The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-07-19
RECRUITS SCARCE.
Very Few Have Been Accepted
in This State So Far.
ALL FOR THE REGULARS.

Becoming a Soldier. The
Composition Of Reg.
iment.
The recruiting station in the Kendall
building is not packed and crowded
with young men eager to offer their
services to their country. Perhaps the
would-be volunteers are waiting for the
late First regiment to volunteer as a
whole. There have been nine recruits
accepted within the past ten days, all
for the regular army. All but two Of
these were colored.
Under the new call fer volunteers
there are to be ten regiments. Re
cruiting Offices have been established
all over the country, and when volun-
teer passes the medical examination
and is accepted, he is sent to the near
est regular army post, headquarters for
the regiment being organized. South
Carolina is in the department Of the
Gulf, with headquarters at Atlanta, or
Fort Mcpherson. Ga. When recruit
is accepted here, he is sent to Fort Nc
Pherscn to join his regiment, the
TWenty-ninth. North Caroliniaus are
sent to Camp Meade, Pennsylvania,
Georgians, Alabamians, South Carroll
mans, etc., will compose the Twenty
ninth.
While Uncle Sam wants men, and
wants them bad, still he affects a lordly
air and demands that the men to be
sacrificed in the Philippines must not
be yagabonds. When youth applies
for admission to the army, the first
question put to him is "Are you a
minor?" If the young man is not q
years old his parents or guardian are re-
quired to make certificate that they do
not object to his enlistment. The GER
tifcate reads in part, Il do hereby fully
give my consent to his enlistment as a
soldier in the volunteer army OF the
United States for the period June 81,
1901" This permission having been
obtained, the boy is free to enlist.
The next.step is to get recomnen-
dation Of character. Uncle Sam claims
that he doesn't want dissolute and
worthless characters in his army. The
character gauntlet having been run, the
relentless physician gets in his work,
and the physical examination is not as
''easy" as one might imagine. Except
il special cases none but unmarried
men will be enlisted for this service.
ORGANIZATION.
Each of these regiments will consist
Of ], ,359 men, of whom so will he COM
missioned officers. The following is
the makeup of an infantry regiment:
One colonel, one lieutenant colonel,
three majors, one surgeon with the
rank of major, two assistant surgeons,
one of whom shall have the rank of
captain and one that of first lieutenant,
fourteen captains, two of whom shall
be available for detail as adjutant and
ouartermaster, sixteen first lieutenants,
Of whom one shall be available for de-
tail as commissary aud three for detail
as battalion adjutants, twelve second
lieutenants, one sergeant major, one
quarter master sergeant, one commlssa-
ry sergeant, who shall have the rans,
pay and allowances of reglmental
quartermaster sergeant Of infantry,
three hospital stewards. three battalion
sergeant majors, who shall be senior to
and have the pay and allowances of a
first sergeant, one band, and twelve
companies, organized into three battal-
ions Of four companies each.
Each infantry band shall consist OF
one chief musician, one principal mu-
sician, one drum major, wno shall
have the rank, pay and allowances OF
first sergeant, four sergeants, eight
corporals, one cook, and twelve pri-
Yates.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR RECRUITS.
The term of service will be for the
period ending June 80, 1901, and, as
provided in section - of the act OF
March,, 1899, these enlistments may
be made without restrictions as to
citizenship or educational qualihca'
tons"
Applicants for origina enlistment
must be between the ages of l9 and 80
years, of good character and habits,
able-bodied, free from disease, and
must be able to speak the English Ian,
guage. ~,
No person under IS years CT age will
be enlisted or re-enlisted, and minors
between the ages Of IS and q must not
be enlisted or reenlisted without the
written consent Of father, only survl7-
Ing parent, or legally appointed guar,
dian.
Married men will not be enlisted OF
reenlisted without special authority
from regimental commander or from
the adjutant general Of the army IN
the absence of regimental oiganiza,
tion.
Applicants will be required to satisfy
the recruiting officer regarding age and
character. They must defray their own
expenses to the place Of enlistment;
their fitness for the military service can
determined only upon an examination
at a recruiting station.
For infantry the height should be
not less than five feet four inches, and
weight not less than one hundred and
twenty pounds and not more than one
hundred and ninety pounds.
Recruiting officers are however, au-
thorized in their discretion to accept
desirable applicants who are ten pounds
or less overweight or underweight, OF
who vary not more than fraction Of an
inch from the required height or chest
measures, if they meet all other re-
quirements, and their enlistment IS
rannmmended hu the medical examiner.