Campaign of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry / April 25-November 11, 1898

s of the place, gained from observations taken the morning after their arrival, would have been disagreea

e tents of

h the rain a

g of sadness

arts could

to disturb the men. Captain Groome and his lieutenants had planned plenty of work for the men, however, and as soon as their minds were once occupied they began to feel bet

ason the men enjoyed a daily bath. The Philadelphia infantry commands had been assigned the worst quarters at Mt. Gretna. They occupied a deep basin, fully a mile and a half from the station and telegraph office, and during the entire time the First, Second,

een well sheltered in the woods near the camp, but men and beasts alike were glad when they saw the bright sun on Saturday morning. These weather conditions quickly wrought a great change throughout the miles of tented streets. Soldiers

ed that the Troop would not be allowed to enlist as a whole, but that the men would be called upon to enter the volunteer service as individuals. These rumors soon died away, however, and on Monday when the men were lined up and asked if they were willing to enter the service of th

ell addressed the officers as follows: "Is it your desire that I should request the Governor of Pennsylvani

esire to serve, and Governor Hastings at once responded that it would

soon whispered that it would not be long before some of the men encamped at Mt. Gretna would be on their way to these distant islands in the Pacific. Daily drills were taken up with added interest. Wednesday and Thursday were rainy. The brigade surgeons were being examined, and all was put in readin

ajor William A. Thompson, of the First U. S. Cavalry, the officer detailed by the War Department to muster the Pennsylvania National Guard troops into the Volunteer service of the United States; Governor Hastings and his staff, and hundreds of spectators.

erve them faithfully against all their enemies whomsoever, and that you will obey the orders of the President o

nd, struck up "The Star Spangled Banner." The officers' commissions were then filled in by the Governor and handed to their owners. Back to their camp marched the Troope

s. In regular cloud-bursts the floods descended upon Camp Hastings. The camp of the Troopers was surrounded by hills on three sides, and down these hills came innumerable streams, all headed for the Troop street. Visitors in large numbers had come out from the city on the long excursion trains, and many were half ferried, half driven to camp in an old wagon which seemed especially designed to do service as a boat. Bad as was the Troopers' lot, it was

pon Tuesday they were called to bid farewell to the men of Ba

er army. There were at that time 10,860 in all, and a grand review by the Governor was planned for the next afternoon. As if to compensate for past sins and sins to come, the weather for that day was perfect, and by three o'clock on Saturday afternoon the various troops and regi

ains of "Hail to the Chief." The lack of proper music was the only drawback to this occasion. Then the order to march came; the man

ed his orders the Sunday following the review, and attempted to get off that afternoon, but railroad facilities w

ippines, and it was supposed by some that he would take the Troopers with him. This rumor was in a measure substantiated by the orders which came for the Tenth Regiment to prepare to take a journey to the islands. For, like the Troopers, the Tenth had just previously been ordered to report to General Merritt,

ped and mounted, and owned all their equipments and horses, Captain Groome offered to Governor Hastings, and through him to the Secretary of War, to transfer immediately all the horses and troop property of every description to the United States, to be settled for at any time and price satisfactory to the Government.

, through the Associated Press despatches, that the Pennsylvania Cavalry were to be ordered at once to Hempstead, L. I., to camp there until wanted. Saturday noon Captain Groome returned. He borrowed thirty horses belonging to the Sheridan Troop and took one-half of the City Troopers out for drill. W

ourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Eighteenth. Most of these men came from distant parts of the State. In the afternoon Sergeant Glendinning tried some experiments in

n a small scale. The exercise was splendid, but no tramps were found. That night a baby cyclone struck the camp. The wind got in its fine work about one o'clock in the morning, and the Troopers had to

der of the day, in

m. Fir

eveille r

Setting u

a. m.

. Poli

. Guar

a. m.

Inspection

m.

m.

p. m.

Retreat

. m. T

. m.

sh work. One platoon would start, under the command of an officer, telling the general direction it would take, and having gone a certain distance would establish outposts of an imaginary camp, twenty minutes later a second platoon would start on a march through the country, throwing out flankers and advance guard. The men of the two platoons wearing different colors on their hats so as to distingui

that went over the triple muster rolls of the entire quota of Pennsylvania volunteers, for Major Thompson, and their quick, accurate work helped greatly in the rapid

ce, but that each day's drill was part of a general plan of their officers, that would gradually improve their physical condition and bring them to a high state of efficiency as a Troop when they were neede

TICE AT CAM

upon the waiting list of the opportunity that would be thus offered. Two days later the Paymaster reached camp for the first time. Three members of the Troop were sent to Harrisburg to secure the cash, and that night the men had their first look at Government money; for in their previous campaigns, as