Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-02-22
CAMP GREENE SEA or MUD
SAYS CONGRESSMAN WHITE
Maine Boys Drilled Six Months as Artillery,
With Wooden Cannon-Now Arbitrarily Put
In Another Service Than That In Which
They Enlisted, and Given Wooden Guns.

hear q single complaint OF the iooO
except that provided al the Contact
camp. My evening meal was with Of
ficers and consisted Of baked beans,
bread and butter, coffee, apple sauce,
good cake with cream and cocoanut
frosting. The men have Jared we'll n
many have gained weight.
Clothing-Generaliy speaking the
men have sufficient clothing. The
| care of the feet is Of the utmost i'm
portance. Each man has a sufficient
number of wooden socks. W pairs
Of service boots and a pair of
| trench boots. In ordinary soil this
would have kept them comfortable,
but at this camp rubber boots are
the only thing which would have
met the situation and these the men
have not had and they have suf-
feled almost continuously with wet
feet. | heard much criticism of the
quality OF the uniforms. They weie
said to contain much shoGdy ana
go to pieces quickly. Men told me
the pants were very liable TO break
through at the knee when only slightly
| worn.
( Health-Thcre have been quarar-
tines for measles. ump and men
nights at the camp, but our men
for the most part have enjoyed good
health and are in fine physical condi-
ton.
At the camp is a base hospital
! and a regimental hospital for each
regiment. There was unanimity of
testimony that conditions at the base
hospital and at the Maine hospital
were satisfactory. Several spoke
of the base hospital in the highest
terms. think there is a Shortage
OF nurses. Other i~egimental hos
pitfalls l heard criticised but our
own seems to have the approval
of the men. Our boys came to camp
in splendid condition and on the
whole it has been maintained. I
dislike to think, however, what the
consequences may be at MS camp
when hot weather ONE It seems
! drainage and the conditions due to
the character of the soil with the
coming Of hot weather will exact their
price.
Social Conditions - Under this
head it may be proper to describe
how the men live. They are quartered
il tents about sixteen feet square.
The tents nave wooden floors and
a small stove in the center with the
stove pipe running straight up n
through the peak Of the tent. They are
lighted with electric lights. The cots
circle the tents. They are manifestly
crowded far beyond the proper stand
ard set by Surgeon General Gorgas.
While military discipline pre-
walls l was impressed with the in
terest which the officers have in the
welfare of the men. | believe the re-
Sard is mutual. Parents may rest easy
in the belief that each mans condi-
ton is of real concern to the officers
and that lie will have every attention
and consideration circumstances per
NIT.
At this camp the Y. NJ. c. A. and
the X. OF {. are doing wonderful
work. Altogether they maintain six
huts. each accommodating about 1000
men. Each hut has some twenty or
more periodicals, several newspapers
and Il library of several hundred
volumes. These Institutions are on
Quoting class work among the men,
especially in particular regiments
whose members hay had limited op-
~portunities for education. At this
camp some 1000 men are in this
, class work. The value of these two
institutions cannot be overestimatcd.
Equiplnent-Our boys volunteered
in what was to be a regiment of
Heavy Field Artillery. They went
into camp last July and theoretically
at least haNe been in training now
nearly eight months. All this while
they have had and even today they
have but a single cannon that a
wooden one Of their own construc-
ton. called derisiyely Il "Crozier is"
and by some more respectfully and
a~ffectionateiy Hastings Gun They
have had some wooden rifles; my in
formation Is, about $50 for the entire
regiment. This last week they Dor
rowed from some source % real rifles.
1t came to my knowledge that the
regiment from our ~neighhoring state
Of New Hampshire is in about the
same pr4diCament. One Thousand
men had rs rifles. Another com
pany to whom the quota should have
been 239 yifies had is and only four
Of the IS we're in servicable condition.
Gossip had it that the New Hap'p-
shire regiment was 10 be sent to
France Immediately though the men
have never hot, a rifle since they
have been in amp. But to return 70
the Milliken Regiment. The men
volunteered for a particular branch
Of the service unde the assurance
that they would serve together, The
draft law itself by its provision that
all persons enlisted or drafted under
any Of its provisions should 50 far
as practicable be grouped into units
by states. recognized the advantage
and the obligation of keeping intact
such organizations. 1t seems to me
there was an implied agreement with
these volunteers hat they should ie-
main together. II was disregarded
when a considerable portion OF the
men We're taken from the regiment
and detailed to other service. It has
been further violated in the recent
designation Of this regiment as a
pioneer regiment. What a pioneer
regiment Is neither the officers nor the
men seem to know but it is not the
uynrk for which tEny ,oI,,rtooral