustering out in motion. Every man discharged was given two months extra pay. One hundred eight thousand dollars in gold and silver representing the amount due the men was paid out. There was a large crowd present from all the towns represented by the companies. Captain Erastus M. Weaver officiated as mustering out officer. It took about half an hour to muster out each company, and the work was completed by 5.30.

At the time of muster out, the roster of the regiment was as follows, numerous changes having taken place during its term of service.

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

Lieutenant Colonel--WILLIAM STOPFORD of Beverly.

Majors--FRANK A. GRAVES of Marblehead, and EDWARD H. ELDREDGE of Boston.

Adjutant--LIEUTENANT THOMAS H. BARROLL of Boston.

Quartermaster--LIEUTENANT CHARLES F. WONSON of Gloucester.

Surgeon--MAJOR WILLIAM COGSWELL of Boston.

Assistant Surgeons--LIEUTENANT FRANK P. T. LOGAN of Gloucester and LIEUTENANT HORACE BIRD FROST of Boston.

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, FRANK STINSON; Second Lieutenant, JAMES W. JACKMAN.

Company C, Marblehead--Captain, JAMES M. PETTENGILL; First Lieutenant, FREDERIC P. SMITH; Second Lieutenant, EDGAR J. WHELPLEY.

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

Company E, Beverly--Captain, FREDERICK W. STOPFORD; First Lieutenant, CHARLES H. FARNHAM; Second Lieutenant, LORAN J. HARVEY.

Company F, Haverhill--Captain, WILLIAM C. DOW; First Lieutenant, PER JUSTUS W. SVANBERG; Second Lieutenant, ALEXANDER ROBERTSON.

Company G, Gloucester--Captain, EDWARD J. HORTON; First Lieutenant, CHARLES M. MCISAAC; Second Lieutenant, CHARLES R. WARNER.

Company H, Salem--Captain, AUGUSTUS G. REYNOLDS; First Lieutenant, WILLIAM F. YOUNG; Second Lieutenant, THOMAS O. H. PINEAU.

Company I, Lynn--Captain, JOHN E. WILLIAMS; First Lieutenant, FRANCISCO A. DESOUSA; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM H. PERRY.

Company K, Danvers--Captain, A. PRESTON CHASE; First Lieutenant, DAVID E. JEWELL; Second Lieutenant, DAVID F. WHITTIER.

Company L, Lawrence--Captain, JAMES FORBES; First Lieutenant, JAMES H. CREIG; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM H. CLENDENNIN.

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

With the muster out of Colonel Pew, the Eighth Regiment Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V., ceased to exist, after just a year's service, reckoning from the day the rolls were opened for volunteers. It was in the service longer than any other regiment from Massachusetts, and while it never took part in a battle or skirmish, its record stands second to no other volunteer regiment in the service of the United States.

_Welcome Home_

No fault could be found by the members of the regiment with the receptions they received upon the return of the companies to the home stations. Although it was Sunday night, the enthusiasm knew no bounds, and in most places a large procession awaited the arrival of the company, took it under escort and started for the armory. Later, in most every place, official receptions were held, but they lacked the spontaneous enthusiasm which marked the welcome home on the arrival of the companies from the South Armory, Boston.

As these receptions took place within the year covered by the service of the regiment, it seems fitting that a brief account of them should find a place in this history of the organization.

Company A of Newburyport reached home about 9.15 o'clock, but its coming had been announced some two hours previously, by the sounding of the militia call on the fire alarm, consequently there was a tremendous crowd at the station, which gave the command a rousing cheer as the men stepped from the train.

A delegation of paraders were awaiting the arrival of the company and the line was soon formed in the following order; Newburyport Cadet Band; Mayor Huse and members of the city government; Company L, Massachusetts Naval Brigade; National Band of Newburyport; Company A, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.; Newburyport fire department; Newburyport Bicycle club and Shields Division, A. O. H. The line of march led through the principal streets which were packed with people who cheered and burned red fire as the company passed. Wolfe tavern was finally reached, and there the festivities of the evening ended with a supper served the members of the company.

On April 23, Company A was officially entertained at a banquet which was spread in the armory and to which some 400 people sat down. Mayor Huse presided at the after dinner exercises and there was speaking by prominent citizens.

The Amesbury company, Company B, arrived from Boston at 9.40 o'clock and found a large crowd waiting its arrival, the fire alarm having sounded the warning of the company's approach. All the business houses were brilliantly illuminated and a salute was fired as the train rolled into the station. A parade was formed and passed through the principal streets in the following order; Drum corps; veterans of Company B; E. P. Wallace Post 122, G. A. R.; high school battalion; the fire department and Company B, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.

The official welcome home took place on April 26th, when there was a public reception to the members of the company from 4 to 6 o'clock at Armory Hall, followed by a big banquet in the evening, at which time Commander Charles E. Kennard of Post 122, G. A. R. presided and speeches were made by prominent townspeople.

The Grand Army post, headed by a drum corps, and hundreds of the people of Marblehead were at the station to welcome home Company C and gave the members a rousing reception. The company was escorted to Abbot Hall, where H. C. Sparhawk, chairman of the board of selectmen welcomed them home in the name of the town, and Captain Pettengill and Lieutenant Whelpley responded for the company. The men were then dismissed.

On April 14th, the town was alive with bunting and enthusiasm, for this was the day of the official welcoming. A big parade was a feature of the day, the line being formed in the following order: Thomas Swasey, chief marshal, and staff; Excelsior Drum Corps; John Goodwin Post, G. A. R., barge containing crippled Civil War veterans; cannon captured by the U. S. S. Marblehead at Fort Cayo del Torei; Cuban mine pulled up at Guantanamo by the Marblehead, on drays; Company C, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.; officers of the fire department in carriages; Pickett Veteran Firemen's Association; Lafayette Brass Band of Salem; members of fire department; Phenix Veteran Firemen's Association; apparatus of the fire department; Thorner's Rough Riders. There was an exhibition drill by Company C, a supper and reception. The day's exercises wound up at Abbot Hall, where Henry C. Sparhawk, of the board of selectmen presided, and speeches were made by various people. Among the incidents of the day was the presentation of a button to every member of the company by the Volunteer Aid Association, through its president, Mrs. Mary E. Graves.

Central Square, Lynn, was black with people awaiting the home-coming of the members of Companies D and I of that city, and every train which passed through with companies aboard, bound homeward, was greeted with loud cheers. Finally, the Lynn companies arrived, and the air was rent with cheers, and excitement was at a high pitch. Cannon boomed and red fire was burned in quantities. Mayor Shepard had met the company at Boston, and found that it was the wish of the men to go directly home, so beyond this outburst of enthusiasm, nothing was done in the way of a welcome, the companies marching directly to the armory, and the men were there dismissed.