John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History – Halloween 1898- “Who Stole the Beer?” - Part I

Who stole the beer?   “Not us, we were not at Camp Hamilton. “
Spanish American War era camp scene, possibly the 9^th New York. 
Source- Author’s collection

The Crime; the Victims; and the Perps.

Part 1 of 4-  The Crime

 

Monday, October 31^st 1898 was a memorable day (and night) in Camp Hamilton, Kentucky, located just east of Lexington.

The troops were restless.  They had volunteered to fight the evil Spanish oppressors in Cuba after the U.S. Battleship Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898.   An act enthusiastically attributed to Spanish skullduggery, but later determined to have been from spontaneous combustion in a coal bunker adjacent to one of the ship’s magazines.

 War was declared on April 20^th followed by the President calling for 125,000 volunteers to augment our miniscule 28.000 man army.  

On May 1^st, the U.S. fleet, previously ordered to the Philippines by Under Secretary of the Navy Teddy Roosevelt (during SECNAV’s absence) defeated the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay, with the sole American death being a heat stroke victim.

Volunteer units mustered in their home states in late April and early May and moved on to four large federal camps.  Health, sanitation, food and quartermaster support were huge problems everywhere.

Some of the newly raised volunteer troops were sent to Tampa, Florida for the invasion of Cuba.  Most, but not all of those, actually boarded the invasion fleet transports, hastily converted and ill-suited for passengers.   Landings over the beach at Daquiri and at a small pier in Sibony on June 22^nd positioned them to besiege the Spanish stronghold at Santiago, where the Spanish fleet was located.

 

A series of small battles culminated in the July 1^st attack on San Juan Hill.  The victors included publicity hogging  Lt. Col. Teddy Roosevelt (who had left his Navy job to volunteer) and his oddball mix of cowboy and socialite “Rough Riders” in the 1^st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry who fought well.  As did the Black “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 10^th U.S. Cavalry.  First Lieutenant John J. “Black Jack” Pershing (USMA 1886) was with them (a story in itself).  Roosevelt said that “Pershing is the coolest man under fire I ever saw in my life.”  The 71st New York Volunteer Infantry, and 3^rd U.S. Cavalry were also combatants deserving of praise along with Lt. John Parker’s Gatling Gun Battery and Capron’s field artillery.

Roosevelt and his 1^st. U.S. Volunteer Cavalry on San Juan Hill after the battle.  This often used photo is part of a larger one where the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry was on the left and the 10^th U.S. Cavalry was on the right.  I have not been able to find a decent quality copy of the uncropped photo.

Source: Public Domain.

The capture of San Juan Hill was a strategic victory, placing the city and harbor of Santiago under siege while the Navy blockaded the exit from the harbor.   This forced Cervera’s fleet to try to fight their way out on July 3^rd, only to be mauled by the U.S. Navy.  Within a few weeks the Spanish Army surrendered.   

Still smoldering hulk of Spanish Cruiser Vizcaya off Santiago July 3, 1898.

Source: Public Domain 

The Spanish government agreed to an armistice on August 12^th, essentially ending the war, much to the dismay of troops who had not seen combat and felt cheated out of a chance at glory.  Peace talks began in Paris on October 1^st, and a formal treaty was signed December 10^th, ending the “Splendid Little War.”

 After the August Armistice, it was a long, hot, boring summer in filthy camps for volunteers who saw the war as over and their services no longer needed.  They thought they should be discharged and sent home.  The Army did not agree.

 Such was the case with the troops at Camp Hamilton.  Many had initially been sent to Camp Thomas near Chattanooga, TN, on the old Chickamauga battlefield.  Some 50,000 troops were ordered there, with little planning, limited water supplies, horrible sanitation and a lack of just about everything but dysentery, typhoid and other diseases.

 Well after the Cuban invasion forces left Camp Thomas, remaining troops were stuck there.   Several units left Camp Thomas on July 28^th and arrived in Newport News, VA two days later, tentatively assigned for a campaign in Puerto Rico.  But, the armistice on August 12^th canceled that expedition.  

 While there:

“The conditions at Camp Grant [near Newport News] were harsh – the sand and southern heat were hard for the men to endure, combined with poor food (bacon and canned meat, much of which was condemned, and hardtack), and unsanitary conditions. While stationed in Newport News, Private Alonzo Andrews of [160^th Indiana Infantry] Company I was shot and killed by Sam Hall, a local saloon keeper, along with a comrade who was wounded in the foot.  History records that “The entire regiment was infuriated, some suggested that the Negro suffer death for his crime, and even attempted to carry out the suggestion by force of arms. Happily, better judgment prevailed, justice was assured, and so quiet was restored.” Hall was removed to Norfolk to prevent any attempts at lynching him.”

