New-York tribune., 1886-07-18
A MILITARY EXPERIMENT.
REoRGANIzING THE STATE TROOPS.

close will be sguazed In last days by the BATTALION
experiment.. with separate companies. introduced Dy
Porter which. In the opinion OF h any
officers ofthe National Guard foreshadows reorgsni-
z.tion OF the uniformed militia Of this State upon the
bass that obtains in the military establishments OF some
European nations. bill now awaiting tho act'o" vi
Congress proposes that each Of the regiments ih ne
Regular Army shall be composed OF three pattalohs
sevcraly commanded by a field officer aided oy an
adiuant and all under the supervision OF the Colonel
ThIs vould abosh the Brigadier. General. whom the
promoters OF the regard needless appendaee
and wOnld 1t Is claimed be specially well sutea 10 'ne
small military force maintained by the Uhlted STATES
At present tho various companies CONSTITUTING iu
regiment are widely scattered and t Is seldom tnat hey
are called upon together Battalions offour COM
panes each could be placed in military posts not Iar
apart with held officer in command OF all OF them
whom they could be speedily concentrated Tor any
needed movement In concert The friehus oi 'ho oas
ure think 1t would add TO the efficiency OF the ser
vice byuntng commander small Dodes OF men
who might frequently be called upon to act together.
Upon this principle the provisional batalions. each com
posed OF four separate companies OF tho New YORK
State National Guard, hsvo been formed by General
Porter this year for the purpose OF instruction
at the camp Peeksklll. Next week tnere VIII
be three OF these provisional batalions In camp each
commanded by field officer and all under one colonel,
upon plan proposed for the regular army ana when
prevails In Europe 1t Is an experiment which 1t Is
believed will work we'll, and, II this organization Is
adoptcd for the regular army 1t believed that General
Porter will organize all the troops OF this state upon
this basis.
An officer OF high rank, considered the subject
thoroughly and is well acquainted with the vows or
General Porter In regard to IT, says formation
would especially adapted to the National Guard The
7th Regiment has more than thousand men, hough IL
seldom parades with than seven nun ired or eight
hundred But with the smaller number IN the ranks
it an uuwiedy command Divided into twenty plaoons
rnf
any supervision over tho rear pl1toons which
we're necessarily left solely the junior officers OF the
companies. For service in case OF riot smaller bodies
OF men could readily handled and 1t ~ Sc dom
full regiment Is called uDon to act As one Dody AS
a step toward disencumbering W National Guard OF
useless OF high rank. this officer further said to
TRIBUNE reporter last week that its the intention OF the
Governor I'LL the vacancy caused by the resgna-
tion OF MajorGcncr Shaer 1t - believed mat Major
General Molineux commanding the 2d Division, will
soon resign for private reasons, ahi II he
does so the vacancy VIII be filed As fast as brig
adler generals leave the 1t IL proposed TO APP
pont no successors them ana gradually the orsaniza-
t,on OF the National Guard will be- changed so that there
will be than two najor'gcneras an' TWO
divisions in the STATE and then probably the battalion
formation OF regiments Will be adopted ana Orgadier-
generals will be dispensed with altogether; THIS WORK,
the officer continued would be done at stroke and not
gradually If the Governor did wish to avoid tho ILL
feeling which might be engcndcrel toward him by
dispacng officers of high rank now In the service The
proper command OF msJor-SeneraI III an army
in the field would be division OF
about 1900 men, and there are not enough
troops the uniformed military OF THIS STATE at present
to form than such division one OF the cOnn.
try divisions present.. cOmnanid by mao general
win a full stan. cannot muster more men than t.ere
single irs-class re-iont IN TINS city Ihe FIRST
Division Organlz tuon. has practically ceased to
exi-; s,nce the rcssr"tou OF IT'S conmInder Nhenn
General shaer gave up MS military ofce Governor I
directed hat the books aud pIrrs u MA c0innanl be
the Adjutan Generals oice AT Albany. aud the
DIV SION headquarters ceased 10 exist VI course "uere
both O the bigaes attached 70 that division parade
together. Decoration Day. the senior Ohcer,
BTisadlcr-General ward, command the entire Douy.
