USA > New York > The Minute men of '17 - a history of the service rendered during the recent world war by the Ninth Coast Artillery Corps, New York Guard and the Veteran Corps of Artillery, state of New York > Part 16
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Captain Ford
190
Marksman
Gardner
184
Pape
181
Trussell
180
Drucker
180
Dusterdieck
179
Tefft
172
Corporal Godfrey
172
THIRD COMPANY (Cont.)
Bugbird
167
Skinner
165
Corporal Funk.
165
FOURTH COMPANY Sharpshooter
Church
203
Hengerer
197
Sergeant Crosley
197
Butler
195
Rogers
190
Marksman
Strong
181
Ayer
181
Lieutenant Lowther
175
O'Toole
175
Morgan
173
Sergeant Pinckney.
170
Rossire
169
Sergeant Elliott
168
Sergeant Crummey
166
Sherman, C. A.
162
Sergeant Howard.
160
FIFTH COMPANY Expert
Sergeant Delmonico.
227
Sharpshooter
Schindele
200
Lieutenant Richard.
198
Sergeant Stokes.
190
Marksman
Wheatley, A. F. J
179
Wheatley, Ralph.
169
Carnahan
162
SIXTH COMPANY Expert
Farrington, W. L.
21I
Sergeant Lawrence.
211
Sergeant Emmons
211
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
SIXTH COMPANY (Cont.) Sharpshooter
Edge
203
Severance
193
Farrington, C. L. 191
Marksman
Sergeant Lyall.
186
Loscomb
176
Chapin
174
Captain Smith
169
Rotchford
166
Corporal Bennett.
166
Sergeant Nast
165
McLachlan
163
Hall
161
SEVENTH COMPANY Sharpshooter
Gilbert
200
Seeley
192
Corporal Clark.
190
Marksman
Nichols
181
Hoffman
180
Smith
179
Corporal Hunter
176
LaCour
174
Lieutenant Smith
172
Corporal Chase
169
McKnight
167
Captain Lane.
165
Watson
164
Whipple
164
Sergeant Willets
162
EIGHTH COMPANY Sharpshooter
Sergeant Sarkisian
195
Hough
195
Lieutenant Messenger.
194
EIGHTH COMPANY (Cont.) Sharpshooter
Sergeant Larkin.
194
Lieutenant Teague 193
Sergeant Moir 193
Childs
193
Burdick
190
Sergeant Wye.
190
Marksman
Captain Pomeroy 185
Sergeant Guiler 183
Harriss
179
Richards
178
Van Wagenen
176
Heine
176
Patterson 175
Corporal Locke 172
Hasselriis
169
Skinner
163
Ermish
162
Wilson
160
NINTH COMPANY Expert
Beinert
214
Wheeler
210
Dickie
210
Sharpshooter
Dannenberg 207
Sergeant Wood.
198
Lieutenant Seward.
196
Daly
193
Deschere
191
Marksman
Nichols
173
Randolph
172
Vinton
172
Gildersleeve
163
Knitel
163
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RECORD PRACTICE-PEEKSKILL, 1918 199
TENTH COMPANY Sharpshooter
Captain Hoes
204
Ruoff
204
Fagan
196
Lieutenant Earle.
194
Johnson
191
Murphy
190
Sergeant Easton.
190
Marksman
Sergeant Battelle 182
Corporal Brown 179
Campkin
175
Sergeant Thayer
167
Dodge
167
Hubbell
163
Corporal Boddington
162
Dawless
160
ELEVENTH COMPANY
Expert
Lieutenant Wilcox.
212
Sharpshooter
Corporal West
208
Sergeant Sanford.
196
Captain Keyes.
191
Marksman
Yetman
187
Knight 186
Sergeant Dougherty 183
McDermott
181
Firth
186
Hurley
175
Kinsella
174
Haskell
173
ELEVENTH COMPANY (Cont.)
Morrison
168
Allen
168
Burdick
168
Corporal Foley
165
Drew
163
Louderback
161
TWELFTH COMPANY Expert
Harvey
212
Marksman
Burgess
185
Robbins
181
Holloway
179
Sergeant Britten
177
Jaeger
174
Sergeant Vandervoort.
