Knox College - Gale Yearbook (Galesburg, IL)

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26 y I ,, 1 In rl1q2iGaIe li fi . 0 U - D rl-lie College Companies ILITARY drill was first established at Knox College in 1881. In that year a bill lil was passed by Congress that gave details of army officers to act as Professor of Military Science and Tactics, to additional schools throughout the country. Knox was one of these schools that secured a detail and in the fall of 1884, Lieutenant Stephen C. Mills reported for duty. A cadet corps, consisting of two good-sized companies, was formed and work began on a thorough basis. linroll- ment was at first voluntary to any male student of the college. Prizes were given for proficiency in military tactics and everything done to stimulate good work. Lieutenant liaton A. l'ldwards had charge of the military department in the years 1887. 1888 and 1889. He brought the Knox companies to a high point of efficiency and was very well liked. The next army ofiicer detailed here was Lieutenant G. O. Cress, of the 7th United States Cavalry, who was a graduate of lVcst Point. The corps was enlarged by the formation of a third company and a band. Any grad- uate of the military department of Knox College could obtain a brevet second lieutenant's commission in the Illinois National Guard from the governor and the three most efiicient men were reported to the Secre- tary of lVar, to be called on later, perhaps, for duty as ofiiccrs. Lieutenant VVilliam A. Phillips, of the 22nd United States ln- fantry, was military instructor at Knox from 1893 to 1897. Captain John G. Ballance, also of the 22nd Infantry, was detailed here in 1897. In 1898, due to the Spanish-American war, Captain Ballanee was called into service. The military equipment of the college was also called for and the course in military science and tactics was dropped Cara-. Mn.r.icu from the curriculum. IQIQ '

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I 1 ' 25 -u fl'h2Gale-- F rom nOx7er eren On Active Service with tllli AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES March 15, 1918 Dear Old Pal: , Believe me, old man. this army life is tl1e stuH. I never tll0llg'llt wl1e11 I e11listed tllllt I would like it so well. It was just the thing I llCCCll'll lllld you wouldn't recognize yours truly any 111ore. It was the fond'est l1ope of llly life to so111e time see tl1e other side of tl1e world a11d now Islll tllCl'l'. l'his Franee is a fine country b11t give me tl1e old U. S. A. VVe're ll0t allowed to tell l1llll'll al1o11t Olll' Crossing llllt I Cllll say tllilt we came over in a big ship with a lot of others. Gosh, but that oeea11 was big. 1' 01' a fellow tllilt thought Lake Michigan was large it was some surprise. Yes, I was tl1e vieti111 of 111al-de- UIQ' and there were a few thousand others wl1o l-:ept 111e company. For a. wl1ile I didn't eare if GCl'lIl1llly flxlhztxll .This warnor if were torpedoed. They landedwus at . It is IL wonderful place witl1 its shipq ifyldecl .with ships, transports fro111 U. S. a11d bngland, long, low, g'1'Cy destroyers, lied Qross sllilytllllch Tvhttle tugs that 1'1111 here Zllltl there protesting against tl1e amount of room tllllt then' sister of Iilrciufll- ,Ne sighted a couple of l1ydroplanes,' too. Xie landed tl1e next lllill'llllIfJ,'. lhere was a e1'owd place um1h11cople,111a1nly W0ll10l1,0lKl men a11d elnldren YVltll a Pllllil scattered 111 here 'and tl1e1'e. At o11e sevmin r Us yVClh6'tl l1lllllllCl' of t1ern1an pl'lS0llCl'S W0l'lilllfJ,' llllil0l' their I+reneh g'llill'Cl. they eyed us Wltll a ext-hungsledl:.f7El'C,Clll, l111t under it all I L'0lllKl see a sort of tense excitement and a Stflllll of worry as they plmntnalf nlsfof conversation with Cilcll 0'tl1C'l'. I l1ad always regarded a GC?l'lIl2lll soldier as a vague for them, ang IOIII tl1e1r deeds at tl1e lmgllllllllg of tl1e war Ilmust say that I l1ad a wholesome sort ot tear aguimt - X nt when I saw this l1llllC'll everytlung changed. Ihey Wllllt he so lllllCll for IIS to llllCli up 'fhixv 11115 'they were lrussians, too, a-s I found out late1'. I Us OW mmm lqlilt waste lllIlI'll t1111e Ill gettmjg us from tl1e port. As we were tl1e hrstito land they packed printvd in'0fIlflf1'l5k .lhey are funny l1ttle,I ulhnans, these I1 l'i'llCll ones. On the-outsnle ot each one was Fmlwc Hein k,I ehevaux 8, ll0lllllll'S -4-O. 1'1VCl'?'tlllllg' was clean. After bumpnig over several lllll0S of was H ful'-:.s111g SOVCl?ll lted Cross trams, we arrived' atvour Kl0StlllZltl0ll, one of the Alll0I'l0lll1 CIUIIIDS. There in. Tlwt-N:::11c? of 3 anks fwe hate the name sannnies Q there and they gave us a cheer as we marel1ed S0 I wuhdoiucdrml 'the day. was spent Ill' getting straightened around. lhe next duay we had some time oft, mmm-V xv! l.11lound with a Cllllllll' of other fellows. 1' P0111 a l11ll we got a glimpse of tl1e SlIl'l'lllllHllllgI EWw.lSit 0fc,'l:111.Ieilldi1w11 o11 a -peaceful valley'and here and there saw little IOWllS'll0tl1ll.ljL' the landscape. mum 'war ll EIUTIEJ1 ifliltlllflllq under Fllltltiilblflll and old IIIPIQ alnd y131f11.1c11'aileuwolklng 111 the-fields. We but WC got mod t nun ll in tu, distance. KJCIIINIII Cllllllllll ana t IC 1 us up ying. It was weird at first, x -. o it laten. the fa lhglis. Anotl1er'fond dream come tl'll0. Saw everyvtl1ing tl1at I had ever read about, from ing Frcm-h to tl N' tower. lhose 'SlllCVVilllCv restaiiralltflllot-llllll 3lm't.- ltllm- -Bllt when lt eame to talk- it was up to lmic-tw.ptt1lIisluine. was the only 'one ot 'aunt 1 time an TllEllllQ,.0f tl1e language illlll dictimmricq thilt roH11,llt1c, Olll-Cltll llllIt IlIll,tCl. Ill you E114 1.-cr11114'1I11e1 llll. '10 rl' ot one of those pocket vnculmlmwr llhin rage 31. the pseful words. I. ,hae Ian .ILYVEII ,tune ouf1tp1gVso11u,t1111g cheap to eat. All of my But I didwi Sha' 7 u. uns of food was UIIILLIIHK W1 1 llklllllh ana ny wut, out of sight or QH the mmm, H . 111e. the gilloflri-Irdl1:t of i11foE'n111:io11'that lhwollld liktiutol i111p:1:'tLxttHi111:' Pll'0:Nlllli' pave read a. lot about overvnne hero Tl E? in' d.llh.' acc o 11, 1.-1 . I o1Y Q4 ccasxol 'pe' woi c is the' sentnnent of Almiricun girl in ire 2'lc1xws.g11 CIZIZB whenua -vital? tgtl. 1 1 .I ilfh. llsllrf ing shows a pleture with an again and again . ,lllllllg enough to nat 1 ll, non nn, an: 1e 0llf.,lIll., opuator runs tlllf picture Y Q I tion t1-1iining pretty ha,-d and I have a 11otion tl1at we are! going to wi11d it all up witl1 1'eal ae- mllcge feilo-wslli txltydoesn t worry IIIC and tl1e soo11er tl1at 3 gc-It so tielfl tl1e better. Ive l1lCt a lot of lmve-gmdlmt6d IH is tillltl we got to tal-king about t:lC gooyc otcf mats! maclg 21 0131 schools. A lot of tl1em some time and hula' lLlCftI e severalil1ke n1yselfiw1pxl1aien 1111s 1'ecf.' ut welall intend to come back more what it 4tmldq1p11'. ,'y11mf means lot to 'nuiw uint H11111l11u:.Zy0 1,o11Ql1tz111fH11'ow I eau .1-calm, even my as three af the-l OL- hose tl11ee .QCIUS that span 1e1e a nts 1.1 Wl Sllllil Ollt lll 111y lll0lll- xveu I C tt I 1 1es years of 111y life. .' v I'll close ,11owii11gm y llflve written a lot and' tl1e secretary of tl11s place wants to 11se l11s typewriter. So get 111 so111e extra sleep before taps. Regards to all my friends. JACK. IQIQ

