Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-07-19

CADETS AT SIEGE MORTAR DRILL.
opportunity for its practical work.
! After the first or senior class has been
graduated and the new second class
has gone off to enjoy its ten-weeks'
vacation, the only one to which a
cadet is entitled during the four years
course at the academy, the new first
and third year classes march from the
barracks to the camp near by where
they are joined about July l by the
new fourth year class, and the sum-
mer work then begins in earnest.
For ten weeks they are in camp,
1 spending all of their time in the open
air. living as near as possible the
routine life of the soldier in the field,
and becoming acquainted with much
which will fall to their lot as officers.
From seven o'clock in the morning
until one in the afternoon each hour
is filled with some duty for every
cadet In general it may be said that
the greater portion of this time is de-
voted to the prescribed drills and ex-
ercises of the various arms Of the
service.
AS. a general rule, it may be said
that at all drills and exercises the men
of the lower classes perform the duties
which in service fall to the lot of the
enlisted men, while those of the first
class exercise the functions of officers
In the equitation ring, or "bullpen,'
as it is more Familiarity known, the
cadets of the first class take the final
degree in horsemanship.
In the target practice the course fol-
lowed is the same as that prescribed
for the officers and enlisted men of
the army A cadet team was sent to
the last national competition at Sea
Grit, ~ j., to compete in the matches
In the national match this team Sc
cured twenty-fourth place among the
81 teams representing the finest mill
tary shots in the country.
It is in the infantry work that the
cadet gets the greater part of his prac-
tical field experience. The country
around the post is heavily wooded and
broken. 1t is therefore admirably |
adapted for dismounted scouting pa
trolling, advance guard and outpost
work, and is correspondingly imprac-
ticable for mounted work. Once a |
week the entire morning is devoted |
TO the establishment of an outpost sys- !
TEN, and the whole battalion partici- !
pates in the work.
This work leads naturally to the |
more extended field work, when the !
cadets cross the river and strike into
the hills for FIVE days OF strenuous
life in the field. Then for the first |
time these young men, who will some
day command regiments. perhaps arm
les, find themselves travelling with the |
field allowance of baggage, and, what
is more to the point, they are carry |
ing that Each cadet carries the reg
ulation equipment of the infantry or
cavalry soldier, consisting of blanket
roll, haversack, canteen, mess equip |
ment, tin cup rifle or saber and am
munition belt In the roll and haver- |
sack are his blanket, shelter tent. |
poncho, an extra pair of shoes, extra |
underwear, mess equipment and toilet |
articles.
For once bell buttons and white
trousers are left behind.
Each morning at $50 O'Clock they
creep from their shelter tents, make
their simple toilets and line up sol.
der fashion, mess pan and tin cup in
hand, for breakfast After breakfast
they pack their kitchen equipment
and stores in the company wagons,
clean up the camp ground and pre-
pare to strike their tents At $3.50
a. m, with camp broken and secure
ly rolled up and on their shoulders
they are In ranks and ready for the
work of the day, consisting of a prob
lem in minor tactics, or, in other
words, of manoeuvers planned and e.,
ecuted for the purpose of demonstrate
ing the normal methods by (which
bodies of troops would be hF y lied in
actual warfare in typic9 at. geLents
- 49, -. ~.