Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-02-12

w "A
day or two later, at officers call. Col.
Balentine remarked, There will be two
transfers from this regiment to the
Pioneers. That is an" The officers
behind the movement grinned sheep
ishly at each other and subsidized for all
time. as far as transfers were con-
cerned.
Some time later an officer was to be
elected by the officers to a position of
arduous and thankless duty. A few
reckless youngsters arranged to elect a
senior officer as a joke. Col. Balen
tines comment at the next officers
call was, You will hold your election
tonight. ---------------- --------------- VIII
preside. You cannot elect your senior
officer" And the joke died behind the
curtain of supposed secrecy.
Personnel Of list Maine.
The caliber of Col. Balentines Of
ficers is daily in evidence. They are
out with the men every morning at
reveille, and take their exercises with
their men. Many officers on paper
work. instead of taking this as an ex-
cuse from drill, do their regular drill
periods, attend all schools ana do their
paper work nights. At Westfeld, many
pay rolls and muster rolls We're made
out by candle light. Another instance
worthy of mention was that of the first
night at Westfeld when the several
officers directed the setting up OF the
mems tents until too late to care for
their own and slept out in the fields be-
side the brush piles. One Of these Of
ficers had the unique experience Of
dreaming he was chased by u tiger
which sprang upon him--just as a
birch tree was tipped off its perch by
the wind and crashed on his bed. He
crawlcd out in a state of panic, saw
the cause OF the disturbance, and
crawled back, too tired to seek il new
resting place. There they walked him
in the morning.
Everywhere they have been the
Milliken soldiers have drawn admira-
ton for the regiments personnel con-
stituted in large part of college men,
scores of whom have made their mark
in the business world.
Charlotte has been no exception to this
continued cordially toward the First
Maine. Officers and men have become
very popular and share large part Of
the Inequalities accorded the outfits at
Camp Greene.
The Schooling at Charlotte
The officers are having long schools
under Lieutenant Maxine Boucher Of
the French army and are solving the
difficulties of parallaXes and range meas
urement, of angles of incidence and de-
jectores, Of panoramic sights ana sex
tant telemeters. and the thousand other
details that make an artillery officer.
The non-coms and privates especially fit
ted have their schools-n map work IN
der Iieutenants Webster and Chase, OF
signaling under Lieutenant Feury, of
pistol under Lieutenant Warren. OF
equation under Lieutenant Jones ana
of artillery material under a French ser
geant who accompanies Boucher.
! Lieutenant Boucher, very tall and very
dark ana very magnetic has proved Of
great assistance to the officers, who soon
become accustomed to his accent and to
his sramma which assumes weird forms
when he is concentrating his mind upon
the problem at hand One day he re-
iiiftihSu THAT DdtlCIieS were sometimes
near from one another too much" rus
his knowledge of modern artillery is
great as he was in an artillery school
when the war broke out, and completed
his course before going to the front where
he remained until recently He has been
twice decorated with the Croix de ,;uerre
for daring work du' lg engagements,
once stripping off his gas mask which
bothered his calculations while directing
the work of his battery. He obtained his
objective but was stricken down BY the
poisonous fumes and nearly lost his life.
One football game has been PLAYED by
the regiments team at Charlotte and re-
corded a defeat by the 7th Regular In
fantry, to 9. But Gardiner, Fraser,
Foster, Curtis and Haughey were unable
to play and as they are regarded as
more than half the strength of the team.
the defeat is not taken seriously. The
Charlotte News said of the game: THE
Maine team was defeated at football but
at everything else in the afternoons en-
tertainment for the benefit of the Red
Cross dependents fund. the Millikens
reigned supreme
Major General Dickman with Governor
Beckett, Brigadier General Sweetser. Col
onel Balentine, Mayor McNinch and the
French officers reviewed two battalion-
OF the regiment. The regimental drill
team was loudly applauded for it's pres
entation of three series of exercises set
to music, and the Millikcn Glee club
sang the Marseillaise in rrench while the
officers and. soldiers stood at salute. /,
was an impressive occasion.
Officers Wives at Charlotte
Several officers of the regiment had
their wives come to Charlotte, despite
the exorbitant prices charged. One of
these officers were informed at one house
visited that the charge would be ST.
weekly for board and room for his wife,
with $3.50 more added for his infant
child. He has joined with other officers
in renting a whole house.
Much fault is found with the prices and
accommodations, but there is nothing to
a htYt