Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/208

 206 THE FORT SHERIDAN ASSOCIATION

be called upon to enforce discipline, but there was no portion of the law which, if delegated to the judgment of fair and conscientious officers, w^ould be considered unjust. In truth, the candidates learned that sentences in the majority of cases, meted out by military courts-martial, savored more of justice than those awarded by the helter-skelter twelve of the civil courts, who, at times, unfortunately, are swayed by sentimentality.

Know^ledge gained from the "Manual" was visualized during the latter days of study through the appointment, by the instructors, of courts, culprits and counsel. Trials were carried through from start to finish. Thus did a few^ test the military legal machinery, while the rest stood by to criticize and learn.

Study of the "U. S. Army Regulations" revealed a vast field of military customs and rules, knowledge of a large portion of w^hich must be gained by a candidate in order that he might become a successful officer. There w^as not time to study the contents of the entire volume. Only the most important "paragraphs" were assigned. These must be mastered. Information con- tained in those unassigned would have to be looked up when occasion de- manded. The subjects covered in "Army Regulations" are vast and diverse — from courtesies to arrest and confinement, from the Adjutant General's Department to the Indians, from Money Accountability to Post Gardens.

There was great excitement in Camp on Monday, July 9th, for on that day Col. Henry J. Reilly, with the old First Illinois Field Artillery, recently named the I 49th, arrived at the Fort. The camping ground in the w^oods south of the barracks was none too choice, but w^ith the aid of sand and gravel the men made habitable the soggy, swampy ground. The coming of this regiment w^as of particular interest to many of the men at the Training Camp, for the summer before they themselves had been members of one or another of its batteries. It w^as of vital interest to all of the men taking artillery train- ing, because the guns and horses of the 1 49th were to be the ones with which they should train. It was of general interest to all in Camp because this was a regiment which w^as shaping itself for service overseas, and before long w^ould be there. The regiment stirred not only the interest of all, but likewise the envy — it would soon be at the front!

Equilibrium must not be upset by such immediate prospects of action as this. The candidate's greatest opportunity for service, whether here or over- seas, lay in doing w^ell the task which lay ahead, no matter how distant the goal might seem.

Besides 'Studies in Minor Tactics," "Mapping," "Manual for Courts- Martial" and "U. S. Army Regulations," all outfits continued physical drill (except some of the batteries, the instructors of which, because pressed for time to cover the work required, unfortunately seemed to believe that calis- thenics might well be omitted). Semaphore work, to a certain extent, was likewise carried on, and the art of tent-pitching undertaken.

All other training taken up by the infantry, artillery and cavalary was of marked dissimilarity. The infantry commenced upon work with the rifle

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