A one-time Massachusetts member
of congress as one of the ranking offi
cers in a strictly Southern division is
a rather unique situation, but Colonel
Gardner is one of the most popular
officers in the camp. He is held in the
highest esteem by all the National
Guard officers and especially by the
residents of Macon.
After making an effort for two
years, apparently without much suc-
cess, to awaken the country to its unpreparedness for war, Colonel Gardner
upon the outbreak of hostilities with Germany, resigned as representative
and offered his services to the war department.
Having seen service In the Spanish-American war and having devoted
years of his life to a study of military affairs, the colonel was no novice in
military matters. Mr. Baker, the secretary of war, recognized at once the
advantages of Colonel Gardner being in active service, by giving him a colo-
nel's commission.
For a "down East Yankee" to come right into the very heart of the South
with a division of 27,000 men, composed of real Sputherners, and to make
friends with all the officers and men, and at the same time with the residents
of Macon, is no easy task. But the colonel has done all this and more. He Is
not only the friend of the soldiers and the Macon people, but he is the idol of,
the newspaper men "covering" the camp.
HEAD OF ARMY TRANSPORTATION
The subject of army transporta
tion Is so vast that in this article only
transportation by rail can be consid
ered. This is the backbone of our
modern transportation system, yet it
dates no further back in army history
than the time of the Crimean war.
