Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-02
CAMP FERNALD READY
FOR I'd. ME-, REGIMENT.
United States Regulars Complete Their Long Hike
Saturday..-Co|. NeWcomb Establishes Head
quarterS-..0ther Muster Preparations.

| Co. X. and Co. L. 9Th Infantry, U. $.
| A. arrived, in Augusta Saturday noon
and at Camp Fernald, named in hon.
or of Governor Bert NJ Fernald, the
commanders in chief of the States
forces. everything is in readiness for
the reception of the members of the
I'd Regiment Infantry of the National
Guard, State of Maine, who will arrive
today at the rendezvous for the an
nual tour of duty of 10 days. The
presence Of regular troops will make
this camp notable as it is the first time
that regulars have been assigned to
| duty at Maine encampment.
| That the regulars are here is due to
| the energy of Congressman Burleigh
of the Sd District and Senators Eugene
Hale and William p. Frye. The war
department informed the adjutant
generals office that owing to the dis
| lance from the barracks at PlattS-
| burg. N. Y, it would be impossible
| to assign any regular troops to the
Maine encampment but realizing how
| much the presence of the regulars
would mean where the camp was to he
| for 10 days Adjutant General Dill took
| up with Congressman Burleigh the
question of securing a recommends
ton of the matter by the war depart
| ment Congressman Burleigh took hold
OF the proposition with his character
| StiC force and enlisted the assistance
| of the Maine senators and on the rec
ommendation of the general staff, tho
| commanding general department of
the East, was directed to assign two
companies of regular infantry for duty
at the Maine encampment.
The detachment of regulars consists
OF four officers, 119 enlisted men and
| five transfers. The officers are Capt.
| A. F. Prescott, Capt. j. K. Particle,
First Lieut.. DR.. c. c.. Mccormack and
Capt John F. Curry. Since it's arrival
July 81 at Poland Springs it's move
| ments on the cross country hike to
| Camp Fernald have been followed with
much interest and when the arrival of
| the detachment at Tacoma Lakes early
| Friday was announced many from this
| section repaired to that resort for
| first glimpse of the boys in olive drdb.
who were coming here to give the Ma
tional Guardsmen points in the art of
| war.
| 1t was 1870 Saturday noon when an
expectant crowd lined up on the corner
of Sewal and Capitol streets saw
| emerge from the dust. first the mount
| ed officers, then the two companies ir
| light marching order and finally tn"
| wagon train drawn by long cared army
mules from Missouri. The soldiers
were given a great hand as they pass
ed along the street in marching order
| headed straight for Camp Fernaid
| One of the riders on horseback had
| familiar look and after someone in the
group had remarked what youthful
looks the officers had some one else
| made the discovery that one of the
horseback riders was not an army Of
| ficer at all but a well-known Lewiston
newspaper man. who had come along
with the army so as to be in readiness
for the muster.
The regulars pitched their tents at
noon Saturday among the pines on the
north side of winthrop street just
across the road from Camp Fernald.
The remainder of the day Saturday
was passed in getting the camp IN
readiness for the work to follow and
at o'clock Sunday morning Cap..
Prescott. who is in command of the
detachment, in accordance with his in
structions, reported to Adjutant Cen
eraI Dill.
H Many of those who turned out Sat
urday to witness the arrival of the
soldiers commented upon the livery
gait at which they marched and the
fact that they did not seem to show
anv fatigue. The horses and mules
~ re hn mi a
march from Tacoma taken since 6.15
that morning nor of the long journey
across country from Plattsburg, n, y,
of 26O miles of which Camp Fernaid
was the terminus.
i When the detachment left the bar
racks at Plattsburg, on the morning
of Saturday. July 10 all the informa-
ton which the officers in command had
concerning their trip was that they
were to report to Adjutant General
Dill at Augusta. Me. Sunday, Aug. !.
They had some maps of part of the
country only. yet at the completion of
the second days march the officer in
command sat down in his tent and
drew up schedule of places. where
they would camp and the dates on
which they would arrive at these
points. Capt. Prescott not only reach
ed every place of encampment on or
before schedule time. but actually ar
rived at Camp Fernald nearly a day
ahead of the time at which he was ex-
pected. AT points where maps were
lacking Capt. Particle as engineer Of
ficer rode ahead Of the detachment and
secured the necessary data.
The equipment with which the de-
tachment left the Piattsburg barracks
is exactly the same as the officers and
men would have had had the companies
been going onto the field in actual war
fare. The only exception to this is
that the men left the most without any