But ths IN accordauce with general rule of the ser
Where two companies are ordered Out together
the senior III er as mater OF course taxes comma
No -Iluents from N'w-foik or BROOKLYN are TO
occupy the stite Camp for instruction. near Peeksk
Tins year Yesterday the G5th Regiment. oi Buha.o
Colonel Thomas :. Waud, and battalion OF four separ.
there until next Saturday. Theses companies The
l3tn, Of jamestown Chautagqn' County, Captain Con
rad A. Halt; the 2ith. OF Uica. Captain Joseph H.
Grrner; tur 26th 0f Elmrl. captain Eusene Root and
iuting the TIN Provisional Battalion.
The 1t. %. STU lOth l2u. lsth 10Th, 29th 3Oth |
the ist. - and 81 provisional 6attons. viii Oe in
camp frOm July "a TO July II. when they WI he sue
creded by 4tn 5th 9Th provisional hattallons
consisting OF the 81 4tn 7sh. l4h. 10TH. l6ih 2lst,
23d 27th, 33d. 36In and 37tn separate companies. |
Ia, sc wi return nome on August and that will be |
the end OF the encampment for the present season.
sixteen matches viii De shot at the september meeting
viii he gwen Ia money prizes about 500 and trophies
$1,000 Will BE- competed FOR. Inc udne the Hilton
trophy valued at $1,000. more succcssrn meeting
than has been held for several years !. ANTICIPATED
men. of the judges at the recent annual con-
petItive dr OF the Gernana Guard OF Hartford The
medal awarded 10 sergeant Joseph H. winters.
Companies of the l2th Regiment will 90 10 Fort |
Wadsworth next month and practise with the heavy |
offers of the 9TH United Stsles Artillery. No state In
the Union." General John q. Farnsworih recently |
said has greater need Of reisOc protection than New
York with its seaboard cites whore lie concentrated
much of the wealth and many OF the element, Of the
at the mercy of dorei1n r"%er' wnc,s ron
s1S ssscs nax. and % ~sole.ae e'" der"etou As eeSs%.
erab.e time must necessarily eiapse before
any work contemplated by the Government can he
com peted 1t is evident that the instruction OF the
Guard In the duties required 10 mau The fort-
that exist should be continued in order
that best defence possible may be made If occasion
require. with the means available"
Barnes. commanding tue l3th Kozimeat has rendered
hi. rc.ignaton The colonel retires he s.ys, because
the and rospohsDIty IN addition 20 other matters
which require his attention. are more than ne can
by Council IT, withdraw his resignatl0n Oht 1t 10
not believed hat he Will do so. Pending tho accept
Fackner is III aud l3tn
The 49, separate Company OF Poutkseep'e; Cnpt.ln
william Hsuhenneste, will visit New YORK as ihe guests
Company d. l2h Regiment Ia the fall and viii be ell
tertaued At tho new arinory. ,,-
with that command and with the 5th Rcgiment New
York Volunteers (Duryee ZOuavts). He wa- formerly
nrem an attached to Engine No. OF Brooklyn. SIX
uemrers of the War veterans Association of the IAN
Orders viii soon .be issued by InspectOr-General
schaefrr OF the Governors sfan for tue annual In
the regiments and batteries OF the National
Guard which Will take place In October. There have
been no ins pections IN camp this year
rhe Odd. 32d aud Ann Regiments composing tho
Fourth Br sade. commanded Dy Genrra Rodney e. ward
Will he exercised III the Held separately ana As brigade
during the coming fall.
The celebration twenty anniversary OF the
tts OF Bull Run by the Survivors Association OF the
27th Regiment New-York Volunteers and LIST New-fork
Cavalry to take place Rochester next Wednesday and
Thursday promises To he fire df ar the rllizens OF
are preparing TO give lhe old acoral
rsesption Many members Of both regiments enlisted Ia
that cy. 49,, ,.-. ,,
Ihe members OF Company y. 10Th ReRnont, during
their visit To Poughkeep~ie had lively time In
in .uishinga hre which threatened serious conse-
nurnces In tho afternoon % JAY D. a lghted hre-
rrac ger thrown stand in Matn-sL on which large
nuauufir- cf Rockets Roman candles ana otlcr nre-
work. were isplayed for sale caused general fusia
Morgan House IN front of when visitors
from New-York were standing. A IRE alarm was sent
out. but when ihe engines aitHcu ~