The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-12
SOLDIERS At
WESTF|ELD IN
BIG FREEZE"
Suffered Severely From Cold
For Two Nights
NO STOVES FOR TENTS
Remnants of the First Vermont
About the Only Troops Which Are
Provided With Heat.

Camp Bartlett, Hampton Plains,
Sept. 11.-Uncle Sam is not the only
source of equipment and supplies for
the soldiers. For this the troops form
ing the Divisional Supply Train of
the 26th Division at Camp Bartlett
are thankful.
II the gifts to the soldiers were
prohibited by the Government the
men of the Supply Train would be
lacking in many of the comforts
which are now theirs and which came
to Westfeld through the kindness
and generosity of Mrs Elsie French
Vanderbilt of Newport and New
York, and Mrs II. Livingstone Beck
man of Newport, wife of the Cover
nor of Rhode Island. These women
are the godmotheTs Of the Supply
Train and the two troops of Rhode Is
land Cavalry, which form a part of
the 1O3d Machine Gun Battalion of
5he sgd Brigade.
At the outbreak of the war with
Germany, Mrs Vanderyile took it up
on herself as head of the Newport
Red Cross Society to act as god
mother" to a regiment of regulars,
now in France. To. this outfit she
contributed supplies and equipment
valued at $4,000. Not content with
this she turned her efforts toward the
National Guard, and through friend
ship for Capt Davis G. Arnold, in
command of the Supply Train, she
took the Rhode Island soldiers under
her wing. Capt. Arnold is a member
of Gov. Beeckman's staff.
When Rhode Islands troops were
divided and transferred TO other di-
visions, her good work followed them
and hundreds Of Massachusetts and
Vermont boys have reason to feel
grateful to this patriotic woman for
her interest in their welfare. All are
as one. and whether from Little
Rhody, the Green Mountain or the
Bay State, she has done much for all.
Ask any man in the supply train
what he thinks OF his outfit and he
will tell you it is the greatest unit
at Camp Bartlett. In brief time
Capt. Arnold has built up a spirit in
his corps which is remarkable. and It
is one of the cheeriest spots in camp.
The Massachusetts and Rhode Island
soys get along famously. and there
are men in the command from the
Second, Sixth and Eighth Massachu-
settsa few from Maine, sprinkling
from Vermont
Camp Bartlett continues to be a
center of interest. Few realize what
has been accomplished on lonely
Hampton Plains until they see the al
most endless rows Of tents and the
thousands of men.
Because Of the issuing of supplies
in the 103d Infantry, all formal cere-
monies in this regiment were omitted
tonight, but the men were put
through hard days drill. The pro
gram was the same in both regiments
and the machine gun battalion. 1t
consisted of extended order, company
drills, platoon drills, the manual OF
arms. bayonet exercises and calisthe'
MICS with and without rifles,
There was guard mount in the 103d
Infantry and in the First Vermont In
fantry, battalion parade in the 104th
and a regimental parade in the First
Maine Heavy Artillery Guard mount
in the two troops of the Second Cav.
airy, the regiments of the depot bri
gade other than the First Vermont
and the other units at camp was in
formal.
Road building activities have ex
tended into the camp OF the Division
al Ammunition Train, which is IN
command OF Lieut.Col Keville, for
merly of the Eighth Massachusetts
Included in this outfit are more thar
| 200 men who were former members
Of the First Vermont Infantry and ;
| detachment of $50 men from the FRS
Regiment. Coast Artillery Corps o
Boston. Col Keville is proud of hi
men and their camp 1t is one of tn,
beauty spots on Hampton Plains.
The kitchens and mess houses o
| the officers are bower OF pines
They are practically fly proof TIL,
road is built to grade with smootl
curved surface and was laid out un
der the direction OF Lieut.. Roy Il
Miner of Brattleboro. VI. lt was som,
stunt to build the road with transi
OF rough, camp manufacture. but 1
was done. and the company street,
have been laid out equally we'll
| The Ammunition Train camp is Of
the extreme left of the line and is no
visited frequently by those who &,
into Camp Bartlett, but Il is wei
worth the trip down to that end o
I the reservation 10 rlimnan the Inn