FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169  
170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   >>   >|  
st Lieutenant, 24th U.S. Infantry. RECOLLECTIONS OF THE SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN, BY CAPTAIN R.H.R. LOUGHBOROUGH, 25TH U.S. INFANTRY. The 25th U.S. Infantry left its stations in Montana on the 10th of April, 1898; six companies (B, C, D, E, F and H) went in camp at Chickamauga National Park; the other two companies (A and G) went to Key West, Fla. On May 6th the six companies at the Chickamauga National Park moved by rail to Tampa, Fla., arriving the night of the 7th, where they were joined by the two companies from Key West. With the exception of three days in 1870, the regiment had never been together since its organization in 1869. It necessarily followed that many of the officers, as well as men, were strangers to each other. Our camp at Tampa was fair; the ground is sandy and flat, but as the rainy season had not set in, it was dry and the health was good. Drills and parades were held daily (Sundays excepted), but on account of the intense heat the hours for it were limited to the early mornings and after sunset. The clothing of the men was the same they had worn in Montana, and did not add to their comfort. Supplies of all kinds (except rations) came by piecemeal, and we finally sailed for the tropics with the same clothing used in the Northwest. At 6 o'clock P.M. June 6th the regiment received orders to strike tents and be ready to move within an hour; the order was immediately complied with, though the necessary transportation to move the baggage did not report until the forenoon of the following day; it was not far from noon when the last of it left the camp for the railroad station, en route to Port Tampa, where we were to embark on transports for the seat of war. As soon as the camp equipage was started, the regiment was formed and marched to West Tampa (about three miles), where we took a train for Port Tampa, distant nine miles. On arrival, the regiment boarded the steamer "Concho," one of the vessels to carry the expedition to its destination. The 4th U.S. Infantry had preceded us, and the next day a battalion of the 2d Massachusetts Volunteers was put on, but owing to the crowded condition of the ship, a few days later they were transferred to another vessel. The "Concho" is a large ship, but withou
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169  
170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

companies

 

regiment

 

Infantry

 

clothing

 

Concho

 

Montana

 

National

 

Chickamauga

 
complied
 

forenoon


vessel

 

immediately

 
transportation
 
baggage
 

report

 

orders

 

tropics

 

Northwest

 

received

 

withou


strike
 

equipage

 

vessels

 
condition
 

crowded

 

steamer

 

arrival

 

boarded

 

expedition

 

destination


Volunteers

 

battalion

 

preceded

 
distant
 

transports

 
embark
 

railroad

 
station
 
Massachusetts
 

transferred


sailed
 

started

 
formed
 

marched

 

excepted

 

arriving

 

joined

 

exception

 
organization
 

necessarily