The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-29
G. G. B.
THE COMPETITIVE BRILL AT ct PAT
KICKS HALL LAST EVENING.
How the League Guards won the Gem
pany Medals After Hard Fight.


pany Medals After Hard Fight.
Last evening there was more excitement in
military circles than has been known here
ever before, regarding the competitive drill
between the companies OF COL o. u, Fenner's
Crescent City Battalion. For hours before
tho time for the drill, the neghborhood of st.
Patreks Hall was lively with gray coats and
neat uniforms and iaunty hats, All oompa-
niles have been hard Mt work for some time
past preparing for the contest, and there was
much interest shown on tho part of their
frIenda In tho decision. The following order
explains fully the terms OF tho drilli
HHApouARrRRa CRnaoRNT Cry BATTALION, }
AdiutNnts uttiee No, : garonae,et street " ,tsss
General order No, AL
1, Tho competitive drill for tho year 1878
will take place on Friday, juno w, ut O'Clock
d, M, Mt 81. PatrekA Hall
4 Gen, q. u, Greene. Capt, II. dc Courcy
and Lieut., NJ. u, lamar U,s' A. will act Us
| the committee Of Judges.
| 3, Each company will be drilled by one OF
its ewn officers.
pnnics shall drill will DO decided by lot.
| b. The competing companies Will be assem-
bled M the armores under the hall, and each
one will hold itself In readiness TO march into
| the hall promptly on receiving orders to that
effect and viii leave the hall as soon as Its
drill Is completed
cd to present twenty-four muskets, exclusive
| of tile-ClosefS
Z. The manmuvres will be exclusively in sin
gle rank
g. The drill will comprise the whole manual
of arms and school of the company except
such as may be expressly dispensed with.
8. The drill officer may be required by the
committee to repeat any movement or to per-
form any which may have been omitted.
10. The judges will proceed to award the
prize as soon as the drill is completed, and the
same will be then presented to the successful
| company.
II. In case the committee shall find two
companies to be of equal merit, they are to
repeat the drill till o or the other excels.
IL. The companies will drill in the follow
ing order their commanders having drawn
their positions:
Nichols Rifles, Capt Ed, Flood command
League Guards, Capt. W. F. Pinckard COM
handing.
full dress uniform at 6 80 o'clock p. m.
By order Lieut.. Col. Chas. E. Fenner COM
handing. w. @. II. ROBINSON, Adjutant.
1t was o'clock before the many guests of
the battalion were seated, the gallery Of the
hall being crowded, as also the chairs allowed
for the ladies on the floor. Owing to the re-
uuirements Of the companies movements not
more than two hundred could be allowed
them. On the stage Col. Fenner and family
with q few especial guests were seated. After
waiting some time the steady tread of men
was heard on the stairs and ina few moments
THE CRESCENT RIFLES,
led bv Capt. r. b. Peasants, marched in
| They were received with loud applause Old
| soldiers at once pronounced their movements
to be precision itself. Their fours moved as
IL one man, and their marching was superb.
| They formed line in front of the platform,
and Col. Fenner directed them to form COM
pany front on the Lafayette street side OF the
hall, and then go through the manual OF arms.
They moved hither and thither through the
school. Repeated applause greeted the &C
curacy of their handling of their rifles, and at
times it was difficult to hear the orders given
After going through the manual they com
menced company manRuvres and for nall
hour entertained the crowd present
They were followed by
THE NICHOLAS RIFLES,
under the command of Capt. Ed. Flood. This
company has been organized only two and q
, half months, but its drill last evening was
. like that of veterans Forming company
front as the Crescent Rifles, the manual OF
arms was given and all present pronounced
it to be equal to anything seen here before
The "order arms" was like the butt OF one
musket touching the floor. The "secure
arms" recover arms" and reverse arms"
were remarkable, the men performing them
with the quickness of the renowned ZOuaves
, and it needed only their deployment as Skin
: mishers to recall the old Zou-Zou exhibition
3 drill. In marching several little errors were
committed, but by platoon the company die
? finely Their step was much quicker and
freer than the Crescents, and there was the
old time swing about them that added not 9
= little to their appearance. After performing
the school of the company they marched out
to the plaudits of the audience.
Next entered the
Y LEAGUE GUARDS,
l commanded by Capt. William F. Pinckard
= AS they had been drilled for some days past
: by Capt Ellis, of the United States infantry
g much was expected of this company, anC
! these expectations were fully realized. Iheil
L manual of arms was exact and prompt. Ii
= stacking arms and taking arms" they show
= ed the result of their teaching, whilst in oh
lique firing, 'charge, bayonets, and "reVers'
T arms" they were most quick. When it came
: to company manRuvres, this command show
ed itself to advantage. Wheeling by company
the men were In a line as straight as could b.
drawn, and by platoons their manGuvre
e brought down the house. In 'fOurs, RICH
/ about, Fright, front, into line, and "obliqu
c ing" they were as accurate as regulars, am
y it was seen at once that the medals woul
Il adorn their breasts. After they had perform
l. ed their drill, they marched out the hall fol
n lowed by the vociferous cheers of their friends
= The judges, Gen. Q. D. Greene, Capt. +. ID
Courcy and Lieut. NJ. F. lamar, United State
10 army, then held a short consultation an
10 found their notes, which they had not befor
compared, to tally exactly The followin
was their report:
le Crescent Rifles-ManuaI of arms, s; march
vt ing, s; company man9uvres, 5; militar
r bearing, 5.
1t Nichols Rif1es-Manual Of arms, z; con
le pany manpuvres 8; military bearing, B.
t. League Guards Manual OF arms, 6; march
Is ing, 8; company manRuvres, 8; militar
re bearing, 7.
n They made special mention of the perform
ceof the Nichols Rifles in the manual an
Crescent Rifles in their man9uvers, and gay
h to the League. Guards the palm Of victor,
u u They said to the reporter of the DEMoCRA
a. that there were only two companies in til
le regular service that could compete with thos
- =, of the Crescent City Battalion, and thos
~ were Capt. De Courcy's and Ellis. When th
!. decision had been made known, the sever;
III comnanies formed in the hall and in nef