Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-14
THE SOLDIER BOYS.
Critical Comparison of the New York
and Keystone Guardsmen.
TIE FORMER RANKED HIGHER
On Technical Points, but the Latter Knew
How to Get There.
BENEFITS OF A THOROUGH TRAINING

the New York National Guard at Buffalo
and of the Pennsylvania National Guard a
Homestead, says writer In the New Horl
Times Governor Flower sent to Buffalo
force aggregsting 1000, out OF total o
1880 Governor Pattison ordered t,
Homesteal force of $500, out of s, 200
No preliminary order had been promul
gated 10 the Pennsylvanians, and the Gov
ernor's decision to order out the guard Wal
not made known to General Snowden unit
1880 o'clock Sunday night, the most insus.
picious night and hour in all the week fol
an unexpecsed and sudden military move
ment
The railways, however, were not particu
larly interested in the Homestead strike,
and made no unusual effort to hurry the
troops onward, although within II hours
after the last commandant of q regiment had
been notified, the entire guard was moving
to the front, and the First Brigade, General
Dschert, $500 strong, in reserve, had gone
into camp at Mt Gretna, over 100 miles
from Philadelphia Under the Pennsyl-
vania system, before the Captain OF a COM
pany received his orders, they had passed
mander, the Assistant Adiptant General, the
Colonel of his regiment and the Adjutaut.
Under the New York system A6jutant
General Porter communicated directly with
captains of the separate companies The
question as to the superiority OF the system
OF the two States has been thoroughly
tested within six weeks The Pennsvlyanis
Guard is composed OF one division OF three
brigades each brigade, in addition to its
infantry force, carrying troop of cavalry
and battery of artillery. The division
commander ranks as Major General, the
ranking officer OF the guard. The Adjutant
General ranks as Brigadier, and is re-
garded merely as the Governors military
clerk.
just Like Old Campaigners.
Every organization in the Pennsylvania
Guard goes into camp once q vear-into
regimental camp one year, brigade camp
the next, division camp the year following.
The troops pitch their own tents, which are
provided by the Quartermaster according
as the camp is regimental, brigade or divis-
ion, and the subsistence is supplied by the
Commissary. In this manner to everv regi-
mental Quartermaster and Comrissary is
given an opportunity every year, the brig
ade officers every two years, and the divis-
ion officers every three years OF exercising
the functions of their office. That they
manage TO keep up in practice was amply
demonstrated at Homestead, where camp
euuipage and subsistence were on the ground
conformity with the troops
Under the New York system, with the
exceptions OF the Adiutant General, the
Inspector General, the Surgeon General, the
Genera Inspector Of Rife Practice, anu the
Chief of Ordnance, who, by tine way, is
under bonds for the faithful and honest dis
charge OF his duties, the staff is worthless
and useless appendage. The ranking officer
OF the guard is staff officer, the Adjutant
General Under the regulations of the
army of the United States, a staff officer
''shall not assume command Of troops unless
put on duty under orders which specially
so direct by authority of the President"
As the Governors military adviser the Ad-
jutant General has become de jure the Com
mauder in Chief of the National Guard of
the State, an inexplicable Inconsistency to
military men, who are aware that the Ad-
iu;ant General of the regular army only
bears the commission of a Brigadier Gen
eral and commands nothing but his own
otfice-and scarcely that if his assistant
possesses a substantial political pull.
Pennsylvania Was Ready for Work.
After criticizing the staffs of the n. Y. S.
n. G., saying, among other things, ''the six
aides are, on the whole, a parcel of wooden
heads, who know more about drawing
checks for campaign funds or for wine sup
pers in honor of what the common people
term 'his Excellency' than fulfilling the
duties and requirements of the honorable
and honcred commission which they carrv,"
the writer adds: '1n view of all these facts,
1t is not surprising that after the splendid
n,F,Na Al Il
troops should have gone to bed shelterless
and halt starved. One competent Commits
sary would have smoothed the way, but the
very nature OF the organization prevented
that mans appearance.
When the Pennsylvania troops reached
Homestead the men carried three davs'
rations. The division Commissary Gene raj,
Colonel Curtin, bought all the supplies, and
distributed them to the Brigade Commisl
sarieS, who, in turn, furnished them to the
Regimental Commissary At the same
time the Quartermaster General, Colonel
Culllnan, ordered forage to last a week
shipped from Harrisburg, and tents sui
ticient for the entire command, with camp
equll age consisting of picks1es, spades,
shovels, and lanterns
Before he had been on the pround an
hour Colonel Cullinsn purchased 100 cords
Of wood, which were promptly distributed
among the regiments Every company in
the guard possesses its camp outfit, stove
included A large tent is used for the COM
pany's dining room. Six hours after their
arrival at Homestead, the Pennsvlvanians.
with the exception of Colonel Hawkins
PROFESSIONALS on the north bank of the
river, were in camp, their
mess tents pitched, stoves in position, sinks
lag, the company streets laid out, tents up,
and the company cooks preparing dinner.
No Discomforts at Homestead.
Within the same time division an d bri- |
yade headquarters had been established,
entries posted, and every detail necessary
or so large camp was in free running
'rder. Each department looked strictly |
alter Its own business, and everything was
Sorklng in the smoothest and most harmon |
Ous manner.
AT Homestead, however, the troops were |
concentrated In one spot, and the work of |
he Commissary and Quartermaster, even
with the excellent system-which, after all, |
IS that OF the regular armv-was compare
lively easy, while at Buffalo they were widely
scattered Had each of the companies of
he New York guard been supplied with a
company outht much of the discomfort and |
rouble over food would have been OBJ
rated
The Pennsylvania guardsman flourishes
N basis OF 19 cents day when in camp
t costs the State of New York 81 dav for
very soldier who goes into camp at Peeks-
liiL The West Point cadet paws so cents
cay tor his fare, and excellent fare it is
n Pennsylvania TODD is cooked by men
etailed from the companies for the
purpose. In New York the job is let out
y contract, and politics has more or less TO
o with the matter, too. Pennsylvania
dea is that the men should be able To feed
themselves, as well as to fight. New York
elieves soldiers thoughts should not be
iverted from drilling to the bother and