The morning call., 1890-06-09
CITIZEN SOLDIERY.
Napa City's Young Men Have
the Military Fever.

The young men of Napa City have a very
bad attack of the military fever, which has
not all been alleviated by the disappoint-
ment suffered by them when a company of
more than seventy members was recruited
with the hope Of being mustered into the
n. G. c., and the southern and northern
portions of the State received the lions
share of the authorized ten new companies,
with only one assigned to the Second Bri-
gade, which includes the county of Napa.
Why that one company was ever assigned
to the command that it was has never been
understood by any one, considering all the
talk and the provision of law that the
battalions shall be equallzed in the matter
Of companies.
The Napa boys now want in their city
the encampment of the First Artilley, To-
Gated in and about Sacramento, which for
several seasons has encamped at Santa
Cruz, and whose inducements this year in
clude the use of groun ds, straw, wood.
water and S250in cash. For change the
men would like to come to Napa, and one
of the papers OF that town figures up as
follows on the prospects:
Tie State allows $4,000 for the expense at
tending this outing, which takes place In August.
Six companies, four from Sacramento. one from
Woodland aud from Nevada City, 400
men all told, form the First Regiment. IL
Is safe 10 say that each of the 400 would on an
average expend $40 during their eight days
stay here-an aggregate OF $4,000. The $4,000
uess railroad fare) added TO this would make
goodly sum of the metallic 10 scatter among
our business men, on whom The soldiers would
draw for all their supplies.
We can offer the soldiers a better site than
that given them at Santa Cruz; tile fare would be
less between Sacramento and camp; excursions
could be made to Mare Island by boat or rail-;
m or nffQ
would offer their attractions; the vi ntage would
be on ana the boys could put all the grape"
they wished in their ' canister"
Then again, to keep alive the company
recruited In 1889 and called the Napa City
Guard, the young men have been endeayor-
ing to obtain for it rifles to permit of its
continuance as an unattached company.
An agent OF the company was informed by
the Assistant Adjutant-General that the
State did not at present have in the arsenal
any arms not in use. but that at Benicia, in
the possession of Bishop Wlngfeld, are 800
stands OF arms belonging to the State and
that the Napa company could probably
obtain the guns from him. A committee of
four was then dispatched to interview the
Bishop, but after series of hairbreadt1
escapes and blOod-curdling experiences,
another disappointment was in store for
them. 1t was found that Bishop Wing
fields guns are his own property. and,
moreover, small 4h-pound brass-bOund
all OF which trouble and worry might have
been avoided if one moments considera-
tion had been given to the fact that the
source of the information on which action
was taken was the Assistant Adjutaat-
General
The annual inspection and review of the
battalion of University Cadets has taken
place under orders from the Secretary of
War and was conducted by Lieutenant
Colonel Burton of the lnspector-Genera's
department The battalion was equalized
for the ceremony In SIX companies, the first
commanded by Captain Lang, the second
by Captain Parker, the third by Cap
tain McNear, the fourth by Captain Smith,
the fifth by Captain Jones, the sixth by
Lieutenant Stearns. After the inspection
and review several battalion movements
were performed, after which followed
firing by file, company, division, wing and
battalion; ten blank cartridges having
been provided each man. The yolley firing
of the battalion and wings was particularly
good This done, the officers were given
an opportunity to display their knowledge
of the tactics, Colonel Burton giving them
three movements to execute.
captain Lang was first called upon TO as
sumo command of the battalion and under
his direction the following movements were
executed: Battalion forward, guide center:
right into line wheel; LETT companies on
right into line; close column on first division
left in 'front.' Colonel Burton then called
on CAPTAIN Parker to execute: Close column
on first division right in front; form column
of divisions to change direction by left
flank; deploy column on second division.
Under Captain Bailey the battalion next
executed: Battalion forward. guide center,
march to the rear; first, second aud fifth
companies avoid obstacles and form line of
battle beyond; march back to position to
front by flank of companies. Lieutenant
StearnS' commands We're: Fours right
about; march by flank of subdivisions;
right of companies wheel into column fOurS
right about. All these movements were
executed with correctness and the officers
kept their heads wonderfully we'll.
In dsmissing the battalion, Lieutenant
Harrison expressed himself as pleased be-
yond all expectation with the cadets, and
said they had never drilled better. While
the spector-GeneTal had nothing official,
as yet, to say about the inspection, or his re-
port to the Secretary OF War, yet he said
that he was highly gratifed with the result.
He stated that the appearance of the bat
TALON, and its wheeling and marching, were
very good, and that he had no conception
.that the officers possessed the ability they
displayed. The general result appears all
the more remarkable when the fact is taken
into account that, out of a total number of
siXty-one drill days during the college year,
there were but twenty-seven, the remand
er having been prevented by bad weather.
The result showed the capacity Of Lieuten-
Colonel Barry has issued an order thank
ing the officers and members of the Third
for the fine turnout ON the evening when
the new colors were presented. There
were 4S0 men in the Pavilion that evening,
which may be accepted as credltable turn
out. Special thanks are also returned on
behalf of the regiment to the French Cen
tennial Committee, and also to the follow
ing gentlemen. for having donated the
handsome stand of colors to the regiment:
bAhn
honey, j. j. Mahoney, DR.. c. F. Buckley,
Captain j. McDonough, James OBrien,
Major G. I. Smythe, Alfred T0bin and Ma
jOr j. d. Phelan. The only question which
suggests itself by the above is what became
of those 4S0 men in the parade on Memorial
day-a question, by the way, which also
demands an answer from the First Infantry
and the Second Artillery
First Lieutenant Benjamin II. Randolph
of the Third Artillery Regiment, u. s. A,
who will have charge OF the Military De-
partment of the State University for the
next three years, is native of New En-
gland, and graduated from West Point in
1870. He was temporarily attached to Gen.
eral Schofield's staff on the latter's visit to
Europe, was for three years Tactical Officer
at West Point and has also served i'll vari-
Gus Parts of the country with his regiment.
The report was also published few days
ago that Berkeley wants a company in the
n. G. c. The claim of Berkeley is ridicu-
louS. considering that there are turee conf
panies in Oakland which need recruiting
But, after all. there is no way to enter the
n. G. C. now, nor will there be for years,
save for company to take the place Of
some mustered-out organization. One has
not to go far to find companies eligible for
this.
General Cutting having gone East. not to
return perhaps before the encampment in
August, and Colonel Dickinson of the First
Infantry being in Portland, Oregon, the
command of the Second Brigade, n. G. c.,
devolves in the meanwhile upon Colonel
Macdonald of the Second Artillery. But
there is no speck of war on the horizon and
the Colonel does not find the extra duty
onerous.
The Third will have its preliminary target
practice for the State decorations on the
10th inst. The date originally fixed upon
was the 22d, but those in charge of the ar
rangements neglected to secure the targets
for that day. The 22d is the day fixed for
the practice of the First.