The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-07-27

coils of barbed wire and with sharp
pointed stakes used in the trenches
and chevaux-de-frise.
And this goes on night and day,
said Major Camut. Eyes, it is busi-
est at night near the front, for the
moving is dangerous in the daytime,
so that the last laps, near the fight
ing line, start at dusk and go steadi-
ly through the night
Horses by the Thousands.
And besides the activity of the
highway, the fields alongside were
equally busy. Here cavalry camp
was posted, and horses were tethered,
not by hundreds, but by thousands.
At one side a spur of railroad had
been run to a camp depot, and here
the freight cars were unloading sup
plies and the army vans were carry
ing them forward. Soldiers and
camp followers and peasants were
working at their innumerable occu-
pations. One of these groups, mass
ed at a cross-road, looked like mar
ket scene in Jerusalem, with all races
and languages-Africans from AL
giers and Mongrel Moors from the
borders of Tunis and Morocco, Sena-
galese as black as coal, and yellow
faced Anamites; most of these French
colonials in fez and zouave outfit;
along with the French poilus in their
gray-blue uniforms, soiled and
grimey, and steel casques; and
French territorials in the old-time
red and blue uniform with baggy
trousers
The most striking thing in this
great field of activity was the regu-
larity with which it was all going on,
suggesting perfection and sureness
of organization. There was no con-
fusion, and this tremendous ma
chinery of warfare was running with
the precision and smoothness of the
delicate works of watch.
Living Quarters.
Gen. Antonio and Minister Pain
leve now turned off to the living
quarters. The big barracks stretch
ed for half mile ahead-substantial
temporary one-story structures of
corrugated iron with an inner double
sheathing of heavy paper felt. There
was a blast of bugles and a ruf1e of
drums, saluting the commanding gen.
eral and the minister. And as the
sharp notes sounded, hundreds of
French soldiers poilus-who
were camped along the route, chat
ting in groups, sitting on rough
benches, and doing their hundreds
of little camp duties, sprang to at
tention and stood, there like statues
as the general passed by. Those with
guns brought the piece sharply to
present arms, while most Of the
poilus, taken unawares in their
rough-and-ready garbs, were without
arms and saluted with their right
hand at the cap.
It was striking scene, these
poilus, standing rigid, not in regular
array, but scattered and massed for
half mile along dusty battle
route, some on the road, others on
the rising slopes, with their COM
manding officer passing among them.
The general paused as we neared one
group of twenty grimey soldiers
ranged beside field kitchen, the
ovens smoking and giving off an
odor of soldier rations.
Content With Food.
"Are the men content with the
food" asked the general, halting and
addressing by name one of the poilus.
Eyes, my general" answered the
noilu, his face beaming.
"And the rice, do the men like it,
querried the general.
''No, my general, they will not eat
it,
The .poilu was very definite in con-
demning the rice portion of the ra-
ton, and had no hesitation in ex-
pressing this disapproval to the gen.
eral. Gen. Antoine asked many other
questions as to the food, and was an
swered in the same frank and smiling
way.
This was a typical encounter be-
tween the commanding general of an
army corps and plain French poilu,
and it showed the inherent democra-
cy of the French army, the real COM
radrie between officers and men.
Here was corps commander ad-
dressing a private soldier familiarly
by name, and knowing the name Of
this man in forty thousand encoun
tarod hv hozord for thov CAV Con