Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-21


If the average citizen Of TIE state
could drop in on these camps occasion
ally and pass q portion OF the.r TIME ne
would not need 10 be told through the
publicity OF the friendly press OF utter
~ unpreparedness o. the country 70 re-
pel any invading force tna- may choose
10 attack US He would not need 10 be
told that soldiers cannot be Irnprovlsed
after he has seen the new recruits Iaii-
Ing over their own feet and on their
horses and forgetting the use OF their
hands as they begin 10 Learn these alpha
bets OF soldering. He would hea- Ell
cheney Of the National Guard talked, nor
by r.l.lttar.sts or j:ngoes. but quiet,
thoughtful young Americans who would
like 10 see the National Guard o. the
state OF Maine occupy q STATE o. prepar-
edness equal 20 that OF the regular army
that they may he OF some value as 4
reserve TO that body
In the Guard today are men who have
seer service in action. young men VINO
have faced bolo men and jungle fevers;
thew are still in the harness for defence,
hut abhor the thought OF conflict under
our present state OF unpreparedness- In
sueaking OF the history OF our ineHlcien-
cy one writer recently said. Suppose
Il were. in large part. not the price Of
necessary sacrifice. but IF mere unpre-
pa-edness, OF throwing into the field
troops Unframed in the ar Of war and
unused 70 the rough life Of camp. In
our war with Spain for 90 killed in bat
lie 40lo persisted Tniserably Of disease IN
camp We like 20 think, and n gen
! era way we are justified in thinking,
that in our war for Independence the
peaceful uberty-lov;Eg eolonists rose IN
iust wrath and drove the tyrant from
our shores; yet ii took, first and last.
saJ. 60 men TO win from $500 British
soldiers The country trusted 70 luck,
: and in the war OF 1872. over tire Land OPP
/ erarions OF which most OF our historians
draw a kind OF irridescent veil, il took
. $3.50 men 20 meet 5000 Of the enemy.
: Army men do not consider the hrst TWO
years OF the Civil war were war at all il
-he modern military sense of the word.
Y was q struggle between TWO rnohs,
: equally brave. equally determined and
equally d.sorganized. Granting that the
! war was inevitable, how much the price
. of unprsparedness and ineficiency?
YOU can hear from all sides talk Of
more work in the field. more uaneuv-
B er--and this does not mean blazing
: away with blank cartridges a dis
lance a. which both forces would have
long since been annihiIated il actual
battle but real problems = making
an advance. mansuvering III the pres
ence Of a theoretical enemy, handling
situations as they arise. the sucaecE
Of The Germans today is dUc largely -
this method OF training and 10 the fact
that WY is a science and not an arr:
: they are all for initiative, practical
work, settling each problem according
10 the circumstances.
I Machine Gun Co. Works
The Machine Gun CO. tae recent a.
dition u the regiment, are regular glut-
tons for work and not 9 diiu moment
exists while the men are IN camp. This
branch O. the service is a most i'm
porranJ one as 10 value 1t crllica Pc
: RODS Of an engagement, and as IN 90
ject of special attack by the artilely y
Of the enemy. Their use in action are
for short periods and The time mus.
count while they are engaged. they are
= invaluable II the protection OF Hanks,
ard if they are Well placed they Will
often produce decisive results against
z hostile turning mov+ineC-.
After the morning exercises Of The
Machine Gun Co, they TOOK UP one of
the interesting and essential POINTS Of
= the duties prescribed for this arm,
that OF signalling and es-ir1atin:: DIS
a tances: followed hy designation Of iar-
Q RI
! the problem Of loading strips with bail
ammunition was gone INFO and Z hig
Improvement over previous attempts
were noticed; following this number
'. was Instructions on care o. animals.
The instructor detailed with this com
pany is Sergeant Boiling Of the eth
Infantry. L. :. a. sta Ii oned at Browns
Vile. and in recent orders was called
into action Or the border ncanst the
!. Mexicars Serg-t Boldi72 las been n
: the service 10 wears. Tossing SIX years
=, Of that time wirn the Machine Gun Co.
of the 9Th Inf SAT Boidins. like all
regular army men. is reluctant to talk
of his career in the army. but loud in
praise OF the hest little army in the
world. the regular army Of the United
States.
1t was learned that Sergt Bolding
is an expert horseman and CUR shot,
q characteristic of neaJly all border
men, also an artist at throwing the
Dclo, such IS issued 10 the men Of
the COMPANY. The bolo. by the way
is a part Of the equipment that is new
70 this part OF the country. II Is
savage looking piece Of cutlery,
weighing TWO pounds. measuring L.
inches in length and three inches in
: width, made Of the hardest steel and
. tempered. II is used in slashinE wire
entanglements. trench digging and
. cutting all entangiements and brush
1t is so sharp and tough that it can
cut any untempered iron or steel.
Sergt. Bolding is very much impressed
with the State Of Maine and her peo-
pie and does not care if he never goes
back.
| AdjUtant General Presson, Major
Morizrty. the inspector general Ma
jors Blanchard and Bogue Of the
Governors staff, Major vose, medical
department Of the L. S. A, and Major
Bradbury, chief surgeon. medical de-
Il