Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/191

 of training to all. The aim seemed to be to give all men an equal foundation in the rudiments of infantry drill and tactics, no matter what branch of the service they were striving eventually to enter. It w^as an excellent plan, espe- cially for those men w^ho w^ere destined to train the National Army.

The day w^as full from 7 to 1 2 and from 1 to 4 with drill, lectures and hikes. The evening from 7:30 to 9:30 was devoted to study.

"Success in battle is the ultimate object of all military training; success may be looked for only when the training is intelligent and thorough." The staff of instructors at Fort Sheridan — an exceedingly able and efficient group

of officers seemed to bear this opening paragraph of the Infantry Drill

Regulations constantly in mind and endeavored to impress it indelibly upon the men, for the success of whom as future officers they were to be so largely responsible. Generalities, however true, meant nothing to them. A man must know his drill regulations precisely. The result was that many candi- dates w^ere trained to the point of being able to give instructions to others in language as explicit and almost identical to that of the drill regulations. Work in the drill regulations the first month covered the School of the Soldier up through the School of the Battalion. Also definitions, orders, commands and signals. The men became skilled in the manual of arms, in sighting, sub- caliber practice, and in the use of the rifle in physical drill. The first principles of bayonet drill were established. The manual of guard duty was taken up and acquaintance made with "Sergeant Hill" in the "Studies in Minor Tactics." The men learned how to roll their packs and to carry them full for hikes of several miles. They learned how to keep their quarters in an orderly manner, to care for their rifle, and to conduct a Saturday inspection. More than learn- ing to command, this first month, they learned the really first essential — to obey.

An idea of the rapidity with which work commenced and some impres- sions of a candidate giving a glimpse of the early Camp days are given in a letter dated May 17, 1917:

We are down to solid work now, and it seems as though life of any other sort were something of a very distant past.

I surely w^as soft when this new life commenced, and am just be- ginning to experience the old time feelings of health driving out the results of confinement and smoke.

It's just as it was last summer — you see very little of anybody out- side of your own company. Of course it isn't much fun not know^ing many in the company, — makes it seem like the first few days of school or college — but we aren't here for fun anyw^ay.

Every company has a regular captain in charge. We have a good instructor for our first platoon — a regular army sergeant, who has been drilling high school companies in the city. He holds a captain's commis- sion in the reserve.

We w^ere issued new^ equipment today — cartridge belts, canteens, mess kits, haversacks, rifles and bayonets. All of the latest model and new^.

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