Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-14
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Presentation of Marksmen's Buttons
and Sharpshooters' Crosses.
OFFICERS and hen DECORATED
An Enjoyable Time at the Second
Regiment Annoy.
AN OCCASION OF INTEREST

The second regiment and its regiment of
friends turned out in force last evening, the
occasion being the annual presentation of
marksmen's buttons and sharpshooters
crosses to the officers and men who have
won such decorations by earnest work with
the rifle during the past year.
Owing to the size of the Center Market
drill hall il was necessary to form each
battalion IN close column of companies.
When this was done. shortly after O'Clock,
such a large number of spectators were in
attendance that it was necessary to detail
squad of guardsmen to keep them from
crowding upon the TANKS of the regiment.
Those companies possessing full dress reg
ulatiOn uniforms wore that attire, and, with
thirty eight members OF the Mount Pleasant
Trumpet, Fife and Drum Corps, clad in
zouave costume of bright red and dark
blue the scene was a brilliant one.
Each battalion was successfully brought
TO parade rest and then, in obedience to
the command sound off" from Adjutant
Moore. the young musicians passed up and
down the hall before the regiment The
adjutant next turned the command over to
Col Clay, who put it through the manual of
arms. Publish the orders the colonel di-
rected. and the adjutant read as follows:
HEADQC ARTERS SECOND REGIMENT,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NATIONAL
GUARD,
-
Orders No. s: The second regiment during
the year 1898 sustained its reputation for
rifle shooting. The report of the inspector
general of rifle practice discloses the fact
that in the total of I'D sharpshooters and
~ marksmen in the brigade the second reg
sment furnished 81 sharpshooters and 80
marksmen. In other words. while the regi-
ment contains only about 40 per cent of the
strength of the -brgad. 1t furnished more
than 30 per Cent Of is sharpshooters and
marksmen.
| While this is creditable. it is only what
was expected, and not as much as is eX-
pected the present yesr Let every officer
and man make it a point, so far as it lies
| in his power, to see that every member of
result will be such a record as will sur
prise even those who expect the second to
he always first.
By order of Col. Cecil Clay.
WILLIAM H. MOVER,
| Captain and adjutant.
| Orders No. .: The regimental commander
takes this occasion to commend in the
| highest terms the officers and men of the
| fourth battalion who, on being called out
/ on the 10Th of March last, for rapid as
sembly, without the slightest intimation of
such a call being contemplated and without
any previous notification, turned out 63 per
cent of the aggregate numerical strength
/ of the battalion.
This action is not commended as come
/ thing unusual. unexpected or extraordinary.
/ The regimental commander takes Ii for
1 granted that in rapid assembly as in every
| other military duty, including actual active
/ service. the second regiment will be found
/ doing its duty without effort a simple
/ matter of course and assumes that in every
| military duty the officers and men are so
| instructed and have their respective parts
| so well understood. as is shown in their as
| sembly and rife firing, that to direct per-
/ Torrance is to secure execution and eyecu-
4 ton is worthy of commendation as the in
/ stance which suggested this order What
can be done by part can be- done by the
/ whole, and, therefore, the regiment is to be
| cong" atulated:
BY order of Col. Cecil Clay.
| WILLIAM H. MOVER,
| Captain and Aujutant.
! Dress parade was then concluded. accord
/ ing to tactics, and the men entitled to the
| badges, a complete list of whom has here
| tofore been published in The Star, were
| marched to the front and center as their
respective companies were called in alpha
/ betical order. The colonel took occasion to
/ remark that company A, fifth battalion is
1 excused from rifle practice. as IL is the vet
| eran organization of the brigade They
/ are supposed to know all about it," he said.
They are supposed to have been through
1t and some of it has probably been through
| some of them"
| AS the last man resumed his position in
| line, Maj. George H. Harres, inspector gen
eral of rifle practice, stepped to the front
I and announced that at the opening of the
I season, headquarters had offered a gold
medal to the officer making the highest Of
/ fetal aggregate in the brigade. The medal
was then pinned on the colonels blouse he
being the winner. Col. Clay responded TO
the effect that il, with but one arm, he
could set an example for the men under
him that would result in good work. he
would be perfectly happy in succeeding
years without a medal
The ceremony of dress parade was again
| gone through with for the benefit of the
/ spectators after which the command was
marched to the vicinity of the Arno Hotel
| and back to the armory, the drum corps
leading the way. Gen. Ordway was one OF
the interested on-lookers.