Part 9

The houses were mostly alike, built of stone or stucco, and many were colored a light blue or pink. They were built about a square court yard, and usually not over two stories in height. The front of the houses were flush with the sidewalks, and the windows barred on the outside. No glass was used, but behind the iron bars, were shutters, which, when opened, permitted anyone in the street to look upon the family life within the front room. The front door was usually large enough to allow a carriage to enter the house, and opened into a passageway leading to a court. The kitchen was in the corner of this court, or in a covered way leading into a back court. This back court was sometimes used as a stable, and the exit from the stable was through the court and front door of the house. Charcoal brasiers were used exclusively for cooking, and a stove was unknown. The sleeping rooms were usually upon the second floor, and opened upon a balcony, which ran around three sides of the court. In the better class of houses there was usually a fountain in the court, surrounded by flowers and shrubbery.

Owing to the absence of decent roads, everything brought from the country had to be carried upon pack horses. The milk dealers carried their cans in the pouches of a huge saddle placed upon a very small horse. Fodder was carried through the streets on similar saddles, and a horse bearing a load of grass, looked as if he was going to a masquerade disguised as a hay cock. Venders peddled bunches of poultry tied together by the legs, and fishermen went about carrying blue lobsters hanging by their tails from sticks, and advertised their wares in shrill invitations to buy "langostas frescas."

Life in the streets and in the stores, the manner of preparing and marketing foods, the different business methods, and the Spanish language as a setting to all this strangeness, was new and interesting. The men enjoyed the custom of storekeepers charging different prices to officers and enlisted men over the same counter for the same article, and the bland way a haberdasher would meet an officer's protest, by telling him that everything ought to cost him more, as his pay was larger. On Sunday, the only places of business closed were the U. S. Quartermaster and Commissary Depots.

Sunday afternoons and evenings were holidays for everyone except the storekeepers, and during Lent the streets were filled with masqueraders. This manner of life was new to the men from New England. Passes to visit the city were freely issued, when not interfering with military duty, and men with good records were allowed to visit Havana for a few days.

The City Hall in Matanzas, known as the Municipal Palace, was situated on the Plaza in the middle of the city. The Plaza was planted with palms and other tropical trees, and was the center of business and social life. In the evening, one of the military bands furnished music, and the citizens promenaded or gathered about the tables in the restaurants, whose many open doors made them a continuation of the sidewalk. The buildings facing the square were stately and picturesque, and in the evening when the Plaza was thronged with merry groups, and the electric lamps sparkled among trees and fountains, life seemed very gay and foreign.

The provost guard was always on duty, and patrolled the streets to maintain order. During the last of the stay at Matanzas, Major Eldredge acted as Provost Marshal, and Companies M, E, K, and H were detached from the regiment as a permanent part of his guard, and were quartered in the old Spanish barracks.

On January 20th, the Cubans began a celebration in honor of independence. No restrictions were placed upon these festivities, but troops were held in readiness to suppress disorder. Many cruelties had been inflicted upon the people of Matanzas by representatives of the Spanish Government, and intense hatred was manifested against the power that repressed them so long. As many Spaniards remained in the city, it was feared, in the enthusiasm of the celebration, some outburst of violence might occur against them. General Betancourt, who commanded the Cuban insurgents, assured General Wilson that his people were too happy to commit any breach of the peace.

Orders were issued to the troops in camp that a single gun fired from San Severino, was the signal to assemble, and that any disturbance was to be at once suppressed. At the end of the boulevard, near its entrance to the city, a marble statute of Alphonse XII, King of Spain, was walled up in a brick casing to hide it, and preserve it as a work of art against vandalism.

The celebration was held in a most peaceable and orderly manner, and was a joyful expression of gratitude for deliverance from oppression. Extensive preparations were made by the people; public and private buildings were decorated, and numerous arches spanned the streets, bearing appropriate inscriptions in both Spanish and English. One arch bore the inscription, "Hurrah for us." The word "us" painted in small letters, referred to the United States, and was evidently the way the author remembered the marks on Government property. The American and Cuban flags were waved together throughout the city.