165
Sergeant Manowitch
161
MACHINE GUN COMPANY Expert
Richards
210
Sharpshooter
Boyd
. 190
Marksman
Roe
177
Corporal Snyder 175
Palmer
172
Lieutenant Knickerbocker
170
Lieutenant Callingham
170
Liddle
169
Corporal Wildnauer
166
Corporal Kene.
166
Many of these men, and also numerous others, at later dates shot for record, and either bettered the above scores or swelled the ranks of experts, sharpshooters and marks- men of the regiment.
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
LIEUT .- COL. EDWARD C. DELAFIELD.
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FIELD DAYS AND RIFLE WORK
Major Edward C. Delafield made the New York State team which participated in the Interstate Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, in September. Before the matches began he attended for three weeks the United States Course in Rifle Practice and Sharpshooting for Officers. In the Wimbledon Cup Match at 1,000 yards, he was number twelve out of 920 entrants, with a score of 87 out of a possible 100. The scores of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd entrants were respectively 92, 91 and 90. The New York State Team won the Hilton Trophy, and Major Delafield stood second on that team. A mighty fine record for the representative of our new regiment.
When Colonel Burleigh assumed command of the Ninth Coast he announced to the Regiment that Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Dela- field would have direct supervision of the new rifle practice pro- grams. In accordance with this step Lieutenant-Colonel Delafield put into operation a short instruction course for rifle practice. The purpose of the course was to help the Ninth Coast in its bid for first place in the rifle work of the Guard. The outline of the preliminary instruction course, including the text of the ten commandments and the three cautionary rules, were as follows:
PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTION COURSE :
I. Position Drills
a. Standing with and without sling: Be sure to get left elbow under piece and rest on chest, right elbow drawn up so that recoil is properly taken.
b. Kneeling with and without sling:
c. Sitting with sling; Explain method of sitting without jar and without losing balance, also explain carefully position of elbows on knees so as to avoid soreness. An angle of about 30 degrees should be used.
d. Prone Position with sling: Special care must be taken that the sling does not slip below the muscle of the arm, and that it is very tight. The 45 degree position is an aid. The left elbow must be directly under the piece, so as to decrease the possibility of cant.
In all of the above position drills no snapping of the pieces must be allowed so as to avoid bad habits before this stage has been reached, and great care must be taken by the instructor to cover all details.
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
2. Manipulation.
With the cut-off, the recruit must be taught proper manipulation of the bolt. Take hold of the bolt in raising it with the thumb and forefinger. In returning the bolt to place use the thumb portion of the palm of the hand. This method is the quickest devised, and can be used for the 1917 model with the pressure of the main spring on the return, as well as for the Springfield or Krag. In standing and kneeling positions the piece can be taken from the shoulder for manipulation, al- though it is preferable to hold it to the shoulder. In sitting and prone positions all men must be taught to hold the piece at the shoulder when bolt is manipulated. This can best be accomplished by instructing the men before taking hold of the bolt to cant the top of the piece to the right with the left hand and by pressure of the cheek roll the body slightly toward the right and lift the head to avoid the back- ward motion of the bolt. When the above has been properly taught, and the aim- ing and sighting drills also have been covered, one minute time practice should be employed.
3. Aiming and Sighting Drills.
This drill should be taught from the prone position only until the men are well versed in the requirements. Use the sighting box with targets the full length of the armory, pieces to be wedged into the sighting box.
First Exercise.
The recruit will carefully sight his piece and the target will be moved until he considers it correct. With an open sight the front sight must be levelled with the rear sight. There is no such thing as a fine sight or a full sight in correct shooting. The sight point must be centered in the middle of the peep, and care must be taken that the recruit is satisfied with his sight; the instructor must take the recruit's place and see whether the sights are properly centered or levelled and whether the bull is properly set on the front sight with the proper light space between. When this is once accomplished the recruit is ready for the second exercise, or triangle exercise
Triangle Exercise.
