White Feather Crowd
Title
White Feather Crowd
Subject
Shame Being Heaped on the Men who Flickered -- The Oxford Company Ordered Home -- Why Holt's Men Qualified -- General Cotton to Be one of the Majors of the Second Regiment. Thousands Visited the Camp Yesterday.
Description
(Special to the Messenger)
Raleigh, N.C., May 15. -- The crowd at Camp Bryan Grimes today broke the record in point of size. Excursionists from Goldsboro and Durham had a grand time. Several thousand people saw the battalion drills and dress parade.
The Second regiment companies which are now in camp in tents, will tomorrow morning be moved into the fair grounds. The reason of this is that Golonel Burgwyn desires to have all regiments together. Four of its companies will then be in tents and eight in buildings. The delay in the arrival of tents is remarkable and their non-arrival is the cause of removal to the fair grounds.
There has been no end of talk about the manner in which thirteen of the men of Captain Holt's (Burlington) company of the Second regiment refused to be mustered in. So many statements are current about the matter that your correspondent had a talk with Captain Holt this afternoon and got his statement. Captain Holt said:
"Eighty-one of my men were exhamined, passed, and were accepted. I ordered them to fall in for mustering and several asked if they were going to take the oath. I replied yes; then these said they objected to being with the members of the Washington company whom I induced to join my company. This was the excuse they gave, and the declared they would follow anywhere. Then thirteen of them declined to be mustered. Those who did were all Burlington men. The Washington men stuck to me. Colonel Burgwyn talked to these recalcitrant, advised them to put aside their differences and stay in the company, but they were heedless of his words, so we fired them out of camp. Liutenant Britton has gone to Greensboro after men and we will get them from there, Wilkesboro and Asheville. I have until Tuesday to make up my company, and believe I will suceed tomorrow. I had 113 men for examination on the 13th, instant and thirteen jumped me on Saturday. It looks like unlucky numbers, does it not?"
Captain Skinners company from Oxford failed today and will leave for home tomorrow morning. Captain Skinner said to me:
" The adjutant general telegraphed me I could come to camp with sixty men and recruit. I came with fifty and went up today with eighty -four to be examined. six were examined, all were rejected, and then the doctors told me that if I did not recruit by tonight I must leave camp, as my time was up. I knew I would be short thirty men, and that it would be impossible for me to be mustered in. Sixteen of my men have gone with Captain Bell's company of Rutherfordton, and four have joined Captain Cotten's Tarboro company, making both of these companies full. Todays failure was the second time my men 'flickered.' I take all the Oxford men of my company."
Captain Cotten had a hard time today. He said to me: "This morning I had eighty men in line ready to be mustered in; when the command was given 'hold up your right hands,' four kept their hands down. I got three of these back, and while doing this four or five left. I took the uniforms off them and ordered them to leave. " But at 6 o'clock captain Cotten's troubles were over. He got enough men and they were mustered in.
Edmund Jones' company from Caldwell and Burke brought 104 men and fourteen failed to pass the surgeons, leaving him just enough. He will be mustered in in the morning, he says. They are a very fine looking body of men.
One of the surgeons said: "It required only three days to form the First regiment and it has required ten days to muster in five companies of Second.
The Gastonia company tonight occupied the tents vacated by Skinners' Oxford men.
Bell's company from Rutherfordton will be mustered in tomorrow.
It is now settled that John W. Cotten will be one of the majors of the Second regiment.
Captain Bessent was officer of the day today at Camp Grimes.
The Nanthala company is in camp in the quarters vacated by the Washington company.
The Wilmington company put up a fine drill after the dress parade of the First regiment.
The chaplain of the first regiment preached to it in the grand stand at the fair grounds this morning. His text was, " in the name of our God will we set up our banners." Over a thousand soldiers were present. The chaplain impressed upon his hearers that this was not a war of conquest or for territory, but a righteous war; that the history of Spain's bloody rule was known to all the world, and that the United States was an instrument in God's hand to relieve the oppressed people; that there are two banners, oen the banner of Christ, the other the banner of the United states -- righteousness and justice"
The adjutant general will order the Waynesville and Asheville companies here by Tuesday to fill the Second regiment.
