The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-04
TRAINING CAMP NEWS.
YOUNG OFFICERS AT FORT OGLE-
THORPE NEAR END OF
COURSE.
All Arc on Edge Awaiting Announce
mcht Of List of Commissions Award.
ed-Training Will Conclude With
an Eight Day Hike.


Camp Warden Mclean, Fort Ogle-
thorpe, Ca, July 30.-The past week,
two weeks, in fact, have been filled
with speculation among the candi-
dates in the training camp as to their
chances of securing commissions, and
with the calling of men before the
company commanders this morning,
and the rumor that all men to be dis
missed will be given discharges be-
fore the hike starts on Thursday for a
practise march Of eight days across
the State of Georgia, the speculation
and rumors have more than doubled.
Nothing definite will be known of
who will get what" until the A. p.
announces the appointments on Au-
gust 18th. In the meantime there
will continue to be much unrest and
uneas!ness among the candidates.
According to the reports in the To-
cal papers. two majors, fifteen cap
tains, sixteen first lieutenants, fifteen
second ieutenants, will be appointed
from each company and other men to
total Of one hundred and three. Prac-
tically every man who has shown that
he is efficient, or whom the company
officers consider so. will be given a
commission on the reserve waiting
list This is for infantry. The artil-
lery appointments will be about the
same as in the infantry, while in the
one cavalry troop the percentage of
appointments will probably be a lit
tie higher.
| Rivaling in interest the recon-
mendations for commissions, is the
eight-day hike which commences on
Thursday. The march will be under
war conditions. except that there will
be only simulated enemy.
During the past two weeks the can
didates have been going before the ex-
amining board. all the examinations
which were mere casual glances and
few informal questions from the
board members. being completed on
Friday. The recommendations will
probably go in this week, from here
to Charleston to be approved by the
department commander, and thence
TO Washington for issue of commits
sions.
The hike ends on August 9th, and
camp will probably end about the
18th, when the candidates, or most o:
them will go home for a short fur
lough. before going into active ser
vice.
Along with the examination by tho
board, the companies have been sent
Yup for a special examination of lung
and heart by the surgeons. Only a
very few Of the men were held up on
this examination, as they had pre-
viously been examined, and this was
merely confirmation of the former
examination.
Considerable time has been spent
in studying and the practise OF
trench warfare methods Of late, build
ing, revetting and the methods of at
tack and defense. Along this line, a
very interesting talk was made by
Major Wood of the English army on
fighting at the front, especially the
use Of the bayonet. Maj. Wood was
visitor to camp the past week with
Gen. Wood. who also came to the
camp for a couple of days. The form
er is an American. an officer in the
English army and had served in
France, where he was wounded.
The weather has been exceedingly
not OF late, but it has been cool
enough for good sleeping every night,
and the men are keeping in excellent
health.
The Sumter contingent in camp is
as uncertain, if not a little bit more
so, as any one else about what COM
missions. if any, they will get. Some
Of them complain Of the system on
Grated in their companies, by which
they have had no chance. One or
two OF them are somewhat discour-
aged, but all are still hoping. Their
friends will know as soon as they.
through the papers, of their appoint
ments.
The challenge of the Sumter Volley
Ball team, extended sometime ago.
was accepted by Virginia team and
match staged during the past
week. The Sumter team were easy
winners. the men on it being Wen
dell Levi. Joe Chandler. Louis Bryan