It is most important that this exercise be carried out on the full length of the armory. Short distances are of but little use, and the triangle at this distance, resulting from marks made through the center of the bull's eye, should be, when the recruit has practice, within the size of a 25 c. piece at 100 yards. When this has been successfully accomplished proceed to
Sandbag Exercise.
Raise the piece on the sandbag at proper height for ground position. Hold the strap in the left hand just under the explosion chamber, and place the knuckles of the hand on the sandbag, the hand guard of the piece resting on the partly closed
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FIELD DAYS AND RIFLE WORK
fingers and held with the thumb and forefinger. This position enables the rifleman to pull hard against the shoulder and is better than the regulation strap hold, as there is no attempt to fight the sandbag or the strap hold. The recruit should then take as careful aim as though he were in a match. There is no such thing as an approximate aim. It must be perfect, and the alignment must be gotten by rapidly focusing the eye from the rear sight to the front sight to the bull, and while the final squeeze takes place the focus must be on the bull. The recruit should not know when the firing pin will actually fall, but when it does fall should immediately call his shot, as for instance, a four at eleven o'clock, and this should be plotted in a score book as though actually fired. Should the recruit always call bulls he is either not honest with himself or does not understand his previous instruction and should begin over again. He should not be allowed on the range until the instructor is convinced that the squeezing of the trigger fires the gun at a time not definitely pre- determined by the recruit, and does not in so firing it alter the sight of the piece.
Gallery practice will be postponed for any company officer or enlisted men until this course has been successfully carried out.
The Ten Commandments
All these instructions must be carried out, with particular attention being given to the Ten Commandments, which follow:
I. Position 45.
So as to allow the body to roll as a result of the discharge of the piece rather than be struck by it.
2. Adjust sling high.
Otherwise the advantages of the sling are lost.
3. Hard on shoulder.
Prevents flinching and avoids bruises.
4. Freeze face to stock.
Avoids injury to the face and insures uniformity on the distance and line of sight.
5. Hold breath.
Prevent rising and falling of the muzzle with each breath. Should be held as the front sight approaches the bull.
6. Take command of trigger.
When the slack is taken up the probability of jerking the trigger is much lessened.
7. Align sights.
Always remembering that a peep does not necessarily naturally center itself and that the center must be held.
8. Last focus on bull.
As the results of a'rapid change of focus from rear to front to bull.
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
9. Final squeeze.
The most important point of all shooting.
10. Call shot.
If the piece was fired by a squeeze and not a pull, the shot can always be called.
Three points which must be especially watched in target work:
1. Watch the muzzle of the rifle for injuries due to neglect or cleaning. A rifle with an injured muzzle cannot shoot accurately.
2. Watch the guard screws. A loose guard screw not only makes erratic shoot- ing but continues to change the zero of the rifle in one direction or another.
3. Watch trigger squeeze. This must always be kept before a rifle-man.
When all of the above is thoroughly mastered, work with the Hollifield rod should be taken up, and then armory gallery practice followed, all of the instructions above to hold.
Practice on the outdoor range would conform to the above on the short ranges, that is, 200 and 300 yards. Mid-ranges, 500 and 600 yards, or long ranges, 800 and 1000 yards, require additional instruction which can only be taken up through lectures or actual range work.
These instructions were developed through the company officers. Instructions were first carefully given the officers; by them to the non-coms, and then to the men. The work was carefully super- vised and constantly followed up.
The matter of organizing a rifle team to represent the Ninth Coast Artillery Corps in the outdoor matches presented many difficul- ties. The National Matches at Caldwell came at a time when most people were away on a vacation and as both Caldwell and Peekskill were not available for team practice prior to the matches, the team presented more of an effort of individual than "team shooting."
Captain Wilcox was confronted with the problem of keeping twelve men for the National Match after the N. Y. National Guard team had taken four men from his list. This left him with prac- tically no alternates, and the completeness of his team was more a matter of having twelve men present.
The four men from the Ninth Coast on the N. Y. State Team were Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Delafield, First Lieutenant J. F. Sulger, First Lieutenant J. G. Phelps Stokes, Private J. Pospisil-the last named being an alternate. Colonel George W. Burleigh was de-
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205
BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE RATHBONE DYER.
