Vou. VEEL Na 6
NEW HAVEN, CONN., THURSDAY, OCTOBER. 2V,
TROOP A IN THE FIELD.
SKetch of an Organization with a
Large Yale Wembership.
By Stowe PHEtpPs, Yale ’go.
At five o’clock on the morning of the
2d of May, 1898, eighty-four men of
Troop A, New York, were hurriedly
putting on their uniforms at their vari-
ous homes to answer the bugle call at
the Armory that was to send them “to
the front” to fight for their country.
How inspiring that thought was to us,
as we realized that before us lay all the
possibilities that “war? meant—adven-
ture, .daring, bravery, fighting, vic-
tories, glory—it made the buttons
across the chest creak;—sleeping on the
ground, soaking rains, hardtack and
bacon, and bacon and hardtack,—and
the strain on the buttons ceased.
Among those present at the first roll
call were: Ist Sergeant A. R. Moén,
"89 S.; Sergeant Stowe Phelps, ’90;
Corporal G. B. Hoppin, ’91; Corporal
W.R. Wright, ’94; Privates L. A. Con-
ner -e7 os - Dick -Manning,* 02 Ss
Chates & <Hiickox, jr., “037 LL. Pe
Gillespie, 94; F. L. Polk, ’94; George
O. Redington, 94 L.S.; E. V. Cox,
'94 S35 ede Lee, - 65; S. R- Hal;
"05 > ae Ouitiby; “oO S35 Ace.
Brown, ’96S.; Fritz Hoeninghaus, ’96;
Dunn McKee, ’96; Amos Pinchot, ’97.
The troops rode down Fifth avenue,
where kid-gloved applause in a quantity
that was quite comme il faut was heard;
but when the East side was reached it
was there that the cheers and shouts of
the crowd made us feel that we would
do our best to deserve them or die in
the attempt. :
Camp Black at Hempstead came in
sight about sundown and by taps at
nine-thirty that night we were all under
canvas. Next morning we awoke to
realize that the nearest water for our-
selves was nearly a quarter of a mile
away and for thé horses almost two
miles! This condition of affairs was
not remedied for nearly three weeks, and
had it not been for Harry Whitney
(Yale, 794), who sent a watering cart
over to us twice a day from his country
place, we should have been in a sad
plight. When it is said that water was
scarce, it is meant, water in an available
form; for shortly the rains descended
and continued to do so the greater part
of the time we were there. Not little
showers, were they, but good business-
like easterly storms that flooded the
ground ankle deep with water, put out
all the fires, so that mess could not be
cooked, and soaked and chilled one to
the marrow. Everything was damp and
dripping, and we piled on all the shirts
and sweaters we had to try and keep
warm. It was on such a day that Jim
Terry (a brother of Wyllys Terry, ’85)
lost his blanket in the guard house.
After a vain search he shook his head
philosophically and remarked: “Well, I
am thankful I have on a good warm
pair of suspenders anyhow.” To cap
the climax, the stable sergeant came
along and borrowed his last half bottle
of whiskey to give to a horse.
There was something the matter with
Camp Black. It was hardly one’s idea
of what an army camp should be. And
it was too near home; too much like
playing dolls in the back yard. Ad-
miring throngs cheered the brave boys
as they went valiantly to the war, while
loving relatives shed a silent tear, and
the next day rode out on their bicycles
and brought candies and asked you how
you liked it.
At last the good news came that we
were to be “mustered in” and go to
the front—or at least somewhere in that’
direction. Thursday, the 19th, was a
busy day with physical examinations.
Friday, the troop, in heavy marching
order, with uncovered head and raised
hand, took the oath of allegiance to the
United States and on Sunday morning
we broke camp and started back for
New York with Troop C of Brooklyn,
with which we formed the First Squad-
ron of N. Y. Vol. Cavalry. This march
was one “grand triumph” all the way
from Hempstead through Brooklyn and
over the Bridge to New York and Jer-
sey City, where we went into camp
in the stock yards for the night. It was
on the bridge, however, that an I[rish-
man hit the nail on the head when he
shouted, “But be sure ye do some-
thing, b’ys, before ye come back.” |
When the horses had been picketed
and fed at Jersey City, we were dis-
missed about io Pp. Mo. till 4 A. M. next
morning, and the men all rushed to New
York for a farewell bath and a farewell
dinner. There were humorous aspects
of the position of men in an organiza-
tion like Troop A, as when a crowd left
the best dinner the Waldorf could
afford, and with Invincibles in their
mouths and Extra Dry under their
arms, proceeded in cabs back to Jersey
City, where they took off their coats
and went to grooming horses.
