The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-11-09

: Vic SealllC L oilioou, VIC pSSoh ~
see few trees. which was the first
we had seen since entering Texas.
We went into camp at Mesqite at 2
p. m., covering a distance of ten
miles. The boys hadn't had bath
in three days, and there was a large
irrigation ditch right near our camp,
and in few minutes after our tents
were pitched they were all in the
ditch.
The Third Battalion, End S C Inf,
under Maj ] w Bradford, composed
of Companies Il" of Timmonsville.
X of Florence, Il" of Sumter.
and m" of Orangeburg, were call
ed up at 4:30 a. m. for provost
guard duty in Las Cruces, N NJ. We
made a record border march, led by
Capt J B Keith of Co l, marching
twelve miles in three hours, going
on guard Immediately after entering
town, and remaining on duty for ten
hours, without dinner or anything,
except apples, which were plentiful.
Some of the boys who were posted
in the residential! section of town
were called in by the kind ladies and
given dinner, which was very highly
appreciated, being very unusual in
this community, as soldier is not
counted anything at all in El Paso,
which shows how much they appre-
ciate our sacrifices in leaving our
homes and business to protect them.
We remained on provost duty Satur-
day, Sunday and Monday, being
treated as if our services were ap-
preciated in keeping order among
the troops. Our duty was to allow
no enlisted man to enter the bar
rooms, thus preventing drunken
ness and disorder, also to guard ap-
pie orchards, etc. The troops were
we'll behaved and won a name for
the division IN Las Cruces. This
town is situated in Mesilla valley
and is of about five thousand popu-
Iation, being poepled and governed
mostly by Mexicans, the Sheriff and
Mayor both being Mexicans of the
better class. A strange thing about
this town of 5000 people with five
bar-rooms, is the fact that they
haven't a single policeman.
Monday night it rained all night,
and at 4:30 Tuesday morning we
were called out to start the return
trip. We had to back out of our
dog tents in the pouring rain and
mud, roll our packs which were wet
and heavy and, without breakfast,
march to Mesilla Park, N M. two
miles away to do guard duty there
as the column passed through. We
marched the distance in thirty min
utes. While the column was passing
we had breakfast, which consisted
of cheese, crackers and hot coffee,
after which we fell in the rear of
the column and continued the
march, covering the same ground
on the return trip as we did on the
trip out, with plenty of mud and
rain added, as it rained every day
on the way back. We passed the
State Agricultural College of New
Mexico and saw where part of the
campus had caved in (which is very
common in New Mexico) and filled
withwste r, making one of the pref
tiest ponds we haye ever seen. The
trees and a barn are still standing
in the center of the pond. Over the
pond we saw several thousand wild
ducks swimming about.
Friday, the 18th. our last days
march. we covered two days hike,
marching 20 miles in s hours, with
out dinner, reaching Camp Owen
Bierne at p. M, without losing a
man out of our company on the en-,
tire trip. Out of the five States
represented, South Carolina lost
only one man to the others twenty.
Since reaching camp, it has taken
three days for US to clean up our