Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-10-19
Depot No. ), Ordnance Detsch.
ment, Matervliet Arsenal,
MatervIiet, N. 7.

POs sa-s ~ - Asb0sb0o D4SO0ss
mcnt, Matervliet Arsenal,
MatervIiet, N. 7.
October IA, 1917.
DEAR EDITOR HERALD -
A few words from a Shenan.
doah boy who is wearing the
olive drab may be of interest toI
your readers. You will note that
| am stationed at Wateryliet Ar
senal which is on the Hudson
river, six miles above Albany,
the capital of the great Empire
State" Watervliet is one of the
ten arsenals or ordnance estab.
lishments which manufactures
ordnance material-guns, en-
non. ammunition. etc.-for the
government. They manufacture
the larger guns here principally.
including the large 10. II, IA
and 10 inch seacoast guns, 6 inch
Howitzers and anti-aircraft and
3 inch field guns. It is a verita-
Bile school for ordnance officers
now, many of them being sent
here for instructions in the oper-
alton of, land study of the mechan-
ism of these guns.
Though not an officer I'm for
tunate in receiving some of the
same instruction being here with
an Ordnance Detachment train.
ing and preparing for service
abroad. The detachment which
is composed of men of the Ord
nance Enlisted Reserve Corps
now the National Army-is il
charge of Major Thomas F
Brown and his corps of assist
ants including three Captains
and six Lieutenants. The pur
pose of the detachment is to pre-
pare and train for Ordnance worl
in France-the operation of Ord
nance Depots over there. The
i Ordnance Department which will
have big and very importan
part to play in this war is quit,
a large one, its personnel includ
ing twenty thousand enlisted
, men and officers of which mum
Der pinety-eight per cent will b.
5 in the field service.
: The functions of the Ordnanc
Department is to manufactur
= and purchase ordnance store
= and supplies and the distribution
: of same which are used by on
t fighting forces. The arsena
$ here, which is one of the ten i
S the United States, employs abou
s one thousand workmen, but
t recent appropriation of six mil
: lion dollars to increase the out
q put of the plant will necessitat
the employment of four thousan
S men IN the early spring. l I'm
derstand large arsenal will b
located in France which will EN-
E ploy twelve or fifteen thousan
I men.
d The function of the Ordnanc
| Depot is to equip organization
: and individuals with Ordnanc
| equipment. These Ordnanc
! supply depots will be located il
the theatre of operations, some
, where in France" A base de
+ pot will be located at port of de
barkation through which al
Ordnance material will pass be
fore it is dispatched to other de
pots and sub-depots which sup
. ply ammunition trains that carr,
. the ammunition and supplies t.
the fighting forces. We ar,
training for the operation O.
!. these supply depots "overthere. ,
A depot will be operated by q
company composed of one hun.
dred enlisted men and four of.
| ficers. The organization will be
completed over here, each man
training for some particular work
in the depol for which he is best
fitted and for which he enlisted
and in most cases the same kind
of work he performed in civil
life. The personnel will include
clerks, stenograpllers, checkers,
packers, machinists, etc.
There are about 23O men here
now and three depot companies
are organized, but only one COM
pany is complete organization
and ready to go. We have quite
a competent bunch of fellows.
many of them being professional
and business men, and most all
are college graduates and men of
more than ordinary intellect who
are in the service to do
their Bit"