The morning call., 1891-03-23
BOYS IN BLUE.
Enlisting Redskins for Uncle
Sans Little Army.
Service at Pine Ridge-A Fetal With the
German Cavalry : Summary Courts-Ear-
tial-secretary PrOctor's Aide-de-Camp

The enlistment of Indians to form eight
troops and nineteen companies in as many
cavalry and infantry regiments is an i'm
portant step toward a solution Of the IN
dian problem" 1t is, Of course, an expert
ment, but one from which no harm can
come to the new recruits or to the service.
1t may be productive of good, certainly to
the Indians, probably to the army. In the
use of Indians as scouts the army made
step toward the present experiment.
The War Department, says the Army and
Navy Register, does not expect to escape
difficulties in the organization Of these In
dian companies. 1t may be very slow re-
cruiting, especially for the infantry, rs the
Indian has a prejudice to life out Of h
saddle, but the Nayajos and some other of
the tribes of Arizona and New Mexico ay
be induced to take service in the infantry.
These Indians it is said, Go most Of their
fighting and trailing on foot, and will read.
lily adapt themselves 10 infantry life.
The conditions Of enlistment will be about
the same rs those governing white recruits,
excepting Of course requirement Of q
knowledge of English and testimonials of
previous moral character, which the lie OF
the Indian has made II unreasonable to Ia
siSt upon The author ZeG enlisted strength
of the army remains al 2J,tO0, and II the In
dian enlstments prove successful the Sec
rotary VIII ask Congress to increase the
strength OF tile army, so as TO include the
1900 Indian recruits that are no ed for. a
present the enlisted strength Is %, 600, aud
some difficulty is now encountered in secur-
ing suitable white and negro recruits.
The Indian companies will have separate
quarters, but III all other respects Will be
Treated as other soldiers are. They Will be
required to enlist for five years. ubtle5s.
experience Will suggest to the War Depart
nent and 10 the officers assigned to the In
dian companies variations III clothing. food,
equipments and peihalS in discipline; but
those most familiar with the indians when
employed as scouts assert that the intelli-
geuce of the Indians is likely to be Of a
higher ordrr than that of tie negro or the
average white recruit.
INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SUBJECT
The instructions issued on the subject are
as follows, and, in view OF the experiment.
may be OF interest:
l. The following named companies, now skel-
etOnizsd uLuer tile Provisions OF q. o. IS anu 10.
1880, namely, Troop l. OF each Of the cavalry
regiments except the Ninth and Tenth aud
Company | Of each infantry regiments except
the sixth, Eleventh, Fifteenth, Nineteenth,
Iwenty-iourth and Twenty VIII be cruIt-
ed by tie enlistment of Indians TO the number OF
90 for each troop and company. Whenever
practicable HE enIi>tments Tor each regiment
Will be made within the department in which lie
legimenial headquarters are located by officers
10 be nominated by and under lie immediate Su.
peiNlSlOn OF lie ftglmeulai commander. when |
necessary special instructions Tor recruiting in
other localities viii be given from lie headquar-
tetS OF lie Amy, upon ihe recommendation OF
lie department commander.
The officers IN ma ing such enis' ments VIII be
under lie direction and OF the respective COM |
mauders OF del arImeuis as special department |
recruiting officers, ana viii render The usual re-
Iorts and returns. In general they VIII be gov |
erued by existing laws and regulations; bur a |
com etent knowledge Of the English language |
NE q net be considered AN essential Qudllfca- !
ton, "nd married Meh, not exceeding ten Tor each
troop OF company, may be enlisted with he ap-
prevail OF the department commander Eullst-
niehts OF Indians Under The provisions or this
oToer VIII be separately reported on trl-noDthiy
reports ana other returns OF the recruiting
service, aud will be carefully distinguished from
enlisImeuIs Of Indian scouts.
kegmentd commanders may, with the ap- |
pioyd Of tie pref FL department commander, |
temporarily attach 10 the Indian companies such |
Officers as ale especially filled for service there
Withi ana as soon as prepared TO recommend |
olnceis LOT leimaheut assignment thereto VIII
submit thelr names through Ihe proper channel |
10 The AdJuIant General.
Ultimately, uou-COmmssiOued officers for these
Companies VIII be supplied By he appointment
OF Indians in lie manner Indicated by regua
lions but until THIS is practicable available nom
commissioned officers of either of The skeleton |
companies Of regiment may be utilized or, II |
necessary, non. commissioned officers f,om Or
gaulZed COMPANIES VI The regiment may Oe tenn |
IOaTlly detail.
