The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-07-20
UPSET
At CAMP RYE
NO TROOPS MOVE UNTIL THEY
ARE FULLY EQUIPPED
MEANS DELAY OF WEEKS
TENNESSEE'S SOLDIERS ROUND.
ING INTO FINE FORM

Nashville, Tenn, July 16."The indi-
cations are that we will be here for
fifteen days more at least" said Col.
Carey f. Spence today upon receipt
of a telegram from Adjutant- General
Simpson stating that all troops will
be fully equipped before goinf to the
Mexican border.
The order from Gen. Simpson has
upset the plans of the whole camp.
Instead of leaving for the border on
Tuesday or Wednesday, the Tennes-
see troops will remain at Camp Tom
c.. Rye for fifteen or many more days.
1t all depends upon how soon Uncle
Sam can furnish full equipment"
which means for the most part, two
of everything with which the troops
now are supplied with but one.
Before the order can be issued to
entrain the camp must be supplied
with 1900 pairs of shoes, 500 pom
chos, 800 shirts, 1900 suits of under
wear and several thousand pairs of
socks and there is nobody at Camp
Rye willing to make guess as to
how soon the extra equipment will
reach here.
A carload of equipment which has
arrived at the camp by express CON
tanned 700 cots and several hundred
shelter tents. Thirty or more per-
ambular tents are needed.
The fact that they are delayed in
going to the border does not mean
that the troops will have nothing to
do for the next two weeks or more.
They will put in an average of seven
hours day drilling and getting
worked into shape for active service.
ust how rapidly the Tennessee
Guardsmen are being whipped into
coalition can be attested by those who
visited the camp today and witnessed
the soldiers as they passed in review
before Col. Spence and compared
them with the soldiers reviewed two
weeks ago. Swinging along in per-
feet step they bore but the slightest
resemblance to the $500 men in non
descript attire that wound around the
race track two weeks ago.
The battalion drill of the Nashville
battalion demonstrated more fully
the result of the two weeks training.
The four Nashville companies had
the appearance of regular army men
as they were put through the battal-
ion formations and the usual manual
of arms by Major Harry S. Berry,
commadng. They were cheered by
the visitors in the grandstand as they
went through the formations with
clock-lke precision
There were between four and five
thousand visitors out to the band
concert and the drill review, and
many stayed on until after o'clock
to see troop B mount guard for first
time. The band composed of the
First Tennessee and the Third Ten
nessee regimental bands and Madame
Frederic Won Stechows band was di-
rected by Madame Won Stechow
The battalion drill was held at four
O'Clock, Immediately after which the
soldiers were reviewed by Col. Spence
and his adjutant, Capt. Wywick. The
troops marched once around the race
track in full marching order and were
reviewed from in front of the grand
stand.
The troops were led by Lieut.. .-Col.
Gleason in command of the Third reg
iment and his adjutant, Lieut., Fyffe.
Troop B, unattached, followed the
Third and behind it came the first
provisional regiment led by Lient. Col
onel elect Terry, former major of the
first battalion. The troops were very
heartily applauded The Red Cross
also received much applause as it
passed the grandstand. Troop B,
mounted guards this afternoo for the
first time it has bee in camp and by
unanimous conset it was agreed that
the cavalrymen are the best that have
appeared in that role.