The exercises commenced with a street parade of Cuban troops, the fire department, school children and citizens. The Eighth Drum Corps did duty at the head of the insurgent soldiers. In the afternoon, vespers were held in the Cathedral, and at night there was a display of fireworks and general public rejoicing throughout the city.

An interesting feature of the celebration took place the next day opposite the camp of the Eighth, where a solemn high mass of requiem was celebrated to the memory of some sixty persons who had been garroted on the spot by the public executioner. These were political prisoners who had suffered in the death chair, by having their necks broken while held in an iron collar, by a screw driven against their spinal cord, and operated on the back of the chair, very much as the screw of a letter press is worked.

An altar, covered with black velvet and decorated with silver fringe, was erected on the site of these executions. The priests and acolytes were dressed in black. During the services the Cuban soldiers rested on their arms, and formed a military guard about the altar. The Eighth Regiment and the Cuban Infantry Bands furnished music for the mass. The relatives of the persons executed attended in deep mourning, and added to the solemnity of the services by their expressions of intense grief. The corner stone of a monument to the memory of these patriots was laid with Catholic ceremonies. A detail from the Engineer Battalion prepared and lowered this stone in place during the ceremonies.

In the afternoon the school children, dressed in American and Cuban colors, led by the Eighth Regiment Drum Corps, paraded and held a festival in the theatre. During the evening there were numerous balls and fetes and further exercises in the theatre. Twenty men from each company were given passes and allowed to go into town. On January 23rd the celebration concluded with a review of all the troops, before the Municipal Palace, to show that the American troops sympathized with the inhabitants in their festivities.

On February 9th, a shot was fired by a member of the Eighth Regiment in the discharge of his duty. It was the stormiest night the regiment experienced in Cuba. About midnight the sentinel in front of the Colonel's quarters thought he saw two men coming from the hills and creeping towards the tents. They refused to halt when challenged. The sentinel rested his rifle over a corner of the tent, with the muzzle a few inches above the Colonel's ear and fired. The sentinel reported that one of the men uttered an exclamation in good strong English, and the two beat a hasty retreat. As an investigation disclosed two goats in rear of the camp, it was generally supposed that the sentinel attributed some general remarks of the Colonel about this occurrence, to one of the goats.

On February 11th all the troops at Matanzas were reviewed by General Breckenridge, Inspector General of the United States Army. The review took place upon the boulevard, and was followed by a careful inspection of the camps. This inspection was thus commented upon in his official report to the War Department:--

"Matanzas Infantry Camp a model. ****** These same soldiers had a perfect camp also at Lexington, Kentucky. Such seasoned, well-instructed soldiers as the best of these, like the Eighth Massachusetts, Twelfth New York, and Third Engineers, and such handsome, healthful camps, wrung from adverse nature are gratifying to all whoever commanded them, and are to be expected from such officers as Generals Wilson and Sanger."

On February 20th the Regiment assisted in the reception of General Maximo Gomez, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Army. The men of the Eighth were stationed about five paces apart on each side of the streets leading from the Plaza to the railroad station. An escort consisting of six troops of the Second United States Cavalry, the fire department of the city, societies of citizens, and the school children, all under the command of Colonel Pew, met the General at the station, and conducted him between the lines of the Eighth, to the Municipal Palace. The streets were decorated with flags, and the citizens turned out in holiday apparel. The General was received with all the honors due his exalted station and standing in the island. Enthusiasm was unbounded, and the Cuban General appeared much moved by the ovation accorded him along the entire route.

Flowers were showered upon him from the balconies, and flags were everywhere waved. The General was slight in stature, appeared about seventy years of age, and was mounted on a handsome Cuban charger.

As the procession passed, the members of the Eighth fell in behind and brought up the rear in columns of fours. At the Municipal Palace the General reviewed the troops forming his escort. General Gomez remained in the city a number of days, and upon leaving was escorted to the railroad station by the Eighth.

