| Once each year a sham battle took place between the two
battalions on campus, highlighting Auburn's military training. This
battle was photographed in the early 1900s. "It was all made as real
as possible except that each rifleman was given five blank cartridges that
could be fired to his best advantage," wrote W.K. Askew, a 1917 graduate.
"The battle was the crowning event and culmination of all of the constant
drilling, marching, reviews, inspections, parades, and particularly the
rivalry between the battalions." Such training helped put Auburn
men in great demand when the United States entered World War I in 1917.
-- Photo: AU Archives |
