The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
Guardsmen Will Be Mus tered Out of Active Serv-
 ice February 28 COMMITTEE WORKING ON RECEPTION PLANS Men Stationed in Armory, But All Except Few Are
 Granted Leaves of
 Absence

Active preparations for the mastering
 out of batteries A and c, Alabama Field
 artillery on February 2S, are being made and Capt A. B. Kaempfer, U. s. A..
 mastering officer of the Alabama Ma tional Guard; Maj. George Sherer of Montgomery, and Captain Jones of the
 medical corps, U. S. A., have taken charge of the demoblization of the arti- lerymen and opened headquarters in the reading rooms of the Chamber of Con4- merce
 Both batteries are quartered at their armory on Avenue B and Twenty y-second
 street, where they will remain until re- lieved from the present active service The mastering out of the men will consist in checking up their arms and equipment, the payment for service, and a physica examination It is understood that the | men were examined In Fort Douglas pre- vious to entraining for Birmingham and that this will hasten the muster out and the return of the men to their former vacations.
 The reception and other affairs planned by the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations for the soldier boys on their return to the city are being formulated and will be put into effect before they are relieved from active duty. Last night all the men except those on guard were excused from duty and many were in evil dence on the streets.
 GREETED BY MANY I While the uncertainty of the time of
 arrival of the troops and the rainy weather kept many away from the station yesterday morning when the special train arrived, there were many parents, rela- tives and friends on hand to give the boys an individual welcome
 | After the greetings were over the men were marched to the amory, where they made preparations for unloading the field pieces and other equipment and as soon as this was placed in the armory the boys were given leave of absence until this morning.
 Battery returned with 130 men and l five officers, namely: Capt. L. S. Dor rance, First Lieutenants Robert L. Pit
 man and Alpha Brummidge, and Second Lieutenants l.. s. Morgan and George c. Davis.
 l Of this outfit three men were left in the military hospital at Fort Douglas. While convalescent, they were not considered
 strong enough to stand the long journey home. They are John c. Cornett, Mike Felice and Frank J. Moore. During the camp the battery lost two men by death, George Hendricks, who was accidentally shot by a comrade, and Will Brazier, who
 met his death as the result of quarrel. BROUGHT BACK HORSES This battery also brought 32 horses for drill purposes. They were the pick of the 1 IF horses used by the battery in Fort Douglas. They will be located at the fair grounds for pasturage and acclma tization. Later stables will be built at the armory.
 Of Battery c, 103 men and five officers arrived in the city yesterday. None of the men of this outfit was left in the
 hospital and only one death occurred, that of John B. McMillin, from natural causes. No horses were brought to the city by this battery. The officers are Capt. c. P. Noland, First Lieutenants Schuyler Rich ardson, and w. B. Rogers, Second Lieu tenants Albert S. Jemison and Arthur A.
 Adams, Jr.
 In speaking of the camp and the men, Captain Dorrance stated that the men had been much benefited by the exper- fence, and practically every man had gained in weight. He said both batteries made fine records on the range and were complimented by the -ited States army officers for their efficiency and marks l