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
tailed as an observer. In the National Team Match the high score on the N. Y. State team was made by Lieutenant Sulger with 277 out of a possible 300. Colonel Delafield with 270 was second high. This was excellent work by Colonel Delafield as he reported to the team the night before the match and had no practice whatever. Lieu- tenant Sulger also was selected as member of the National Guard United States team in the United Service match in which he was high score of the N. G. team with 276. High score of the winning Navy team was 282.
The Ninth Coast entered the National Match for practice only, as the thought of winning was not entertained by anyone. The work there made the men familiar with team matches, it gave them a chance to see how a rifle range functions during important matches and it made it a fact that when the team again entered competition it would not be "green." This all showed itself when the team com- peted in the New York State matches at Peekskill on September 8, 9, and 10.
The matches at Peekskill started with the Headquarters and Bri- gade Matches, team of twelve on Monday September 8. This was preceded by two days team practice at which the Ninth Coast did not have a full team present, so that we entered the Headquarters match with men that had no practice at all. The team did all that was expected of it-it won. The scores:
200 yds. 300 yds. 600 yds. Total
Lieutenant-Colonel Delafield
47
44
47
138
Lieutenant Sulger
46
43
47
136
Major Hodges
44
47
43
134
Captain Perry
47
43
43
133
Lieutenant Stokes
45
43
42
130
Captain Earle
43
43
41
128
Lieutenant Messenger, L. A.
46
40
40
126
Lieutenant Leach
47
38
37
122
Lieutenant Messenger, J.
43
40
38
121
Lieutenant Schwab
41
44
35
120
Colonel Burleigh
40
40
38
118
Private Pospisil
42
36
37
115
521
501
488
1520
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207
Squadron A 13 C. D. C.
525
505
466
1496
500
459
406
1365
First Brigade Match
Won by Seventh Inf.
503
501
450
1454
Second Brigade Match
Won by Twenty-third Inf.
506
482
470
1458
Won by Second Inf.
494
482
450
1426
Fourth Brigade Match
Won by Seventy-fourth Inf.
515
507
498
1520
In the Governor's Match on September 9 the team had almost everyone entered, and finished the skirmish run as follows:
Conditions: 5 shots, 30 seconds, D target at 600 yards, 500 yards, 300 yards and 200 yards.
Won by Lieutenant L. D. Stickles, Co. D, Seventy-First Inf. Score of 89 5th place Lieutenant Sulger, Staff, Ninth C. A. C. 81
9th " Lieutenant Stokes, Staff, Ninth C. A. C.
77
15th Lieutenant Messenger, L. A., Staff, Ninth C. A. C. 72
18th Colonel Delafield, Field, Ninth C. A. C.
72
22nd
" Captain Perry, Thirteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C.
68
27th " Corporal Church, Sixteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C.
64
4Ist
" Sergeant Hengerer, Sixteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C.
54
47th
Private Pospisil, Headquarters Co., Ninth C. A. C. 52
5Ist
Lieutenant Foley, Twenty-Third Co., Ninth C. A. C. 49
65th
Major Hodges, Field, Ninth C. A. C.
41
66th
Lieutenant Messenger, J., Staff, Ninth C. A. S.
41
70th Major Hoes, Field, Ninth C. A. C.
39
82nd Colonel Burleigh, Field, Ninth C. A. C.
25
83rd
" Corporal Yetman, Twenty-Third Co., Ninth C. A. C.
25
85th Lieutenant Howard, Sixteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C. 90 entries
23
In the Adjutant-General's Match on September 9 we had five en- tries, which finished as follows :-
Won by Co. E, Seventy-First Inf., with a total score of 319.
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Third Brigade Match
208
THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
NEW YORK DAY AT THE NAVY RIFLE RANGE, CALDWELL, N. J.
Front row, left to right: Col. Smith, 13th C. A. C., N. Y. G .; Commo. Josephthal, N. M. S., N. Y .; Moj .- Gen. Barnett, U. S. M. C .; Adj .- Gen. Berry, N. Y. G .; Col. Burleigh, 9th C. A. C., N. Y. G.
