Campbell family

In 1898, Calvin Mixter enlisted in the Fifth Massachusetts Infantry Regiment to serve his country in the Spanish-American War. A drummer in the regimental band, Mixter and his fellow volunteers were stationed at four locations between May 1898 and late March 1899, mustering in at Camp Wolcott in Gloucester, Mass., and then being transferred successively to Camp Dalton in South Framingham, Camp Meade in Middletown, Pa., and Camp Wetherill in Greenville, S.C. Assigned to the 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps throughout their enlistment, the regiment never made it to the theaters of action.

The soldiers of the Fifth Massachusetts Infantry were determined to serve their country honorably. Although most hoped to see action in the Caribbean, they were more than willing to fulfill their daily routines in the safer environs of camps in the United States, and according to Mixter, the regiment carried out its duties as well as any in the army. Accounts in the local newspapers chimed in, praising the Fifth for its efficiency. Their single moment of glory occurred in October, 1898, when they participated in the elaborate Peace Jubilee held in Philadelphia, a three-day celebration and parade featuring dozens of returning regiments and a small flotilla of warships. Mixter was elated to have been called on to play his drum before President McKinley and a crowd of several thousands.

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