Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-19

been released from the pinches of the
shoes which modern fashion dictates
into tho heavy. broad-t army shoes
from which some crops have been cut
within the last year or SO. They have
never been leveled since these crops
were cut. To say that 1t Is all ups and
downs" for the citizen soldiers Of the
District National Guard is letting 1t
down easily, to use the language OF the
street But soon the drill grounds will
be abandoned for the moro extensive
operations through dense woods. mat
that's what makes soldiers out of the
otherwise professional men, clerks and
laborers.
Tired ana dust covered. Brig. Gen.
encampment, came into camp late yes
terday afternoon in time to greet the
delegation of business men forming q
committee Of the Retail Merchants As
here to see what the militia does while
in camp. They got q first-hand view Of
what their employees do while prac-
ticing soldiery for two weeks, and to
see those men at work must have con-
vinced them that the men earned tho
little pay which they receive from the
federal government and that paid them
by their employers besides-for some Of
the. employers Of Washington give
ing at National Guard encampment.
The greater part of the surrounding
country within a radius OF about ten miles
was explored by Gen. Harvey and Maj.
Francis B. Wheaton. inspector general.
Maj. Wheaton, until several months
ago. was the engineer officer on the
staf Of the commanding general, but
was transferred to the inspector gen.
cided that in view of the fact that the
District Of Columbia had no engineer
troops there was no need of an en-
gineer officer. However, Maj. Wheaton
is Gen. Harvey's rtght-hand man when
maps of the "enemy's" country He laid
out and mapped the camp grounds, and
Is performing the dual duties Of in
spector general and engineer officer.
Camp in Historic Country.
The surrounding territory, which fig
ures IN the history of the civil war.
not to mention the fact that a couple
OF Presidents and A famous revolu-
tionary war officer Were born and trav-
eled within a bullets range of the very
grounds on which the members of the
District National Guard are preparing
for war, will furnish a fairly good OPP
Grating country for the guardsmen.
President Washington, the first soldier
OF the land. was born at Wakefield.
within view of the camp grounds;
President Monroe. the fifth President.
was born in this section, as was Light
Horse Harry" Lee. the father of Cen
Robert r. Lee.
cen. Harvey, his engineer officer and
detail rode all through the country
ma king explorations. They found
everything needed for the staging of a
big battle, but if the local soldiers were
to depend on the countryside to pro
duce food on foraging expedition
they undoubtedly would lose the battle
from hunger. and these army officers
who know the needs of n soldier. say
that an army always travels on its
stomach.
, Away out to the westward went the
scouts, then taking a flank movement
to the south, we'll back from the west
ward shore Of Monroe bay, the west
ern boundary of the camp They pass
ed woods, went over thick underbush
down into deep gulleys, through count
less mud puddles, across numerous
and inlets for which this
part of the country is famous, until
they struck the little settlement which
bears the colonial name of Pomona.
ON every inch of the ground some
contingent of the National Guard was
climbing through the brush
and over the inlets, pumping shot here,
lodging pickets there, and retreating
other places.