Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 176, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1911 — NO SCARS OF BATTLE ON RETURNED SOLDIERS. [ARTICLE]

NO SCARS OF BATTLE ON RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Local Militiamen Home From Camp— Sergeant Garland and Scouts Rout Half Company. Company M returned Wednesday evening from its annual camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, near Indianapolis. There were forty-four in attendance at the camp instead of thirty-six, as incorrectly reported When the company left home. All seem to have enjoyed themselves very much and there was no very hard marching that has tended to make some of the camps objectionable. There was plenty to keep everyone busy, however, and while the boys returned home a little tired it will probably not last long ahd many of them today returned to their regular avocations. The daily program got the boys out for morning roll call at 5 minutes of 6 o’clock. This was followed by policing of the camp and every member of the company aided in clearing the ground the width of the company street of every bit of paper or refuse. Morning mess was served at 6:15. Then the tents were rolled up and the bedding aired. Then came company drill for 45 minutes and then a rest of almost an hour, and then from 9:30 to 11:00 o’clock came the battalion drill, the Rensselaer, Monticello, South Bend and Plymouth companies constituting the battalion. Captain Spurgeon N. Markley, of Columbia City commanded the battalion in the absence of Major Freyermuth, of South Bend, and his handling of the companies met with much favor. From 11:00 to 1:55 was a rest period and then all companies went out for regimental drill, which lasted for an hour and a half. Then there was another rest until 5:10, when regimental parade took place. This was followed by the mounting of the guard and those who had part in that were generally late for evening mess. At 7 o'clock each evening occurred an officers’ school at the regimental headquarters and a school was also held for officers and non-commissioned officers between 1:00 and 1:55 each day. Soldiers were generally ready for rest when taps sounded at 10:15 at night ’ v Monday the program varied by an order , for a “24 hour maneuver and in heavy marching order the boys went a distance of 7 miles that afternoon. There camp was pitched for the night and the next morning each soldier prepared his own breakfast, frying bacon, making coffee and toasting bread. There was some fighting with blank cartridges the first afternoon, but Company M did not get Into it. The next morning the company was deployed in battle formation several times before it finally advanced to a position where it could fire and then only a small amount of firing was done when the battle was over. In making the last run for the position the dbm-

pany had to ford a creek where the water was above the knees and then had make a run through high weeds, tall corn, over fences, etc., and they were loaded down with shelter half, poncho, blanket, haversack, meat pan, kni|p, fork, spoon, tincup, canteen, belt ami ammunition and rifle. Then came this march back to camp, and as it happened Company M was in the advance of the entire column and was the first company to get back to quarters. They were tired and hungry but all agreed that they had enjoyed the strenuous work. Sergeant Jerry B. Garland was distinguished in a rather unexpected manner Monday. Brigadier-General Will J. McKee sent a special order to have Sergeant Garland and three other members of Company M act as his personal guard during the maneuver. The other members of the party were Privates Harve Robinson, Mose Hodshire and Frank Alter. They were employed as scouts for the blue army and were on the other side from Company M, which was a the red army. Garland and his patty were taken out in an automobile and flrei the first shot of battle, engaging the advance guard of a regiment and causing it a delay of an hour. By successive halts and retreats the movement of the entire regiment was greatly retarded by Garland’s scouts, but they finally had a close call from being captured. They were trying to reach a large iron bridge that would permit them to retreat to their main body, when they encountered a party of scouts from the red army. One of the scouts called out to Garland that he was captured, but Garland yelled back, “you are captured yourself; Captain, bring up your company.” The other scouts were concealed in a ravine and they began to fire and shout and routed about fifteen men and then beat a hasty retreat across the river. The camp on the whole was one of the best the older members attended and the instruction was valuable. A general court-martial was appointed to try members of the second regiment band for refusal to obey the order and take the. hike Monday. Captain George H. Healey was a member of the court. The result is not published until the findings are reviewed by the convening authority and sent out in orders. It will not be a breach of confidence, however, to say that guardsmen will have a mighty' good reason in the future to obey legal orders when on duty. The soldiers were not paid in camp and it is understood that the pay will reach here about Monday. F. S. Leake & Co., of Chicago, were awarded the contract for building tue new Monon depot. It is probable that preliminary work will start next week >4 y* mm m . .■■■■■ i—■ .i . ■ You can learn almost as much from animals as you can from humans—and I it won’t cost you one-third as much.