The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-26
GEN. SWEETSER
IN COMMAND
At WESTF|ELD
Succeeds General Cole lin
Charge at Camp Bartlett
RECRUITS ARE COMING
Will Take the Places of the 103d and
1o4th Regiments Which VIII
Soon Be On Their Way.

Camp Bartlett, Hampton Plains,
Sept. 25.-Brig. Gen. f. Leroy Sweet
ser. commander of the Depot Bril-
gade of the Goth Division, arrived at
Camp Bartlett late this afternoon
and Immediately assumed charge of
his brigade and also the camp. Brig
Gen. Sweetser IS the senic: of Brig.
Gen. Charles Il. Cole, commander Of
the sd Brigade, who has been in
charge of the troops a. Westfeld
since the camp was first organized.
Temporarily, Gen. Sweetser will
use the quarters of Gen. Cole, but
he will establish new headquarters
nearer to his commands in the near
future. Until such time as he has
opportunity to assume the details of
the camp management and also of
the Depot Brigade, the organizations
of the latter will continue under the
active charge of Col. A. T. Ballen-
tine of the First Maine Heavy Artil-
lery, who has been acting commander
awaiting the coming of Gen. Sweet
ser.
New life was evident in the quar-
ters of the Eighth Massachusetts,
First New Hampshire, First Vermont,
Sixth Massachusetts and the Maine
Artillery with the announcement Of
Gen. Sweeter's coming. This extra
activity was indicative of another
great outpOuring OF troops to West
field. These arrivals will. be from
Camp Devens in Aver and thousands
of drafted soldiers are expected to
take the places of men drawn from
the Depot Brigade units to fill the
vacancies of the 103d and 104th In
fantry regiments, the Machine Gun
Battalion, Supply Train, Ammunition
Train and the headquarters and Mill
tary Police Train.
Not only will the draft men take
the places Of the men of the other
regiments who have gone to the 26th
Division units. but there will 0e sew
eral thousand additional National
Army soldiers who will put the older
organizations on the new war foot
ing required by the Government, 370O
men to a regiment Everything is in
readiness for their coming. The only
remaining question is transportation
and the problem of Quitting them
at Aver before they are transferred
to Westfield. Once at Westfield ten.
tative organizations of the five reg
iments of the Depot Brigade will be
perfected and then, it is anticipated
the troops will be sent Immediately
to Charlotte, ~ c., to Camp Greene
for their preliminary training in sol
dierinS
While brigade headquarters was
thronged with visitors and the officers
accompanying Brig. Gen. Sweetser, I
was a different story on the dusty
parade grounds of the 1OSd and 1O4tf
Infantry regiments and in the same
of the Machine Gun Battalion. Thous
| ands of perspiring troops marched
back and forth in endless array seem
ingly, in a continuation of the drill
maneuvers which have been followed
| rigidly since the camp was establish
ed. There were company movements
bayonet drills and exercises and shel
| ter tent drills This last was quit,
spectacular, the men putting up thei
shelter tents in a time limit drill, tn,
officers holding watches to catch tn,
record of squads and platoons.
Guard duty on the prison stockad'
is being performed by the men of tn
First Maine Heavy Artillery, detail
from the Ammunition Train an,
drafts from the First New Hampshr
and the First Vermont Infantry. TIL
military police work is being carrie
out entirely now by the Headquart
ers and Military Police Train wit
the officers in charge assigned recent
| ly by Brig, Gen. Cole.
There is a general air of hustle an
hustle about the camp and a gradug
tightening of the guard lines to linn
the presence OF vicilians, Anothe
soldiers death was reported from III
brigade hospital today, the cause G
death was pneumonia, He was
Maine boy. Capt. Eastman of tn
First Vermont Infantry has bee
named camp Quartermaster and se
eral appointments of inspecting OF
GERS in the depot brigade made b
Col. Ballentine have been conhrme
by General Sweetser.
The skeleton Of the First Vernon
left here is part of the 5lst dep'
brigade