Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-17
GOSSIP OF THE GUARD.

|
/ MAJOR A. j. LOGAN, Of the Second Brigade
staff, returned yesterday afternoon from
! Franklin, where he had been to see General
| Wylie In connection with the coming en-
campment of the brigade.
COMPANY I, of McKeesport, commences
target work this week, the company having
secured the same range it shot over in 1888,
it being considered an excellent one. Cap
tain Coon announces his intention Of bring
ing his command up to the records Of the
last two years, that of qualifying every man
in the organization, and he also expects to
have the field and staff of the Eighteenth
spend q day on his range shortly by special
Invitation,
INSPECTING officers should be careful to re-
turn guns to men after inspection of the
piece according to the caliber of the gun
A number Of instances were noted during
the past week where 45caliber guns were
handled by the inspecting officer the same
though was
handle the piece correctly what can be ex-
pected from the enlisted mana
THE City Troop, of Philadelphia, was the
first organization in the country to be in
spected in the new regulation tactics. By
special permission they were used by the
Troop last Monday night at the annual in
spection and passed through them most
to promulgate them this week, and their
final adoption will commence at once. They
1naugurate great many changes In the
manual OF arms, which are claimed to be
much more practical and precise than the
old manual. Their adoption in Pennsylvania
will shortly follow.
In orders General McClelland announces
some of the details relative to the coming
camps Of the Guard The First and Third
Brigades' encampment will be from July lS
to July 25 inclusive, and that of the Second
Brigade from July 25 to August l. The usual
inspections by the Inspector General will be
made while the soldiers are on duty, and no
enlistments except re-enlistments will be al
lowed within 80 days of the close of the
tours. Detailed reports from the company
commanders as to the monies received and
expended since the last camp will be de-
manded, and in most other respects the de-
tails required are similar to those of other
years.
COMPANY B, of the Eighteenth Regiment,
was inspected in the Fifth Avenue Market
House last Thursday evening. Forty-five
men and three officers were present, and the
table inspection 10 has done for several
years. Lieutenants VESSEL and Bigger de-
serve great deal of credit for rescuing the
company from its previous poor condition.
Company D, Of the same regiment, under
command Of Captain Henry, was put through
the test last Tuesday night with 81
men and three officers. The work OF the
other years and passed rather poor inspec-
tion. Company A, of the Fourteenth Regi-
ment, presented IS officers and men for In
spection on Tuesday evening to Major Pat
terson. The work Of the command was good
throughout.
A PHILADELPHIA newspaper last Friday
editorially commended the Tenth and
Eighteenth Regiments in the highest terms
for the services perfor1led at Mt.
Pleasant and Scottdale. In reply to
this, Adjutant General Clelland yesterday
sent the following letter, which is worthy
of reproduction: "I desire most sincerely to
thank you for the very kind manner you this
morning referred to the National Guard of
the State. The guard is all you have so well
said in praise of it. There is general conces-
sion that Pennsylvania has the finest, most
soldierly National Guard OF all the states;
and your encouraging words tend to i'm
prove its esprit de corps. Nothing could be
truer than your commendation of the Tenth
and Eighteenth Regiments, which were so
promptly concentrated at Mt. Pleasant on
the I'd uIt. Every officer and man from Brig
adler General Wiley to the last man enlisted
in those regiments conducted themselves as
true Pennsylvania citizen-soldiers,r rejecting
credit on the entire guard, and giving assur-
ance to the people of the State that they
could be depended upon for any emergency
requiring their services"
PROBABLY one of the most important events
connected with the guard during the past
week was the announcement that hereafter
every company must qualify in marksman-
ship at least 80 ofits members under penalty
of disbandment The wording of the order
is: every soldier in Pennsylvania is ex-
pected to become n1arksman, for no soldier
Is efficient unless he is able to qualify. If
any company in the infantry or cavalry
arms fails to qualify at least 80 members, un-
less satisfactory reasons are shown for such
failure, it will be considered SO lacking in
discipline as to warrant its disbandment.
This announcement has created considerable
discussion pro and con on the question, and
guardsmen think that Colonel Osthaus has
taken too radical a step in the matter. Dur
ing the term of Colonel Watres at the head
of the Ordnance Department, the number Of
marksmen grew from few hundred to over
Of the subject itself and the slight rewards
the State furnished to the successful COM
petitors. No insfnuation has ever been cast
as to crooked work in this depart
ment, but the necessity now, and
quirement places the work in a different
scale altogether. Colonel Osthaus comes
from portion of the State where every man
had range at his back door and almost un-
limited time to practice. Had this order
been in vogue last year, 80 companies, or
would have been mustered out. 1t is fair to
presume that every company commander
did his best last year and this saddling of
new responsibility on their already we'll
Colonel Osthaus should understand that the
National Guard is composed of citizens,
not men who make their living by soldier
ing. The enactment Colonel Osthaus calls
for this year is not even asked for in the
regular service.