CHAPTER FOUR
1870 July 12th…
John boarded the train early that morning. He was leaving Fall River for a few weeks. Camp Bateman was going to be a new experience for him. Whatever class distinction he had was out the window now. He was a soldier. A soldier for the mightiest republic the earth had seen, even mightier than the English. The train wound through small towns along the way: Freetown, Taunton, Norton, and Attleboro. He was traveling in the same area that during the civil war saw some of the bloodiest confrontations. In the same compartment he was traveling in another man broke out his guitar. He sang the lyrics to a song that John had heard before:
Wanna tell you about the girl I loveMy she looks so fineShe's the only one that I been dreamin' ofMaybe someday she will be all mineI wanna tell her that I love her soAnd thrill her with my every touchI need to tell her she's the only one I really love
John remembered this song very well. The workers at Shiverick sang this song to keep themselves busy. The man continued.
I got a woman, wanna ball all dayI got a woman, she won't be true, noI got a woman, stay drunk all the timeI said I got a little woman and she won't be true
By now they were entering Plainville. Plainville was a small town that had a bustling center. John could see women walking Main Street. His mind flashed back to Edith. She'd be all alone with Ruth. Ruth wasn't even old enough to know that her father had gone away. If this war lasted a long time, she'd be old enough to realize that her father had done the patriotic thing to do. His father was proud of what he had done, so was Edith. Plainville had come and gone. More towns passed: Bellingham, Uxbridge, and Mendon. The beverage service had come. John ordered tea. A small bag of peanuts accompanied his tea. He graciously ate the peanuts. His duffel bag lay next to him on the other seat. He looked inside the bag to find a picture of him holding his daughter. She looked sleepy, but that's to be expected when dealing with babies.
Two hours into the journey, and already they were in that part of the state where all the towns were squares. The town of Burke was his destination. Forty five minutes later, the train stopped in Burke. John got off. He noticed a man dressed in khaki wearing a navy blue campaign hat with gold string attached to it. Several other men were gathered in the same spot he was.
"You have approximately ten seconds to get on the yellow squares!" The man in the uniform bellowed. Since John was standing on a yellow square, he didn't move. The others however, did.
"Good! Welcome to Camp Bateman! This place will be your home for the next six weeks, any of you who think you shouldn't be here, leave now!" The instructor said.
John was used to this. His father, while never abusive often pulled off the drill instructor when he needed to be clear. As the group got into formation and marched into Camp Bateman, John felt free. After being processed, and shown their bunks. John let out a collective sigh. He worried about Edith and Ruth. That night, he bunked down. The man on the top bunk began talking.
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"John DeWitt. I'm from Dartmouth. Who are you?" John said
"Nathan Hockley. I'm from Pittsfield. Family owns a steel company in Pittsylvania." Said Nathan.
"What made you decide to join the army?" John asked.
"Family issues. I couldn't take my father anymore. He was always down my throat about the smallest of things."
"So you just decided to join the army? I'm the son of the famous John DeWitt who formed the-"
"Dartmouth Guard? I remember reading about them in school. They sound like tough SOB's." Nathan said rather dryly.
"You have no idea. One of them decided to cut the head off of a royalist soldier's corpse and parade around with it. Then you had another take out William Creedon. General Creedon's father was there when it happened. He fired the shot that killed his brother." Added John.
"Talk about hating your own brother. Well, he was a traitor to the republic." Added Nathan.
The two decided that sleep would be the best option for them. They slept hard. The next day they awoke at six o'clock. The drill sergeant was loud like usual. He made them go run. They ran for six miles. When they got back, they began bayonet training.
"What happens when you run out of ammunition and the enemy is bearing down on you? You stick 'em with the bayonet! I want you to try using your bayonets on those sandbags over there. Best of five. Go!" The drill sergeant bellowed.
John did as he was told. He managed to kill the enemy all five times. After bayonet practice, it was time to handle a rifle. The Saco rifle was the republic's best weapon. Unlike other rifles of the time, this one had a bolt and a magazine that contained five rounds. All the operator had to do was close the magazine, pull the trigger and open the magazine again. Rinse and repeat. It was that simple. The Saco was a deadly accurate weapon. John managed to score twenty kills. To say that John had a blast was an understatement. He seemed to have fit right into the army. After handling a rifle, grenade throwing was next. John was able to throw all of his grenades without problems. He seemed ready to fight on the front. He made friends with Nathan, who also was going to be in the 501st. John wondered what Ruth and Edith were up to. He decided to write a letter to Edith. He wanted to tell his wife that it was all right.
Five weeks later, John was ready to graduate from training camp. He dressed in his navy blue uniform and navy blue campaign hat. Edith was there with Ruth to watch the graduation ceremony. After the ceremony, John would have two weeks leave before he was to go to America. As the ceremony concluded, the soldiers threw their hats into the air. John was now part of the army, and the 501st. He smiled. Edith kissed him on the lips, and he held Ruth. Ruth was now seven months old, and was teething. The train ride back from Camp Bateman was relatively tranquil. The first objective when he arrived back in Fall River was to go to Dartmouth and see his family, they'd be happy to know he made it through training camp. He stepped off the train in Fall River, and headed for his house on Oak Street. He entered the home and immediately went upstairs to change into something more comfortable. Tomorrow was the day he would go to Dartmouth.