During his stay, he visited the camps and spent some time at the target range, which had been installed under the direction of Major Eldredge. The General tried his hand at shooting, and received an excellent score card from Lieutenant Craig, who was in charge of the range. His visit was made the occasion of a reception and ball given at the theatre, by all the officers of the Garrison. This ball was the social function of the season, and was in acknowledgment of the many courtesies extended to the officers by the citizens of Matanzas.

The Twelfth New York was the first Volunteer Regiment to leave Matanzas. When the transport which was to carry it home, arrived in the bay, the band of the Eighth paraded through the line officers street, and company after company fell in and marched to the camp of the Twelfth to show the good feeling existing between the regiments. While marching over the band played "On the Bowery." As the column passed through the camp of the Twelfth, its band got together and joined the band of the Eighth on the march back, playing "Home, Sweet Home." The men of the two regiments fell in together behind the bands, and after marching through both camps, halted in the open space between the camps while the bands played "Auld Lang Syne."

On March 21st the Eighth, after evening parade, escorted the Twelfth New York to the wharf, where it embarked in lighters to go on board the transport "Meade", which sailed the following day.

On March 27th, orders were issued for the Eighth to be mustered out in Boston. On April 2nd, the transport "Meade" returned from New York, and the Eighth was ordered to embark the following day. In the evening the officers, with the band, called upon General Sanger to pay respects for the last time to their chief. During most of their service, they had served in his command. They appreciated the efforts he had made to maintain their health, and held in high esteem his qualities as an officer and soldier.

On the afternoon of April 3rd the post flag was lowered in the camp of the Eighth, and the regiment, numbering 46 officers and 1177 men, embarked. Early the next morning the transport steamed out of Matanzas Bay, and the foreign service of the regiment was ended.

Just before sailing, a messenger from the Municipal Government of Matanzas presented the Colonel with an official copy of a proclamation, which had been adopted and issued by the city the preceding day.

"TO THE EIGHTH REGIMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS.

The brief period which you have spent among us has been sufficient to enable us to appreciate your patriotism, your great virtues, and your self-sacrifice and generosity. An indelible token of eternal gratitude and admiration you leave stamped upon our hearts. You are worthy sons of George Washington.

You are returning to your beloved homes. Return then; There, love, friendship and hope await you. Speed you, and be you happy there, you who have accomplished in Cuba the greatest moral and material undertaking of the 19th century. There you will be able to hold up your heads among the great and the good; for great and noble also are those who there have contributed to the glory of the homeland. Believe therefore, and be assured that you leave friends here, brethren whose gratitude will ever cause them to love and bless you. Farewell!

Matanzas, April 3, 1899: ALFRED O. CARNOT, _Mayor of the City._

By order of the Council: Municipal Residence."

_Muster Out_

The trip to Boston was uneventful, except that sea sickness among the cooks and the novelty of handling rations on board ship, somewhat disarranged the commissary department.

Early Sunday morning, April 9th, Boston Light was sighted. At quarantine, Governor Wolcott boarded the ship bringing the welcome of the Commonwealth. In the afternoon the regiment disembarked at the New England docks, and marched to the South Armory. A salute was tendered the Mayor at City Hall, and the Governor at the State House. There was a tremendous outpouring of people to welcome the troops, and their demonstration was magnificent. The soldiers marching with rhythmic swing and perfect alignment, and their brown, hearty and healthy appearance, testified to the drill and discipline they had undergone during their term of service. The regiment was furloughed to report at the South Armory on April 12th, and the companies were dismissed to their home stations, where they were received with great demonstrations of joy and many impromptu celebrations.

On April 12th the companies reported in Boston. The men were quartered in the South Armory. There was practically nothing for them to do except guard duty and evening parade on Boston Common. This parade daily attracted a large crowd of spectators. The clerical force of each company however, was busy on the muster out rolls, and the quartermaster's department was straightening out its accounts with the government, and getting ready for the final reckoning.

On April 19th the men were dismissed to report on April 28th, which was the day selected for mustering out the regiment.

