Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-10-19

grooming" has. long since become the
sweetest phrase in mother tongue.
After feeding horses, we feed, and
then clean up camp until not even o
burnt match is left in sight Thence
to the stables to groom, saddle up
and take the ring for two hours. We
ride 'em goin' and comm, standing
up, lying down, hanging on, leaning
over-every way. This is to accus-
months of it,, we ought to at least
be calling our mounts by their first
name. Equitation is in progress un-
til 10 o'clock, when we come in and
Craze our horses until 1880, and then
fed and water. At 11:55 we eat and
take up drills at 1:30. For an hour
and half we practice visual signal
ing, (wig-wag and oemaphore) and
also telegraphy. We go to the woods
and stretch wires through the trees,
making our long distance circuits out
in the greensward. AG 800 we go
back and groom until 4:00, when we
bed our horses, feed hay, water and
feed oats, then cover our horses and
go to supper at 4:55. At $3.50 we
line up for retreat and call the roll to
see who is missing. After this, we
are off for the day, except those on
guard. My guard comes every twelfth
night now. From retreat to taps at
10 p. m, we may roam about at will,
being accountable, however, to the
ever present military police, or "M.
p" for our conduct. We are usually
in bed long before taps, or huddled in
our tents around our little wood burn
ers listening to or telling yarns, re-
counting great events of our past,
most of which never happened at ell.
So you see our days are being filled
up. Of course, when extra work
comes up, we don't ride in the morn
sometimes are bit careless with the
horses. You would be surprised at
the amount of work to be done around
camp such as this. Personally I
have built two stables since / came
here; have taken squad Of men over
into the next county and put up tents
for six hundred men, and have spent
whole days with u pick and shovel in
my hands. There is always changing
to be done, draining. tearing down,
building up, always something otirr
ing to make muscle and appetite, and
to make us all healthy and wise, if
not wealthy. And in our outfit here
(every military unit is called IN "out-
fit" now, we have formed little
"family" all to oursclvcs-we wear
each others clothes and go share and
share alike in work. play and pro-
ceeds. We groom each others hors-
es, stand each others guard and often
when some fellow overslecps and re-
veille has caught him, some other guy
yells "here!" for him when his name
is called. We are unique in this po-
stion-we are little gathering of
the best of friends. all ready and will
ing to see the whole thing through
together without grumblc, and the
beautiful part is th;.t 1 believe each
fellow is willing to bear bit of the
other fellows load, as well as all of
his own. The First Sergeant and the
lowest private shed their shirts to-
gether and stand side by side with
pick and shovel while some guy
starts song he knew back in his
college days-the game is on and
Uncle Sans work has very bright
prospect for being done.
We have passed the grumbling
stage. That comes when man is first
presented with stomachful of raw
beans, and half boiled Bolona sau-
sage twice day. He expects more,
and grumbles because he don't get it.
But after a while he ceases to ex-
lot. We all grow homesick from time
stand the need of war, armies, hors-
es, reveille. 1t is very difficult to
reason the necessity for getting up at
5:15+reveille has never been justi-
fled anywhere. Guard duty also suf
fers. Why do guard duty? Nothing
has happened in a quiet, peaceful
county like Chicamauga to necessi-
tate guards being thrown around ev-
cry path, picket line and building in
the outfit. A thousand other Gun
necessary" things have changed into
commonplace, "taken for. granted"
pastimes and we don't mind them any
more, hence the homesick feeling is
gone. 1t travels in cycles and will al
ways return just as surely as the sun
will rise.
But we have the finest of all camps.
There are 10000 of us here-others
come in quietly from time to time,
while still others "fold their tents"
in secrecy some nights and very silent
ly slip out somewhere. l saw reg
iment of cavalry, with full equip
ment, glide out the other night just
about sunset. The fellows don't say
much when they see things like that
there isn't any music or cheering.
But we all fall to wondering lot.
Our tents are now we'll floored, and
stoves are all set up-little conical
affairs about 1-2 feet high and 1
1-2 feet in circumference at the bot
tom. They are set in a box of dirt in
the middle of the floor and the pipe
runs out at the pole-hole in the top of
the tent. We have a time chopping
stove wood, but the sitting around at
night is worth the trouble. Even
with the stove we are not comforta.
BILE with less than three double blank
cts at night. We will soon be used to
it, though. The man who sent the
fake telegram to himself and nipped