Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-21
NJ. N. G.. At
Camp Abbey
q, National Guard Encampment at
- Graylins a Great Success.
From Charlevoix Sentinel. !

On Friday Gen. w. T. McGurrin,
Commandant of the Michigan Soldiers
Home, Colonel of the 32d Infantry in
the Spanish war, and former brigade
commander, M. N. g., was in the city
and joined the Sentinel scribe in the
trip to Grayling.
En- route Gen. McGurrin wired Brig
adler General Kirk at Camp Abbey,
and the former general and the scribe
were met at the station, and in Gen.
Kinks car were whirled to camp, four
miles away, where they were duly bill
letted as guests of brigade headquar-
ters. But the first duty of the scribe
was to hunt up Capt. Winters Com
pany l., 33d Infantry. Right here is
where we want to say few things
about Co. |. Already the company from
: Charlevoix county-as matter of fact
is the talk of the regiment, In field
firing problem worked out Friday, with
Flint, Big Rapids and East Jordan COM
panies as competitors Co |. stood Sec
ond, Flint standing first. Major Frazier
of the field hospital corps told the scribe
that Co. |. had the only excellent"
sanitary outfit in the regiment. The
laconic remark of DR.. Frazier was
'there is something right with Co. l."
AT regimental officers meeting Fri
day Col. Boucher told the officers if
they wanted to see a madel company
street to go down to Co. |. Already
Capt. Winters and Lieutenants Spring
and Balch have acquired the eclat and
snap of veterans, and "top" Sergeant
Gidley has at one jump grasped all the
details of the military routine. Co. |. is
already one of the best in the regiment
and with another year of training will
be well up in the front.
Sergeant Cook, of the regular army,
who has been with Co. |. as instructor
since it was mustered in, returns to
East Jordan with the company and will
for month or two continue the whip
ping in" process.
A shadow was thrown over the camp
Saturday morning in the death by
drowning of an enlisted man of the
Kalamazoo company. The soldier was
bathing near the foot of Co. |. street,
when he was taken with cramps. He
leaves wife and five children.
Camp Abbey was named in honor of
former brigade commander, p. l.. Alb
hey, upon whose staff the scribe served
for three years. The military reserva-
ton consists of ZOO acres, embracing
every Typographical feature necessary
for successful military work. The camp
proper extends along the shore of Port
age lake, a beautiful sheet of water
about half the size of Pine Lake. 1t
occupies ground of gentle slope up
from the lake. Upon an elevated plat
eau is established brigade headquarters
from which every part of the camp is
visible. For more than mile stretch
the tents, while here and there old
glory denotes regimental headquarters.
Sentries surround the camp, and at
stated hours one can see the relief
squads posting the sentries. AT five
O'Clock Saturday evening occurred in
fantry parade, in which the three regi-
ments, headed by the Sd regiment band
marched in review past brigade head
quarters, with the sturdy soldier swing
1t was spectacle which quickened the
pulse and sent thrill coursing through
the anatomy of at least one proud
American present. Then retreat" and
guard-mount, and finally at 10, from
one end of the camp to the other came
the trumpet notes Of "taps."
Saturday night the scribe slept at
Capt. Winters quarters, arising at the
first sound Of reville. A beautiful thing
happened Sunday morning. Rev.
Father Donnegan, the Catholic chap
lain of the I'd, celebrated field mass at
seven o'clock. The Episcopal and
Congregational chaplains of the 1st and
Sd, respectively, led the Catholic men
- their regiments over to Father Dom
nSgan's services and remained through
the service. Enlisted men served as
accolytes at the altar, and the splendid
I'd regiment band furnished the music.
The altar was improvised from two
trunks, appropriately draped.
AT ten thirty, Protestant services
were held at the 1st and 3rd headquar-
ters, each with band. In the midst
of the services the brigade headquar-
ters' gun roared seventeen times in
honor of Gov. Ferris, who just arrived.
AT three o'clock occurred the grand
review of all the forces, a spectacle
that again stirs up the patriotism of the
beholder-approximately 5000 men,
ready at an hours notice TO march to
the defense OF the flag. The
camp will close Saturday of this week.