Twelve Months with the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry in the Service of the United States. Harry Endicott Webber
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:—
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