A day or so previous to muster out a change occurred in the commissioned officers of the regiment. Captain Jacob C. R. Peabody of Company H, resigned to accept a position on General Ludlow's staff. First Lieutenant Augustus G. Reynolds was promoted to captain of the company, and Second Lieutenant William F. Young of Company D became first lieutenant of Company H, while Color Sergeant William F. Marston of Company G was commissioned a second lieutenant in Company D.

On the morning of April 28th the Eighth reported for its last day of duty. It did not take long to set the wheels of mustering out in motion. Every man discharged was given two months extra pay. One hundred eight thousand dollars in gold and silver representing the amount due the men was paid out. There was a large crowd present from all the towns represented by the companies. Captain Erastus M. Weaver officiated as mustering out officer. It took about half an hour to muster out each company, and the work was completed by 5.30.

At the time of muster out, the roster of the regiment was as follows, numerous changes having taken place during its term of service.

Colonel--WILLIAM A. PEW, JR. of Salem.

Lieutenant Colonel--WILLIAM STOPFORD of Beverly.

Majors--FRANK A. GRAVES of Marblehead, and EDWARD H. ELDREDGE of Boston.

Adjutant--LIEUTENANT THOMAS H. BARROLL of Boston.

Quartermaster--LIEUTENANT CHARLES F. WONSON of Gloucester.

Surgeon--MAJOR WILLIAM COGSWELL of Boston.

Assistant Surgeons--LIEUTENANT FRANK P. T. LOGAN of Gloucester and LIEUTENANT HORACE BIRD FROST of Boston.

Chaplain--REV. GEORGE D. SANDERS of Gloucester.

Company A, Newburyport--Captain, ALEXANDER G. PERKINS; First Lieutenant, GEORGE W. LANGDON; Second Lieutenant, GEORGE H. DOW.

Company B, Amesbury--Captain, HORACE S. BEAN; First Lieutenant, FRANK STINSON; Second Lieutenant, JAMES W. JACKMAN.

Company C, Marblehead--Captain, JAMES M. PETTENGILL; First Lieutenant, FREDERIC P. SMITH; Second Lieutenant, EDGAR J. WHELPLEY.

Company D, Lynn--Captain, CHARLES T. HILLIKER; First Lieutenant, THOMAS J. COBY; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM F. MARSTON.

Company E, Beverly--Captain, FREDERICK W. STOPFORD; First Lieutenant, CHARLES H. FARNHAM; Second Lieutenant, LORAN J. HARVEY.

Company F, Haverhill--Captain, WILLIAM C. DOW; First Lieutenant, PER JUSTUS W. SVANBERG; Second Lieutenant, ALEXANDER ROBERTSON.

Company G, Gloucester--Captain, EDWARD J. HORTON; First Lieutenant, CHARLES M. MCISAAC; Second Lieutenant, CHARLES R. WARNER.

Company H, Salem--Captain, AUGUSTUS G. REYNOLDS; First Lieutenant, WILLIAM F. YOUNG; Second Lieutenant, THOMAS O. H. PINEAU.

Company I, Lynn--Captain, JOHN E. WILLIAMS; First Lieutenant, FRANCISCO A. DESOUSA; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM H. PERRY.

Company K, Danvers--Captain, A. PRESTON CHASE; First Lieutenant, DAVID E. JEWELL; Second Lieutenant, DAVID F. WHITTIER.

Company L, Lawrence--Captain, JAMES FORBES; First Lieutenant, JAMES H. CREIG; Second Lieutenant, WILLIAM H. CLENDENNIN.

Company M, Somerville--Captain, HERBERT W. WHITTEN; First Lieutenant, GEORGE I. CANFIELD; Second Lieutenant, FREDERICK W. PIERCE.

With the muster out of Colonel Pew, the Eighth Regiment Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V., ceased to exist, after just a year's service, reckoning from the day the rolls were opened for volunteers. It was in the service longer than any other regiment from Massachusetts, and while it never took part in a battle or skirmish, its record stands second to no other volunteer regiment in the service of the United States.

