Category: History - American

Springfield in the Spanish American War

Within the few years preceding the fateful one of 1898 a decided impetus had been given the military spirit in Springfield by the stationing of two additional companies of the state militia in this city. To the already organized companies, G and B of the Massachusetts Voluntee...

Chapters

20. CHAPTER XX.

While the land soldiers which Springfield furnished the government were enjoying themselves in Florida and Cuba and toying with the canned roast beef and other incidentals of a...

14. CHAPTER XIV.

Our stay on "Misery hill" lasted just seven days and in that time we learned a few things, the art of trench digging without intrenching tools, standing out in our memory as one...

13. CHAPTER XIII.

It was not exactly a joyous reunion as the companies assembled in the Santiago road that afternoon. True, we were all glad to see one another again, but the heat and burden of t...

12. CHAPTER XII.

Hardly had we passed the battery before we heard the boom of one of its guns, followed by another and another and we knew then the trouble had begun. We kept on the trail for a...

15. CHAPTER XV.

And now that the Spaniards had been conquered and Santiago was ours we found ourselves facing another enemy even more deadly than the Mauser bullets or the machete. Up to the su...

19. CHAPTER XIX.

October 3d, 1898, is one of the "star" days in the history of the Second, that being the day on which we ceased to be soldiers of the United States and became plain and humble c...

9. CHAPTER IX.

It was not until well along in the afternoon that the Knickerbocker's passengers started for the shore and as it was not all of them landed that day, the third battalion being l...

8. CHAPTER VIII.

Our voyage to Cuba on Transport No. 13, unofficially known as the Knickerbocker, will long linger in our memories. The Knickerbocker was a lovely ship but her loveliness was of...

10. CHAPTER X.

When we retired to our luxurious couches that night of June 23d, most of us, excepting the guards, anticipated sleep, but we little recked what that night had in store for us. A...

11. CHAPTER XI.

It was shortly after noon on June 30th that the "JoJo" department began to circulate the news that we were to move on to Santiago that day or the next and for the first and only...

17. CHAPTER XVII

From the beginning it was evident that our lines in Camp Wikoff were to be cast in more pleasant places than had been the case since we left Lakeland in June. To be sure the det...

18. CHAPTER XVIII.

The home coming of Springfield's soldiers was not as glittering or gay a spectacle as had been counted upon by those who watched us march away on the morning of May 3d. That mor...

16. CHAPTER XVI.

Our voyage homeward on the Mobile was not exactly a pleasant one. At the very outset we again found that in army language we were "up against it." Our entire brigade, composing...

4. CHAPTER IV.

It did not require many day's of camp life at South Framingham to convince about all of us that we were there strictly for business. The weather was rather cold and there were a...

7. CHAPTER VII.

Our stay in Tampa lasted from May 31st to June 7th and it was not wholly unenjoyable. In some respects the place was better than Lakeland, but we felt the heat far more than was...

5. CHAPTER V.

All of the time during our stay in camp speculation was rife as to when we were going to the front and how; also under what designation were we going. It had been circulated tha...

6. CHAPTER VI.

On Saturday evening, May 14, we started once more for the South, this time by train and had the distinguished honor of beating out the much-advertised 71st New York, which had b...

3. CHAPTER III.

While the naval militiamen of Springfield were being sent off to their places of duty amid the cheers of the people plans for the mobilization of the land forces of the state we...

1. CHAPTER I.

Within the few years preceding the fateful one of 1898 a decided impetus had been given the military spirit in Springfield by the stationing of two additional companies of the s...

2. CHAPTER II.

Meanwhile, and while the infantry were getting in readiness, Springfield had already sent some of her sons on duty. The naval arm of the service was in a far more advanced state...