St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

Page 168 text:

2 etii ill 95' da ,,,, L ,,., 4 i HARNESSING A MULE Our rations consisted chielly of hardtack, and for the iirst time we realized the reason for undergoing such a strict examination of our teeth, and wondered why the examining board was not more particular as to the ability of our digestive organs. However, the hardtack was in abundance, and served very well as name cards on which our addresses were written. These were tossed to some fair, one who, by chance, might be standing along the line as we passed through. The greatest disappointment imaginable was to spy the queen of the town, and with all exactness possible sail the would-be name card in her direc- tion, only to have it caught by a teasing breeze and carried to the feet of some old negro mammy, who, thinking it to be a chip, carried it home to start the fire in the morning. In time we came to Memphis, Tenn., which we thought was almost to the Border, and then the great, Hat rice-raising State of Arkansas. This was the hrst State that looked altogether different from our dear old Maryland. Cotton fields and rice fields passed by in rapid succession. Every now and then we would come to a little town. invariably the whole population was on the station platform to greet us. Few stops were made in iArkansas, and at 5 P. M. July gd we crossed the line at Texarkana into the great State of Texas-Texas, that l . .. e, I REsTlNc V 165

Page 167 text:

ig f 4.04 ,,,, A .Junk ,,,, 4 , ZMHZWW gm. i t f my V - . i l anti! v XM iff'-9 . ' -lv fi'44+'-Y' r .. A' .- . U nys- , . . ...gg t 'L -.JAM ' 'A QW' 'N APTILLERY possibly use was showered upon us. Never before had the reality of being a true soldier appealed to us as it did at Laurel. Everybody told us how brave we were, and how we would be missed. Our importance in this world had never seemed so evident. Bundles, which we called letters, arrived daily, the majority of which, in many cases, were in the same handwriting. How hard it was to lay one of them aside when detailed for kitchen duty! On June goth our stay at Laurel ended. At last we were to leave. XVe broke camp and marched through Laurel to the railroad. And did Laurel sit up and noisily send us away? Not at all. But nevertheless we were glad and anxious to be on our way, though we knew not where. Sundown found us speeding on our way to Texas. To relate the many interesting events that happened on our trip to the Border would be a book itself, so we must omit the greater part of them. At every station we were hailed as the brave men who were going to light the Greasers. Sometimes we were led to believe that this was true, for at Cin-- cinnati the lfzfjzzirer published, VVar with Mexico Inevitable. Upon reading this our blood tingled with eagerness to get on the tiring line Qor back homej. Y IN CAMP 164

Page 169 text:

ig K 40.6 ,,,, ,limi ,,,, A 4 ,,, AMll 1 ggi-mi SEARCHING A MEXICAN grand old State of our imagination, clothed by forests in the northern part, covered with cotton fields in the central and composed of sand in the southern. At last we were there. In truth, some of us expected to find it a great desert as soon as we crossed the line from Arkansas, but we were mistaken. All night we rode through the forest. There was no end to the trees. They stretched all around us, and, except for the narrow path of the railroad, covered the ground as a. carpet might cover a floor. NfVe went to sleep that night thinking we must be mistaken about Texas and wishing for the wide-open places, even though they might be nothing but sand. Alas, how we later wished for those same trees! But ignorance is bliss, so let us continue. Bright and early the next morning, July 4th, our three trains came to XVaco and were greeted by the noise of firecrackers and the tiring of guns. Some of us, being rather timid now that we had almost gotten to our journey's end, thought perhaps Villa was making a 1'Zl.iCl, but the appearance of many young ladies caused our fears to abate, and we found it was the Fourth of July. It was here in Waco that Bill DeVries and Bull Turner iirst learned what the term military discipline really meant. Hearing the noise of the fireworks and fearing the worst, these two brave lads ducked back under cover Cbed coversj, and consequently missed reporting for the detail to which they had been assigned, and as a result were put under cover Qguardj the remainder of the trip. NVe left NVaco shortly and started south again-south, ever south. You see, we wondered about this time where we were really going anyway. But we knew that we were rapidly coming to our journey's end, and sure enough the 166