New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-08
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THE VAN COURTLANDr PARK FIELD DAY-PRoe-
PERITY OF THE TWELFTH REGINENT~I
The much -discussed field day in Van Courtlande
Park has finally been made fixture for Satur-
day, October 81 The orders to that effect VIII
be issued by Brigadier-General Fitzgerald within
few days. The following is a copy OF the order:
General Orders No. .
Tho lrltada assemble In fatigue uniform for Inc
,tructon I'm ct lcd orders and for review by the Com
monder.ln' ut Van Courtlhdt Park, New'forA, %
saturday, October II, at o'clock =. m.
o,ercoats win brought to the armories to be worn
in the discretion OF commanding officers. All Held ana
tan officer, will be mounted Field music only will
be paraded Twenty rounds Of blink cartridges for coca
man and each piece of artillery Will be provided
Tn, arrangements for transportation and Instructions
for the exercises will be Promulgated later
The date decided upon will some incon-
venience to members of the city regiments VINO
have not vet qualified at Creedmoor. October Il
is a general practice day at the range, but no
New-York men will have an opportunity oil trying
TO add a bar to their badges on that date IN
consequence of being Obliged to go to Van Court
landt Park.
The 18th Regiment appears 10 be bowling along
on the happy road to prosperity, in spite or the
dire predictions that it would be dsbanded within
a year or two. which were heard not many months
ago. Its showing in camp was better tnan L mas
ever been before. and its sharpshooters at creed
moor left a good account Of themselves at the
recent matches. Inc Nan WIN uoco Hoe w ~
duty in Colonel Dowds command hereafter will
probably have a hard read to travel, while the
ones who attend to duty will receive the recogni.
ton which is due to them. The policy is to be 70
make ourt-martias strict that there will be no
need for them. Not that legitimate excuses Will
not be accepted, because among 100 or 500 men
there are always some who cannot appear on
given occasion But fmsy excuses will not be
accepted and the who regularly shirk duty
will first be fined and then kicked out OF the regt.
ment entirely. This is not an official announces
ment but it is learned from conversations with
officers Of the regiment who know what they are
talking about.
The 9th Regiment ought to have armory.
No part of the drill regulations has been
considered more of an innovation than the pro-
vision for maintaining short distance between
the men in the ranks. THE touch OF the elbow"
used to be theme on which speakers on all oo-
casions of gatherings of military men harped with
more or less delight. The sentence lost its sig.
niticance with the adoption of the drill rcgu-
lations and consequently it fell into disuse.
good many men know and probably a good many
more do not know that the present formation.
with some distance between the men I'm the ranks.
is the old. old style which prevailed some 1000
years ago. Gibbon, in his Decline and Fall Of
the Roman Empire" in speaking OF the formation
OF the Roman soldiers. says:
The legion usually drawn up eight deep.
and the regular distance OF three feet was left be-
tween the files as we'll as ranks. body Of
troops habituated to preserve this open order IN
long front and rapid charge found themselves
prepared execute every disposition which the
circumstances OF the skill OF their leader
might suggest. The soldiers possessed a free space
for their arms and motions. and sufficient intervals
allowed, through which seasonable reinforce.
ments might be introduced to the relief the ex-
hausted combatants The tactics OF the Greeks
and Macedonians formed very different
principles The strength OF the phalanx depended
sixteen ranks OF long pixies. wedged together
In the closest array But II soon discovered
by reflection well by the event, that the
strength OF the phalanx was unable to contend
with the activity OF the legion"
When the "touch-ofthe -elbow" plan was intro
dueed 1t would take good deal Of research to
discover But 1t was probably when firearms were
invented, and 1t was done for the purpose of max.
ing the fire from a single rank heavy as pos
sibe. With the Introduction OF the magazine guns
this consideration OF less importance than
formerly. Making the ranks thin" so that the
fire OF the enemy would be less effectual than Il
would be IL the ranks were solid and the free ac-
ton or the men, were strong consideration In
making the change This only shows the truth Of
the old adage that history repeats itself.
The list Regiment expects to get In its
armory late In October. The members OF the 7th
Regiment have been discussing the question OF
whether or not they would escort the list to its
new home. When the 7th went into its present
fine arniJry the list escorted 1t and the 9TH viii
probably return the compliment.