The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-11-20

Methods Of tho Present Day in the
United States Army,
Raw Recruits Taught % Cook
and 70 walk Properly.

Before the war the requirements in
the way Of drill for the soldiers Of the
regular army we're few aud simple, but
the experience Of United States OH
GERS and those Of other countries has
now led 10 many changes. The list
Of practices INDUCED in by the boys IN
blue Is nowadays a long one, aud II
the soldier Of forty years ago, or even
less, could look down upon some Of
the strange things done now by army
men no would put them down as
crazy.
Early last spring the general in COM
mand Of the army had planned a num-
Of practice marches and summer exc
cursions Of various kinds for as many
Of the companies Of each regiment as
could be spared from the posts Some
OF them have joined the National
Guards Of different states in their
camps There the militiameu learn
the lessons OF army life from their
brethren Of the regular service, and
not inirequently they give therN les
sons, too. Out on the western prni-
ries the troops take long practice
marches The artillery has q chance
for an outing with the ponderous
guns As much Of the artillery isalong
the coast, the drills in this branch are
for the most part in the way Of de-
fense Of the water linea
In the mountains Of both the east
and west the members Of the signal
corps are learning the ms and outs OF
that business. Captain Glassiord, one
of the best known officers Of that
corps, has succeeded III passing from
peak to peak Of the Rockies for hun
dreds of miles. The value of this
service is hard to be overestimated.
At Fort Logan, Colo, small COM
pany Of soldiers is learning the army
use of a balloon. One of the best
balloons ever made in this country has
been provided aud equipped, and it is
doubtful il, outside Of the German
lines, there is corps with better
knowledge OF the requirements and
benefits Of this service than the one
in Colorado.
There has been an effort for years
to get the country-born men into the
army with strong constitutions.
This effort has been largely success
full, and it is found that nothing goes
further towards turning this good ma
terial into soldiers than the practice.
But the men are made to do some hard
and queer things. There is an adj
vance guard from each post, and a
rear guard as we'll. There is recon-
noissance duty and everything else to
make a recruit into a soldier.
The enlisted men from every post
in the department are taught how to
cook. Commissioned officers oversee
the cooking on the march and make it
certain that the men have food cooked
in accordance with hygienic princi-
pies, The men make ten miles the
first day, fifteen the second and twenty
the third. Then they generally pitch
camp for a day or two. When they
march they carry sixty-hve pounds.
This includes blanket bag, a haver-
sack, canteen, rife, forty rounds
of ammunition and change Of
shoes and Undertaking,
The officers in charge Of raw re-
cruits do anything to turn them intc
soldiers. If it is noticed that some o
the men dislike to leave the ground"a
it is called, the officers plant beams
placing them only foot or two above
ground. Over these the men are sen
in the course of a drill, and then tn,
beam is raised. After a time the Off
GERS are sure the men will not funk i
in case of necessity they want TIA
3 corps to cross a stream on a log. TIL
troops have been taught not only tt
walk over felled tree safely AM
quickly, but they are taught to gras
it leg and arm and hang there Will
comrades pass over them. This seem
e strange position to find a heavil
: accoutered soldier in, but it has bee
o found beneficial under the new r,