Conscript 2989: Experiences of a Drafted ManCrump, Irving
History
Conscript 2989: Experiences of a Drafted Man
Crump, Irving
Military training camps -- United States; United States. Army -- Military life; World War, 1914-1918
The mere suggestion of troop movements has a thrill to it, and we have
had a lot of thrills to-day.
[Illustration: I was alone in line]
After a long period of restless waiting, and good-byes to every one and
everything about the old barracks, came the command to fall in. Then in
summer uniforms, and each with a big blue barracks bag crowded with
personal belongings, extra uniform, shoes, blanket and what not, on our
shoulders, we lined up, shouted last farewells and stepped off, down the
barracks street and out toward the railroad station. There was no
whistling nor singing for we were all very solemn, and I was lonesome,
for I was alone in line, the only member of our entire squad to go.
We came upon other columns of fellows, coming from other companies,
bound with us for this Southern camp. On we marched to the terminal.
Here confusion reigned for a while, for hundreds of men in khaki were
scattered everywhere, all bending under blue duffel bags, and wondering
what was to happen next.
But soon we were entrained, and then with locomotive whistles hooting,
and heads bobbing from every car window, we said farewell to The Camp.
And with the leave-taking our spirits seemed to rise, for there was
singing and whistling and horse play once more as the big cantonment
faded from view behind its fringe of pine woods.
Our first impression was that we would travel all the way to Georgia in
the cars we had been assigned to, but, fortunately, this was not true,
for after a long and tedious trip we detrained again at a ferry terminal
in Brooklyn. Here, too, was confusion. It was late in the afternoon, and
we were hungry. Every candy stand, and handy store was patronized until
the officers interfered. Then came the big, old fashioned side-wheeled
ferries, and we were hustled aboard.
Soon the old craft swung out into the river and with churning paddles we
headed down stream.
It was just sunset. Far down the bay, beyond Governor’s Island and
Liberty, a great, fiery red disc was setting in a haze of smoke and mist
from the city, while to our right and left on the river banks, lights
began to twinkle, and overhead strings of diamonds draped each
gracefully arching bridge. Past the Navy Yard we swung, with cheers from
the crews of three destroyers in the river. Tugs and steamers and
passing sound night boats greeted us with whistles, and we lined the
rails and cheered back.
Soon we churned under the last of the bridges and began to make our
tortoise-like way around the Battery. Lights were glimmering through the
violet haze that shrouded the mass of sky-touching buildings, and in the
foreground were hurrying throngs of men and women wending their way
through Battery Park toward the ferries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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