The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-06
STATES NATIONAL GUARD
PREPARATIONS MADE FOR THE An
NUAL CAMP OF INSTRUCTION.
Local Companies VIII Go to the Fair
Grounds Next Sunday-PIan to
BE Followed.

10 the number of something like two thou
sand will enter their tented city next Sun
day and Monday by various routes and
methods of transportation. Unlike the beg
gars, however, the guardsmen of Indiana
will all appear in "silken gowns" that is to
say, natty uniforms, for the State recently
received from the national government and
issued to its militiamen full outfits of new
uniforms, including handsome army over
coats.
OF course, the guardsmen who live out
side OF indianapolis will come here by rail-
road, but only such as come via the Monon
or Lake Erie & Western will be carried di-
rect TO the fair grounds by train. Those
who make the trip by other railroad lines
will enter the Union Station and be taken
from there to the camp of instruction in
electric cars furnished by President Nc
Gowan, of the street-railroad company. Lo-
cal street cars will also be provided for the
transportation of company cooks and bag
gage of both Indianapolis and outside mill
tiamen and all military stores at the State
house required for use in the camp will be
hauled to the fair grounds free of charge
by the street-railroad company.
The Indianapolis infantry battalion will
not ride TO the camp on electric cars, for
Major Condo, its commanding officer, en-
tertains the firm conviction that national
guardsmen ought to improve every opportu-
nifty to practice real soldering. With this
idea in view the major orders the COM
panies under his command TO "hoof it, to
each annual camp of instruction.
WORK FOR LOCAL COMPANIES.
The first real movement towards inau-
gurating the camp of instruction of 1902
will be made Sunday morning at $50 o'clock
when, by order of Major Condo, local COM
panies A, c, d and II, constituting the
First Battalion of the Second Infantry
Regiment of the Indiana National Guard,
will assemble in their armory on the top
floor of the courthouse. The men will pro-
coed at once to get into their uniforms, put
on their sidearms and get their pieces"
or guns. Their blanket bags, together with
ponchos rubber coats), underwear and
toilet articles will be loaded into a wagon
as rapidly as possible with the overcoats
for the men and such personal property
belonging to the companies as the MEM
berS wish to have in camp for their own
convenience, and the wagon will precede
the men on the way TO the fair grounds.
After the baggage has all been made ready
for transportation the troops will form in
the armory, march down the stairway Of
the courthouse to the Alabama-stree en-
trance. where the captains will present
their companies to Major Condo and then
the battalion will be formed at $3.50 O'Clock
precisely. The march to the camp will
doubtless be made in regular army forma-
ton, with advance and rear guards, just as
if the troops were passing through a hostile
country where they must all the while be
on the sharp lookout for the enemy. While
he is a strict disciplinarian and has little
use for "shirkers,' Major Conde is wlthai
humane and does not believe In forced
marches in time of peace. He will take his
men to camp by easy stages, with frequent
stops for rest. The battalion will arrive
n 4 the fnTr rnY4N If 4 nXnDDfQn no URQn
u:30 and noon Sunday.
While the troops have been slowly tramp
ing the hve-mile course from the court
house TO the camp preparations Tor their
reception at the latter place will have been
going forward with haste. The battalion
will have been preceded to camp by the
Quartermaster sergeant and a sufficient de-
tail to assist him in getting things ready
for dinner. This officer will also take with
him the cooks who are to prepare dinner
after supplies have been furnished them.
A great deal of red tape must be unwound
before this work can be done. The quarter
master sergeant must go to the battalion
tain, draw for his company all the tents
needed, also a buzzacot oven or military
cookstove. frying pans. kettles and other
articles used in cooking. He also draws
all tent poles, ridge poles. stakes, all table
ware to be used by the men in camp-such
as tin plates, tin cups, knives, forks,
spoons. rakes, shovels, brooms, wheelbar-
rows. water barrels. "hies' for the top of
the mess shelter or eating shed, and SINH
lar articles. These are all placed on the
part of the camp site on which the company
intending to use them proposes TO pitch its
tents. Thus everything will be in readiness
for the building. of a tented city and this
task will begin Immediately after dinner.
PUTTING UP TENTS.
The work of putting up tents for a bat
TALON, or even for an entire brigade, does
not consume much time on account of the
complete arrangements made in advance.
1>oliDa thu caca Of the local infantry hat
talon as an example, its tents will be put
up by details headed by noncommissioned
officers-one detail raising tents for the en-
listed men and another those for officers.
There will be details also to dig bitches
around the tents, and to clear the camp of
rubbish of all kinds. In addition 10 pro-
viding squads to do this work, the various
companies must furnish a detail to attend
to raising tents for Major Condo and his
staff. The staff will require four tents,
and there will be one large tent for the
majors use.
around the battalion and begins its duties
that will end only when the camp is 'brok-
en-" at the end of the ~eek-ther being, of
course, frequent SHIFTS or men on guard.
While the actual work of raising the tents
does not take much time, it will be close
10 I o'clock in the evening before the camp
is completely organized. Then the men that
are not detailed for guard duty will have
nothing 10 do but take their ease until
tattoo roll call at = O'Clock. AT this time
the men are expected to turn in" and &C.
cupy the next fifteen minute in getting
their tents ready and undressing for the
night. At 9:15 TAPS" is sounded by the
bugler, and this means all lights out for
the night.
when taps is sounded Sunday night it
will mean that the indianapolis battalion is
in. camp, ready for the week Of instruction
and drill, with nothing TO do until Monday
morning, when the rest Of the troops will
arrive and the camp will take on a serious
military aspect.
The Out-of-town companies, constituting
the First and Third regiments and the
other two battalions of the Second Regi-
ment and the Fort Wayne battery of ar
tillery are scheduled TO leave their home
towns and arrive in this city in the fore
noon of Monday. They will begin coming
in as early as 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning
and the last will be here by 10 o'clock.
GENERAL MKEE'S QUARTERS.
AT 10 o'clock Monday morning Brigadier
General w. J. Mckee. attended by his staff,
will take up quarters in the Administration
building at the fair grounds, and the an
nual camp OF instruction will be formally
inaugurated by the ceremony of raising
the colors at brigade headquarters. By
Monday night the military order Of the
camp will be thoroughly established, with
regimental and brigade guards doing duty
and details of men stationed at the main
entrance 10 the fair grounds and at neigh
boring roadhouses. AS far as possible. the
guardsmen will be prevented from marring