2016 Fall Newsletter

A downpour began at 7:00 AM on June 23 as approximately 400 friends and love ones gathered with mem bers of Company D at the train sta on for their appointed departure at 7:50 AM. B. J. Sheridan, editor of The Western Spirit, wrote that the Paola City Band played a concert at the sta on while friends and loves ones “were so deeply engrossed in bidding farewell to their own loved ones, mingling last messages with their tears, that they had li le heart for inspiri ng cheers.” * The members of Company D were sworn into Federal Service at Fort Riley, underwent medical examina- ons, and drilled and drilled some more. Finally on July 1, the Company le Ft Riley and arrived at Eagle Pass, Texas on July 2. (Eagle Pass is on the Rio Grande across from Pedras Negras, Mexico. The members of Co. D could see Mexican soldiers across the river, but had no interac on with them.) A er detraining, the Company marched sever al miles into the desert and began hacking out a camp from among “mesquite, cactus, ra lesnakes, tarantulas, and scorpions in 100 degree heat – it hadn’t rained for nine months.” A er establishing what became known as Camp Sha er, training began. Although the Na onal Guard was federalized under the Na onal Defense Act of June 3, 1916 (which al lowed for military service outside the U.S.), the Guard was only deployed to protect the southern border. There fore, Company D did not see any ac on beyond guard duty at Interna onal Bridges and selected points of military concern. As a result, they drilled and trained. As part of their training Company D had a march every Saturday, beginning with short marches without back packs, leading up to marches of 15 to 16 miles with full field equipment. In a le er dated July 13, Camp Sha er, Eagle Pass, Texas to The Western Spirit, Richard Blaisdale says he, “is having the me of his life since leaving Paola, and wouldn’t have missed this jaunt for a barrel of money.” He goes on to say that while passing through Burlington, they were met by a large crowd and were given eats and cigars, even though soldiers preferred cigare es. “We are all mighty shy on them just now, too, as there has not been a nickel in the camp for about a week. If the people of Hometown would club together and send about one thousand rounds of Bull Durham, it would be appreciated ….” Blaisdale goes on to say that there has been more rain since

they arrived, then in the past year. On August 16 a two hour long hurricane hit the lower Rio Grande. The company was out on the firing range when the rain and wind hit. By the me they returned to camp, their tents and other structure were blown down. It didn’t take long to reassemble the camp and “chow” was served on me.

The daily rou ne started at 5:30 am with fa gue duty and followed the normal rou ne of an army camp. Off duty recrea on consisted mostly of playing baseball, wrestling, boxing and going to the YMCA. (Not to men on trips into town. However, they were not allowed to go into town a er 6:30 PM.) The men of the 1st. Kansas were a hardy lot as evidenced by the fact only 2% reported for sick call during their stay at Camp Sha er. Early September Company D, along with the 1st and 2nd Kansas Regi ments, was ordered to Camp Wilson, San Antonio in order to complete the 12th Provisional Division. The two

regiments were selected to par cipate in the first mass movement of troops and their equipment by motorized vehicles in the U. S. The move required 132 (chain driven with hard rubber res) trucks to transport the men from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. The regiments le on Septem ber 6 for an es mated 175 mile trip. Planks were placed across the side boards of the trucks and the men soon learned to use their blanket roll to so en the ride over the rough dirt roads. The convoy arrived at Camp Wilson on September 8 where the troops were rolled into the 12th Provisional Division. On September 16, the largest movement of troops in the United States since the Civil War started at San Anto nia for a march to Camp Mabry, on the outskirts of Aus n - a total of 83 miles. The men were given one canteen of water a day and marched with full equipment under the

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