Concerning the first article, it is interesting to note that the regiment did go on to serve in the occupation forces of Puerto Rico.
47th Ordered To Camp Black
Officers Were Anxious for Garrison
Duty, but Men Asked for Relief
From Further Service.
(Special to the Eagle)
Fort Adams, R.I., August 31---The Forty-seventh Regiment of Brooklyn has been ordered to Camp Black. A petition signed by the officers of the Forty-seventh Regiment, begging for garrison duty, and addressed to Colonel John G. Eddy, was with his approval, forwarded to the War Department. It proved of no avail, however, evidently being knocked out by the counter petition of the enlisted men, couched in much simpler language and fewer words, asking for release from further duty. The latter document was printed in the Eagle a week ago. Captain John Mortimer Bronk, Company H, is the author of the officers' petition. One of his sentences rolls along for two hundred and eighteen words. It is as follows:
"To Colonel John G. Eddy": "Sir---Inasmuch as it has been brought to our attention by the usual authorities of general information that the War Department has in some instances prior to taking action relative to mustering certain commands out of the service, secured an expression of opinion as to their wishes in the matter, we, the undersigned officers of your command, beg to bring such facts before you, and would respectfully ask you to express your personal wish and desire respecting our continuance in the service. We would take advantage of this opportunity at the same time to recall the very flattering comments of the regular Army officers at this post upon the thorough discipline and high state of practical efficiency to which the Forty-seventh Regiment has been brought, the fact also that the regiment is now fully equipped, ready to start clamorous for active service at some point, and we, therefore, desire to say that as this has been done at no inconsiderable cost to the government and owing to unstinted labor on the part of your officers, many of whom have made large sacrifices in so doing, with but one aim, that which they have held on common with their men, and again as it has up to this time been a cause of profound regret that we have not been called into action, we deem it proper to place ourselves on record as desiring to be retained in the service to at least do garrison duty at some point occupied or about to be occupied by our forces, and we hereby beg to be so retained and to be not mustered out until we have had an opportunity of bringing back a suitable and gratifying record at our home coming".
The petition bears the signatures of thirty-eight out of forty-nine officers, as follows: Lieutenant Colonel Hubbell, Majors Quick, Barthman and Lyon; Regimental Adjutant McCutcheon, Captain and Quartermaster Chase, Captain and Assistant Surgeio Gibbons, Captains Fish, Libbey, Sullivan, Doremus, Jannicky, Butcher, Jackson, Sirouse, Bronk; First Lieutenants Serenbetz, Burrell, Stevenson, Gerould, Meyer, Hooley, Hardy, Marshall, Johnston, Andelfinger, Walker, Case: Second Lieutenants Gonzales, Techter, White, Young, Lavens, Trenchard, Maxfield, Gillman, Brinsley, Mezick.
The enlisted men are jubilant over their victory.
Brooklyn Eagle, August 31 1898, Page 1