Raising the Regiment 9 



walks and sport, there was one topic to which, in 

 our talking, we returned, and that was the possible 

 war with Spain. We both felt very strongly that 

 such a war would be as righteous as it would be 

 advantageous to the honor and the interests of the 

 nation ; and after the blowing up of the Maine, we 

 felt that it was inevitable. We then at once began 

 to try to see that we had our share in it. The 

 President and my own chief, Secretary Long, were 

 very firm against my going, but they said that if I 

 was bent upon going they would help me. Wood 

 was the medical adviser of both the President and 

 the Secretary of War, and could count upon their 

 friendship. So we started with the odds in our 

 favor. 



At first we had great difficulty in knowing exactly 

 what to try for. We could go on the staff of any 

 one of several Generals, but we much preferred to 

 go in the line. Wood hoped he might get a com- 

 mission in his native State of Massachusetts ; but in 

 Massachusetts, as in every other State, it proved 

 there were ten men who wanted to go to the war for 

 every chance to go. Then we thought we might 

 get positions as field-officers under an old friend of 

 mine, Colonel now General Francis V. Greene, 

 of New York, the Colonel of the Seventy-first ; but 

 again there were no vacancies. 



Our doubts were resolved when Congress author- 