_Welcome Home_

No fault could be found by the members of the regiment with the receptions they received upon the return of the companies to the home stations. Although it was Sunday night, the enthusiasm knew no bounds, and in most places a large procession awaited the arrival of the company, took it under escort and started for the armory. Later, in most every place, official receptions were held, but they lacked the spontaneous enthusiasm which marked the welcome home on the arrival of the companies from the South Armory, Boston.

As these receptions took place within the year covered by the service of the regiment, it seems fitting that a brief account of them should find a place in this history of the organization.

Company A of Newburyport reached home about 9.15 o'clock, but its coming had been announced some two hours previously, by the sounding of the militia call on the fire alarm, consequently there was a tremendous crowd at the station, which gave the command a rousing cheer as the men stepped from the train.

A delegation of paraders were awaiting the arrival of the company and the line was soon formed in the following order; Newburyport Cadet Band; Mayor Huse and members of the city government; Company L, Massachusetts Naval Brigade; National Band of Newburyport; Company A, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.; Newburyport fire department; Newburyport Bicycle club and Shields Division, A. O. H. The line of march led through the principal streets which were packed with people who cheered and burned red fire as the company passed. Wolfe tavern was finally reached, and there the festivities of the evening ended with a supper served the members of the company.

On April 23, Company A was officially entertained at a banquet which was spread in the armory and to which some 400 people sat down. Mayor Huse presided at the after dinner exercises and there was speaking by prominent citizens.

The Amesbury company, Company B, arrived from Boston at 9.40 o'clock and found a large crowd waiting its arrival, the fire alarm having sounded the warning of the company's approach. All the business houses were brilliantly illuminated and a salute was fired as the train rolled into the station. A parade was formed and passed through the principal streets in the following order; Drum corps; veterans of Company B; E. P. Wallace Post 122, G. A. R.; high school battalion; the fire department and Company B, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.

The official welcome home took place on April 26th, when there was a public reception to the members of the company from 4 to 6 o'clock at Armory Hall, followed by a big banquet in the evening, at which time Commander Charles E. Kennard of Post 122, G. A. R. presided and speeches were made by prominent townspeople.

The Grand Army post, headed by a drum corps, and hundreds of the people of Marblehead were at the station to welcome home Company C and gave the members a rousing reception. The company was escorted to Abbot Hall, where H. C. Sparhawk, chairman of the board of selectmen welcomed them home in the name of the town, and Captain Pettengill and Lieutenant Whelpley responded for the company. The men were then dismissed.

On April 14th, the town was alive with bunting and enthusiasm, for this was the day of the official welcoming. A big parade was a feature of the day, the line being formed in the following order: Thomas Swasey, chief marshal, and staff; Excelsior Drum Corps; John Goodwin Post, G. A. R., barge containing crippled Civil War veterans; cannon captured by the U. S. S. Marblehead at Fort Cayo del Torei; Cuban mine pulled up at Guantanamo by the Marblehead, on drays; Company C, Eighth Massachusetts Infantry, U. S. V.; officers of the fire department in carriages; Pickett Veteran Firemen's Association; Lafayette Brass Band of Salem; members of fire department; Phenix Veteran Firemen's Association; apparatus of the fire department; Thorner's Rough Riders. There was an exhibition drill by Company C, a supper and reception. The day's exercises wound up at Abbot Hall, where Henry C. Sparhawk, of the board of selectmen presided, and speeches were made by various people. Among the incidents of the day was the presentation of a button to every member of the company by the Volunteer Aid Association, through its president, Mrs. Mary E. Graves.

Central Square, Lynn, was black with people awaiting the home-coming of the members of Companies D and I of that city, and every train which passed through with companies aboard, bound homeward, was greeted with loud cheers. Finally, the Lynn companies arrived, and the air was rent with cheers, and excitement was at a high pitch. Cannon boomed and red fire was burned in quantities. Mayor Shepard had met the company at Boston, and found that it was the wish of the men to go directly home, so beyond this outburst of enthusiasm, nothing was done in the way of a welcome, the companies marching directly to the armory, and the men were there dismissed.