Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-05-01
been faithfully preserved by Sparks, which

heeo faithfully preserved by Sparks, whicl
con,sins mass Of knowledge which eser
American youth sh ,uld study, and evel
members Of Congress might consult viii
: profit.
4 On the 24,h of September. l..6, he wro,,
to the President of Congress his judgmen
Of the comparative value, in an econom:ca
sense. of the regulars and militia. Again
on the slst of April. lssS, from Vslle,
Forge, he wrote to John Bsnnister. then
delegate in Congress, a letter full Of wisdom
and foresight. would like to quote lsrgei,
from this letter. but time and the occasion
do not warrant it, and will limit myself I,
= short quotation.
When Washington took his oath his army
vas composed of the wrecks aud remainder,
of his old Revolutionary Army. amounting
TO =, ,2S2 men. which he organized into a
hstsllion of infantry. When in 1897 he
relinquished his command u . Constitutions .
successor, that army had grown 10 be 5 S5S
men, consisting Of a general stsf squat.
ron of Dragons, = battalion of Ar,illerist.
and englneers and three Segimsnts of
infantry. On this basis has been built N,
The present military establishment of tn.
United States, admitting of 2> i6t officers
and men, many of HON are non comb tsnts.
and militia force in reserve of 1921. .ts2
men capable of bearing arms. | will not
even attempt TO trace the many changes In
organization meantime further than to ss.cr,
that, sccordir < 10 the state of the nation AM
| demands of the occasioG, il has fallen al
times to \ mere skeleton, and risen again to
| million of men, for in this category
include the volunteers of the Mexican snd
| Civil wars. These were As much Regulars
as the First Infantry or the Frtth Artillery :
hey wore the same uniform. used the same
arms, shared the same dangers, were bound
ny The same laws and followed the same
nag. How dfferent from the time when. IN
The cold winter of l.75, General Washiny,o.
had TO import Baron Stcuben. a soLi,er
reared in the school nf the great Frederic. To
I, ach his army At Valley Forge the hrs
rud'ment of organ zation, subordinat o, aud
observation-disclosures which took deep root snd
ensak d his great chief to lead that arm,
from victory TO victory up to the end al
Yorktown,
Men, horses and the funda mental principles
of tie military science remain the same to
day ms when Washington led and tsught hi.
Revolutionary army, the same patient en-
durauce of the labor and hardsh,ps of war
the same submission To discipline and auth W
ity, the same patriotic devotion To our ,oun
tr, honor ard its hsg phich is the s,mho
OF all that IL glorious and good IN our National
characters but the instrumen nts of war have
changed. ard are still charging with rapid
idty viii, h eonfounds the arcient-, and calls
Tor new and young, men. Should unhappily
an occasion arise am sure these will come
forth worthy successors to their noble sires
Fear from your histories he annals ot heroic
valor, patient endurance and dc,o ion to the
htg by the soldiers Il your country during
'he past C, injury, and you will leave a void
indeed.
can with equal corfi ience speak Of our
navy-for ! clam 10 be st NEW hat of web
foot myself, having crossed the line twice in
"A man of-war. and have seen oil Neptune
come over the side with his brush and bucket.
bot in the presence of The veterans here
feel unsuit,d TO the task assigned me. he
cause yield TO them, yea 10 any midshipman
who has graduated at our most valusble
Naval Acahemy at Annapolis, and who has
done his hrst cruise at sea better know edge
of their profession than | possess.
We are brothers IN The came cause follow
the same flag. s'd share the same destiny.
They have 10 combat not only the dangers of
war, but those of the shoals, storms and tenn
pests of the sea Their deeds of gallantry
of herolsm, of devotion to their country and
its hOnored flag from the Revolutionary
War To the present moment irrajiate Ameri-
can history with annals which will stimulate
the youth of our country to follow their eI-
amples for ages to come.
Steel, steam electricity, and nitro glycerne
have revolu,ionlzed the navies of the
world. have baushed from the vh
seas the maj site line-of battle ship, the
handsome frigate and speedy slopp, and In
their stead have substituted monitor. AMI
steel clads. real monsters, Of the most W
couth patterns, so that were Nelson and Co 9
lingwood, john Paul Jones. and Stewart :
called 10 earth they would find themselves
strangers on their own decks. The world
WiH 90 ahead. and have abundant faith III u
the heroic youth of our navy will keep wei
abreast in their modern inventions, a d
should the occasion arise, they, too, will
prove equal to it, AS they have ever done in
the past.
Therefore, let me conclude with what
might have begun and fiji ished with
"The Armv and Navy forever,
Thr,e cheers for tne red, white and blue"