The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-08-23
500 MEN HAVE
NOW LEFTFORT
ETHAN ALLEN
Others Are Probably Going
Sometime Tonight
SECRECY MAINTAINED
No Facts Are Given Out and VIII Not
Be Until the Soldiers Arrive at
New Destination. Il

burlington, Aug. 23.-t1Ve hundred
of the boys of the Vermont regiment
left for somewhere" during the
night last night.
1t looks as though the 800 others
assigned to new duty will disappear
in the dark hours tonight.
No news is given out and telephone
wires except those controlled by the
military authorities are out of COM
mission.
When the troops arrive at their
new camp the fact will be made pub
lie, but until then the public can only
guess. The few who know are keep
ing the secret
The last guard mount and retreat
was held yesterday afternoon at
o'clock with everybody present, After
mess preparations were made for de-
parture by the men detailed to leave
with the first section. During the
preparations the 1st Vermont band
played continuously. At the playing
of the Marseillaise all heads were
barred and the soldiers shouted and
cheered for the French republic.
If there was any discomfort or
downheartedness at the camp 1t was
with the men who were not chosen to
go with the first section. About 65
men from each company will be left
behind but probably not for long.
The 1900 who are leaving will be
absorbed by the 26th. army division
and 1t is understood that the Vermont
troops will go into the machine gun
division and the ammunition train de-
partment.
The journey which the men are to
take is evidently not long one as
they prepared for only one night on
the road.
The Burlington News of Wednes-
day night had the following:
up to a late hour this afternoon
the 1900 Vermont troops who have
been ordered to join the 26th division
of the United States army all OF the
men had secured their new equipment
and were ready to leave at a mo-
ment's notice.
THE men with the machine gun de
tachment are not carrying their rifles.
Every man of the 1900 ordered to
leave has his identification tag. The
tags are small discs of aluminium.
bearing the name and regiment of
the owner. AS soon as the men are
assigned to permanent companies the
tags will Se exchanged. These
aluminium tags are the only way. Of.
tentimes of identifying the dead on
the European battle fronts.
"The rifles carried are United
States, Springfield, calibre, 80. Each
man carries shelter tent. New
uniforms of wood have been assigned
to the different soldiers New blank
cts have also been given out.
To-day as yesterday, parents and
| friends of the boys from all over the
state are at the camp grounds to say
| goodbye. With all their outward
show OF JOY at leaving for active SER
vice, the men find 1t hard TO take
leave of their friends.
"The men are loaded down with
presents, most of which they Will
have to leave behind them, as they
are not allowed to carry must extra
| baggage
1.-THE destination of the Vermont
troops is now known to the command
ing officer of the First Vermont, but
no informatiC:. is allowed to be pub
lished because of the fear of military
information reaching foreign agents
within the country.
"The boys of Company ii Of Mont
pelier have bear cub mascot
Molly" which tney wish TO take with
them. Owing TO the fact, however,
that nobody knows how many os the
company will be together II is thought
that they viii have to leave Molly
at Fort Ethan Allen. I,.r
MANY of the different companies
have mascots in whose protection
they infallibly believe. They regard
Il in the light OF calamity 20 be
forced to leave their pets behind
them
"The departure will be accompani
cd by no display. The troops viii
leave without a sendoff. Major
Jerome Ashley Is in command of the
detachment