The San Francisco call., 1906-09-30
Qusrter-raster's Role Hard.

Qusrternaster's Role Hard. 8
In other arrnies--those OF Germany.
Frarce and .Japan for instance-much
Of this work is left to the train. so
called. TO the navy, railway mea or to
the fappeTs and engineers. who attend
u the building of roads and water sup
nly construction. but in our army all
problems Of transportat tion as we'll as
ceinnigsariat fall upon the quarters
master
The Grarternaster' Department Is
Charged with the duty Of providing all
means Of transportation OF elsrv char
acter which Iaay be needed for the
movement OF troops or material of war
This includes railroads. steamships
lighters and other vessels IT includes
the furnishing OF men ara animals en-
pioycd in such transportation service
with the food and eorage for the same.
While attending to such transportation
the Quartermaster's department may
have to construct and repair roads.
bridges and railways. docks wharves
and steamboats, and must provide
storehouses. barracks and other build
ings. rs well as all water supply. sew
erage. fuel and lighting. Besides this
4 it must provide all the cornmissariat.
forage. clothing. tents and other camp
or garrison equipage As if this were
not enough, all other matters connected
with military maGers which are not
expressly assigned to some other or.
ganization of the army are left to the
Quartermaster's Department
'fhe site for camp Tacoma. having
been approved by the engineers ana
medical departments, it became the
duty of tho Qaarterma ster's Depart
ment to provide the necessary facilities
for receiving troops and supplies to
erect storehouses for keeping the lat
ter. to organize wagon trains and to
look after the roads that would have
TO be used by them; to provide forage
for several thousand animals, with wa
tering facilities for nearly 5000 men,
asa well as fuel. and thousand and
one other matters incident to a large
camp.
Happily for the Quartermasters De-
partment, all the troops ordered to
American Lake carried their own cloth
ing. tents and cooking outfits and each
full command was accompanied bysits
own train of six commissariat wagons
a In this respect some of the volunteer
commands were almost as we'll
equipped as the regulars Thus the
0regonians not only supplied the reg
ular quartermaster with advance in
formation as to their precise number
and equipment, but sent their own reg
mental quartermasters and wagons
ahead, so that upon their arrival the
men had nething> to do but to march
to their camp site and pitch their tents
Within three hours after arrival the
Oregonians were comfortably installed
and cooking their dinner This was a
performance so different from the con-
fusion attending the arrival of most
volunteer organizations that II pro-
zToked the admiration even of the reg
sulars. 1@s
After the troops had all arrived and
had rested up a bit from their long,
fatfguing marches came the regular
nlanepvers. A dozen exercises on a
large scale were executed in all. They
provided fofisuch problems as marches
and deployments in brigades, advance
and rear guard actions, "Reminiscences
in force, attacks and defenses of out
posts attacks and defenses of out
trenched positions. attack and defense
Of conveys, bfvouacs with outposts and
night scouting Ranking and outfiank- :