Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-11
TROOPS AROUSED
BY NIGHT ALARM
CALL TO ARMS STARTLES
ETASCADER0 CAMP
Imaainary Foe Repelled in Realistic
Manner-War Declared on San
Luis obispo by Monterey
County

CAMP ATASCADERO, CAL, Oct. H.
A night alarm of an unexpected call
TO arms" to repel an attack upon the
camp started the 5000 regulars ana MIL
itia in Camp Atascadero at $3.50 O'Clock
this morning into great activity.
Hardly had the first call of the alarm
sounded from headquarters before II
was taken up by every bugler ana
trumpeter in the two-mlle-long camp;
Repeated from knoll to knoll, 1t niled
the night with the stirring notes OF the
most thrilling of all alarm calls IN
time of war. Orderlies galloped back
and forth, and mingling with the am
of bugles and blare of trumpets came
the rattle of accoutrements, noarse
commands, the CLINT of saber ana pay
onet In the moonlit night, the ols-
tant sound of cavalry and the rumpIe
of artillery as they got under way.
The declaration of war on San Luis
Obispo county by Monterey county ana
q threatened attack by the enemy COM
ing from the north by way OF Paso
Robles existed only in the Imagination
of Atascadero umpires; but the chill,
frosty night air was intensely real TO
the tired officers and soldiers who
tumbled out of their tents grumbling
and cursing.
Sound Fire Alarm
ONLY three hours before the entire
Camp had turned out in response to an
alarm of fire that blared forth from the
Second regiment national guard, where
a small hospital tent caught fire, ana
officers and men expressed their dis
gust in picturesque language as they
hastily jumped into their clothes.
Umpires quickly appeared and handed
TO regimental commanders orders dl-
take DOSltlOnS as
signed to them two miles north OF
camp.
The honor of being first under arms
and ready to move fell to the Firth
regiment, national guard, commanded
by Col. David A. Smith, whose COM
mand with the Second and seventh mn. IN
fantry constituted the reserve under
Col. w. r. Schuyler Of the Firth cav
airy.
out that IL was stopped on the march
several times to give the right OF way
to troops which were to hold the hrst
defensive position.
While the Fifth was the first to be in
formation, the Seventh, commanded by
Col. w. G.. Schrieber, was the first or
the militia troops to take the posltlon
assigned 1t.
10 Col. James II. McClintock fell the
distinction of forming part OF the
flrSt line OIL uelSilSCt WhiNh, WAN AifN
Arizona troops, supported by two ma
chine guns under Lieut.. Bowen, COM
manded the right wing of the front
with the Eighth infantry in the center
and the Twentieth on the left.
The cavalry under Maj Fred A. Fos-
ter acted as patrols in front of the In
fantry lines and reconnoitered as far as
Templeton. while the artillery COM
manded by Capt. A. U. Faulkner occu-
pied an eminence behind the reserve.
The signal corps, under the direction
of Lieuts. Beck, Hennessey and McGill,
within an hour established telegraphic
communication between the headquar-
ters of Col. Maus, who was with the
reserve, and various other commands.
Some of the men had the forethought
to take their overcoats, but others only
half clad stood shivering around camp
fires which were soon blazing back of
the firing line"
When the rays of the rising sun
flooded the oak-covered hills and val
leys it shone on a front over mile
long with outposts, pickets and patrols,
giving the nearest semblance to war OF
any of the maneuvers which SO far
have taken place,
Col. Maus, accompanied by Col. Bid
die, his staff and Gen. ]. b. Laucks, in
spected the lines and praised the
promptitude with which the officers
and men turned out.
Gems. Roster and Wankowski turned
out with the9militia and accompanied
the brigade into the field, observing the
operations. Monday afternoon the joint
battle maneuVers Will begin.