The morning call., 1891-09-14
WITH THE REGULARS,
Lieutenant DrayO's Troop Of
Indian HOrSemen.
Eighty Canteens in Operation - Subsistence
Satisfactory = Signal Corps Uniform.
Transfer of Infantry.

A very flattering report has been made to
the War Department by Captain ]. NJ Lee of
the Ninth Infantry of an insl ection recently
made of Troop L, Sixth Cavalry, recruited
largely at Rosebud, S. OAK, from the Brule
Sioux. the least progressive Of tribes in that
locality.
Lieutenant Edward E. bravo, Sixth Cav
airy, recruited the troop and is in command
of it, and of him Captain Lee says that she
has taken ffty-fve Brule Indians from the
midst of barbarOus surroundings and has
done more for their progress and civilization
in the brief period of three and half
months than has ever been accomplished in
as many years under other methods" The
men we're found well conteDted, cheerful.
clean. neat and soldierly. They attend to
their duties with regularity and are proud
of being soldiers. They are becoming rap
idly civilized and are having a salutary in
fiuence over the reservation Indians. Twen-
ty per cent of the company has deposited
money with the paymaster.
The troopers send considerable amounts
each pay day to their needy relatives at the
agency and purchase many necessary and
useful articles. Lieutenant bravo has
caused those at the ost with families 10 be
begun at the time of the inspection and the
intelligent progress of the Indians was sur
prislng. Their memory and application of
every foot-driil seemed almost perfect. The
diSmountiDg drill was excellent and the NIL
Itary wheels and other movements were ex-
ecuted with surprising promptnesS and reg
ularity.
CANTEENs AT ARMY POSTS.
very satisfactory state of affairs is
SbnUn frpm the TpnOrtS nv
officers in charge of canteenS ut army
posts. There are now eighty such canteenS
in operation at as many posts, and the tWen-
ty at which there are none are either tem-
porary stations or afford no accommodation
for the canteen. 1t is proposed now to en-
ploy retired soldiers when possible instead
of civilians as attendants, provided the
commanding officer and canteen council
agree as to the benefit Of the scheme, and
when not that the department commander
will decide upon the best course.
The Secretary of War has also allotted
the available appropriation OF S36,G42 50,
made at the recent session of Congress for
the purchase of buildings intended for post
canteens. 1he appropriation was made
quate for the needs of the service, and many
of the purchases of former post-trader
buildings recommended by commanding
officers have had to be postponed. For An
gel Island $500 and for the Preside $4,000
have been allotted, the purchase at the lat
ter post having been completed.
OF the canteen at this last-named post the
report Of the post commandant is in brief:
There is u balance Of 1929 45 on hand.
The canteen has been well managed and
appears to give great satisfaction, especially
to the better class Of men. The council IA
V0rs the idea of employing discharged and
retired soldiers" OF the one at Fort Gas
ton, Cal, the report is: "There has been
no drunkenness, and the conduct Of the
men in the canteen has been orderly and
quiet. It is recommended that the sale Of
light wines be again permitted. and that
men Of good standing be allowed larger
credit than one-ffth of their pay"
SUBSISTENCE OF THE SOLDIERS.
The subsistence of the army appears to
be in such satisfactory condition that
Commissa ry- General du Barry will prob
ably make no recommendations in his
Forthcoming annual report Tor Its better
neut. According 10 the Army and Navy
Register, "the increase In the potato ration
made the United States army the best sup
Piled service. probably in the world" Some
difficulty has been experienced in furnish
ing potatoes to remote posts in the North
west in the spring, when the old crop would
not stabd transportation and the new crop
was hardly enough developed to freight.
In such cases canned goods were substl-
tuted.
The total number of recruits received
uriDg the month of August at Columbus
Barracks was 100, Of whom are coIored.
There were 1l5 forwarded TO regiments, %
discharged for various causes, deserted,
and deseiters surrendered themselves.
The total number of enlisted men at the post
on the 3lst was 6I2, Of which 90 are col
ored.
The Secretary of War left on the 4th for
Massachusetts, and after a stay of one week
will come west as far as the Yosemite Val
lev, inspecting Western posts Ell route. He
will be accompanied by Quartermaster-
General Batchelder and Lieutenant How
ard.
For the first time since the limited retired
list was created there are vacancies without
incapaciiated officers TO nil them. The
number of vacancies is SIX.
WHAT WILL BECOME OF THEM?
The appointment of nOn-c commissioned
officers sach as commlssary sergeants Will
become rare If the abandonment OF posts
continues The recent abandonment of
three posts left that number Of sergeants
unprovided for, and there are several of the
corps on furlough and awaiting assignment
to station. There is consequently some
difficulty in finding posts for the fifteen who
recently passed the examination for ap-
pOintment as commissaTy sergeants.
1t is likely that the transfer Of the Ninth
and Eleventh Regiments of Infantry, 10
Gated in Arizona and New York, will take
place before long. 1t is desirable that the
transfer he made before bad weather sets
10, and should the Secretary not return to
the department as soon as he Is expected he
will be telegraphed to authorize the change.
General SehOfeld has recommended the
transfer.
Highly satisfactory results were obtained
recently in the test of the new heXagonal
powder which will be supplied for use at
the posts in the harbor.s UsedI with the 15-
inch gun at Fort Scott, the initial vel0cities
obtained ranged between 100 and 1I13 1. S.
Colonel Z. P. Vollum, Chief Medical
Purveyor, was retired on Friday. he en-
tered the Medical Department an
assistant surgeon in 1858 and became Chief
in August, 1890.
SIGNAL CORPS UNIFORM
The uniform worn by the Sergeants of the
Signal Corps, U. S. A., will not be gaudy
aft ,ir. General orders prescribe that the
dress coat will be the same as worn by the
cavalry, except that the facingS shall be
black piped with white and the pipings
white, the material of dark blue cloth of
finer quality than for privates. The cloth
facngs of the dress coat. with white piping
and stitching; gold cheVr0ns will be on
black with the crossed signal flags and
torches.
As stripe on the pantaloons they will
wear black one inch wide as are the stripes
of Sergeants. On the forage cap will be
worn two crossed signal flags and burning
torch in white metal inclosed in a wreath OF
dead or unburnished gilt metal. The Off
GERS shoulder knots are the same as for Off
GERS OF the Acknowledgements department
without the aiguilette, but with the crossed
flags and torch in gold and silver em-
broidery.
For Sergeant of the first class rank will
be indicated by three bars and an arc of one
bar mclosing the crossed signal flags, red
and white, and the torch in yellow; second
class, same, omitting the arc. The panta-
LIONS OF course. OF tile regulation Sky-
blue mixture. Nothing is said in the orders
concerning helmets, but this will probably
Se the regulation one with black plume.