The National tribune., 1883-10-25
The Organization Of Militia Companies as Aids to
g.. L. Il. Posts.

The Organization of Militia Companies as Aids to
g.. 4. r. Posts.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
desire, through the medium of The TRIB-
UNE, TO announce the beginning in Colorado OF
and to call a conference IN these columns of
those who, with me, may see something in
it, Possibly we may not be the first movers,
and if there shall be found elsewhere In the
Union those who have begun the same work,
hope they will at once receive us. of the latest
born of the sisterhood of States, with vel
come such as we will give TO those who join us
to roll the work along.
The present operation of the provisions of
our Constitution for the existence OF q volun-
teer militia for the emergencies of national
defense" are not entirely satisfactory TO the
best informed, at least among our military men;
perhaps, may say, among the people. lack
OF uniformity, such as could only result from
complete national organization and the almost
entire neglect in some States to make any ade-
quate provision. leaves the matter of national
defense as much problem as it was in 1861
when we had suddenly thrown upon us the
task of creating an army. Every comrade can
remember exactly how the North stood then.
I belonged myself to crack corps, fractional
part of one Of the militia regiments of the
great State of New York, perhaps then, proba-
bly, now, the best organized of ali the Federal
Union in this respect. Without access to sta
tistics, and unable to cite with precision, still
think [ hardly err in saying that not one of
those regiments in any sense can be said to
have taken the field as it stood. None were on
war footing, even as to their supposed and
apparent numerical condition. OF officers of
real experience in the field there were but few.
Our long and fortunate exemption from wars,
with the brief exceptions that need not be
specified, and which hardly affected the case,
because Of the then, as now, unwillingness of
the veteran to play soldier" in a militia regi-
ment, had practically unnamed the citizen
reserve corps of the Nation; and the national
holiday parades and an occasional drill conyen-
ton or visit of one corps to another were the
sole revelation Of the military spirit of the
home of the brave, which We proudly claimed
to be.
How these holiday corps were, however,used
as the nucleus of a real army; how their best
men went to leaven the raw lump and give it
the invaluable aid of trained tacticians, albeit
theorists only, we all know. I hope no one
win imagine that / am undertaking or de-
tracing from their invaluable aid. Heaven
forbid, for without them our strait must have
been much greater. / am only making point
from which to depart in the direction OF more
satisfactory use of the portion of the army EN-
ployed yearly in building and keeping up the
corps of citizen defenders of the Republic.
The necessities of the case are most clearly
set forth in a paper by General Albert Ordway,
which appeared in the North american Repiels,
April, 1882. After reviewing the workings and
failure of the law as enacted in 1792-intended
for the twofold purpose of supporting civil law
in the individual State and collectively for ma
tional defense, and resulting in almost entire
neglect to provide for the second and general
purpose-and, notwithstanding the promulga-
nf hat (of
republie) should be soldier" the writer
propounds the question, "How can the Ma
tional Government, under the powers conceded
to it by the Constitution, provide that the
militia of a large number of separate States
shall be SO equally efficient and uniformly
organized as to be available for national de-
Tense when required9" The balance of the
| paper is devoted TO argument upon those deli
cate points of adjustment of the powers given
Congress in the premises, and the jealously
guarded authority of individual States, and
offers as a solution of the difficulty, in SUBJ
stance, the following: To increase the annual
appropriation (by Congressl to at least 81 ,000,
| 600, and to provide that the States may draw
their respective quotas Of that sum In arms
| equipments, uniforms, camp equipage, or in
money TO pay their militia for annual duty in
camps of instruction, as they may choose"
The participation IN this provision is TO be
made dependent on compliance by each State
with a prescribed division into classes active
and Inactive, and also with uniform regulations.
believe the matter has, since the above
publication was made, been placed before Con-
gress and considered in committee, without,
| however, any practical action, the unconstitu-
| tionality of any active interference being held
| by many TO be an insuperable objection 1t may
| be, however, that that which no wisdom of the
| peoples representatives has compassed may
still be in the power of the people to voluntar-
r T. II - =
| so, the way may not be difhcult-certainly will
not, if the veterans who composed the great
army of the Union will take the work in hand
What suggests such possibility is simply
this: There happened to be in q sub
| urban region of this city few
young men desirous of organizing COM
pany of militia cavalry. Their success and
| paper, for | believe it can be repeated where
ever there is weIl-organzed Post of our Order
These young men, with time enough to spare
| from their daily toll (ail being workingmen)
| to have the necessary meetings for drill, deter
| mined, although not altogether in love with
| the State militia requirements, to organize and
muster, and looked about them for a leader of
experience. They chose q veteran of the Grand
| Army of the Republic, and on the day of our
parade at the National Eneampment the
command of the projected troop was offered
| him. Seeing here an opportunity for trying a
cherished plaD the conarade, after due conSulta-
ton, and, with consent of his Post replied that
| he would accept, ON condition that the new
| troop become auxiliary to the said Post, which
| was Immediately accepted with enthusiasm,
and twenty charter members Immediately
signed the roll of Troop A, First battalion aux
| iliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, u.
s. A. Locally the company is known as the
] Auxiliary Cavalry Troop Of Farrsgut Post, No.
| 46, Department of Colorado, G. A. E.
| TIE MEMBERSHIP.
| The membership is restricted to veterans,
| their sons, and such citizens of suitable age
| and physical condition as are of undoubted
| loyalty, and willing to bind themselves by a
| solemn obligation to take arms at once upon
the call of the President for any national cause.
| This insures the personnel. The earnestness of
the purpose is manifest in the fact that these men
| have bought their own uniforms, weapons, and
horses. Many of them are experienced plains
men. The material can be found for such or
| CARNATIONS wherever a semi-rural district has
a plenty of young men who own horses. The
| custom of most militia cavalry of hiring horses
cannot result in such efficiency. Infantry
| be the more frequent for that reason, and de-
| sirably So of course. Artillery must have SUBJ
stantial aid, owing to the greater cost in every
| particular. The necessary equipment for either
| of the others is not expensive given a ready
| mount in the cavalry. Old weapons are pro-
durable, as good as new for drill purposes, for 8
fraction of original cost. For the indispensable
| target practice, q few good weapons will serve