From the Camp of Oskaloosa Infantry Company

From the Meriden Ledger, June 29, 1916

We called on the Oskaloosa members of the K.N.G.* last Sunday. About fifteen Oskaloosa folks were at the reservation during the day. The Guard was encamped on the government reservation on the Pawnee Flats between Manhattan and Fort Riley.

Up to Sunday afternoon none of the Oskaloosa boys had been examined or mustered into the federal service. Neither had they drilled any since their arrival; the officers saying they thot it would be best if they were allowed a day or two to get used to their new location.

Oskaloosa sent more men to Ft. Riley than any other town with the possible exception of Iola, considering the population. On their arrival there they were combined with the Holton company. The only officer Oskaloosa had was First Lieutenant Quakenbush, Holton’s men holding the other offices. W.R. Jenkins who was First Sergeant of the Oskaloosa Company, was made assistant to the Holton sergeant; and Irwin Dennis was made assistant Quartermaster Sergeant.

Earl Snellgrove was made company barber of Company B, 2 Regiment Infantry; and Ray Haslett company barber of Battery A.

Marvin Snyder passed the examination and was immediately mustered into the Topeka Battery A.

Pup tents, 1917

The boys were required to sleep in their little “dog” tents until Sunday afternoon when they were given the regulation tents and cots. Saturday night they were visited by a heavy rain and electrical storm and were busy most of the night trying to keep dry.

The first night there Henry Williamson left his little tent and returning could not find it, so lay down at the rear of another tent. Later in the evening an officer, passing at the rear of the tents stumbled over Henry.

“What are you doing here,” he asked.

“Oh, I had just been visiting,” Hank replied, “and got lost. So I am sleeping out on the porch.”

“Report at the mess tent in the morning,” was the officer’s order. The next morning Hank peeled potatoes as a reward for going visiting and losing his home.

Rue Jenkins and Irwin Dennis seemed to be the busiest men in the Oskaloosa company. In fact they had been busy since their arrival there; and both looked like miniature “Rip Van Winkles.”

Some of the Oskaloosa boys inquired where were the Winchester men who were so “strong” for an organization of National Guards there. “There is plenty of room for recruits here,” the Oskaloosa boys said, “and Winchester has a chance to get in.”

C.C. Lull, son of Dr. C.W. Lull, of Oskaloosa, was the first man of the Topeka recruits to be sworn into the First Regiment. He is the only Physician with the Topeka company and was given the rank of a First Lieutenant.

Ivan Anderson passed his examination last Sunday morning and was immediately mustered into the hospital corps, under Dr. Carl Phillips of Lawrence.

Arnold Leach was running around camp with his hair clipped close to his head. Some one told Arnold the boys were going home with the Oskaloosa folks and the last we saw of him he was hunting Barber Snellgrove to get his hair back.

Dr. Whitney went out Sunday and tried to enlist as a veterinarian but there were no vacancies at the time and the officer wanted him to enlist as a private. But the Doctor had seen enough to make him change his mind, anyway.

Tag Davis had a swelled upper lip and was lying on a cot in the hospital tent when we found him. Falling asleep sitting on the ground when a base ball some of the adjoining company boys were using hit him in the lip.

George Burnau and Jack Meredith said when they got back home they intended to teach the women of Oskaloosa how to wash their dishes. The boys when they have finished eating fill their pans and cups with dry dirt and rub them until they shine like a silver dollar. No water or soap for them.

The first night out Rue Jenkins said he didn’t sleep a wink. “Just lay there and listened to the remarks of the boys,” he said, “and it was certainly amusing.” Along in the early hours of the morn Charles Evans stuck his head out of his little tent and issued orders to all that he would not stand for any trespassing on his front porch, as he had just given it a new coat of paint, and a little later “called down” some one for spitting on his “piazza.”

There was a large crowd of “sightseers” at the reservation during the day; being probably five hundred autos lined around the roadway. A ten coach special train arrived in the afternoon. Excursions from Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka and other points along the road came in on the train and were unloaded at the reservation.

Company B in Oskaloosa, 1917

Some of the Oskaloosa boys’ relatives sent them “boxes” of fried chicken, cake and other dainties and Rue Jenkins sent back word to his wife that he could eat bread crusts now and that was something he had never before been able to do. John Hofmann sent word to his mother that although he never could eat bacon at home he had eaten it there that morning and after eating his own had asked the rest of the boys for theirs. And so it is with the rest of the boys, they are learning not to be the least bit particular what they eat. It all tastes good in time.

*Kansas National Guard: "Mustered into Federal service 27 June 1916 at Fort Riley, Kansas; mustered out of Federal service 30 October 1916 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917. Consolidated 1 October 1917 with the 2d Infantry Regiment, Kansas National Guard (organized in 1880); consolidated unit concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 137th Infantry and assigned to the 35th Division. Demobilized 9-11 May 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas." 137th Infantry Regiment (First Kansas)

This story appeared in “Yesteryears” in April 1997.