ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 75 



Mr. E. H. Goldsmith: Please tell the number of lost in the First Regi- 

 ment. 



Answer: At last reports we had lost 88 men. We have a great many- 

 more who are still very sick. Few know what is going on right in our midst. 

 One of our boys came to me and said: "This is the first time I have been 

 up since we got home. They had to lance fifty bed sores on my back. 

 Have got a doctor's bill of $143.00 and no money. What am I going to do V 



Mr. Bates: The papers reported that at one time you threatened the* 

 railway to seize a train to embark your sick soldiers. What is the truth 

 of it? 



Answer: I had a very trying experience. I had 250 very sick men and 

 had tried in every way to get what was my right, that is a sleeping berth 

 for every sick man. I then got my people in Chicago to telegraph that I 

 might draw on them for any amount of money to get the sleeping cars. 

 Finally I arranged to get what we called a hospital train. One evening I 

 received orders from Gen. Shatter to have my regiment ready to embark on 

 the train the next morning early, and at 5 o'clock everything was packed 

 and our baggage sent to the trains and most of our sick sent down, and I 

 was just moving my regiment when word came that thote trains were not 

 for us, that I must get my baggage back. I sent down after the baggage and 

 it was brought back, and the sick men were just about to be moved back, 

 when orders came again that trains were ready, and a second time I sent 

 our baggage down, and that means a tremendous job, thirty army wagons 

 loaded six feet high. I sent it down a second time and they put it on the 

 cars, and at 4 o'clock the regiment was formed ready to move out to take 

 the trains. Then another order came saying, "You cannot go today r 

 those trains are for a different regiment.' There were all my sick men 

 lying down around the station, on the platforms 250 of them and some of 

 them deadly si<sk. It began to rain very hard. I had seen the quarter- 

 master and the trainmaster and they both told me that I certainly should 

 have a train by seven, but finally they met me with a telegram, "Can't 

 send First Regiment today." Then old Adam broke loose and I told them 

 I intended to take my men out of there that night and that if they did not 



