San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-05-17
At A MILITARY SCHOOL.
The Leavenworth Pupils in Review--In-
fantry, Cavalry and Artillery.

The Leavenworth Pupils In Review-In-
fantry, Cavalry and Artillery.
One after another they move out upon
the field, facing west, the infantry on the
right and nearest us; then the battery, in
two lines, its gun carriages to the front;
then the long single rank Of the cavalry
battalion, stretching to the far southern
edge of the field. Well out to the west,
in front of the center, is the commanding
officer with his staff, and presently, as the
white plumed adjutant gallops down the
line, turns toward his chief on reaching
the center, then halts and reins about,
there is simultaneous crash as arms are
presented, and O long line of steel-the
sabers of the cavalry-springs into air.
Then review order is taken, ranks are
opened, the battery unlimbers and whirls
its black muzzled guns to the front; an
other present of the line to the exalted
parsonage who receives the review, and is
hailed with flourish of trumpets and
the simultaneous droop of all the stand
ards; another movement, and the line be-
comes an open column; another COM
mand, and with triumphant burst of
music from the band the whole array
moves as one man; the passage in review
has begun.
In quick time, the band leading, they
come jauntily toward US, changing direc-
ton at the upper corner and swinging past
the animated groups of spectators. Front
after front the sturdy infantry trudges by,
the student officers hidden as file closers
behind their companies and wishing for
this occasion only that they belonged to
the cavalry and could command and be in
front or their men instead of trailing
tha,S 90 to-
fantry "sub." Well they know that they
cannot by any human possibility look half
so picturesque in this position as their
rivals and contemporaries of the cavalry
on their 'prancing chargers" and in front
of their platoons. All the same, they
have their sympathetic admirers in the
throng, and so they pass us by. And
then with champing bits and tossing
names come the platoons of horse. The
battery quickens its gait on the marching
TANKS, and the girls wonder how those
gunners sit so straight with folded arms
bars or at each other, as they would do
under like circumstances. The cavalry,
too, comes around at a trot, the young
platoon commanders fully alive to and
making the most of their golden oppor-
tunity, looking vastly martial and striving
not to look as though they very well knew
just where "she' happened to stand
among the groups of fair ones under the
shade trees.
Down the long field goes the glistening
column, officer after officer saluting as he
passes the reviewing point, and then the
infantry reappears, tramping up the east
ern edge. Like some perfected machine,
the long array wheels into line to the left,
the ranks are dressed, then brought once
more to review order. Again the trumpets
flourish, the standards droop, and arms
clash TO the present. Then comes brief
rest before some one of the three COM
mands is summoned to the front to show
what it can do in the maneuvers of it's
particular arm. 1t may be a stirring
skirmish drill, covering the entire valley,
by the bright plumed cavalry. 1t may be
a dashing series of battery maneuvers,
with much smoke, noise, and odor I'M
limited Of "the villainous saltpetre." 1t
may be rapid evolutions of the foot bat
TALON; but in each and all the student
officer must take his part.-Charles King,
U. S. A, in Harper's Magazine.