Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-19
Men at Camp Sewer Preparing for
Business.
Discipline MOST IMPORTANT LESSON
Bundles of Sticks Without Guns Stand
for Fritzes Who Will Have Guns
Packs the Men Will Have to Carry
Reminder of Early School Days.

Thrust hard" says the instructor
remember it's a darn sight easier to
Thrust your bayonet into those sticks
than it is into a mans body.
Pull the bayonet out straight. It's
twenty times easier to pull your knife
out OF tho.e sticks than it is out OF
q man. Fritz can't stand the bayonet.
Learn TO use 1t right and you have got
him at your mercy. (The class won
ders who in the deuce can stand the
bayonet: but says nothing).
"Grunt when you throw your bay
onet into the dummy" continues the
instructor. Fight 'em like you are
real mad. Cuss 'cm II you want TO-
Say you SON. OF IA gun.
This bayonet practice is hard work
and the infantry has been putting in
u lot OF it during the past week or ten
days. II is most important that SOL
diers should know how to use the long
knives attached to the muzzles OF their
rifles.
Each infantryman Is required 10 go
TO the woods around Camp Sewer
somewhere and procure a long. keen
sapling for use as a parry stick
I"Paris sticks" some OF the fellows call
them.
The class in bayonet instruction is
divided and with these parry sticks
in hand against each other for practice
in warding off one anothcr's blows
The drill is similar to fencing prac-
Itice. keenness OF eye and swiftness
of foot is necessary to proficiency. Day
latter day the men are being put
through this parry practice for an
hour or so. OF course over there the
parry sticks will be rifles with fixed
bayonets and Fritz will be your an
tagonist.
The infantry at Sewer could do
some wonderful thrusting and cutting
with bayonets right now were they
put tc the test. Thought OF the pos
sibility of q German bayonet finding
a home in their own skins perhaps
has caused them to become remark
ably proficient in a very short time.
1-HeE. We Of the i1Saptry- are SctBs
to carry or even take care Of all the
equipment necessary for the complete
rigging out of soldier in this war Is
Il problem that Is causing more or less
concern to the soldiers in training
here Here is partial list Of the
equipment of each soldier OF the line:
Barrack bag. bed sack. waist belt,
cotton breeches e pair), commercial
blankets, olive drab blankets, rubber
boots, comforter, cotton coat, wool coat,
denim coat, service hat, woolen under
wear cotton underwear. canvas gloves
wool gloves. leggins, mackinaw, over
coat, overshoes. half shelter tent with
pins and poles, two olive drab flannel
shirts, two pair field shoes (heavy bro
gans studded with nails). two pair
russet shoes, slicker, five pairs cotton
stockings. five pair light wool stock
ings, five pair heavy wool stockings
Identification tag which Is suspended
by q string around the neck, denim
trousers. bacon can. condiment can
meat can, canteen and cover, drinking
cup (holds nearly a quart and any old
kind OF q soldier almost can drink that
much coffee at a gulp) knife, fork
spoon, haversack, pack carrier, ration
bags, first aid pouch for small arti-
lcles, bayonet and scabbard, oiler and
thong case (for cleaning rifie). spare
part container, rife and sight cover
and gun sling. cartridge belt, screw
driver for rife, hand ak and carrier
pick mattock and carrier, shovel and
carrier wire cutter and carrier for
cutting German wire entanglements
helmet, gas mask and goodness knows
only what else we will be provided
with on the other side of the creek.
Truly we are "all dolled up" with
our full equipment on, and it's an
leverage mans job to carry and take
care of the stuff.
Wish I had a hoss fer to carry all
this junk fer me-" declared buck OF
the rear rank as he mounted his pack
on his back day of two ago.
IL DON'T" declared a comrade who
was also toiling with his equipment.
"Why?" queried the first soldier
Why. l would have to feed the
son Of -a-gun and rub him down
every once in a while" was the reply.
Uncle Sam Is sparing no expense to
properly equip his soldiers. Most OF
us have more clothes now than we
ever had before at any one time in our
lives.
The hardest lesson for many soldiers
in training at Sewer to learn Is that
of discipline. and Of course this class
Is about as large at any other train
ing camp in the country. Men who
learn readily to protect themselves in
bayonet fighting or how to shoot a
Springfield 80 or how to signal prop
erly, or 60 over the bayonet run or
most anything else, find 1t hard to
learn or rather to realize that they
cannot go and come as they please
| anu lIdl IL lhCy "CiC ohS"Se W SSH
duct themselves as they did perhaps
in civil life, this Division which is
rapidly developing into a well organiz-
ed army. would never amount to any,
thing but mob.
It Is hard at times to obey the Or
ders Of those In command and !, like
scores Of others have many times
snorted and pouted and raved and
cussed because I had to do something
against my grain" Most Of my
snorting and pouting and raving
though was done before an audience
consisting Of myself only.
For instance. II one Is really sick
and goes to the infirmary some morn
ing and the doctor looks him over and
gives him q handful of c C pills and
then marks him duty on the sick re-
port which means that he must per-
form his duties Just the same as
though he were feeling nne, why It is