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' s '. 27 I., fl'112Gialefl I Like most every other cflucge in the country, lxnox was considerably stirred up by thc proba- ' billtb' of the United States going to war with Ger- mimY- A number of men were anxious to take up Soine kind of military dwflll and Captain Alfred l j'Mi1lCr, of the local Cn, A mlhtifl Company, volun- tfcred to take charge ofthe work. The iirst drill was held in the Knox gymnasium on the mght of March 20th, 1917, and work progressed very favorably. Captain Miller was soon forced to leave for Texas with his company and Roy A. VVohlford, a local insurance agent, H11 had some eight years' experience as a sergeant in the regular army, was secured to Hftv 0r'I1'gCx0f the drill. 'Iwo companies and a band .were formed from the one hundred and tcrgld tl l10l'L'IX'lCI'l,t!llilIlg' the work. Sergeant Vtlohlford, along Wltll many undergraduates, cn- f 10 Ufhcers Training Camp at Fort Sheridan on May 8th. Captain NV. A. Barton. for-- military instructor at Hedding College, now took command of the Knox companies. Due ' exodus of men to the various training camps, the companies were merged into one good- SlZCd unit. Drill was held for an hour and a half on three afternoons a week and the funda- mentals of close order drill and the manual of arms were learned. The college was unable to secure a man to act as instructor for this year, so work started m'dCl' Student oflicers, who had had some military experience. The local recruiting officers as- ted, whenever possible. Three periods a week of an hour and a half each were devoted to the drill. Eurlysle to a lack of an inside place to drill, work was discontinued from December until spring. . ll March it was resumed with Captain Miller again as instructor. He had been retired ml i10C0llnt of physical disability and was willing to take command. Drill rifles had been se- cured and other necessary X arrangements rnggdg. A very thorough course was given and the men got a great deal of practical ex- perience from the work. Efforts are being made to establish a unit of thc R. O. T. C. here at Knox and if this is secured, of- ficial. recognition will be 'rivcn bv the fvovcrnm t Co.B -' '2- CU- ll9l9f