The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-08-21
VI. REGIMENT
IS SPLIT Up
FOR WAR USE
Still at Fort at Noon But Pack
ed Up to Move
1900 MEN TAKEN
Other 700 Probably Merely Delayed
For a Few Days and May Even
Get to France First.

swarm OF relatives of the boys of the,
1st. regiment of infantry, Vermont Ma
tional Guard. are today at the State
reservation to bid farewell to the
1900 enlisted men and 23 officers of
the regiment, who have been ordered
to join the 26th division of the Uni
ted States army The 26th division
will be composed of National Guard
troops, who will probably be recruit
ed from New England, and it is ex.
pected that they may soon see active
service.
The officers who will join the 26th
division were selected yesterday, but
the enlisted men have not been
chosen, although their names will
probably be announced today. Al
though the point where the Goth army
division will mobilize has not been
given out, it is understood that it is
Hampton Plains, Westfield, Mass, as
was hinted in yesterdays Free Press.
While the officers and men we're
enthusiastic over the prospect of a
change, with increased chances of
getting in to active service il could
not be denied that many were down
cast over the splitting up of the 1st
Vermont The transfer of 1900 men
and % officers will leave the Vermont
regiment with nucleus of 80 officers
and 200 men. on which to start re
cruiting for regiment, which under
the new war strength will require
5000 men.
Some did not hesitate to say that
this would never be done, and that
these who remained at the State reser
vation would simply be used TO com
plete the ranks of some other organi.
zation and that Vermonts famous
National Guard regiment would be hut
a memory. Newspaper men were,
however, asked at the regimental
headquarters not to write anything
sentimental" about the transfer
While nothing definite was stated
regarding the time of departure, there
we're several significant indications
that il would be probably within a
very few hours. The first of these
was the fact that every officer and
every private as soon as he was nOti-
fed that he had been selected, was
told to pack up his kit, so that he
could leave on five minutes notice.
The second was that all men who
wanted passes to return home be
tween sundown and 730 o'clock this
morning were granted them. The
third was that host of messages had
been sent out by the men themselves
so that many relatives were on hand
at the camp yesterday to say good
bye.
The Vermonters, II is understood
will be placed in the ammunition traiI
and machine gun sections of the new
army division. Major Jerold NJ. Ash
ley of this city will be the ranking of
ficer of the ammunition train, t
which have been assigned Captains
| Charles Il. Pell of st. Adams, II. NJ
Howe of Northheld Richard T. Core!
of Newport, John l.. Stanley of Win
ossH and William II. Hudson of thi'
city. The other officers who hav'
been ordered TO join the new arm,
division are: First Lieutenant
Joseph A. Evarts. Chester c. Thomas
| G.. A. Nelson, c. l.. Malaney. II. J
Homeister. c. J. LaPage, Roy ID. Min
er, and Second Lieutenants ]. 1
| Wood, W. NJ. Tenney, r. j. Brickley
| w. II. Morrill,, A. S, MacDonold, f.. L
| Newton. c. A. Pellet, Il. II. Lang, 4
II. Catozzi.
| The order transferring the Vernon
ers means taking about 10 men fror
each company, All that will renal
of the machine gun troop is Captai
Il. f. Smith Of ST. Albans and thre
privates. Conditions will not be a
bad as this In the other companie
but It will be hard enough to recru
the regiment again, IL Is not expec
ed, either that the enlisted men fro
the regiment will be kept togeth,
when they are assimilated by Il
division.
At noon the soldiers we're still
| lNt lNlA uuN Nidluh NtIt ltduA
take them somewhere. In fact Il
= trains have been ready for sever
days and were the first sign Of q
transfer.
. The manner of selecting those WI
q will 30 and those who will stay is n
known. Some Of the men are simp
y told TO pack up while others get !
y word. While an average of 10 m,
I from each company It Is said tn
Company ! and Company A, whi,
are the two best companies In q
regiment, each is to furnish l3O me
The 200 to be left at the fort expo
n to be joined TO some other organii
{ tion right away and II Is said th
they may be united With the rogula