Raleigh, N.C., May 15. -- The crowd at Camp Bryan Grimes today broke the record in point of size. Excursionists from Goldsboro and Durham had a grand time. Several thousand people saw the battalion drills and dress parade.
The Second regiment companies which are now in camp in tents, will tomorrow morning be moved into the fair grounds. The reason of this is that Golonel Burgwyn desires to have all regiments together. Four of its companies will then be in tents and eight in buildings. The delay in the arrival of tents is remarkable and their non-arrival is the cause of removal to the fair grounds.
There has been no end of talk about the manner in which thirteen of the men of Captain Holt's (Burlington) company of the Second regiment refused to be mustered in. So many statements are current about the matter that your correspondent had a talk with Captain Holt this afternoon and got his statement. Captain Holt said:
"Eighty-one of my men were exhamined, passed, and were accepted. I ordered them to fall in for mustering and several asked if they were going to take the oath. I replied yes; then these said they objected to being with the members of the Washington company whom I induced to join my company. This was the excuse they gave, and the declared they would follow anywhere. Then thirteen of them declined to be mustered. Those who did were all Burlington men. The Washington men stuck to me. Colonel Burgwyn talked to these recalcitrant, advised them to put aside their differences and stay in the company, but they were heedless of his words, so we fired them out of camp. Liutenant Britton has gone to Greensboro after men and we will get them from there, Wilkesboro and Asheville. I have until Tuesday to make up my company, and believe I will suceed tomorrow. I had 113 men for examination on the 13th, instant and thirteen jumped me on Saturday. It looks like unlucky numbers, does it not?"
Captain Skinners company from Oxford failed today and will leave for home tomorrow morning. Captain Skinner said to me:
" The adjutant general telegraphed me I could come to camp with sixty men and recruit. I came with fifty and went up today with eighty -four to be examined. six were examined, all were rejected, and then the doctors told me that if I did not recruit by tonight I must leave camp, as my time was up. I knew I would be short thirty men, and that it would be impossible for me to be mustered in. Sixteen of my men have gone with Captain Bell's company of Rutherfordton, and four have joined Captain Cotten's Tarboro company, making both of these companies full. Todays failure was the second time my men 'flickered.' I take all the Oxford men of my company."
Captain Cotten had a hard time today. He said to me: "This morning I had eighty men in line ready to be mustered in; when the command was given 'hold up your right hands,' four kept their hands down. I got three of these back, and while doing this four or five left. I took the uniforms off them and ordered them to leave. " But at 6 o'clock captain Cotten's troubles were over. He got enough men and they were mustered in.
Edmund Jones' company from Caldwell and Burke brought 104 men and fourteen failed to pass the surgeons, leaving him just enough. He will be mustered in in the morning, he says. They are a very fine looking body of men.
One of the surgeons said: "It required only three days to form the First regiment and it has required ten days to muster in five companies of Second.
The Gastonia company tonight occupied the tents vacated by Skinners' Oxford men.
Bell's company from Rutherfordton will be mustered in tomorrow.
It is now settled that John W. Cotten will be one of the majors of the Second regiment.
Captain Bessent was officer of the day today at Camp Grimes.
The Nanthala company is in camp in the quarters vacated by the Washington company.
The Wilmington company put up a fine drill after the dress parade of the First regiment.
The chaplain of the first regiment preached to it in the grand stand at the fair grounds this morning. His text was, " in the name of our God will we set up our banners." Over a thousand soldiers were present. The chaplain impressed upon his hearers that this was not a war of conquest or for territory, but a righteous war; that the history of Spain's bloody rule was known to all the world, and that the United States was an instrument in God's hand to relieve the oppressed people; that there are two banners, oen the banner of Christ, the other the banner of the United states -- righteousness and justice"
The adjutant general will order the Waynesville and Asheville companies here by Tuesday to fill the Second regiment.
Creator
The Wilmington Register.
Source
https://newscomnc.newspapers.com/image/55038132/
Publisher
Newspapers.com
Date
16 May 1898.
Rights
In public domain.
Format
Newspaper
Language
English
Type
Newspaper Article
Files
Collection
Citation
The Wilmington Register. , “White Feather Crowd,” The North Carolina Experience in the Spanish American War, accessed April 28, 2024, https://csilkenat.omeka.net/items/show/3.