This is a letter, postmarked July 2, 1898, wriiten by Harry S. Huff, a recruit in basic training at Chickamauga Park, in Lytle, GA to his mother, Anna Huff, in Wilkes Barre, PA. In the letter he tells his mother that he will be sent to Puerto Rico and for her to not tell anyone until they have left. History records that the Ninth Regiment is never sent into battle. However, they suffered much from typhoid during the five months they were in camp. Half of the 1300 troops came down with the disease, and 29 died.

Huff confesses to gambling to what seems to be a religious mother, and the money he sends her is not the money he gets from gambling. He tell her not to worry, but then describes the death of soldiers in the camp. He seems very lonesome for his mother.
He ends up being transferred to a reserve ambulance corp.

Here is information from 1899 Almanac With Our Soldiers 1898

1899 WILKES-BARRE RECORD ALMANAC
WITH OUR SOLDIERS.

THE NINTH REGIMENT, ITS DEPARTURE, ITS EXPERIENCES AT
CAMP AND ITS RETURN - WAR EVENTS
IN WILKES-BARRE.

During the year 1898 the Ninth Regiment, N.G.P., was called to serve in the war with Spain, but, although the boys were in camp for over five months, during which time they suffered very much from disease, they were not ordered into active service. Typhoid fever, however, was just as deadly as Spanish bullets.

The Ninth Regiment left Wilkes-Barre April 27 in response to the call of President McKinley for volunteers and the orders of Governor Hastings for the National Guard of the State to mobilize at Mt. Gretna. The largest crowd that ever assembled in Wilkes-Barre gathered to see the regiment off. The Pittston, Parsons and Plymouth companies came to Wilkes-Barre and met the home companies at the Ninth Regiment armory and about 8 o’clock in the evening the march to the station was begun. The whole populace had become excited at the outbreak of the war and as nothing had yet occurred to show the relative strength of the two nations, it was expected that the regiment would see active service, and the uncertainty as to its fate, of course, increased the public interest on an occasion like this. It is estimated that there were one hundred and thirty thousand people in Wilkes-Barre to see the regiment off. All along the line of march to the station was a jam of people and Public Square was
one mass of humanity, so dense that the regiment had great difficulty in making its way through. Quite a number of women and children were injured in the crush. Judge Stanley Woodward delivered a farewell address from the steps of the First National Bank building and presented the regiment with a flag.

The regiment was of the following strength when it left: Officers, 44; Co. A, 61; Co. B, 59; Co. C, 60; Co. D, 66; Co. E, 53; Co. F, 54; Co. H, 53; Co. I, 50; total 456 men.

About the first heard from the boys at Mt. Gretna was a revolt in some of the companies on account of the lack of food, owing to the illness of the commissionary sergeant. This, however, was soon remedied.

On May 1 great crowds gathered in front of the Record office to read the news that came
piecemeal regarding the destruction of the Spanish fleet at Manila by Admiral Dewey’s ships.At Mt. Gretna the members of the Ninth Regiment were given an opportunity to enlist in the volunteer service of the United States for two years and all but fifty-three answered “yes” when their names were called. Every member of Co. F of Wilkes-Barre (Captain McCleery) and of Co. H of Pittston (Captain Flannery) volunteered and only one in Captain Pierce’s Co., I of Plymouth, declined.

While the boys were at Mt. Gretna a recruiting office was opened in Wilkes-Barre in charge of Lieutenant Camp and nearly three hundred additional men were enlisted and sent to camp to fill up the companies to the war footing. These recruits left Wilkes-Barre May 8. In addition to the fifty-three, who declined to enlist, about half a dozen were rejected from the service during the medical examination on account of physical reasons.

On May 10 a United States recruiting office was opened in the Chahoon block on West
Market street, in charge of Lieutenant Dentler, for the purpose of enlisting for the regular army. A couple of hundred readily joined the service and were sent South, many of whom saw service in Cuba, Porto Rico and Manila.

While the Ninth Regiment lay at Mt. Gretna, the boys were assiduously drilled and were
kept at hard work. Several times there were rumors that orders would be received in a few days for the regiment to prepare for service in Cuba and the boys, as well as their relatives at home, were much excited.

May 17 the regiment left Mt. Gretna for Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga Park,
Georgia, and on the way South the boys received a regular ovation. Crowds were at nearly every station and employ[e]s from factories threw scores of pounds of tobacco into the cars. Women also came with coffee and other refreshments

This was my first real experiment with lighting as a new photographer. I'm really happy with the way everything turned out. I know I don't have fancy lighting or anything but I make do with what I got. Haha. As you can see I shot this in my garage which is a little messy haha.

I set the Tripod up at its maximum height.
Lense: Tameron AF75-300mm F/4-5.6 LD Macro
Lighting: 2 500 w