The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1916-10-26
Idaho Guardsmen Given Long
Hikes and Worst Regulars
In Skirmish.
CORP. EDWARDS HURT
Company E Now Mounted In
fantry Doing Patrol Duty
80 Miles From Nogales.
Nogales, Arizona,
October Is, 1915.
Dear Mother;

Dear Mother;
Received your two letters yesterday
and today and was kind of surprised.
We got back from the hike last
Thursday and 1t was sure some hike,
l don't believe l have ever been so tir-
ed in my life before.
As usual we waited till after payday
before we started the only reason for
this l guess is because the boys have
enough money to buy them grub with.
We have never had a payday yet that
we didn't go some place and have
spent from $3.50 to $12 every time.
This time we went to Fort Critten-
den where we waited for the End
Conn. to come. We were to have bri-
gade maneuvers but the morning after
Conn. arrived they turned around and
started for Nogales. as they had receiv-
ed orders to 90 home.
We thought we were going to come
back but old General Plummer had a
new idea so we stayed there awaiting
orders.
Monday morning they came and the
first battalion was ordered to go to
Illgin, a small town about days march
farther away from Nogales, and the
second and third battalion had to go
the same way only on another road.
The second and third battalion had
twice as much artillery with them as
we had with us
The next morning each Major had
orders to be open at O'Clock. We
were supposed to be n bunch of Mex
lean raiders with Il big bunch of cattle
we were try to take back across
the border. The second and third bat
TALON were u. $. troops sent to cap
ture us.
Well, we started out and maybe you
think we didn't 90. We went so fast
because we were trying to get to Sen
uita. small town where the roads
crossed. We made the twelve miles
in just n trifle over three hours and
d carried our packs and gun. We passed
: the cross road about an hour ahead
" of the other battalions and went on to
s. Crittenden. When the other battalions
r. reached the crossroads they thought we
If mad not get there yet so they fo,me
il a Skirmish line across the road and
ID behind the hills around there. They
II waited there about thirty minutes be
m fore they found out we had already
passed. Our orders read we had to
a wait at Crittenden two hours to rest
~ the cattle and wafer them and eat
- our dinner In about an hour we
~ heard the outpost company scrapping
-, ~, with the other battalions, so we had
l. hills that are something like those
" around Salmon river. We got our
position and whipped them to "A fraz-
Up Zle. Then we started for Patagonia
It about twelve miles this side of Critten-
tie den, we got there before five that even
20 ing. Colonel Butts of the regular army
who was a referee, said that if the
Ii whole Idaho regiment was like the
u first battalion they could beat anything
IA, on the border. When it comes to hik
tn ing, he said, "why those boys dom
de know when they are tired" The mex
1T, day we left Patagonia for the pump
ing station about eight miles from No
nd gales, the hike is fourteen miles ant
Ist we reached there at noon. The las
rtS four miles Is along an old river be-
he and in some places the sand and dus
Ter is about four inches deep. At te
o'clock that night we were routed on
of bed and sent back about six miles
bo they used an auto truck to do this
,at taking about thirty men at a time
D1, We didn't bring our beds and it wa
." sor some cold. l didn't get any sleep tina
~ ~ night and | guess none of the othe
o oo boys could. About 4 80 we starte
Ia Ia again marching on about two miles
where we formed a skirmish line o
80, the divide. About sun up we saw tn
other battalionS coming up the roa
nearly a mile away. When they wer
/. IA few hundred yards away our artil
di- cry opened fire and destroyed thei
his artillery in about five minutes. Th
ent battle lasted only an hour and W
are completely annipilated them accordin
yer to the judges. Then we started fo
dds Nogales reaching camp about on
ere O'clock marching about 16 miles. tn
will reason we had to go back was becaus
of the river (Which was dry as a bone
eat was so high we could not take the ca
en- lie across till noon. AS soon as we g
,ub- in l took a bath and went to tow
lem and didn't come to camp till IL 4
that night so you can see 1 was NJ
mes all in.
lied For the last month or so have bee
not waking up about five minutes befol
ling reville without any calling at all,