MUSTERED INTO SERVICE Davenport-its people-was equally excited by the declaration of war against the Dons.  The Shriners donated $100 toward a company sick fund; the August Wentz post treated the company to a "mess" of hardtack, bacon and beans and the ladies vied with one another in the efforts to give the soldier laddies a fitting "send off."  Tuesday the company, with Company I, of Maquoketa and the Second regiment band, boarded the train for Des Moines and arrived there at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  The train had picked up on the way Company C, of Muscatine, and Company I, at Iowa City.  At Grinnell Company K was taken on board and a part of Company I, at Newton. While in camp at Des Moines the company was thoroughly drilled equipped with all the paraphernalia that comprises the accoutrements of the modern soldier and on the 17th of May, with the exception of a few rejected at the time of the physical examination, the boys were mustered into the service of the United States as Company B, Fiftieth Iowa Infantry, for three years or until the end of the war. On the 20th of May the regiment left Camp McKinley for Tampa, Florida, there to go into camp and to acclimate for service in the West Indies.  But Jacksonville was on the way and there the boys were ordered from the cars and into camp, which was named Camp Cuba Libre, and remained there until the articles of peace were signed and on the 13th of September the regiment broke camp and were entrained for Camp McKinley at Des Moines, which was reached on the 17th.  On the 20th the company returned to Davenport on thirty days' furlough and was given a magnificent reception by the city, whose citizens were proud of the splendid record the boys had made, even though they had not been able to meet the enemy face to face. Company B returned to Camp McKinley on November 1st, was re-examined, paid and honorably discharged, having served seven months and one week from the time the organization answered the president's call for troops the preceding April.  It still maintains its identity as Company B, Fiftieth Regiment, Iowa National Guards. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L