IL Tie number of enlisted Indian scouts will |
be reduced without unnecessary delay 10 100, |
appofl.ued as follows among the several de-.
pariments;
Department OF
Department Of the Platte
DrDartnent Of the Missouri.
Department OF
department OF the
SERVICE IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
This is the picture of service in South
Dakota, drawn by an officer of tile army
writing from his station at Pine Ridge
Agency: We have had twelve snOw-storms
IN thirty days. Nothing but snow can be |
seen, and above our camp, under the bank,
il forms wall forty feet high and at least |
ten feet thick. In ten years 50 much snow
has not fallen. nor has there been such con- |
tnuOuS cold weather, he thermometer be- |
ing as low as 40 below zero. HORSES do not |
complain, Tor thew can't, and men do not, |
for it would make no difference; for here |
W. stay and get good and ready for the |
spring, wien music VIII commence. The |
only way TO avert a war is TO feed the In |
dams and pay moneys due them. Buffalo !
Bill has gone 10 Washington to impress the |
authorities with The necessity OF action to |
prevent trouble in the spring with the In |
dams. Those who have returned are dis |
cOntented and their hearts are sore because |
they have gained so little With the melt
ing of the snow, if warm weather ever does |
come again, the country viii be flooded |
and roads about impossible. 1t IS hard |
to supply our camp with hay and grain |
owing TO the depth of snow"
IN QUEST OF IMPORTATION.
1t is proposed to materially increase the |
resources Of the division of military infor- |
nation by detailing an officer OF the army /
for duty with the cavalry arm of the |
German service. The intimatiOn that such |
a privilege would be accorded the Uni ted |
States came from the German Government |
through Minister Phelps. Ii is the first op- |
poTtunIty the War Department has been |
given of so practically stud ing foreign |
service, and the value OF observations under |
these auspices will be Immediately apDre- |
ciated. The officer selected for this duty is
Lieutenant Z. H. Clarke, Tenth Cavalry,
now awaiting examination Tor promotion.
Lieutenant Clarke IS already distinguished
for gatlantry as an Indian fighter, and is an
authority on his branch of the service.
The detail will take him to the Second
Westphaa Hussars of the Third Army |
Corps of the German Empire. which corps
is commanded by General Van Vasser,
Adju;ant to the Emperor. In this position
Lieutenant Clarke will receive all the pay |
and allowances Of officers on detached duty, !
and will be as we'll off as an Adjutant of a !
regiment in the United States Army.
The retirement Of Colonel Henry |
Douglass, Tenth Infantry, has been an
nOunced.
SUMMARY CoURTs-MARTIAL.
Questions have arisen concerning the |
summary courts recently established and it |
has been ruled by the Secretary OF War that |
they should be opened at stated hour |
every morning except sunday, but on sun |
NAV make it necessary. The jurisdiction of |
the court is not affected by the time when |
cases are brought before it, it being the |
province OF the commanding officer and not |
of the court IT, determine when and what |
cases shall be brought before II Tor trial. a |
delay of more than twenty-four hours does
not make the action of the court void r
voidable. The law does not declare that
trials shall take place within twenty-fOur
hours after the commission Of the otfense"
hut 4
hours from time of arrest. Whether arrest
shall Immediately follow the commission of
the offense is wholly within the discretion
of the officer in command.
CAPTAIN Daniel +. Callinan, First In
fantry, now absent from his station at
Angel Island on sick leave, has been ordered |
TO report for examination t. Lieutenant
Colonel w. Il. Jordan, Nineteenth Infantry.
President Army Retiring Board, at Columbus
Barracks.
HanaraI navid G CtauIav has iuSt bpnn l