The Washington herald., 1911-03-12

san Antonio, March 1.-Two million
four hundred thousand rounds of ball
cartridges 80 in the belt of each soldier
and u0 per man in the ammunition
trains, are convergInb this minute on the
1,00O-acre windy lot cut back of this town
which is part of Fort Sam Houston.
That windy lot is less than $50 miles from
the border of Mexico. The men who are
carrying these rounds OF ball and the
officers who are directing them are not
stopping to wonder the why and where
fore of it They are just coming by the
heavy trainlolds and settling down.
Placed on War Footing.
The most significant fact tending to
throw light on the real purpose Of the
present mobilization did not develop
until tonight. when 25O recruits ar
rived in company with one of the in
faDtry regiments to ill the numbers
OF the seventeenth Infantry. This
brings the Seventeenth upto war
footing.
1t was learned tonight following the
arrival of these recruits that the other
regiments on the ground or in transit
will soon be recruited up to the full
number oi i.J"u. At present every in
fantry regiment in camp has the peace
footing Of 500 men. One infantry Of
tcer said that il was pretty generally
known that before week has passed
every infantry regiment at the fort
would be on war footing.
Before retreat WIS sounded tonight
there We're 800 men out at Fort Sam
Houston and down lder the glaI.. of
scIrchlights. strikers and mule ANGLERS
were pulling ut tangle Of passenger and
stock cars trying to get another couple
of thousand INTO camp before the dark
came. Before midnight tomorrow there
Will he between 1900 and 1900 men of
IN United States army a this point, and
CnOugh more at San Diego, FL Paso, and
Galveston to bring the number of troops
within touch Of the border TO 2o,0o-all
done within thirteen days to the dot of
the dissemination Of the order of mObili-
q z.tiOn.
Four Months or Year:
Why? Well, an officer who wears pref
ty fancy shoulder straps was standing
by the flap OF his tent out at the brand
new camping grounds this afternoon, and
his eyes squirting against the strong
sunlight, were turned TO the South He
said mis-:
If somebody should die off down there
We wouldn't stay here very long Maybe
I
here very Iong anyway. Now. of course,
l don't know anything. which was this
officers delicate way OF evdding commit
ting himsclf-'but il you should ask me
directly now long We are going to stay
herr 1 would say, no doubt, about four
months and maybe year.
"WhIt would happen if something over
the border should take place, some little
irrcEullTity.
The ocer. smiled a little and said:
''WclI al l can S4y is II that should
come about keep your eyes on the cavalry
fist thing and then see So, -ething else
move"
Supplies for -Four Months.
Whatever may be the possession or lack
OF definite information about the future
InOv"mrnsl which IS the portion of some
Or the army officers here, a significant
fact was u-c~vered this afternoon. Col.
john L. Glenn, chief GIartermaster of the
department OF Texas. whose headquar
tiers are Fort Sam Houston. has been
ordered to provide supplies for l"On men
for four months time. Here j. another
fact which stacks uD along with other
straWS pointing the wind: This afternoon
lOnT pontouu train, Part OF the equip
ment of the corps OF engineers, stationed
at '-..r Lcavcnv o~th. kanS., swung into
II. -. -lo Of ..- near the camp.
." .f.rer o Corps of Engineers
was asned if it wdS the usual thing to
take pontoOn trains TO maneuvers. He
replied. without smiling. that it depended
where the mancuvCT- were to take place.
The Rio Grande I.iver does not lie be-
tween San Antonio and Galveston, an
nounccd in the official statement of i'm
pending manCuvers as the object of the
theoretical attack.
Gen. Carter Arrives.
That river lies hetween San Antonio
and Mexi,J. however. and it is the only
river bigger than an irrigation ditch that
it so displayed on the map. The first of
the troops under mobilization arrived at
the big camping grounds of Fort Sam
Houston yesterday. They were Col Van
ArsdeTs Seventeenth Regiment. from
Fort McPherson IN Georgia.
The arrival at 6:45 o'clock this morn |
ing Of Mai Gen. William H. Carter, who |
is commander the entie division now
being masSed along the border, and his |
staff. gave uli r..a! lie to the movement |
out around j..t ln- WludswLct army post |
Gen. Carter gnt m over the Iron Noun |
tain from ST. Louis, and was met by |
Brig. Gen. J. w. Duncan, commander of |
the Department Of Texas, and his staff |
officers.
Gen. Carter went at once to the fort !
and there this afternoon a detail Of men |
was busy putting up the divisional head |
quarters on Il knoll which Ove-loCks the !
whole l,cCC aces The general denied !
hims ell to all visitors during the after /
noon and nn word could be had from as |
to the ultimate destination of the 20Oo0 .
trou ps being massed under lis command |
or the length 0! time that the present |
massing "f t. forces would continue.
Detraining Causes Confusion.
With the arr ival Of the commanding
officer Of all the border army came also
some OF his brigade commanders. Gen
F. A Smith. commanding the Brigade
OF IDfaTuy. Gen. NJ p Nause and Gen.
". Iloyt, commanding, respectively.
the Second and Third Infantry brigadeS.
are now al their headquarters at the fort.
Gen. ". s Echuyler. who is to head the
divisional cavalry brigade, the Signal
Corps, and Engineers, will be in to-mor-
row, and Of the artillery and independent
cavalry brigades no commanders have as
yet been announced.
The only fever of confusion attending
this settling Of several thousand troops
in new territory was centered around the
detraining, and there it was not half as
bad as II one regiment of National \
Guards was going into summer camp at 4
Pine Plains, for instance. On the big
camp field, two miles northeast OF the ]
city and just off the northern corner of 4
The stone wall about the fort. everything 4