Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-29
Regiment of Infantry, with
Numerical Strength of AZ Of
ficers and $50 Enlisted Men,
Leaves Camp Gov. Gates.
CAVALRY WILL GO LATER
Fifteen Freight Cars Go First,
Followed by the Twelve Com
panies in Three More Sections
Regiment Due in Eagle
Pass, Texas, Friday.

The First Regiment of Infantry. Ver-
mont National Guard, left Camp Gov
ernor Gates. where IL has been mob
lied since June e. Tuesday after
noon on its long Journey to Eagle Pass.
Texas. where It Is expected to arrive
on Friday The regiment. which Is
commanded by Col. Ira l.. Reeves, has
a numerical strength Of AZ officers and
$50 enlisted men. The attached san-
tary troops of the Vermont National
Guard, commanded by Major T. J.
Hagan and numbering four officers and
"a privates. accompanied the regiment.
The first squadron of the First cavalry,
numbering about ISL men and about
$50 recruits for the infantry regiment.
for whom equipment has not yet been
received. will remain at Camp Gov
ernor Gates, which will be maintained
as recruiting and equipping camp.
Major Wallace Batchelder will be in
command of the cavalry camp and
Capt. 3. S. Hyland of Rutland will be
In charge of the recruiting camp. All
men who failed to pass the physical
examination and those who did not
take the new oath of enlistment will
be discharged at once.
The regiment entrained TUESDAY in
four sections. on passenger cars which
had been placed on the siding in the
rear of the quartermaster's buildings
at Fort Ethan Allen. Tho first section
consisted Of surplus baggage, wagons.
a two-ton motor truck. etc, and was
loaded on Is freight cars This section
left the siding at 1855 a. M. and i'm
mediately afterwards the passenger
cars for the first detachment of troops
were shunted into place. The second
section consisted of I, X, l. and NJ COM
panies. from Brattleboro. Springfield,
Newport and Burlington. the regi-
mental headquarters staff and por-
ton OF the attached sanitary troops.
and was commanded by Colonel
Reeves. There were 314 enlisted men
and IA officers in this detachment.
which left the reservation at 12:45
p. m The third section, consisting Of
f.. +, and II companies. from Bel
lows Falls. Northfleld. Winooski and
Montpelier, respectively. entrained Is
minutes later. and was commanded by
Major John w. Tinker. There were 16
officers and 259 enlisted men in this
detachment. The last section, consist
ing of a. r. C and d companies from
Rutland, st. Adams. Burlington and ST.
Johnsbury, commanded by Lieut. Col
! Fred g. Thomas, did not entrain until
4:l5. The delay was caused by the
completion of the physical examination
| of the men.
ROUTE OF THE REGIMENT.
The route which the guardsmen will
traverse to reach Eagle Pass will be
| over the Central Vermont tracks from
Essex Junction as far as White River
Junction. Brattleboro and East North
| field. from where they will 60 to
Mechanicsville. " y. and Binghamton.
| y. y. At the last named city they will
| receive supplies of shoes and socks for
the soldiers. which have been forward
ed by the war department. and also a
supply of anti-typhoid serum The
Euardsmen will not be inoculated with
| the serum, however, until they have
reached their new station. From Bing-
hamton, the route will be westward TO
Chicago. Kansas City. Mo. through
Oklahoma to San Antonio, Texas. and !
then to Eagle Pass. In passing
through Oklahoma the train will stop
at two towns which are now connect
ed by an electric railway built a num- |
Der or years ago by Colonel Reeves. |
where large. although necessarily |
brief welcome is being planned for |
them. There is some doubt as to |
whether or not Eagle Pass will be the
final destination of the regiment. If !
being reported that it is merely a Juno |
ton point and that tho Nermonters !
Will be Joined there by other regiments
and transferred to another station.
In addition to the II freight cars
which formed the first section of the
Vermont train. the troop dctachmcnts
occupied sections of nine and eight |
cars respectively. The cars are the .
ordinary passenger coaches but
Colonel Reeves ordered a supply of |
short boards To be provided. which may
be laid over two adjoining car seats.
and covered with blankets will form n
fairly comfortable hunk. Four COM
missary cars with an adequate supply
of both food and fresh drinking water
also form section of the train. Each
soldier was issued a five DAYS SUNNY
Tor cooked rations yesterday, as there
Will be small opportunity to cook on
tn" Journey but an attempt will be
made to supply the men with fresh
coffee each day. The medical officers
accompanying the regiment are Major
I. j. iagan. Capt. Frederick Edmunds
and First Lieutenants w. II. Mitchell
and II. W. Taylor
LAST DAY IN CAMP,
IT was extremely sultry Tuesday
morning when the guardsmen fell into
ranks at Camp Governor Gates prepara-
tory to marching to the entrainnG point ,
The boys had spent the previous night
with only the scant protection OF puppy
tents All cooking equipment had been
packed on the previous afternoon. so that I
they had had only cold and scanty |
breakfast and each man had to carry full
field equipment, including a nine pound
rifle blanket roll canteen, cartridge belt,
etc, BY the time the first troop detach-
mcnt was entrained at l2:45 p. m. it had l
commenced TO rain. The outlook was GER {
tainly anything hut encouraging. but were |
the boys discouraged? Most certainly I
they were not. Orders were executed
with aaCrity and Cheerfulness and when 4
they were released for brief time before
boarding the cars they sang and cheored S
heartily
The rain was falling heavily when the /
second detachment entrained. Parents