Arizona republican., 1908-10-18
ARIZONA BATTALION
 BACK FROM THE WAR
Soldier Boys Had a Fine Time and Enjoyed a Profitable Campaign.

The ATlZOud SOlultTS ullutI Nli' of Col. J. II. McClintock. returned Saturday morning from the at Camp Atascadero, a jolly and a joyful lot. They were jolly because they had had a good time and returned without untoward incident, only two having been i'll and neither of them seriously so. They were joyful because they had had valuable military experience Of a practical sort and had been highly complimented in many quarters on their personal conduct and their mil itary department.
 Col McCHntock said the battalion received the finest kind of treatment over all railroads going and coming and had the only Pullman car on any soldier train. They were among the first guardsmen to arrive and were assigned to a pleasing location on the encampment grounds, adjacent to camp headquarters. The entire camp ground was something over a mile long and is an ideal spot, being 23,O0O acres well covered with grass and white oak timber, in a rolling coun- try. giving all manner of variety for field maneuvers. AtascaGerO is only a railroad station, not rising to the dignity of a town. The nearest towns are Paso Robles, fourteen miles north, and San Luis Obispo. thirty miles south The soldiers were there fore in actual camp life with noth- ing to divert their attention but work and such amusemetns as they pro- vided for themselves.
 Sanitation" was a gospel among the camp authorities. So rigid was it that the guardsmen jokingly nick named 1t Camp Sanitation" It was cleaner than any town could possi- bly be and there was almost an en- tire absence of flies. Disposal of gar bage and sewage was effected with practically absolute perfection, the receptacles for the garbage being closely watched. frequently emptied and the refuse burned in pits dug over the hill, after being saturated with fuel oil. An excellent supply of good water was furnished by a pumping plant purposely constructed and all other supplies were brought to the camp in true military. fashion. Tn fact there was no local source of supply on which to depend.
 The morning drills were regular and helpful and in addition every day had its field problem to work out and all present took the greatest in terest in the work put before them. The commanding officer was Colonel Maus, whose command was larger than his rank indicates. This was , -Fv pliment from those higher up and one. Colonel McClintock says, he fully deserved, for his conduct of the maneuvers and the fine discipline of the entire encampment could not help but be noted.
 Another noticeable feature was the character of the men that surrounded him. those who were practically his staff officers. for they were in almost every case specialists of the regular establishment, men who stand at the head of the army in their respective l lines of study and achievement, to the number of perhaps a score. Spe- cial mention, he said. should be made of Colonel Bellinger, chief quarter master. who furnished almost every | thing used in the camp and looked after the transportation of all of it | To illustrate the thoroughness of his work, Col McClintOck had asked foI | some six or eight teams to transport | the effects of his battalion from the | cars. When they arrived he found ] thirty teams awaiting his orders. The Arizona battalion was compli- mented in number of ways incidental l 10 the trip that made them feel good ! as for instance the announcement that | their train was the cleanest when they arrived, their baggage and other inn ! pediementa was smaller than any sim ! liar command and they were praised 1 for their mobility as an organization | as well as the hardness of the indl-
 vidual soldiers. which an officer higf
 in command was pleased to say ex-
 celled all others. and that notwith-
 standing the fact that California had
 some splendid organizations there.
 Concerning the military expertness
 of the Arizona battalion and its achievements in the mimic war as wei
 as in drill duties, the colonel did not care to express himself as it would bt
 neither modest nor military and Inc
 was not the umpire of the occasion However he wears a satisfied eXpres-
 sion indicating that he has no con- | sciOusness of his men having failed tC | measure up favorably with the many other organizations with which they
 were in close companionship during
 the campaign"