We had been away from home just one month and a half and in that time—although not seeing any actual field service—we believed we had become pretty thoroughly seasoned in camp life. One month of steady downpour and half a month of blazing tropical sun was enough to do the trick. We were housed in as comfortable quarters as possible under the circumstances. The climate here made us so sleepy and lazy that at all hours, between eight in the morning and five in the afternoon, the tents contained sleeping men, and they slept so soundly that often they would wake to find some joker had been smearing their faces with soot and grease. Nights in Jacksonville, however, brought that musical pest we all knew so well, the mosquito. He abounds along the St. Johns river, and seemed to enjoy good health and strength, judging from the looks of our boys, who were trying to sleep in provost headquarters while off guard during the night.
CAMP OF THE SECOND NEW JERSEY REGIMENT JACKSONVILLE, FLA., 1898.
We were doing all night work now, relieved by Companies K, Forty-ninth Iowa, and I, First Wisconsin. This was found necessary after pay-day. This same day brought a rise in the price of souvenirs, live alligators and everything the soldier would be likely to buy to send home. What money the soldier received, if not sent home immediately, was generally left in saloons, and the storekeepers were merely making a bid for it, for it must go somewhere and right away too.
We had two squads doing duty in the camps of the division to see that regulations were lived up to. Our instructions were, "keep your eyes open, mouth closed." "Watch strangers in camp (no civilians were allowed unless with official escort), watch the policing of streets and the care of kitchens and sinks." "Don't criticise, but report observations on return," and the final injunction from Lieutenant Brunner, "Don't be fresh." The guard had no friends, for we arrested everybody found on the streets after taps. We had no drills, and up to this time enjoyed excellent health, no one from the company being sick. We took daily walks around the country and into Jacksonville while off duty. Our regiment paraded through Jacksonville on a Saturday afternoon and drew much favorable comment. We were reviewed by Generals Lee and Burt, the latter being our brigade commander. After we had passed the reviewing stand General Lee mounted his magnificent gray horse "Cuba," and rode at the head of the regiment back to camp. The people of Jacksonville said that the New Jersey regiment was the finest seen there, and Lee made the remark that he wished only one regiment like the Second New Jersey to show the Spaniards what an organized body of troops should be. His marching at our head was a mark of esteem in which he held us. This week we received our pay from the government to June 15th, and the boys were correspondingly happy. We were now kept so constantly on the jump that we hardly had the time to write to anybody. The box sent by the good people of Rutherford arrived on Sunday, but for lack of transportation it did not get into camp until Wednesday. All the perishable stuff, like cake, etc., was unfit to eat, but what was hailed with joy by the boys was canned vegetables and fruit. We had been getting greasy meat for a couple of weeks and had no money to buy anything else, and this in a hot climate. One box was marked Dick Rusk and Ben Cohen. This was for our tent, and for some time after we were enabled to "decorate the cloth" in great style with canned corn, mustard pickles, pickled onions, baked beans, chow-chow,
condensed milk and tomato soup. One morning, being off duty, Corporals Cohen, Rusk and myself strolled into town. A gentleman hailed us from his porch and proceeded to show us his garden. This garden would fill any northerner with envy. He had orange trees, seven of them, all with oranges a shade darker than the beautiful green of the leaves. A beautiful tree of the fern family, having large branches of bright yellow flowers. These he said grew wild in Mexico. Enormous hydrangeas, hibiscus, the flowers of which were as large as an Easter lily, but a beautiful pink, with a maroon throat. Eight blooms were on this plant. The season of roses had ended, but he had some very handsome Marshal Neils, whose tree covered a large arbor. He had sent that morning to General Lee a large basket of red, white and blue flowers. He also showed us an Acacia tree which had delicate pink flowers the same time it had long brown pods of seed. We had some trouble in leaving this interesting gentleman. Baseball and athletic sports became quite popular at this time, and received the official endorsement of our higher officers. General Burt was often seen on the grand stand "rooting" for the team from his brigade. But the games were mostly between Wisconsin, Illinois, New Jersey and Iowa. The Wisconsin boys gained the championship, but they had to work hard for it. The Jersey boys excelled in the athletic sports and won nearly every event in the set of games. The General was quite a strict disciplinarian, but one day he became quite enthusiastic over a game of ball and was invited to take part. When he took off his coat he explained that he was no longer an officer, but just "one of the boys." The boys took this explanation literally, and during the game the General was a fair mark for all sorts of baseball slang and "jolly."
June 28th brought a very happy conclusion to our guard duty in Jacksonville, from which we were relieved by a company from the First North Carolina regiment. The company had been worked hard, and it was beginning to tell on us. Sergeant Collins at noon brought in the last detail, and as they marched proudly up the length of the company street they were applauded heartily. We could now take our old place at the left of the regiment and have the pleasure of serving under Lieutenant Blake in the field drills. There was no reason now why we should not become the record company of the regiment. The Wisconsin boys paid the regiment a visit one night. They were dressed only in their under garments, with their poncho's over their shoulders, and they had an elegant time. Our boys returned the visit the next night, in the same stylish undress, with the addition of a red blanket, instead of a poncho, leaving one arm bare to the shoulder. We then stuck our haversacks on our heads, with the flap trailing behind. The ridiculous get up was so taking that nearly half the regiment turned out, and headed by the drum corps, we marched past the Second Illinois camp and through the camps of the Second and Fourth Virginia, Second Wisconsin and Forty-ninth Iowa, in all of which officers and men turned out and cheered us. The comment of "Jersey, you're all right," seemed to fit the case exactly. All the mascots, big and little, turned out with us, even the red, white and blue rooster.