Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-11

Win any Ol Iue prizes AZ MDDlIe was "4l-
nounced yesterday. A prize in the maiden
drill was counted upon as certainty,
and many were confident of the second or
third, and some even of the first prize in
the international drill TIE award OF
the prizes was awaited with a great
deal OF anxiety by the members OF
the company at home and by nearly
everybody in the city. When it was
learned that Savannah drew "a blank there
was general feeling OF regret and dis
/ appointment at the i'll success which had
1 attended the company.
The New Orleans Tunes Democrat and
/ PicQy1Ae. which give special attention
! to military matters, in their report
/ Of the Cadets dril describe their
movements more fully perhaps than most
/ of the papers which were represented on
/ the ground. although the NEWS gave pro-
/ badly the best general telegraphic report
/ of the drill that has been published. The
/ Times DemocFdt, in speaking of the com
/ pany, says; ''Its inspection was excel
lent. Thr first sergeant stepped back at
the load The cartridges did not worry
the men as much as they did the
Montgomery Blues, but one man
stopped to pick those up that he
had dropped. BY the numbers great
many Of the men were nervous and COM
nit ed individual errors. AS on their
previous drill, they again left their cas-
ridge boxes omen after loading. The adj
mirabe steadiness in ranks about this
company on their first appearance was
again noticeable, and their manual in
line was excellent.
THE BLANK CARTRIDGES.
Their second experience with the blank
cartridges was "A great improvement over
the first, and their fire kDeeliug was
beautiful. The Blues had not done any
shooting in these movements. The Cap
tain commanded fire at left Oblique before
commanding ready, and a number Of the
men came to a carry after draw cartridge.
The stack and fix and unfX bayonets
were beautiful. The marching in line
was splendid. The first company wheels
were made without a flaw Of any kind.
The 0bliquing in quick and double time
marching IN line and by tours We're eX-
ceile {, the distances being well pre-
served. The dOuble-tme wheelings by
tours and wheeling in double-time were
of the finest description. In one
Of the platoon movements the posi-
ton Of the first four was reversed, and
the remaining movements were executed
while they We're in that position. Tue
swivel stack, rear rank in front, was a
failure. The firing bv ranks was done
with precision and finish. In wheeling
into platoOns there was a break, and
another in wheeling into line, owing
to the strangeness Of the mixed posi-
lions of the men. The wheelings while
at arms port were wavering. The
manual by the numbers was MARI
ed by individual errors. AS they
were preparing for the last movement
one OF the men tainted from the eff cts
Of the heat, which was intense. His
place was at once taken by a reserve. and
medical assistance gwen the sick man.
They stepped the ground in quick and
d0uble-time beautifully. After the drill
there was another "fainter." The heat
was certainly trying, and it is no wonder
that, with the great length of the pro-
gramme, the men were affected. The
time of their drill was hour and IS min
uJes, the time of the drill, aside from in
spectiOn, being hour and minutes. The
command marched off the field with the
men still in the wrong positions"
THE CADETS RECEPTION.
The Picdyune saws the company, as it
marched on the drill ground, in its hand
some gray and white, ELECTED a
hearty reception from the immense au-
dience, who had by this time gathered on
the grand stands.
''Capt. Branch presented his company
for inspection in the centre Of the
grounds, and the men were subjected TO
rigid and apparently satisfactory scru-
tiny by the Judges. The distribution OF
blank cartridges to the company followed
the inspection. In the manual by num-
bers some slight nervousness was shown
by the men, some few Of whom executed
motions repeatedly without waiting tor
the order of execution. Without numbers
the manual was excellent. the stack
with bayOnets being particularly good,
and the uuhX baynnets not to be- improved
upon. The swivel stack was rather poor,
one stack falling.
"ln the loadings and firing the Cadets
had 10 contend with the same difficulty
/ experienced by their predecessors on the
grounds unaceustomed TO using car
\ trldges in the drill. Their loading was
/ mewhat irreeu ar, but stll an improve
ment on tnat f the Montgomery Blues.
/ One man stopped in the ranks To pick up
a fallen cartridse. The kneel and fire in
single ranks was quite good. and that in
/ double ranks equally creditable. The
rise from kneeling was well executed,
and the fire by fle in double ranks de-
/ cidedly pretty. On one occasion the Can
/ { in gave the order "lett oblique" without
the preparatory order ''ready," and half
the company executed the command. Fire
| lying down was beautifully executed.
THE MARCHING.
"Draw cartridges" rather slow. In the
marching movements the Cadets showed
| splendid training and all Improvements
/ over their peri FINANCES %: Tuesday last
] in quick time, right and left wheels single
] rank, with one exception, and each case
| the men moved with precision. Their
wheelings IN columns Of platoOns were
tlsn excellent. Lett wheel in double
column aud four, in circle right wheel
/ Were tair The ma ching in double time
I was on the whole far above the average
\ i'm point of excellence. The most notice
/ able error In those movements was
| committed when two men Of the Ii ST.
! platoon lost their heads during the
/ wheel into column Of platoons from COM
/ pany front. and had to resume their places
| ia ranks after the command had been
/ brought % a halt, while the features Of
the double time conspicuous for their ac-
/ curacY and prompt execution were the
/ onlique marchinI In line with platoons in
/ reverse order. the right and left ohlques
I in columns Of tnurs, the wheeling into
/ line from a column of tours. the left turn
/ in single rank, nni on the left INTO line
/ from column of fuurs.
The Cadets marched OF the grounds at
1850 10 ! O'Clock, having consumed
/ hour and > minutes In the drill.
The company is now in New Orleans,
where, it is hoped, they may retrieve
what they lost or did not win at Mobile.