The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-10-02
NEW ENGLAND
! End DIVISION
| OBEFORMED.
With Forces Still at WestfieId
for Nucleus
FILLED BY CONSCRlPTS
Ammunition Train Was ctill at Camp
Bartlett at Late Hour Last
Niehsl
FILLED BY CONsCRIPTs

camp bdFtiett, i1iilplOH ldHiS,
Oct. l.-Possibilitics that second
New England division may be formed
TO follow the 20th Division, when it
leaves for overseas duty are looming
large on the military horizon, and in
dcations point to the formation Of
such division from the regiments in
camp on Hampton Plains which have
heretofore been designated as part Ct
the depot brigade.
New tables Of organization, show
ing the strength of an army division
under the reorganized plan, show
that in the troops at Camp Bartlett
assigned to the depot brigade there
are sufficient skeleton organizations
to form complete army division of
27,152 officers and men. Hints at
such plan were made today by Brig
Gen. Leroy Sweetser, commander of
the depot brigade.
OF the regiments now available for
use in such a division, and awaiting
a number Of enlisted men and few
junior officers to complete their or
ganization are the Fifth and Eighth
Massachusetts, the First New Hamp-
shire and the First Vermont, for the
four regiments of infantry. The Sixth
Massachusetts could be used as an
ammunition train. The Connecticut
regiment could be utilized for the
headquarters and military police train
while there arestwo companies of the
the signal battalion, leaving only
few minor organizations to be re-
cruited AS nucleus for the artil-
Jerry brigade there is the First Maine
Heavy Field Artillery, and for = the
other regiments and batteries of ar
tillery there are the coast artillery
regiments and battalions of Maine
and New Hampshire Recent orders
to recruit these to full strength for
early service abroad indicate such a
possibility of their use.
Brig Gen. Sweetser is enthusiastic
over the prospects for the regiments
in his command, and the caliber of
the men commanding the various or.
CARNATIONS warrants his confidence.
All are men of long military expe-
rience and training. Each has the
confidence of his men, and in each
regiment there are, beside the Off
GERS, many highly efficient non-com-
missioned officers who are regarded
by military men as the backbone Of
the outfits.
Sommenting on the situation today
in Boston, Cen Sweetser said: I'VE
are going to have a brigade that can
go over the top. The men will be as
good as any that ever went out of
New England. The enlistment is be-
ginning, and while the men are few
they are good.
Nothing definite has been decided
yet as to whether or not we will get
drafted men for the depot brigade, but
expect to hear soon and have no
doubt that they will be given to me.
| We have got to have the men, that's
all. AS soon as we get them we will
start recruiting in earnest.
| There is no reason why we should
not get them. We can house them
and feed them better and equip them
| as well, with the same equipment as II
| they were at Aver. We will have old
experienced commissioned officers to
| teach them. This is the best oppor
tunity a men will ever have. if he
| wants to see service, to enlist. He
will get chance to rise fast.
There Is no reason why we should
not have whole New England divi
sion here if the authorities at Wash
ington will give permission and i
they will help us out with the draft
ed men. We have the skeleton frame
work for 1t and we can get the neces
sary volunteers"
Gen. Sweetser also explained tha
if the War Department at Washine
ton decides to give the depot brigad
4 drafted men, as he thinks is mus
not only the 5th Regiment at Fran
ingham will be filled to full wa
strength, but so will the Sth and Ct
Massachusetts Regiments, the Is
New Hampshire, 1st Vermont and Is
Connecticut, which are at Westfielt
''lf they will do it for one regiment,
he said, there is no reason VIII
they should not do 1t for the others.
Whether full strength" meant peac
strength OF zoos men or war strengt
OF S605 men he was unable to say.