The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-08-23
LIFE AT FORT OGLETHORPE
Men Who Earned Army Commissions
at Officers Training Camp Led
strenuous Days-The Days Work
-cOfficers Report at Columbia and
lamp Gordon on the 18th Inst.

strenuous Days-The Days Work
-of1lcers Report at Columbia and
lamp Gordon on the 29th Inst.
Lumoeraon,s newly commissioned
army officers, who came home the
other day from fort Oglethorpe, are
brief stay at home. They
ana all others who received commits
slons at Fort Oglethorpe will have
to report at Columbia, S. c., on the
18th inst. Lieut.. J. NJ. Russell, who
received his commission at Fort Nc
Emerson, will have to report at Camp
Gordon on the same day.
The young men talk Interestingly
OF the experiences. They led
strenuous life, but that it agreed with
them IS shown by their clear ewes and
general appearance of fitness. There
IS IS, nothing soft or flabby about them.
They look fit for any task.
IN conversation lats evening withSec
ond Lieut.. David H. Fuller The Rob-
esonlan learned something of the life
these young men plunged into when
they exchanged the easy life of civil
lans at home for camp life at Fort
Ogaethorpe.
For the first day or so it was
easy, but when all were supplied with
uniforms and other equipment thew
got down to their knitting in earn
est, and then at 9:30 at night, when
they We're released with not a thing
to 90 till 5:15 the next morning, the
hardest of them were ready to cali
it q day. and turn in.
The routine Of the day was as fol-
lows: Up at 5:15; "setting up" exer
Experimentation $50 to
$3.50; ten minutes to get ready for
breakfast; breakfast to Z, and dur
ing that hour man was free un-
less he was on police duty, in which
case he had the pleasure of spending
part of the time in cleaning up the
company street, picking up every lit
tie thing like match heads, cigarat
stumps, ct cetera; to 1880, al
most constant drill, with short rests
occasionally when a man might
snatch a short smoke; 1880 to IL,
at leisure; II to 1:15 p. M, dinner
| and free; lis to 4:3O, company study,
which usually lasted till $3.50, the
remaining hour being devoted to drill,
or sometimes the afternoon was
spent in long hike; 4:3O to $50,
free, and this was the time usually
devoted to bathing and shaving; $50
supper; 6:45, about four evening in
the week, to $50, the entire Is COM
panies, about $500 men, gathered
to hear some officer lecture on some
snhase Of military life.
%sss And from. 9:3O at night to 5:15 a
M, Mr.. Fuller naively observed eve
didn't have a thing to do''.
At first the strenuous drilling
knocked some Of the men out. They
were frankly told by the officers that
they might step out Of line if they
felt it was too much for them, but
often fellows who had stuck with
grim determination not to give W
would faint dead away and fall like
shot. Mr.. Fuller said he never hat
to step out but once, ard that wa:
t just after he had been vaccinate(
against typhoid.
: Raw recruits were drilled at frs
without guns, but gradually the.
took on guns, and then side arms
and then full equipment, and final,
it was not unusual to hear the or
der at. 5:15 to fall out with every
; thing but your cot.
1t was trying time with the boy
! at the last, when they were on tn
! tenter-hooks about getting a com
: mission. No one could tell a bloom
: ing thing about how he stood or wha
his chances were. AS an illustra
- ton of how uncertain all the private
= were as to their chances, Mr.. Fulle
: told of one man who, because he ha
! been balled out several times jus
'' before commissions were given ou
= and seemed to get in bad at the las
was so dead sure he would fail t
get a commission that he made bet
Z amounting to SAT that he would no
get commission. And what h
, really got was a commission as firs
= At perfectly good dollars. Mr.. Flu
:, letr is not stranger to examination
. He is a graduate Of Trinity colleg
and of Harvard university law schoo
!, !, and went up against the State 81
= preme- court for his law license, br
- >, he says in all the examinations h
- had stood before he had never e,
perienced anything like the uncertain
r ty and anxiety he experienced abol
- the wind-up at Fort Oglethorpe. n
/ matter how perfectly you answere
% all questions asked you on examin;
l0 ton, you were entirely in the da1
when you left the presence Of tt
!, examining officers as to how yol
=, answers struck them. You fired ava
= so to speak, and the officers gave I
-, sign to indicate whether you hit
- - missed.
~ ~ The young men from Lumbertt
~, 70 and other points in the county a
- Quilted themselves well.
! N Lieuts. Fuller and e. K. Proct
4 ! of Lumberton and Frank McNeill
=. ~ Howellsville township were in tt
~ field artillery, also Mr.. j. M. Ru
= T sell, who was at Fort McPherso
" " near Atlanta. First Lieut.. c..
1e Skipper, Jr., Second Lieuts. F. T
W Wishart and j. P. Cashwell of Lu1
berton, were in the infantry. O.
was allowed to choose the branch
~ service for training.
~ Mr.. S. K. Nash, who went frc
~ Lumberton, joined the aviation cor