Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-08-18
U. S. PICKS Guard
TO GO ABROAD
26 States and Districts Con-
tribute to Force.
CALLED RAINBOW DIVISION"
Reading, Lancaster, Easton and Beth.
iehem Companies to be Part of First
National Guard to Go.

Inc first OF the Pennsylvania
national guardsmcn to go to France
to face the Germans will he four
companies of the Fourth infantry,
from the heart of the "Pcnnsyl.
Vania Dutch" country.
The war department announced tho
makeup of a division of national
guardsmen which will be the first of
such troops to be sent abroad.
1t will be based on the French or.
gah>Ha1on system, recommended by
General Pcrshing for trench warfare
whereby tho division. with all auxiliary
troops. is made up Of less than 10000
men. instead of the $4,000 under the
present tables Of organization in tho
United SsateS service.
This division will be made I'M of
troops from twcnty.six states and the
llS'rict OF Columbia, and was prompt
ly dubbed "thc Rainbow Division" I'm
Washington because OF its con,posito
makeup.
Discussion of tho time and place OF
mibilization or Of its departure for
france arc not permissible undor the
voluntary censorship. but it is inferred,
from the tone Of washington despatch
cs, that It's departure will not be great
ly delayed.
Ihc four Pennsylvania cOmpanies
chosen, composing the third battalion
OF the Fourth infantry, arc Company +,
stationed at Reading: Company X, sta.
tlonod at Lancaster: Company l., sta.
toned at Easton. and Company NJ, sta.
toned ut Bethlehem.
Many Of the men OF these companies
arc more familiar with that quaint
patois OF interior eastern pcnnsylva.
mia known as 'Pcnnsylvana Dutch"
than they are with English, and have
been brought up In surroundings and
among customs running straight back
to the Fathcrland.
They are valiant fighting men: como
OF stock which proved itself many
times on battlenelds OF the civil war
and in engagements OF the Spanish.
American war and last summer on the
border showed themselves to be good
soldiers. In one company Of the same
regiment. that from Hamburg. Pa,
most Of the conversation is conducted
in German, and In Texas last summer,
El Paso visitors to the camp were as.
tonishcd occasionally to hear the off.
GERS give orders in German.
1t IS expected the PENNSYLVANIA bat.
talon will be commanded by Major
Quinton Q. Reitzol. Of Lancaster, semi
or major 90 .@c Fourth who has had
special machine gun training for the
past few months Mt Fort SILL Oklaho.
ma.
The four companies will become the
machine gun battalion of the division,
and will be numbered Machine Gun
Battalion 1d9. Other states contribut.
ing to tho division will be Louisiana.
Wisconsin, New York. Ohio, Georgia,
Alabama, Iowa. Illinois, Indiana, Min.
nesota, Maryland. South Carolina, Cali
fornia, Missouri, Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Kansas, Texas, Michigan New
Jersey. Tennessee. Oklahoma, Nebras
ka, Colorado and Oregon.
The New Jersey contingent in the
division will be the First Ambulance
Company Of New Jersey
Brigadier General w. 4. Mann, of
the regular army, now chief of the di
vision Of military affairs of tho war
department. has been appointed to the
command Of the division, and will be
made a major general. His chief of
staff will be Colonel Douglas MacAr-
thur, son of the late Lientenant Gen
eral Macarthur.
The division will be known as the
forty-second OF the army. The second
separate troop Of cavalry Of Louisiana
will be division headquarters troop
The Pcnnsylvanians will be the divis.
ion machine gun battalion.