Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-05
MCPHERSON
SOLDIERS CAMP
AS IF At WAR
Fall Maneuvers Of Seventeenth
Infantry Take Troops Far
AfeId on Weeks Hike.
HAVE TO PRACTICE COOKING
First ReyeiIe Sounds at Sand
town, Where Sham Battle
Ends in Draw.

Private PerCival Green. who was
named after a Tenuyson poem, stuck
~ head ont from under the folds
OF a very comfortable army blanket
and blnkcd at the cold gray dawn
yesterday morning. The sound that
had awakened him was the familiar
tara tee-ta- ia" Of a hugled reyellle.
But the surroundings We're not ia
miliar This was not Fort Mcpherson
and the barracks. What he saw was
a pine thiCket and a red clay bank.
and what he felt was "a cold, outdoor
morning breeze against his tender
nose.
What dye mean I'm drunk again ."
So Private PerCival Green held col
loquy with himself Then the bugle
blared out once more, and he realized
that the Seventeenth Infantry was
away from the post on a week or so
OF real soldier life in the open. and
that he had slept In Camp Sandtown.
which had been pitched by order Of
Colonel NanOrsdale at Sandtown, on
Cascade road near the ChattahOo-
chez River. Friday afternoon.
Il can't get EN- up
The bugle again.
Sham Battle Fought.
Private PerClval Green pulled the
blanket over his head for one fare
well snuggle, then bounced out of
bed to cook his own breakfast and to-
hear the talk of the sham battle that
was coming
Every man Of the Seventeenth was
cooking his own breakfast. Playing
Al real campaigning, the Seventeenth
Infantry doesn't do things by halves.
In every haversaCk is one days emer-
Eency rations. composed of hard tack.
bacon. coffee and sugar and now and
then during the six or seven days the
regiment will be out the soldiers are
expected 10 prepare their own meals,
as they did yesterday morning
As man made meals go, the break
fast did very well. True, the coffee
here and there had the strength Of
a white hope More often. how
ever. it was too weak for any manner
Of good. and the soldier boys said
things about their morning cups that
violated every regulation made and
set down in the Army Code concern
ing profanity
Stiu there was energy enough dis
TILED from the coffee and bacon and
hard tack 10 make the sham battle
that followed n very realistic and gin
gerry affair. The woods around sand
town were hay gray with smoke
long before noon. and Farmer How
ards dead brown cotton stalks were
tramplcd down by the feet of
q khaN-clad horde who gave a very
convincing imitation of Pickett's
charge
Honors Rest Easy.
The sham battle over. with honors
easy between the first and second
batallions. extended order work, Skin
mlshine ana other maneuvers were
held iilllng M the morning and put
ting the Seventeenth in fine form TO
enjoy The MONDAY meal another in
dividual repast
The work conducted Yesterday
morning was the second days maneu-
veTs NJ the fall ficld campaign Of the
Seventeenth Infantry The regiment
left Fort Mcpherson very early Fri
DAY morning, marching northwest to-
ward the ChattahooChee River. where
camp was pitched in the afternoon.
The soldiers went out from the fort
with genuine campaign outfits their
blankets and haversack with rations
strapped around their shoulders. ONLY
handful was left as guard at the
post.
After day or two at the sand
town camp the regiment Will cut
southwark keeping always TO this
side Of the Chattahoochee, and NOV
ing around College Park thence back
to Fort Mcpherson, returning prob
ably the last of next week.
The extended campaign is held at
least once each year. and less eIabo-
rate maneuvers are held monthly
The long hike is largely for the bene-
ut of the recruits number of whom
have entered the ranks of the Sev-
enteenth recently
The maneuvers are the last before
number of important changes take
place among the regimeutal officers
Captain r. ID. Carter ana Captain r.
{. Davis soon go TO report for duty
in the Philippines. and Lieutenant j
II. Hester Will join them later. With
in week or two Major Robert Alex
snder Will come to the fort to sue
coed Major Saffarans