Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-20
General F. D. Grant Say,
Soldiers Did Well
During Encamp ment JustC|Qset
At Pine Plains, n. Y.
Favors Purchase Of Pine Plain, h
Permanent Camp.

New York, July 19.-GeneraI Fra.
lex Dent Grant, commanding tho ~
partment of the East, returned IN H.
ernor's Island yesterday from the On
campmcnt at Pine Plains "
where he has been putting Nation.'
Guard troops and regulars throne.
vigorous "course of sprouts" He w.
srn5urned and healthy looking sna
said he was greatly pleased with ~
results of the work at Pine Camn
Il think it was a most succo.,,
camp" he said. Il worked the nv"
pretty hard e. about as hard 40 a..
could stand, l guess, but thew did,.,
seem to mind, and | know the,, :,
ceived much benefit from the wa,.
there. The National Guardsroen IN
the regular troops worked togetbs,
well. About the only thing in the wsr
of an official report which I can yr.
you is what the inspector Of pennsn,
vania, who came up there to nav ~
the troops, told me. He said that h.
took a vote of the Pennsylvania troor.
on what they thought of the camn ora
~
the men in the ranks told him tbav -
Eeved they had received much rnox,
benefit than they ever mad from ,ha,.
own state encampments, and they EL.s
this plan greatly,
"Of course, at first, the men nav
have been somewhat disappointed n.
they were worked hard-there was,,.
the air OF recreation about Pine Camn
which some of them say they baya a,
the state encampments. But they pain
ed ny attention to business. Tho IaS,
problem showed hat. 1t was damn
attack and the men came up To it-tba
men on both deS-Splenddly almoc,
like regular armitS in the field II wa.
almost perfect, marked improvement
on the preceding problems
THE first phase lasted only eight dars
the Massachusetts troops-and ther.
was one Sunday; then in the Second
phase there We're two SUNDAYS and the
Fourth of July, while in the thi,d uhssa
there was a long stretch OF work with
only one Sunday. ] took the men ont n.
night of the 18th and they conduasa
themselves well. 1t was raining hard br
those Pennsylvania boys scratched
around like rats-tkey had no equipment
but they built themselves a line OF in.
trenchmentS and fortified themselves
there. They didn't turn in until O'Clock
| and then the attack came about go
got out between the lines when tie prob.
lem was being developed to see how The
troops handled themselves They depioy.
ed splendidly; it was excellent work, eass
ly the best development of any Of tho
problems set for the men at the encamp.
| ment.
There are many things to be learned
at camp like Pine Camp" went on Gen
eral Grant. THE troops who drill in Their
armories know very little abort guard
duty. patrol and outpost duty-that sort
| OF thing. All that they have Ia lean
| rake the troops from the country and
| they know nothing about work in lorna.
ton above the unit of a company-nOtf.
ing OF drill by regiments, and almost
nothing of battalion drill. All this they
got, and the men of all branches Of the
| service showed good results from Their
drilling with the regulars and men Of
| other commands"
General Grant said he had not seen the
report of Lieutenant Colonel Glenn and
Captain Johnson on the use Of automo'
| biles in field tactics. He came down from
Pine Plains in a motor car, Il came
through all right in my car" he said.
The report as to the ACCESSIBILITY Of the
| governments buying the territory at Pine
Camp for regular encampments OF TINS
sort has been forwarded to Washington
General Grant says the place. naturally
has disadvantages as we'll as advantages
| but he is inclined to favor il.
1T is not so central as we would Wsh
| he declared. IF we could get placo
about 100 miles to the south and east
abo'lt 30 per cent of the cost OF trans
portatiOn could be saved and the COST Vi
transportation is one of the most I'LL
portant items. But, on the Other manu.
there is a large tract of land there u'
water is good, and the land reasohaO''
in price and adapted to work of this epa''
| acter."