Hide Article Text (OCR)
DOWN TO BUSINESS.aCompany “M” Boys Like The NewSurroundings And Write Interesting Letters About CampLife.WHAT FRED MILLS IS DOINGProf. and Mrs. Mills received the following interesting letter from theirson Fred A. Mills:Camp thomas, Chickamauga park,July 9, 1868Dear Parents:—I arrived at Camp Thomas yesterday at 11:30 after a ride of 18 hours on the train. We walked three miles and a half from the station, called Lytle, to our camp. There are 55,000 soldiers here now. It makes a heap. The camp ground is about twenty miles square. ■There is lots of shade here but the drill grounds are open fields. It gets pretty hot but a person don’t mind it as much as at Camp Bushneli. Of course I have been here but two days and 1 don’t know ail about it yet, but so far I tbink I shall be satisfied.A person could spend a dollar a day here and not know it.There are pavillions, theaters, lunch counters and every thing else. Every regiment has a stand called a “canteen’ at which you can buy anything you want to eat or drink.These stands take in about $5.00 a day. lu fact they can not keep enough stock on hands. Now you can imagine what kind of a “pujh” there is here.Where they sell beer there is such a crowd that they do not pay much attention to a fellow unless he calls four or five drinks for himself at a time.Borne fellows who have been here have no money. They were paid on the 4th.I mess with the first sergeant now I am glad I do not have to do any guard duty. We got our guns today and took our first drill with “shootin irons”. It is no snap.We have got little pup tents and two sleep in one tent. We will get big tents though very soon. We can get a bath here for 20 cents. The water is not quite as good as at Bushneli.We get good stulf to eat here. You would think fruit would be cheap, well orauges are two for five and they art the size of walnuts, and bananas are three for five. I am not eating any fruit.We are to be vaccinated this afternoon. 1 expect I will have my arm in a sling for a whiie.I guess I will get my picture taken in fuil uniform. 1 can get them for 75 cents a half dozen. There are fiveor six galleries on the groundsr Becond lieutenant just said we would be iiabletogo to Porto Iticoas our colonel is to be brig, gene’i or some big oflicer on that expedition. 1 think govenor of the island. You ought to see the “rough riders” bore. They make a grand appearance.We traveled through the Cumberland mountains. It is a bum country. The largest cornfield I saw was about the size of Grandpa Cusac’s roasting ear patch. Ail the houses are little log huts and about two miles to four and live apart.We arrived In Cincinnati after dark. I was awake before daylight and the largest city I saw between Lexiugton Ky. and Chickamauga was not as large as Bruunersburg. Another thing, and without lieing a bit, I saw about 100 washings and every one hung on the fences. 1 will bet they do not know there are such things as clothes lines. We went through 25 tunnels. At some places in the mountains the rail n ad was so crooked we would meet ourselves coming hack. Only once did we ride in the clouds. Home places we could look down on one side of the coach about a half a mile and straight up on the other side about the same distance. Lookout mountains is a beautiful place to look at from Chickamauga. There are buildings up on the top and street cars run up to the peak.It costs 50 cents to go to Chickamauga and back from the camp. I do not think I will make over three or four trips a day. Only one pass out of each company is allowed a day.With kkindest regards to you all, 1 am,Very truly,Fred A Mills,al sirens impressionsA1 V. Bieren in a letter to his mother says:We reached this camp today at 4:35 p. m. Everybody in good health. I am feeiiug fiae never felt better in my life than I do today after oua long ride from Camp Bushneli. We left Columbus at 6 p. in. Thursday and were on a continious ride for 22 hours.We have joined our regiment. The regiment had orders to go to Bantiago
Newspaper Details
Defiance Daily Crescent
Defiance, Ohio, US
Tue, Jul 12, 1898
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Bowling G.
OH, USA 06 Mar 2019
Other Publications Near Defiance, Ohio
Defiance Evening News
Defiance Daily Crescent
Defiance Express
Defiance Daily Crescent News
The Crescent-News
