The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-09-12
NEW ARMY ARRIVES
FROM cA!RO.L|N'AS' |

Five Hundred South Carolinians Re-
port in Columbia for Duty as Mem
bers of National Army.
Columbia, Sept. 6.-Five hundred
potential South Carolina "heroes in
the rough" were mobilized at Camp
Jackson yesterday as the States s.:
per cent. Of the: first call under the
the selective draft. , By midnight
last night 15s North Carolinians had
also arrived and 62 are scheduled to ],
come in from Florida at an early
hour this morning as the first CON
tingent from the land Of flowers.
The embryonic troops began their
movement upon Columbia early in
the day. The first groups to arrive
were Saluda and Lexington, their
train reaching the terminal at To-
o'clock. Abbeville's contingent was
the last to join the movement, this
unit getting to Columbia at 4:20
o'clock in the afternoon. A shuttle
train transferred the groups hastily
from the union station to Camp jack;
son., Trains from the low country
were switched at Simms station to-,
the cantonment branch. u,
Brig. Gen. Charles n. Barth, COM.
mander of the camp, met the first
trains of the day, and several Con-
federate veterans from the Confed-
crate Home hung about the station
much of the day. Those latter watch
ed with a. curiously brilliant CLINT in /
the eye the sturdy youngsters who
were answering the country's CALI
and fought over again with all the,
mental alertness of former days the
bloody struggles of the War Between
the Sections.
There was, little of the customary
glare or military spectacle attached
to the array of splendid young fel-l
lows being marshalled into the Ma.
tional Army. Much good natured
/ pickering was banded back and
forth by rival lcontingents. Z Arr 0ca
casional chorus of barbershop mi.
nors, slightly reminiscent Of college
days, occasionally broke the dull mo-
notony Of ''watchful waiting for
the first glimpse of The cantonment,
which was the occasion for spon-
taneous outburst Of "rebep yells as
the trains drove into the camp.
Unless appearances prove. decep-t
tive, the major portion Of the young
men are in excellent physical fettle.
Many are directly from the rural dis
tricts, where manual labor is daily
routine and adjustment will be easily
effected to trench digging, hurtling
over 'tops," exacting bayonet prac-
tice and other strenuous modes of
modern warfare. 49,. =
The work Of mastering the men in
was dispatched rapidly at the camp,
open air Offices having been impro-
vised, each equipped with efficient
stats. The men were assigned quick
ly and Immediately began to adjust
themselves to discipline, which is to
convert the recruit into a finished
fighting man. - -
David J. Griffith of Columbia, son
of Mayor Griffith, was the first tsa'
enter the National Army. The COL
umbia quota went to Camp Jackson
in automobiles and at 10 O'Clock the
wheel of muster began its continu-
GUS whirl. E.
The young man to get the initial
place in the muster roll is the grand
son of Capt. D. J. Griffith, who came
out of the War Between the Sections
in command of Company C, Fifteenth
Regiment, Kershaw's Brigade, Cap
tain Griffith was made lieutenant
when he was II years and six months
old and was promoted to the rank of
captain when he was but 19 years
and three months of age. He was
in many of the fiercest battles of the
war and is justly proud of his grand
son, who bears his full name.
Few incidents marred the mobili-
zation scheme yesterday. By a mis-
conception of rules, Fairfield sent
but two of her ten men and will send
two each on the four succeeding
days. Plans tentatively were to mo-
bilize but 1 per cent, of the per
cent. daily.
In Colleton County, three of the
ten men called failed to appear. Oc-
casionally an "extra" was found, one
of these being from Richland county
and another from Saluda.