The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-04-05
EDWARDS MET
HIS OLD BOYS
Was Greeted With a Shout
That Could Have Been
Heard for a Mile, as He
Appeared Almost Before
Daylight.

boston. ApfH o-filti -siSht HuHueu
heroes of the Yankee division swarmed
over the side of the transport Mount
Vernon to-day and boarded trains for
Camp Devens, the first of which pulled
out from Commonwealth pier shortly be
fore s a. M. IL was the first time in 10
months that these men had touched the
soil of their homeland, and reveille had
found everybody awake and counting
the minutes until they could 90 ashore.
Almost before daylight Major General
Clarence r. Edwards, who had been un
able to greet the transport yesterday
because of speaking engagements in
Maine, appeared at the dock. As soon
as his automobile was sighted by the
men of his former command shout
arose that could be heard mile away,
and as he boarded the ship the men
rushed forward to greet him with hand
shakes and cheers. His face beaming
with pleasure, the general took posi-
tion in the open space on the forward
deck and addressed them.
Il have Just come back from Maine"
said General Edwards, where | have
been telling the parents of many OF you
men that you're 200 per cent better than
when you went across. And when you
went across you were the pick of this
country. The future of the country is in
your hands, men, and the country has no
fear; have no fear am sure you will
live up to the aspirations of your parents
and to my expectations of you.
With the men clustered closely about
him. General Edwards told them they
should not feel he had lost any of his
pride in the Yankee division because he
did not wear the "YD" symbol. The
soldiers chuckled when the general ex-
planned that he had been able to get
around the war department regulation
forbidding the appearance of symbol OF
the uniform of an officer detached from
division by having the "YD" attached
to his paiamas at night.
In addition TO their arms, the men car
ried their packs, weighing from 80 to 20
pounds, and many of them were laden
also with souvenirs from the battleiields.
It required ten trains with an average
of II cars each to transport them TO
camp, The trains went out over the
New York, New Haven & Hartford lines
to Walpole Junction, thence to Framing
ham and to Concord junction, where
they were turned over to the Boston &
Maine railroad for the remainder of the
run to Camp Devens. Railroad officials
said the trip by this roundabout route
would consume three hours.
The baggage brought over by the
Mount Vernon had been taken off over
night and forwarded to the camp. Ar
rangements had been completed at Dew
ems to put the men through the disinfect.
ing process as rapidly as possible, so
that there was prospect that several
hundred at least would be able TO start
for their homes on furloughs within 4S
hours.
The dispatch of trains went on ac
cording to schedule, trainload of troops
getting away every 20 minutes, and it
was believed that barring unexpected
delays the pier would be cleared by noon,
Major General Harry G. Hale, com
mander of the division, announced that
he had designated Lieutenant Colonel
H. r. Horsey of his staff to act as the
division representative at northeastern
department headquarters in this city.
Army regulations necessitated the
temporary separation of II war brides
who came over on the Mount Vernon
f, from their soldier husbands While the
men were boarding trains for Camp Dew
ems the brides were taken in charge by
| customs and immigration officials and
after the usual formalities had been com
pleted were turned over to the Red Cross
chaperonage pending the discharge Of
their husbands from service.
The only Yankee division soldier to
bring wife home with him was Private
Fred r. Bluff of North Reading, The
other newly married men on the Mount
| Vernon were casuals.
The last to be transferred from the
Mount Vernon were the soldiers under
medical care. Red Cross ambulances
carried them to the hospital near Bos-
ton OF the 70 sick aboard the vessel
only few were litter cases, and it was
said that none was in critical condi,
| tion