Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-06-06
LIFE AT FORT OGLIITHOI,rE.
Something OF the Routine Life OF the
SOldicr-On in Camp.

me lOllOWlnB letter was recently
received by Mrs. ~. f.. Stribling, OF
Seneca, from her son, J. W. Striblng.
| who Is at the military camp at Fort
| Oglethorpc:
| Fort Oglethorpc (GaD Training
| Camp. Sunday Morning. g.--Dearest
Nanny: Joe Sitton and are up
here on top of Snodgrass Hill writing
letters, with our backs against one
Of the movements. They have a tall
tower up here and one can get a
good view Of the whole park. do
wish you could see this country. You
| know the government bought up all
the land where the Battle Of Chicka-
| mauga was fought and turned 1t into
| 4 big park. It is several miles across
| in both directions and the area con-
| tains the prctticst roads, trees and
fields ! ever saw. The whole c0un-
| try Is literally covered with monu-
ments and other memorials They
have big tablets everywhere describ-
| ing the action that took place on
that spot, and by whom. You can
follow up the whole battle by follow
ing the tablets. | wish you could be
planning to take in certain parts Of
1t every Sunday till we cover it all.
We went into town yesterday after
| noon, but came back last night.
ri al hn &c
sued uniforms now, and the compa-
| nics look pretty good. My shoes are
| the best | ever had on. 1t is funny
| the way they fit you with shoes. You
try them on and get pair that is
fairly loose; then YOU stand in wa
ter for about ten minutes, then walk
in them for about an hour till they
dry. 1t is their method OF making
an old shoe out Of new one.
stood in branch about ten minutes
in mine and my socks never even got
damp. That shows how waterproof
the shoes are. The water was up to
my ankles.
This is the schedule we follow:
$40 Revcille.
6.00--Breakfast.
100 to Il.30--Drill.
2.00-Dinner.
100 to I.30--Drill and instruction.
5.30--Supper.
7.30 to 9.30-Confcrencc and in
struction.
That sounds like we would have a
good deal OF rest during the day, but
the schedule doesn't include the time
for police duty, cleaning barracks,
cleaning guns, bathing and all the
other things necessary to camp life.
| don't mind it, though, for the time
passes a whole lot faster when one is
busy.
Our company has adopted "Are
you from Dixie?" for the company
song and we sing it nearly all the
time when on marches. We were
singing it one day and Capt Kimball
asked us what it was. We told him,
and he said we would adopt it for the
company song. After that, about
every ten minutes or so, as we
marched along, he would say, Raise
Dixie. boys" We always come back
into camp singing and whistling It,
even when marching at attention.
We have one of the four best drilled
companies here, according to Major
McCleave, the senior instructor. Can't.
kimhall Is so nice to everybody that
they will do anything for him. He
certainly does have discipline on
drill, though. He raises sand If he
sees man looking at the ground,
and If man raises his hand in ranks
ne Is assigned to police duty on Sum
day to keep him from going to town.
If bug gets on fellows face he
can't do a thing but let it bite.
Sunday night had to stop there
and come back for dinner. After
dinner we just loafed about and
stayed in line waiting for uniforms
and supper time. After supper we
had band concert by one Of the Ten
nessee regiment bands. Then came
short preaching service, and | enioy-
cd it.
We spent most OF the afternoon
getting our things Strengthened out.
we have nothing but suit-cases to
keep our things in. so Joe and made
little shelf to hang from the rafters
Tor our toilet articles and books. We
nave ABOUT six or seven regulation