Source:

 The Puerto Rica expedition was canceled by the Armistice, and on August 21^st, many units left Newport News to set up a new camp near Lexington, KY.  Three weeks later they moved a few miles east to another new camp, “Camp Hamilton,” where they would stay until November 9^thafter Halloween.

The Players

Hard feelings began brewing among the different regiments even before there was any beer to be stolen.   Though brigaded together, the 3^rd Kentucky was largely (in my opinion) a rural “hillbilly” outfit, enthusiastic, inexperienced, but patriotic.   The 160^th Indiana were a cohesive group of average citizens, from existing National Guard units, from a state just across the river from Kentucky so there was a natural affinity between the two, and they have been paired together from the beginning.  The 12^th New York was, well, New Yorkers, and their urban culture was foreign to the other regiments and among the border state hillbillies, there may have been a lingering stench of “damn Yankees.”

Most seriously, on October 9^th, the 3^rd Kentucky was assigned as Provost Guard [Military Police/ Shore Patrol] in Lexington, and when a soldier from the 12^th New York Volunteer Infantry refused to show his pass and ran away, the Kentuckian shot and killed him.   It was later found that he had a pass belonging to someone else.   That morning Provost Marshall orders had been changed to no longer permit firing at persons who were fleeing, but PVT Kitchen was absent from morning muster when that was announced.   The New Yorkers were all for lynching the Kentuckian.  (A courts martial later found he acted in the line of duty and was not punished.)

The Indiana version of this incident is probably pretty accurate:

“On October 9th occurred a very grievous event, — the killing of a private of the Twelfth New York by Private Kitchen, of the Third Kentucky, on duty as a provost guard.  Private Kitchen was immediately arrested and placed in jail to await investigation.  It was [later] proven that the killing was done in the line of duty, but, however, some of the Twelfth New York began to plot to avenge what they thought a wrong.

 

On the night of the 10th they attempted to carry out their plan to mob Kitchen, but Gen. Wiley heard of the intention, and at 7:00 p.m."To Arms" was sounded, the entire 160th Indiana and a battalion of the Third Kentucky being ordered out.

 

Ten rounds of ammunition having been issued to each man, the battalions reported to General Wiley for further orders.  After waiting an hour and a half they were ordered to return to camp.  At 9:00 P.M. "To Arms" sounded again, the battalions reporting at 7:00 quickly responded and were soon on their way to the city.  It was a weary march of five miles.  On arriving at Lexington, the companies were divided into squads with orders to patrol the streets and arrest every soldier regardless of his rank or pass.  Each and every arrested man was made to march to camp and it was long after midnight when the long column with its four hundred prisoners ended in the field near camp, in which the arrested men, except commissioned officers, were compelled to await the morning, guarded by the Third Kentucky, but when morning came the guard was withdrawn and all were free again. The Twelfth New York felt very unkind towards the 160th for the part it took in this affair.  The 160th has no pardon to ask, it realizes that obedience is the first lesson of the soldier, they only did what they were commanded to do. “
Source:

 We’ll see different versions of this event in the next installment, maybe tomorrow, Part 2.

The Beer

 

Pabst and Schlitz beer bottles circa 1898 and unit history of the 160th Indiana

Source: Author photo and collection

Shortly after the October 9^th incident, Friends and supporters of the 12^th New York, hoping to cheer up their home town troops sent two (or three?) box cars filled with beer down to Camp Hamilton in Lexington for them to enjoy.  These were from the two most popular brands at the time, Schlitz and Pabst, some in bottles and some in kegs.   On Halloween, or perhaps the night before sometimes known as “Mischief Night” the box cars with the beer arrived at a siding near the camp.

But, before the New Yorkers could take the beer to their section of the camp, troops from the 160^th Indiana and 3^rd Kentucky showed up and helped themselves.  Accounts vary but some 250 cases of bottled beer and many kegs were taken, and promptly hidden in those camps, buried under tents, or submerged in the stream running through the camp.

Naturally, the thirsty New York troops, the beer companies, and the folks who bought the beer were very unhappy.   Let’s just say that the troops from Indiana and Kentucky were very happy!

While this is an amusing incident of soldier life, commemorated by a ribbon and badge at a reunion of the 160^th Indiana in 1912, there is a lot more to understand about the troops involved and the events of the time.

Source:   (cropped and resized)

So, this Halloween, why not celebrate like they did in 1898?  Have a beer, any beer, but just don’t steal it.

Part 2 will look at “The Victims”- the 12^th New York.

Part 3 will look at “The Perps” from the 160^th Indiana

Part 4 will look at “The Perps” from the 3^rd Kentucky