Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-21
CAMP LOWRY.
Third Days Meeting Of the En-
oampment,

Another successful days entertain.
ment WIS held At Camp Lowry yestef.
day. The attendance was very large
and a notable feature was the appear
ance on the ground Of a large number
Df ladies and families In carriages.
First On the programme of the day
was the artillery contest between
Two detachments of Battery b
Louisiana Field Artillery and
one detachment Of Warren Light
Artillery.
SHARP at 1890 o'clock, the Louisiana
field Artillery, Battery b.. first de.
achment, Lieut.. II. Bolivar Thompson
and his crack battery marched grace.
aily across the drill ground, and from
the time they hove in sight until halt.
ed the cheers were loud and continu
Gus. During this ordeal they looked
as if they were going sparkling. Their
first formation was splendid. The
marching from front to rear and The
reverse and from and to posts at piece
limbered and unlimbered, and taking
posts at piece from front and rear, were
admirable. The first serious mistake
was made when the command gunner
Relieve caisson corporal" the corporal
marched to the side and failed to 60 to
BIS position at the caisson until told by
bis commander. All loading and FIR
ing were generally we'll executed, while
firing in reduced numbers the gunner
forgot his pendulum hausse in stand
and at the command "ready" he had to
return to the piece and take it out
number three while in full numbers,
forgot to wheel with spare wheel.
Mounting carriage caissons was good;
dismounting also, but in mounting
piece 1t fell to the grounds. The me.
sshanical maneuvers were well executed
d the Nomenclature of piece and car
IMAGES, the men were very odd in
answering questions Of the judges.
Time of drill t~hirty,6ve minutes. AS
they left the ground they were heartily
cheered.
Next followed the second detach-
nent of Battery B. L. F. A, Capt
Nv. II. Blanham commanding. Their
movements were QUICK but jerky,
while their marching in changing posts
at piece or from front to rear and
reverse were rather careless, and the
aliguements of cannoneers as well as
the carriages was bad. Their first
error was at the command forward to
go to the pole number seven faild
more, and at the command action
right both one and two failed to break
on the wheels. After twenty minutes
drilling they made several individual er.
lrors aud with that exception their drill
was splendid. This detachment is not
lentered for the prize. The object of
their drilling was simply to make a
score. The last to come was the War
zen Light Artillery, of V~icksburg
The detachment is a fine body of men
md are no doubt picked. AS to
weight and size, they are rather too
barge for activity, which was exhibited
by thr slowness in their movements,
particularly in mounting caisson and
changing posts. Their distance and
aliguements were inaccurate. The
gunner stopped languidly over the
trail while sighting the piece, and he
Sighted without his pendelem. The
eaisson corporal, in relieving the gun
her, did the same while acting in that
capacity. Their drill as a whole was
good.
THE MAIDEN DRILL.
The entries for this drill were the
N~icksburg Rifles, Louisina Rifles and
Volunteer S0uthrons in. the order
named
The Vicksburg Rifles entered the
grounds at 3 o'clock amid the applause
bf their friends on the grand stand
bind in the grounds. Their inspection
WAS good; they brought their pieces
up in good style; their alignments fair;
nervousness showed itself in the
syanks early and the firing both in
Eouble rank was rather ragged,
"A Their manual with and without
numbers was fair. The captain con :
hitting a number of errors. in giving
the command right or left he always
went to the men, and with his sword
told them to make a straight line. Their
marching, as a whole. was but fair.
They did splendidIy in firing in column
of tours. They were followed by the
Louisiana Rifles, whose inspection was
splendid, and with exception of indi,
vidual errors, their meneuVeGs
were very good. The captain
gave command fire front and right and
left oblique, while standing in front of
his company, and many thought this
would score against him, but those
who are up in tactics say not. Their
marching was fair. Following them
came the Volunteer Southrons. They
passed a credltable inspection, a few
errors were committed in going
through the manual with and with
out the numbers. Their firing was
too fast and out of cadence.
4 Their movements in tours into
line was very good. The captain
in interpretating the programme gave
1 several commands and then gave the
command as you were, which counts
against him after the first correction
After a finish Capt. Searles brought his
company to a present in front OF the