Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-28
TaUelUe Thousand Men NOW
Drilling at Comp Gordon;
More on Their WUy to JOIN
SeIectmen Drilling in EIemen-
tary War Lessons, Preparing
to Answer Charge That
America Could Not Fight
BY WARD MoREHoUsE.

ATLANTA JOURNAL BUREAU,
CAMP GORDON, Ga. Sept 26.-Canp
Gordon is a precocious youngster, and
will soon be strong enough to win a
smile of approval from that shrewd
old veteran. Mars.
Twelve thousand men are now drill
ing here.
More are coming, but twelve thou
sand are already at it, twelve thou
sand are already kicking their toes
and heels in the red clay and tramp
ing over the dusty highways; are al
ready responding to the command of
training camp grads" and are taking
their elementary lessons in war. The
contributions of the families of three
states to the cause of world freedom,
have had their first spicy taste of the
fighting business, and are eager for
more
Already the first twelve thousand are
acquiring craftiness and cunning for
their conquests abroad they're on the
field morning and afternoon, working,
learning, listening, striving and drill
ing, drilling. drilling, all the time.
The whole place is a school of war,
and II is a part of Americas ringing
answer to the charge that she couldn't
fight and couldn't get ready. The select
men, fine, vigorous and sinewy, are
drilling now on the open fields and
winding roads of this camp to uphold
the fighting traditions of the United
States; they are drilling to render inef-
fective the peculiar position of autoc-
racy and they are drilling to silence
forever the man who shrugs at self
sacrifice, sneers at freedom and snaps
his fingers at democracy.
The first $4,000 who were called from
home and business, separated from
their families, and brought forth to
carry a gun, make the camp look like
the pages of a Sunday supplement-it's
all marching. orders. squad formations,
drill and war. Just imagine how Camp
Gordon must look with $4,000 men and
1000 officers drilling
You can watch them in squads, in
company formations, or in groups, as
far as the eye can see; they're on the
right of you, and the left of you, and
seem to be bearing down upon you;
they're active. energetic. 1.-THE. and wiry;
they're on the open ground, beneath the
branches of the big trees. squeezed in
between the company buildings; they've
moving in all directions. They seem to
have the energy of acrobats, and every
now and then one man moves from
group and gives them semaphore in
structions, and his swinging arms, as
seen from a distance. give him the APP
pearance of a scar ecrow in a cornheld.
Some of these $4,000 patriots have
uniforms-many of them have-but the
majority Of them are drilling in the
garb of the civilian, On the blue serge
they wore to this field of war, in the
clothes of the farm. the office, in SUM-
day-go-to-meeting buds. and the glad
rags of the main street. both in the lit
tie and big town.
They make stupid plumbers every day.
but it does not discourage them; nothing
can stop them; no stumbling block can
be found that could prove big enough to
halt them; they've set out upon trail
that will finally lead to the winding
highways and the open fields of that
war-ridden country. France.
The shrill. sharp commands Of the Of
icers keep them on the jump.
Not long ago trees and stumps COW
cred this site. Cleared for action, now
look at it! What would an OK driver
have said one year ago as he moved
leisurely across the ground If he had
been told that roads would soon be
carved across that untrammeled land,
that patches of trees would be torn
away, and that countless buildings
would spring up. and that 1000 men at
first, and then $1,000, would be march
ing on this ground. drilling morning and
night, and preparing for war?
be the first to go to France, and the
selectmen of the Eighty-second division
want to be the first selectmen Of the
country to place the American flag on
foreign soil.
The medical authrities at the camp
are preparing to move into the new base
hospital, and it ds expected that this
hospital will be ready for occupancy the
last of this week The health of the
men on the reservation is very good,
and every effort will be made, every pre-
caution will be taken, to avoid sick
ness.
The fact that less than 800 men are
confined to the various regimental in
frmaries, and that none is seriously ill,
is good sign.
Lieutenant Colonel Conrad E. Koerper
is surgeon of the Eighty-second divi-
sion; Captain Herbert o. Black is
assistant to Colonel Koerper; Major S.
U. Marietta is in comamnd of the base
hospital, and Major William T. Cade,
Jr., is the division sanitary inspector.
When all the men of the division
have arrived there will be about thirty
two of the selectmen placed on duty
as iremen, as there will be four fire
stations at the camp. Two American
LaFrance bumpers were received Tues
day, and will be tested Wednesday.
Each of these bumpers will have $4,000
feet of hose. Thirty hand reels, each
to carry 500 feet of hose. will be avail
able at the cantonment.
w. T. Cody. son of Atlanta Fire CHER
Cody, is now in charge of the camp
| fire department.
Thomas Smelcer, of Sullivan county,
Tennessee, has found the way to Sol
diersville rather thorny
Thomas, Immediately after his ar
rival at the reservation, decided to go
on a sightseeing tour, In spite of the
fact that darkness had fallen, and some
parts of the camp were black as
coal mine He explored the place,
nevertheless, and would have been able
| to relate vivid story of his expert
ences had not a sentry happened along.
The sentry was a suspicious sort of a
chap, and couldn't be convinced that
| the young Tennessean had come to the
camp to fight so he locked him up.
The next morning Smelcer, with the
aid Of a registration card a couple of
| lieutenants and Lieutenant Colonel