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209
3rd place F & S, Ninth C. A. C.
300 yards Standing
600 yards Prone
200 yards R. F.
Total
Colonel Delafield
26
31
39
96
Lieutenant Sulger
26
33
45
104
Lieutenant Stokes
22
32
41
95
74
96
125
295
7th place F & S, Ninth C. A. C.
Lieutenant Messenger
28
20
43
91
Major Hodges
28
32
29
89
Lieutenant Leach
15
27
41
83
71
79
115
263
15th place
Sixteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C.
Sergeant Hengerer
23
26
42
91
Lieutenant Howard
21
9
32
62
Corporal Church
23
18
21
62
67
53
95
215
21st place F & S, Ninth C. A. C.
Captain Watjen
8
15
38
61
Colonel Burleigh
14
24
23
60
Major Hoes
14
20
23
57
36
59
84
179
23rd place Fifteenth Co., Ninth C. A. C.
Sergeant Johnson
22
2
30
54
Private Pagan
17
29
13
59
Private Hubbell
18
15
13
47
57
46
56
159
24 entries
In the State Team Match September 10, teams of twelve (prac- tically the qualification course) we finished 4th to the 71st, 74th, and 7th Infantry teams. Changes were made in the team, as some of the men found it necessary to return to the city, and the showing was not so good. High score of the match (all teams) was made by Lieutenant-Colonel Delafield, 234 out of a possible 250, Lieutenant Sulger being 3d high (all teams) with 230.
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
The scores :
State Match
Pos.
Team
200
300
600
200RF 300RF Total
I
Seventy-First Inf.
533
531
527
520
517
2628
2
Seventy-Fourth Inf.
534
523
532
524
506
2609
3
Seventh Inf.
502
502
524
385
474
2487
4
Ninth C. A. C.
510
499
470
492
490
2461
5
Twenty-Third Inf.
492
488
475
473
481
2409
6
Second Inf.
510
485
470
424
484
2373
7
Tenth Inf.
485
474
485
448
454
2346
8
Forty-Seventh Inf.
456
461
426
440
4II
2194
9
Fourteenth Inf.
427
440
388
342
265
1962
Individual scores Ninth C. A. C.
Lieut. Col. Delafield
46
45
48
46
49
234
Lieutenant Sulger
47
45
45
47
46
230
Captain Perry
45
43
44
47
48
221
Captain Earle
44
43
43
44
44
218
Lieut. Messenger, J.
42
41
39
46
48
216
Major Hodges
46
40
39
42
49
216
Lieutenant Stokes
40
42
40
45
44
211
Lieut. Messenger, L. A. 43
44
34
43
39
203
Private Pospisil
41
40
33
36
39
190
Sergeant Hengerer
41
41
38
39
28
187
Lieutenant Leach
40
38
42
32
25
177
Corporal Church
35
37
25
31
31
159
510
499
470
492
490
2461
1
All told, the team did very well but would have made a much better showing if there had been a greater number of candidates for the team.
The following is a complete list of Officers and men that repre- sented the Ninth Coast Artillery Corps in the matches at Caldwell and Peekskill:
Colonel G. W. Burleigh
Lieutenant W. B. Cass
Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Delafield
Lieutenant W. I. Foley
Major W. L. Hodges
Lieutenant A. C. Leach
Major L. A. Keyes
Lieutenant C. H. Ellard
Captain J. M. Perry
Lieutenant G. Schwab
Captain V. M. Earle
Sergeant L. Hengerer
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FIELD DAYS AND RIFLE WORK
Captain Burt Wilcox
Corporal F. E. Church
Lieutenant J. F. Sulger
Private J. Pospisil
Lieutenant J. G. Phelps Stokes
Private S. Yetman
Lieutenant L. A. Messenger
Private M. C. Lewis
Lieutenant J. Messenger
Private J. Lewis
To give an idea of the work at Caldwell and of the interest it held for those present we give an account of the work at the range by one of our officers, told in his own words.
