The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-30
A Breach of
Discipline
BY JAMES BRAINARD

1t has been said ehat In the camps
army for the great world war the
obsolete in military science has been
discarded and the men are drilled In
trench warfare, including grenade
throwing, the wearing of gas masks
and all such devices of modern war
fare. There is one fort where recruits
were drilled which can hardly be said
10 have fulfilled these conditions. That
Is Fort A, located In the west.
Fort A. had been turned over TO
the army as a station for the drilling
Of recruits for the great world war.
The commandant, Colonel Whittlesey,
an officer of the regular army. who
had grown gray In the service and had
added with each year something to bis
stock of army discipline, treated new
corners and sl1 corners alike, exacting
from each the same rigid observance
Of attention TO the army regulations
There must be guard mounting In
the morning, dress parade In the after
noon, tattoo In the evening and taps
at bedtime. The soldiers were drilled
to march, countermarch. load and fire,
In accordance with the manual of arms.
and otherwise conform to customs the
colonel had learned some fifty years
before at West Point.
What use the men were to make of
these observances In the trenches In
France probably the colonel had not
considered. Soldiers had been prepar
ed for war by being thus drilled from
time immemorial, and 1t had never oc-
Cured to the colonel that any other
way of drilling them would suffice.
He forgot. II indeed he ever knew, that
General Braddock with his trained
British regulars had suffered a defeat
from Indians and had only been saved
from humiliation by Virginia militia
that had never learned the evolutions
laid down In the books on tactics. He
forgot that General Gibles at New Or
leans, commanding the best drilled |
troops In the world, had been slaugh-
tered by General Jackson's squirrel |
hunters from Tennessee and Kentucky. |
There was one ceremony Of ancient |
and honorable standing about the OBJ |
servance of which Colonel Whittlesey |
was very particular. The colors must |
be daily raised and lowered at the FIR
ing Of the morning and evening gun.
There was no likelihood of the men pay
ng attention to this ceremony in the
presence of an enemy occupying a par
allel zigzag trench to themselves, but
he colonel considered 1t one of the
ways TO prepare them for this warfare.
md IL the gun was not fred twice
lay on the minute OF sunrise and sun
yet woe betide the culprit whose duty
I was TO attend to the matter.
Now, It so happened that Colonel
yhittlesey, who was a widower, was
attentive to a widow, Mrs. Eleanor
Andrews, whose son was being trained
It the fort, and the lady was staying
With the wife OF one Of the officers on
luty there. Nevertheless his courtship
lid not prevent him from being watch
ul of the neglect of any Of his favor
te observances.
Mrs. Andrews had a tiny poodle no
'igger than a large rat, and it was
should she be obliged TO
i've up either the poodle or her mar
ial lover, which she would surrender
he colonel seemed TO realize this, and
was generally admitted that Zip, the
oodle. was the only living thing at
be post who could violate the coloners
riders with impunity.
The only up to date arrangement on
be premises was the continuance for
be firing OF the morning and even
~ gun. A wire had been stretched
rom the gun to a room which con
lined an electrical battery. and key ,
ad been introduced 20 make the cur ,
snt which fred the gun. No one was
Omitted TO the room except the oficer ,
harged with the firing Of the piece at ,
De specified time morning and even
lg. :
One day after luncheon Mrs. An .