The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-15
U,S.P|CKS GUARD
TO GO ABROAD
26 States and Districts Con-
tribute to Force.
CALLED RAINBOW DIVISION"
Reading, Lancaster, Easton and Beth.
lehem Companies to be Part of First
National Guard to Go.

Was -.ington, Aug. 15.-First of the
Pennsylvania national guardsmen TO
go to France to face the Germans will
be four companies of the Fourth in,
fantry, from the heart of the "Pennsyl
vani2 Dutch" country.
The war department announced the
makeup of division of national
guardsmen which will be the first of
such troops to be sent abroad.
It will be based on the French or
gani2ation system. recommended by
General Pershing for trench warfare
whereby the division. with all auxiliary
troops, is made up of less than 10000
men. instead of the $4,000 under the
present tables Of organization in the
United States service
This division will be made up OF
troops from twenty-six states and the
District of Columbia, and was prompt.
ly dubbed ''the Rainbow Division" In
Washington because of its composite
makeup.
Discussion of the time and place OF
mobilization or of its departure for
France are not permissible under the
voluntary censorship, but it is inferred.
from the tone of Washington despatch.
es. that its departure will not be great.
ly delayed.
The four Pennsylvania companies
chosen, composing the third battalion
of the Fourth infantry, are Company I.
stationed at Reading; Company K, sta.
toned at Lancaster: Company L, sta.
toned at Easton, and Company M, sta.
toned at Bethlehem
Many of the men of these companies
are more familiar with that quaint
patois of interior eastern pennsylva.
mia known as Pennsylvania Dutch"
than they are with English, and have
been brought up in surroundings and
among customs running straight back
to the Fatherland.
They are valiant fighting men: come
of a stock which proved itself many
times on battlefields of the civil war
and in engagements of the Spanish,
American war and last summer on the
border showed themselves to be good
soldiers. In one company of the same
regiment. that from Hamburg. Pa,
most of the conversation is conducted
in German. and in Texas last summer,
FL Paso visitors to the camp were as
tonished occasionally TO hear the Off.
GERS give orders in German.
It is expected the Pennsylvania bat.
| talon will be commanded by Major
Quinton o. Reitzel. of Lancaste" semi.
or major of the Fourth, who has had
special machine gun training for the
past few months at Fort Sill. Oklaho
ma
The four companies will become the
machine gun battalion of tn" division.
and will he numbered Machi Gun
Battalion 149. Other states contribut.
ing to the division will be Louisiana
Wisconsin. New York, Ohio, Georgia
Alabama. Iowa Illinois. Indiana, Min
nesota. Maryland South Carolina, Cali.
fornia. Missouri. Virginia, North Caro-.
lima. Kansas. Texas, Michigan. New
Jersey. Tennessee. Oklahoma, Nebras.
ka. Colorado and Oregon.
The New Jersey contingent in the
division Will be the First Ambulance
Company of New Jersey.
Rrisadier General w A. Mann, OF
the regular army, now chief OF the di-
vision of military affairs of the war
department, has been appointed to the
command of the division, and will be
made a major general. His chief OF
staff will he Colonel Douglas MacAr.
thur. son of the late Lieutenant Gen
eral Macarthur.
The division will be known as the
forty-second of the army. The second
separate troop of cavalry of Louisiana
will be division headquarters troop
The Pennsylvanians will be the diyfs.
bn machine gun battalion.