little help to them now. However, if his army could stand it, we could.

We were here now as part of General Steele's army of occupation, which, hastily thrown
together, had not yet been duly sub-divided and organized. Our brigade-organization had been
partially retained, but beyond that there was little definiteness. Orders for a small detail for
fatigue-duty would come some times to the regiment direct from head-quarters of the army.
Except the necessary fatigue and guarding of camp, there was no duty to be done; and to merely
exist between the blazing sun and an oven of hot sand, with no protection from the one, but the
little dog-tents, and no screen from the other, but such bits of boards and wooden boxes as could
be gathered and saved among so many men, was the round of the monotonous days. A salt-water
bath occasionally lent variety; but there were sharks in those waters, and it was unsafe to venture
far from shore.*”’

On the eastern side of the island, where we were now camped, there had for some time
been a small military station. A regiment of negroes was now on duty as garrison; and their daily
guard-mounting and parade were objects of much attention to us, their proficiency in drill being
the greatest we had ever seen. The whole regiment would go through the bayonet-exercise with
more uniform accuracy than any single company of white troops in our knowledge. Whatever
else may be affirmed of the negroes, it need not to us be denied that they made excellent soldiers.
As guards, where white people also are concerned, they are not the most agreeable, on account of
too literal and unreasoning obedience to orders.*”

Near the landing, a number of small frame buildings had been erected by the Government,
and were used as head-quarters, ware-houses, offices, hospital, &c. The condensing apparatus,
by which all the fresh water used there was distilled from the sea, consisted of four steam engines,
located in a building near the water's edge, and having suitable tanks to hold the nauseous fluid as
it was manufactured. As the vile but precious stuff was issued only in scanty rations, there must
of course be a constant guard over the tanks lest it should be stolen. The negroes were kept on
this duty; and their unreasoning fidelity to the literal words of their orders, with their inability to
read any writing presented to them, were the cause of much inconvenience, and came near
resulting in some individual collisions.

The ration of water issued to the troops was at first a gallon daily to each man -- the
whole allowance, for all purposes. The amount proved too great for the capacity of the
condensers; and on the 1 1th, the allowance was cut down to a half-gallon per day to each.

It may be supposed that this was scanty enough; but this was but a part of the discomfort.
The water had to be drawn daily, like other rations; and there was almost nothing to keep it in.
Canteens, kettles, and every thing else were put to more use than ever before. Hastily thrown

 

“4° A. F. Sperry, History of the 33rd Iowa, p. 174.
“7 A_F. Sperry, History of the 33rd Iowa, p. 174.

“8 A. F. Sperry, History of the 33rd Iowa, p. 175.
172