Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-20
PRIVATE HAS NO PICNIC
IN ANNUAL TRAINING
District National Guardsmen Begin
Work at Gettysburg.
ON THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY
Engage in Simple Maneuvers
Breakfast Eaten by Many On.
der the Open Skies, Mess
Tents Not Being Up.
Special From STAFF Correspondent.

special From STAFF Correspondent
YETI fSBCRG, Pa, July 2o.-Dovn NJ
the railway station early this morning \
very much bedraggled private in one n,
the District regiments leaned against a
post and told every one within hearing
that he was ION his way,
This was private who had looked upon
the camp grounds last night. had seen the
toiiing multitudes as the officers ordered
them around I'm the efforts to get up the
big brown tents before nightfall, and who
figured out that it is fine thing to be an
officer. but a mighty tough thing to be a
private. especially when there is a good
three-dollar-and-a-half job back
home.
So he went to town before the tents
were raised and never came back.
The Soldiers First Lesson.
The difference between officer ard No.
vate is just about the first thing a sol.
dier learns in camp. Back in Washing
ton the difference to the ordinary OBJ
server seems to be one of uniform Rut
out here at the camp of instruction the
difference hits them where they live. The
ofhcer gets it all done for him. and the
private not only has to do his own work.
but he has to do a great deal for his
officers.
On these cold mornings 1t is better 20
be an officer by far. 1t was very cold
this morning when reveilie sounded
throughout the big camp. and it had been
very cold all night.
The first reveille is blown through n
megaphone at camp headquarters, and
regimental reveilles flow like a flock of
musical sheep all through the various
outfits Maj. Eben Swift, T. 8 A., who
talked to the officers last night. told the
-. {. N. G. that there is no use having
reveflle drag out at long intervals.
When 1t Is blown here, at head.
quarters. it ought to be taken I'D right
away throughout camp Why. the othsr
morning We were kept awake a whole
hour after reveilIe by bugles blowing It
ten-minute intervals all over the place."
6I1VateS Routed Out.
Reveille Is supposed to be the time
when the whole camp gets UP. True.
It's $50 am. when IT blows, but the
civilians back home think that when the
bugler splits the dawn with his brassy
call the whole camp tumbles out Don't
believe word of 1t. The poor dear
privates do the getting up. They have
ten minutes to dress In and then. with
tneir clammy legs and arms still stiff
with the cold Of the long night, they go
through bone-racking process called
setting up" 1t looks like breaking
up" Then they clean up the camp and
call one another names for getting in one
anothers way.
During this time the officers are rub
bing eau de listerine de vigor I'm their
hair and getting slicked up.
But. of course. they have all had their
shot at doing the prlvates' work in days
past and are now exempt.
Guardsmen on the Battlefield.
The District guardsmen hiked out to
various parts of the battlefield soon after
breakfast this morning to go through
tactical maneuvers OF a simple nature.
They had to march several miles to get
where they were to work, and of course
they had to march the same distance
back again. The battery had tactical
exercises in the morning and a talk from
regular officers in the afternoon
The battery mess tents were not up a.
breakfast time this morning, and the
men gave true imitation of the soldiers
life as they squatted around with their
breakfast in their hands.
They were not alone in this lack Of
mess tents, either as nearly all the Or
ganizations ate their breakfasts under
Gettysburg's blue sky.
a~~Sn o~~f,. H., la
night. having come from Washington In
a motor car.
The Civilian Transformed.
Isn't 1t odd what a difference a few
hours make! Only few hours ago
Washington saw a couple of thousand
miId-mannered young men attending to
their regular routine duties as business
persons around the marts of trade and
the various government departments. and
today the cares of military duty have
saddled themselves heavily on these same
fellows and made them absolutely diff
ferent. CARRIED in military khaki, Wash
ington's National Guardsmen yesterday
hustled of in the four sections OF the
long troop train that toiled wearly up
the hills to Gettysburg and Immediately
became engaged in camp life as IL their
lives depended on It,
AS soon as they arrived mere there were
shoutings and bustlings, orders and lit
tie confusion. Men who have been push
ing the pen for a year began to wear
blisters on their hands from handling the
heavy camp equipment There were tents
and tents and tents to be run off the
train. There were cannons and caissons.
ambulance wagons and poles. ropes. camp
kits, great crates Of groceries. and all
sorts Of provender to be hauled up hill
to the various camping grounds OF the
District OF Columbia outfit.
Men whom Washingtonians see going
quietly into Office buildings on work days
were suddenly transformed into dashing-
looking horsemen in brand-new riding
and spurs. They were military
looking, but not quite so military looking
as they will be after few hikes into
the Pennsylvania dust. for some Of their
uniforms are Just out Of the bandbox.
some OF the officers have their uniforms
SO recently from the taiiors that the
men present a sort of show window look,
which, however, will lose itself very