"On July 7, 1919 I was ordered by Colonel Burleigh to proceed to Caldwell, New Jersey, and report to the commanding officer of the U. S. Navy Rifle Range as Prop- erty and Supply officer of the Ninth Coast Artillery Corps, New York Guard. A few days after arriving there, the commanding officer advised Colonel Burleigh that he was in need of additional officers to assist in the work of organizing the N. R. A. Matches, and requested the use of my services as information officer and as Acting Adjutant to Major Paul A. Capron, U. S. M. C., of his staff at such times as my regular duty did not demand my attention. Colonel Burleigh was glad to permit me to do this and I was soon detailed to this duty. I was appointed officer of the day shortly after this, and for the rest of the time that I was there so acted on every sixth day in rotation with five other officers of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
About the middle of July, there was a serious flood at the post, and for the time being I had no duties to perform in connection with my own unit, and therefore was able to give my entire time to assist Colonel Harllee and his officers in restoring condi- tions at the camp. It was a long, tedious piece of work, as the water was very slow in receding and we were only able to get things into fair shape by the time that the first of the matches were shot early in August. Nevertheless, the season was a successful one and I would be the last to find fault with conditions which could not have been in any way avoided.
From the time the matches began until after Labor Day our work was endless, as there were about 5,000 in the camp, of whom about 3,000 were civilians, and the difficulties and perplexities that were brought to our attention by the latter were numerous. The duties of the staff officers in that post were varied and continuous under the conditions described, as we were endeavoring to keep a lot of civilians, who had probably never been obliged to live under such unpleasant conditions, in an agree- able frame of mind, and endeavoring to get them to remain through the matches, and at the same time make them as nearly comfortable as possible. I have never seen such fine spirit displayed by any body of men as by those officers at Caldwell. Lieutenant-Colonel Harllee was tireless in his endeavors not only to hold the matches,
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THE MINUTE MEN OF '17
but to hold them under as nearly normal conditions as possible. The flood and other unexpected contingencies which arose almost at the last minute were enough to stag- ger any commanding officer, but Colonel Harllee's attitude of serenity when face to face with almost superhuman difficulties made every one of his officers anxious and willing to spare nothing to lend him every endeavor and assistance at all times. That the matches were held and that they were successful was due entirely to his able leadership and determination to permit no obstacle to stand in his way. Taken as a whole, it was the most interesting experience of my brief military career, and I could ask no greater pleasure than to again have an opportunity of serving under Colonel Harllee at some future time.
The post was situated on very low ground, virtually a low-lying swamp in the valley adjoining the Passaic River northwest of Caldwell, N. J., and at the height of the matches, contained forty to fifty frame barracks and other camp buildings, and possibly 1,000 tents. One difficulty was the question of mess, as separate messes had to be provided for numerous units. When I first went to the post, there were not so many officers but that one mess was sufficient for all. By August I, however, so many more officers came that it was necessary to divide the mess, and Colonel Harllee opened a staff mess in what was termed the clubhouse, to which he invited a number of officers regularly, and nightly invited many others as guests, not to mention the rifle teams which came as units, until all had been invited at least once. These affairs were generally held in the evening, and were accompanied by music and en- tertainment, followed, as a rule, by speeches or interesting talks by some officer or other person. There was no lack of music, as through the Matches there were several bands present, and they aided very much in keeping up the spirits of the men who were doing pretty uncomfortable work and leading a very uncomfortable life. For days at a time, I saw assembly for both Marines and Sailors held in three feet of water, this to make clear the difficult conditions under which everything was done over there for a period of ten days. For the men, there were separate messes for the Marine Corps, the Navy and those of the enlisted force of the Army present, of whom there were a considerable number; also numerous messes for the civilian rifle clubs.
I have been asked to describe the routine of the arrival of a civilian rifle team. As a rule they came from great distances, many from far Western and Southern States, and they always seemed to time their arrival at Caldwell after the last transport truck had been parked and the chauffeur sent to bed, so that the officer of the day had his work cut out for him for many hours following midnight. Team Captains would call up from Caldwell at absurd hours of the morning and state they had arrived at the end of the trolley line with their men, and request prompt transportation to the camp. However, I think we invariably succeeded in satisfying them that the delay was no fault of ours. I know that no rifle team or body of men ever landed in the
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