The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-07-14
CONTRASTS OLD
! and new ARMY
General Hartford Tells of Changes
Since 1889.
PAY IS MORE THAN DOUBLED
Acted az "kitchen Police" for Month
| When He First EnIisted-Educa-
! tional Facilities Such as Are Now
Offered in No Other Service
Teachers Are Experienced Civilian
? instructors.

J Contrasting the post-Civil war army
and the new pcacetime army, Major
General James G. Hartford, who re-
Gently returned from an allied mis-
sion to Armenia to command the Sec
ond division at Camp Travis, Texas,
has written an article for the recruit
ing service, describing the changes In
the army since he enlisted thirty years
ago. Permission to print the article
by Pershing's chief Of staff and or
ganizer and commander Of the service
Of supply in the American expedition
ary forces has been given by the gen
eral recruiting service.
II joined the old army General
Hartford writes, cas- a recruit ut old
Fort Spokane in the then territory
of Washington in January, 1889. The
last sixty-fve miles Of my journey
were made in a sled drawn by horses.
Instead of being met and conducted
to the barracks that were to We my
home, the sled stopped in front of
the post traders store and deposited
me and my Scanty baggage in the
snow. A few soldiers stood around
the front of The suffers establishment.
but no reception committee appeared.
"Next morning | went on duty as
kitchen police before I had drawn
cruit to do permanent kitchen police
were so priced that rogreS> with
his recruit drill was impeded instead
Of facilitated, in order that, for a
longer time, he might he available
to monopolize that unpopular duty.
Our commanding officer was one of
the old school. who believed that a
garrison should be awake a consider
able time before the daylight. At
4 O'Clock those winter mornings, be-
fore a streak of dawn Redeemed in the
east, the company turned out in the
darkness for reveille roll call. AS
kitchen police, a recruit had to be up
some time before that in order that
breakfast could be ready Immediately
after reveute.
"Those early hours were enforced
at a time when the snow was five
feet deep on the parade ground, and
1t was impossible to move off the
beaten track. No drills were con-
Quoted during that winter, except for
my benefit il short intervals of the
forenoon when my duty as kitchen
police did not occupy my time. l
was Kitchen police for a month with
Out interruption.
~ GambIed for Socks.
"Drawing clothing was a great event
in the life of n recruit. 1t was the
old blue. beloved of Civil war memory,
and much Of it was old stock left
over ;tnd still uneNhausted, though
twenty-five years had elapsed since that
conflict. The shoes were of the type
known as hrogans. The trousers were
the old very light blue. cut long for
short men and short for long ones.
The cap was the old chasseur type, the
nat top of which made the old army
~baldlreaded. The blouse was dark
blue, but of indefinite size, which
might. might not fit.
"'Draw day when the whole com
pany drew clothing, was the occasion
for ganbling,*- and the stakes were
reekoned in terms of socks Or white
gloves. l have seen a soldier get up
from a small poker game on the eve
ming Of ~'draw-day' with twelve dozen
of socks but every one else in
~n was sockless."
n those days was
r7arbord re.
-'ere