Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-22
PRACTICE MARCHES.
Uncle Sans Soldiers Are Glad to Make
Them.

Them.
Uncle Sans regular soldiers are
closely watching every bit Of war
news these days, for more reasons
than one.
The boys at Fort Sheridan heard
some time ago that the secretary Of
war would order long road marches
to be made by the various organiZa-
tions of the field artillery. Accord
ing to the seasoned soldier, such
, marches and manoeuvres not only
give the men courage to undergo all
sorts Of weather and emergencies,
but develop sinew and health
Just now the daily topic Of conver-
sation in the barracks at Fort Sheri-
dan Is, What are the chances for
seeing service in China and the Far
East?" Prior to the bobbing up of
the possibility, the boys were deeply
| interested in the proposed march to
| Washington. Officers, too, discussed
them spied a war cloud lowering over
the Orient, so they began to study
the new type Of the heavy field guns.
There are many intricate and delicate
| adjustments to the sight arrange
ments on the new guns, and daily
drills and hours of study on them are
required of the men.
The soldiers look forward to an OPP
| portunity for making long marches
| What the daily life of a soldier Is in
one of these long marches is describ-
ed by Capt. L. G. Berry, stationed at
Fort Sheridan:
| "A days march usually consists Of
| from fifteen to thirty miles travel,
and this distance Is, as rule, covered
in from eight to nine hours, depend
ing, of course. upon the condition OF
| the road and the weather. During
| the greater portion Of that time the
men are in the saddle. Horses are
| given rest of from ten to fifteen min
utes each hour, and during this rest
men dismount and remove the COL
lars, in order to give the horses time
to cool, as they usually get sweaty
and frequently chafed from the con-
slant rubbing Of the iron collars and
other parts of the harness.
After awhile the men on these
marches perform their various duties
with a glad heart and a Willingness
which betoken genuine joy. They do
not dub the work hard, but on the
other hand, realizing the vast bene-
fits derived, thank themselves and
their country for such opportunities.
1.-The first thing In the morning,
when out on the road march, is of
course, reveille and this Is generally
held about daylight. The sound CG
the trumpet notifies the men when
to assemble. All who know anything
of soldiery know what is done at
reveille and just for what 1t is held.
Everyone must answer this call, anc
at that time a soldiers days work
begins.
Immediately after reveille the
horses are fed and then mess call for
the men is sounded. This always Is
a happy time for the men, and to see
them working as eagerly as lot of
beavers Is a good sign Of their feeling
of contentment. The mess on
marches Is not to be complained Of,
and usually consists Of such food
stuffs as can be easiest kept and car
ried long distances.
After mess comes stable call.
Horses are groomed and watered.
Through all Of this work the utmost
caution is exercised, and both horses
and men are given particular care.
Everything Is done hurriedly but
we'll Nothing is left half done.
MANY mornings the men work in
front of good sized audiences, the
people of the communities in which
we camp being impelled by a curios-
ity to see what soldiers do and how
they live. This is fun for the men.
People-men, women and children
visit the camp, and l never have seen
soldiers act ungentlemanly in their
presence. American soldiers are all
gentlemen. They give their visitors
on these occasions good ruin for their
money so to speak, and no one is
ever dissatisfied with the show (met-
aphorically) because the actors are
clever and the scenery Is a genuine
and beautiful work Of art and is as
pretty as nature can produce.
Then comes the interesting part
of the road march. After the horses
are groomed and all equipments are
in readiness, such as packing Of the
dog tents, cooking utensils and other
camping paraphernalia, which re-
quires thirty-five or forty minutes,
the organization Is formed and the
march begun. But, just before leav-
ing the camp, lunches are issued to
the men. These usually consist of beef
sandwiches of bread and sausage. I
find that recruits will make peculiar
disposition of their lunches. Nine
out of ten will eat what is issued to
them before the set time, consequent
ly going without eating again until
evening. Older soldiers take broader
view of the matter and save their ap-
portioned rations until the proper
time to eat. This requires a peculiar
system of education of the head and
stomach, which is acquired only by
| determined men.
"At II a. m, when the organiza-
| ton stops for lunch, horses are fed
and watered and the collars and har-
ness removed. The march is contin
Is usually done when a suitable place