As soon as the Twelfth New York left, Colonel Pew began to collect a supply of lumber for use in Cuba. The buildings which this regiment had occupied were pulled down, and every board washed with a solution of corrosive sublimate. Two cars were obtained and loaded to accompany the regiment.
On the evening of January 8th the Second and Third Battalions and Headquarters entrained for Savannah. The most of January 9th was spent in being shifted about in the freight yards at Savannah. A casual visitor to one of the sections told the officers that the ground in the yard where they were was so saturated with pine pitch, that a lighted match dropped would start a conflagration. One of the officers, thinking to call this bluff, made an experiment. The visitor had told the truth, and the regiment had a conflagration on its hands. The flames licked up the ground as if it had been saturated with kerosene. The soldiers were powerless to stop the fire with the means at their disposal. The railroad fire department appeared with chemical tanks, and soon had it under control, before any damage had been done, except blistering a few cars.
In Savannah the Colonel received a letter from Major Eldredge, telling him the character of the camp site the regiment was to occupy at Matanzas. The Major suggested the men would have to use iron tent pins and do some blasting to make their Cuban home comfortable. The Depot Quartermaster at Savannah was called upon and furnished a supply of drills, sledge hammers, powder and iron rods. The soldiers spent most of the night in the cars, while details were loading supplies onto the transport. At 3 o'clock on the morning of January 10th, the men began to embark, and at daylight the transport Michigan had cast off, and was slowly steaming down the river. At last the regiment was off for Cuba.
Eighth Regiment Camp at Matanzas, Cuba