The morning call., 1891-08-03
NATIONAL GUARD.
A Military Mans Criticism of
Camp Markham.
The Third Will Lose One Of Its Companies
Colonel Barry's Retirement-sullivan Is
in to stay-NOn-c CONS Appointed.

A late issue of Leslie's Illustrated News
paper contains some spirited pictorials of
the State encampment of the Seventh Regi-
ment at Peekskill, n. Y, and in the descrip-
tive article accompanying the same, the regi-
menrs FIRST encampment in 1883, and the one
this year are contrasted. incidentally the
following language is employed:
The first encampment OF the Seventh IN 1883
was combination of two-thirds jollity and one
third work. Not that any duty was neglected,
but the seriousness of 1t all did not strike US.
II was all so funny. but 1t has all gone
by. There is no nonsense about It now; IT Is
work and rest; and there is Just about enough
rest In II 10 properly fit one for The work without
allowing any spare time for skylaIking. The re-
ports III The daily press enlarge upon The pranks
and merIymakings. aud give too little space 10
The sonc work gong ON al Inc lime inns IS be-
cause people like to hear of the former, While the
descriptions Of routine work are monoonous at
the best.
These remarks apply with equal force to
the encampmentS of the National Guard of
this State; and so while the pranks and
merrymakings Of the Second Brigade, n. G.
c., at Camp Markham have teen made much
Of, less has been said of the routine and
earnest work Of camp. General Dickinson,
who commanded the brigade at Camp Mark
ham, has been interviewed regarding this
work. and his candid opinion of Camp Mark
ham from the standpoint of Il military man,
and lie expressed himself as follows:
OdIlp Nj Ihlldm was Inc DeSJ eDcalnD-
ment ever held in the brigade, if not in the
Stale, for the reason that the men remained
IN camp more than usual, were very atten-
tive and prompt in the performance Of duly
and showed more military intelligence and
knowledge Of their duties than | have ever
seen them manifest beforehand l have
been in every encampment, commencing
with 1877, and yearly since.
The policing of a camp is one of the
best indications of the discipline and good
No bor
thoroughly and properly polced, except
that there was inattention TO that part of
the camp TO tie rear of The field officers
streets. Where police duty Is performed, as
in our camps, 1t is tie province of each
company 10 police that portion Of the camp
occupied by it and also that part of tic
camp to lis rear"
DETAILS OF GUARD DUTY.
B." how was guard duty performed?"
Officers and men gave 4 great deal of
study 10 the details OF guard duty and re-
ceiyed also considerable oral Instruction
As consequence guard duty was excep-
tioDally well performed, with the sentries
generally upon the alert and anxious to do
their duty correctly. There is ore thing
however, that materially interfered with the
proper eIfOrmance of this duty, and that
was that both officers and men did not seem
sufficiently impressed with the power and
authority with which they are invested when
on such duty, or the dignity of the position
OF a sentinel. Sentri.s are too often. when
recognizing an officer of high rank, inclined
10 feel awed by his presence, and not re-
Quire of him what they would OF civilian
or other soldier.
This is wrong The commanding officer
OF the camp is as amenable TO the proper |
performance of duty and TO the orders of
sentinel as any other person in camp, and |
when once officers and men on guard in one |
OF our camps realize this they will act upon |
Il, and this duty will be always well per !
formed. In the field sense of self-preser- |
Walton prompts man to be Vgllant and ac- |
tive when or guard, and in a camp of in |
structOn he Will be so only when impressed |
with the Importance of the duty lie is en-
gagged IN"
What thought you of the drills?"
in drilling, the men improved very |
much during the week. There was one |
very noticeable deficiency. however, ard |
that was that the lieutenaHts are too often |
poorly equipped for the actual performance |
OF the!r duties, or rather. they have had so |
little practice that their diflidence mars their !
performance. Commanding officers of reg- |
ments should instruct all their line officers |
more frequently, and should see that the |
heutenants, particularly, are given an |
opportunity TO exercise command OCCASION |
ally, thereby acquiring confidence in them |
selves, and giving them an opportunity to |
put in practice what they know theoretic- |
ally, so that when called upon at any time |
10 exercise command they come to the duty
With ability to perform it."
"HOw did the non-coms strike you?''
THE non-commissioned officers Of the
brigade are certainly as fine body of men
as could we'll be gathered together, and their
desire 10 learn how to perform their duty in
a proper manner was manifest throughout
the encampment If they had only per-
formed their duties with little more life
and snap, they would have been nearly
perfect. As 1t was, with both officers and
men, duty was performed well promptly
and hat Fnr
which the regular army is noted, and which
Is acquired only by long practice, and
close and unremitting attention to duty.
A sentry on post, when he sees an officer
entitled to salute, approaching him, halts, |
faces outward, with his heels together, and |
moves as IL he intended to do Sc; brings his |
gun to- present. by the proper. motions, and |
with life ana vlgor lie performs his duty as |
he should but if he haltS, and rolls around |
and allows his gun to come to a present |
with AS little effort on his part as possible !
In other words, is slouchy-that is not the |
way TO perform duty, and the difference is |
the Chief difference, between the regular |
soldier and the soldier of the National |
Guard.
"Saluting by officers and men was more
than usually observed, and will be more so
in the future, when all realize that it is a
proper courtesy and not a trif1ng military
form"
"0n tie whole, then, your objects in Camp
Markham were Accomplishment"
the chief objects l had :in Camp Mark |
ham were to divide the work and the play. |
one from the other absolutely; to have the |
duty performed in a sOlderly manner, and |
as it should be, and, at the same time, allow |
Tor proper hours OF leisure; also to have all |
duty performed quietly and without any |
ostentati0n or unnecessary display or loss |
Of time.
THE END WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
In this was ably seconded by the COM
mandlng officers of the regiments, and the |
desired end was accomplished. Worthy OF
note in connection with Camp Markham
was that the having OF review, of which |
there were two or three, attracted no par
ticuar attention, but came along as a regu- |
lar duty; took but little time, and no CON-
motion was created, such as a review usually |
does create in body Of troops.
THE decorations were allowed in the |
camp during the evening, but were almost |
entirely removed during the daytime. This |
resulted in the men remaining in camp, and |
In being visited by majority Of the GILL |
zens of Santa Cruz, who seemed TO enjoy |
b eng entertained by the boys in blue, so |
that l am satisfied, from both q military |
and social standpoint, that this was
much better for the men than to have had
no decorations, to have had the camp in
darkness and the men down town engaged
IN seeking for amusement as best they could.
1t Is the first camp have ever known of in
the National Guard of this State where the
daily routine, which commenced on Monday |
morning. was continued until camp closed
on the following Sunday morning. Hereto
lore, on certain evenings, tattoo and taps
would be later than usual, and on certain
mornings reveille would be later or earlier,
as the case might be.
"a II Officers of the brigade staff, as well
as the field staff and line officers of the |
brigade, were on duty at Camp Markham.
Every one had his duty to perform, and did
it well. Good feeling prevailed throughout |
the week between the commands and or
CARNATIONS to a greater degree than l have
ever known it before, and l believe that |
this encampment has done a great deal to |
create feeling of pride in the brigade or
ganization as we'll as TO increase the pride
heretofore and now felt in each individual
organization"
FIGURES OF ATTENDANCE.
1t is now one wear since the then COM