Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-09-26
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(By Lewis c. Harrison, Chief Clerk,
Camp Quartermaster, Quarter
master Corpse
Headquarters Thirty-Ninth Diyis-
ion, Camp Beauregard, La, Sept. II,
l917.-Editor keOwee Courier: So
much has been written lately con-
cerning the entrance Of the United
States into the European world
struggle that | hesitate to ATTEMPT to
give my version Of what I actually
see and am experiencing through
daily contact with the various de-
partments OF camp activities. Though
there are several similar camps now
in process Of completion within the
borders Of South Carolina, and many
of the readers Of The Courier have
learned to marvel at the wonderful
rapidity with which the, government
is building and equipping same, beg
your indulgence for short article
concerning the camp at which | am
stationed and which is comparatively
similar to the others
Camp Beauregard, La, (named af-
ter the famous Confederate generaD,
Is a picturesque type of the m, ny
throughout the United States. The
camp Is located among the hills Of
Central Louisiana, in the midst OF a
large turpentine area of pine trees.
] and is not far from the banks of Red
river, and about four miles or so
| from the city of Alexandria. Approx
imately everything has been COM
pleted and the troops are fast COM
ing in. ready for the vigorous train
ing awaiting them. There are some
thing like 200 or more frame build
ings, among which are the mess
halls, numbering 100, which if put
in a straight line would cover dist
ance OF three miles. Here the hun
CRY boys Of Arkansas, Mississippi
and Louisiana will feast on spuds,
spaghetti. cabbage, ana the usual
army loaf bread, which is baked by
our own boys here III the field ovens
There are ten huge warehouses for
the storing Of miscellaneous supplies
Three army Y. NJ. G.. AS with a
seating capacity Of about 500 each
are ready and welcoming the boys,
and hundreds OF sacks of magazines
have arrived, which the good people
all over the United States are send
ing in to the various camps for the
soldiers.
A very interesting feature of it all
is to see the great amount of activ-
ity on every hand, speed apparently
being the consuming desire. Ware
houses and other buildings spring up
during the night where before there
was scarcely spot to lay a board,
every night finding some shift of
! workmen busy; and Sunday can
hardly be called day of rest for
the present \ weekly pay roll Of
100000 to about 5000 laborcrs is
turned loose for the city Of AleXan-
dria to reap the benefits, and it is
taxing the city to measure up to the
occasion. Many interesting features
are to be seen, among them the huge
truck train Of fifty brown trucks of
about two tons each busily running
here and there. loaded to capacity,
| and driven by soldiers, who form
| what is known as the motor truck
company. Then there is the rcmount
depot, which is being established to
| there will be a large base hospital;
in fact, there is no scarcity Of room
for building, as understand the
lease calls for $4,000 acres. which
should be enough ground indeed for
all the drilling. target practicing and
such. as one could desire.
Subsistence Is task that must be
met. In plain words, that is ration
ing or feeding the soldiers. With this
in view already something like the
following has been purchased, and
some Of it already here for the SOL
dier boys to feast upon: Two million
pounds Of potatoes, half million
pounds onions, one to two million
pounds frozen beef. twelve to twenty
five thousand pounds Of butter and a
like amount OF oleomargarine; ten
thousand pounds yeast: also many
cases Of jellies, pickles, canned goods
and such; then in enormous quanti-
ties all kinds of miscellaneous sup
plies must be bought in such large
volumes that it is overwhelming to
enumerate
AS | write this. from my office win
dow | can now see about a thousand
Of the troops busily engaged in the
art Of learning intensive warfare,
and very shortly they will be joined
by thirty or more thousand other
comrades. and there will be the
rhythm Of marching feet from early
morn until dusk, broken only by the
brisk commands Of the officers and
the bugle calls for rest, each eager
and willing to do his part, knowing
soon he will join the great Pershing
and his advance guard among the
Northern hills of France
The Quartermaster Corps of any
camp plays very important part.
yet | deem it not good policy to
praise one department to the disad-
vantage OF another, for, one and all,
they work together and bring about
the combined result. In the Quarter
master COrps we have at present