Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10

| soggy and wet, and without regard to their
| beautiful white coats the company knelt
and lay fiat in the mud, not musket un-
steady nor a man wavering. They won the
prize as they should, and though 1t cost
each man a new uniform the company was
$3.50 richer, and its prestige had been
maintained.
Period of Change.
From 1860 till 1889 the District militia
varied in uniforms and numbers. Compa-
MES changed, new ones springing into ex-
istence and old ones dying, till finally Con-
gress passed the new law framed by Gen.
Ordway for the organization of the Nation
al Guard of the District and he became
the master hand that was to bring order
and system out of chaos. To describe the
District National Guard as it exists today
would be unnecessary in detail.
In general, however, it may be said to be
perfectly formed in accordance with &C
cepted modern plans. rs Infantry and
artillery are organized and maintained upon
principles which for years past the regular
army has vainly struggled TO have applied.
Its battalions are as complete and indepen-
dent as companies or regiments, and unlike
the FEDERAL infantry, it has for every bat
talon major, who is much responsible
for his particular battalion as company
commander for his company. The Presi
dent of the United States is it's commander
in-chief. but it has a commanding general
and stall including an officer of the regular
army detailed rs adjutant general. Its
total authorized strength in time of peace
Is limited to twenty-eight companies OF in
fantry, which shall be arranged by the
commanding general into such regiments,
battalions and unattached companies as he
may deem eXpedent; one Battery Of light
artillery of not less than four nor more
than six pieces; a signal corps, ambulance
corps. engineer corps, band and field music,
ana, although not specified in the act of or
ganization, troop of cavalry The full au-
thOrlZcu strength Two ltnif pnl
militia Is 80 officers and 3, 1862 men, but the
actual strength on December 81, 1893, was
only l35 officers and 1.42S enlisted men.
RMS, of course. constitutes the active
voluntary militia only. The enrolled mill
tia according to law comprises every able
bodied male citizen of the District between
the ages of eighteen and forty-five, except
ing certain disqualified classes, such as
criminals, disreputable characters etc
The enrolled militia, of course may be call
ed into service at any time of emergency
me uniform, arms and equipments of the
District militia National Guard are issued
by the War Department upon duly prepa red
requisitions, and are identically the same as
those supplied to the regular army except
ing that certain letters and numbers are
used TO indicate the various District oreani-
cations. On all formal occs sions when theNa-
uonal Guardsmen form or parade under Dis
trict orders the regular prescribed uniform
must De worn, but on other occasions the
various organizations are at liberty to wear
any PAL Icuidr UNIFORM or their adoption.
In that way the Washington Light Infantry
Corps has preserved it's handsome White
coats, and maintains dual organiza ton
one as part of the National Guard. and
another OF its own independent kind, with
Col. Moore and an extensive corps sta n at
It's head. The National Rifles whose n-es
tlge In drill Is untarnished by defeat in all
latter year contests, for reasons of IFS own
together with one veteran CORPS have re-
framed from joining the National Guard 60
would De liable to such enrolment as the
commanding general might direct.
Questions of Theory.
Inc infantry consists Of two regiments of
three battalions each, together with a sep
arate battalion OF colored companies and
an embryo battalion of graduated cadets
ihese battalions are constantly drilled i'm
street maneuvers under a system of street.
riot regulations gotten up by the command
er himself. But the system goes even fur
ther. From time to time problems are sub-
mitted to officers for their solution. For ex.
ample. certain conditions are supposed IN
exist IN an attack upon thu. Trea surv No.
partment the White House or the Pam
sylVanla railroad property. The latter nrob.
lem would naturally involve yarious Incl
dental defenses. The electric light plant
would have to be guarded. as well as the
city gas works In case of mob vioIenca
pfecaCtion should be taken to protect those
exposed sections of the water pipes leading
INTO the city across Rock creek Resnact
ing the railroads, not only the buildings
ana car property should be looked after bnt
the entire range OF ground between the on Ct
ern branch of the Potomac and the Vir-
gina end OF the Long bridge should he care
lully guarded. TO all OF me prohIcD,r chi
united TO the guardsmen full answers have
been received, and from them all has been
ueduced a general plan of operations which
IN emergency would at once be nut into ex
ecution. This is undoubtedly one of the
best achievements of the guardsmen.
When asked how long it would require to
assemble the National Guard at a given
central point the adjutant general Of the
District replied, About three hours" II
would, of course depend upon the hour and
perhaps the day whether the time required
would be greater or less. and there would
or course. be some stragglers especially
liSht Datterymen and cavalrymen who
might be delayed in getting their horses
out tne outside average estimate would not
exceed three hours.
An interesting feature connected with the
plan OF organization is the method of gath
ering or assembling the men. For example
edCn company is divided into souaGs 90
men living in certain localities Each squad
is placed i'll charge of Il non commissioned
ofilcer, whose duty it is on notification, to
summon his men at the earliest practicable
moment. AS men in business are likely to
be in different sections of town when nj
nome from what would be their day places
there are night squads as well as day
sqduus ana men belonging to day squad
may be included in an entirely different
night squad. according as they are located
day and night. Another interesting feature
Is the excellent degree of proficiency attain
ed in rife firing. There is 40 restriction as
TO the amount of practice which the or
ganiZation may indulge in either individual
ly or collectively. The law allows them to
use the target range at the Washington
barracks. which, by the way, is used more
by them than by the regular troops while
under the District regulations they are al
lowed at any time to use their own gallery
They are not even required to be in uniform
while practicirg. unless, of course it be
al some fixed time under orders. The theory
is to encourage them to practice at most
convenient opportunities. Neither are they
required to carry their own guns in this
practice. There are extra guns in the gal
lery for such as desire TO use them and an
attendant or officer in charge is always on
duty at the practice gallery which is owned
by the National Guard organiza ton Not
alone is this practice cor fined to jndivid-
ualS file firing The National Guards
men of the District go ahead of even the
regular army in gallery practice by exer-
cisng in volley firing. which is not con-
tempa ted under gallery rules. But all this
practice has borne good fruit, as was evil
denced at Sea Girt, n. j., when in the
competitions there the District guardsmen
won nearly every prize for which they
competed.
Men Who Have Seen Service.
The full term of enlistment of the Ma