AT CAMP ALGER.
We reached Camp Alger, some 15
miles from Washington, about II P. M.
Monday night, fell off our horses and
slept where we fell. By noon next day
our camp was in working order, which
caused Gen. Graham to remark: “Those
New York swells are under canvas al-
ready, while that regiment of Pittsburg
miners has been here three weeks and
haven’t half their tents up yet.”
Here again the water for man and
beast was as far away as it had been
at Camp Black, only there was much
less of it. As Laurie Lee remarked,
squinting at his pipe: “It seems to be
a strategic principle of camp selection
to put it as far away from water as
possible.” Other regiments were still
worse off. It was said in one case that
the men had to go two miles for water
and then it could be obtained only in
very small quantities. Baths were
necessarily at such a premium that they
were never indulged in by the men of
the rank and file of the army. ‘This of
course did not help other unsanitary
conditions. It was not long before
typhoid fever appeared. That was the
awful part of the business to see man
after man carried to the hospitals and to
feel that you might be the next. One
might seek Spanish bullets with eager-
ness, but it was too cold-blooded to be
taken off by the fever.
At Camp Alger one’s ideas of a sol-
dier’s life was realized. The day be-
gan with reveille at 5.30; then mess,
followed by “‘stables’”—watering, feed-
ing and grooming the horses. After
this a short respite till morning drill.
Mess again at noon, and afternoon drill
with mess at 6 o’clock and retreat.
Tattoo was at 9 and taps at 9.30 and
most of the men were asleep long be-
fore. Here too, the stage setting was
correct. Here was the rolling country
with the camps scattered around in the
open fields and clearings in the woods.
Here were the picturesque mule wagons
winding over the hills and here were
the sutlers with all sorts of things to
eat and drink, and with their shooting
galleries and other side shows.
Many new recruits came with the
second call for volunteers when the
troop was increased to 103. Among
them were Billy Williams, ’84; Letch-
THE NEW ZETA PSI HALL.
worth Smith, ’94; “Pete” Stillman, ’94;
“Little George’ Adee, ’95; Frank Har-
rison, ’95; Billy Heaton, ’96; Harry
Fisher, ’96; Geo. Batcheller, ’95; Bob
Troescher, 96 S.5 Re D Mills. 07,
It was not till now that the war be-
gan to seem a real thing. The first
troops would soon land in Cuba and
then? Then on the Saturday before the
Fourth came the awful news that
Shafter’s line was too thin and that he
must wait for reinforcements; also that
incidentally more cavalry was wanted,
a point which especially interested us.
Every one felt we were going imme-
diately to the front and excitement ran
high. From now on till the glad news
came that we were to go to Porto Rico,
the temperament of the camp rose and
fell with a thousand rumors or “pipe
dreams” as they were called, like the
fluctuations of the stock market. One
moment all was joy because an orderly
at headquarters had heard one officer
say to another that a telegram had just
come from Washington and the next
gloom settled down, for someone had
had a letter from home which said the
wife of the General was ill.
However, on the twenty-third of July,
about midnight, the orders came “to
proceed at once to Porto Rico.” With
much energy the quartermaster and
commissary stores for 40 days were
drawn, and at 7 o'clock, the ‘General’
sounded, tents were struck and the two
troops wound down the road in the
darkness to Dunn Loring to get on the
cars for Newport News. Here we were
kept only three days and then put on
“Transport No. 22, Q. M. D.” otherwise
the “Massachusetts.” The bad manage-
ment on this boat is notorious and
[Continued on 49th page.|
The New Zeta Psi Hall.
In this issue is printed the cut of the
new hall of the Yale Chapter of the
Zeta Psi fraternity, which is now in
the course of erection on the site of the
old house’ on .York street. The new
building will incorporate only the side
walls of the former structure. It will
be two stories in height and have a
width of twenty-five feet and a depth of
one hundred and ten feet.
The front elevation will be entirely
Indiana limestone, and the walls of the
addition in front of the old building
will be of Roman brick. The con-
struction account calls for an outlay
of $20,000.
Work was begun early in September
and the house will be ready for occu-
pation by February first. Messrs.
Buchman and Deisler of New York are
the architects. Mr. D. G. Carmichael
of New Haven has charge of the con-
struction. 3
ywys
Bp LO SF
The WVale’s Flags.
A final disposition of the flags of
the U. S. Cruiser Yale has not yet been
made, and they still lie in the Chitten-
den Library. -President Dwight when
seen on Tuesday was of the opinion
that the flags would be placed some-
where on the walls of the Library, and
in his estimation this would be the best
location.
The Corporation will probably make
a disposition of the relics at its next
meeting.
