Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-18
A r MY ENLISTM ENT S
Changes in Methods and in Handling New
Recruits.
Doing Away with Stations where
Accommodation Now Ready.


Amy filled to the number authorised by
law, without including the hospital signal
corps.
OF this number there were enlisted at
general rendezvous. 1884; at special regi-
mental rendezvous, I,lo4; ct military posts.
2,SSS
1t thus appears that slightly less than
one-half of the total number were enlisted
by the general service This general re-
Sruiting required the services Of G. officers
of the line, 10 of the staff. 315 enlisted men
and large and very costly military poses.
The annual appropriation made last year
for the special purpose Of recruiting was
$130,bO, Of which about $10S,UD was ex-
the direct expense 1t is impracticable to
compute the whole cost, for II includes
very large number of items that are paid
from other appropriations.
Through special regimentai and post re-
cruiting more than one-half the army re-
Cruits are now Obtained. Ten regiments
are reported to be nearly or quite self-sus-
tanning, and make few. IL any, calls upon
the general service to replenish their ranks
The light artillery battalion and artillery
school secure all the men they require,
Since the cessation of Indian hostilities
the necessity of holding the most OF the In
fantry and cavalry in remote and sparsely
populated regions has disappeared 10 a
large degree. Some of the largest garrisons
are now near centers of population and in
dustry, and many men desiring to enlist
offer themselves at the posts. 1t seems GER
tain that the necessity for large a force
in the far west will not continue. and the
concentration of the small detachments
into larger bodies near important railroad
ccnters will. in the future, remove or avoid
the necessity of supplying deficiencies Of
such bodies by drafts of recruits collected
al other localities. The prediction is made
that within a brief period the most of the
CfGtD m
the general recruiting service in filling their
ranks.
The depot system that has been pursued
was in the past Indispensable, when long
marches of recruit Standardization
through hostile Indian country-were
necessary to supply losses from discharges
or other casualties sustained by the or
CARNATIONS engaged in frontier service
CURED months of training and complete
equipment for arduous service. This
they received at the depots, but now
such preparation is unnecessary, for 1t
takes less time TO reinforce a regiment In
Texas or at the headwaters of the Missouri
than it formerly did to march 100 miles. II
is also believed that company discipline and
training will be far more valuable TO the
recruits than that now bestowed upon them
at depots.
The Changes.
The principal changes made in the old
system are: The discontinuanCe of the three
recruiting depots as such, an extension of
reg.mcutsl r.cruiting whenever practicable
the forwarding of recruits direct from
rel devious TO regiments whenever prac-
ticable, and the collection and assem-
bling at four large posts of recruits who
are In excess of the requirements of the
garriSCnS near the recruiting stations.
Until the regimentdl system is consider
ably increased in efficiency, until more
Of the garrisons are brought into populous
districts from the remote west, it will net
be possible il Is said, to Reduce the number
OF officers engaged in the duty of recruiting
Thirty of this class is about as small a
number as cIn be relied upon for the pres
ent. Army officers say that experience
teaches that besides the men enlisted by
regiIaontal officers, about 800 recruits per
month are required from distance to keep
the RAJ Ks filled, and the officers have not
during the past fiscal year. under restrc-
lions imposed, enlisted on an average but
about ten men each per month. At the
present time there are more officers at the
depots than at the rendezvous The former
class have been engaged in training and in
structini; the recruits preparatory to their
being sent to companies. The period of
such detention at depots varied from three
to four months. Thirteen recruiting sta
tions have broken up during the past year.
Period of Enlistment.
A recent law of Congress has changed the
period of enlistment from five to three
=
n!ent of any alien, or any person who can
not speak, read and write the English
language. 1t is predicted that the former of
these new provisions will stimulate enlist
ments and re-enlistments, and that the lat
ter will tend to reduce the number of eli
sibles." During the five-year period the
time spent at depot did not bear SO large a
ratio to the whole term of service as it will
now that the term is reduced two-fifths
The idea IN giving up the depot system is
to hurry the recruit to his company in the
shortest possible time, SO that he may, at
the earliest moment, be fitted for his duties
by the officers under whom he is to serve
1t is admitted, however, that there will be
cases when good administration will de-
nand that recruits, not required by neigh
boring garrisons, should be collected and
held until detachments of convenient size
are formed for forwarding to regiments at
remote stations. This may render neces-
s&ry the maintenance for the present of ac-
commodations for their collection, medical
observation and such preliminary training
as it may be practicable to bestow while SO
detained.
The recruiting depots now have accom-
modations as follows: Columbus barracks.
~ officers, companies; David's Island IL
officers g companies; Jefferson barracks, %
officers, companies.
If the depots are discontinued each will
be available for regular garrison. Column
bus can easily take companies of infantry
Davids Island, 1 or companies of infantry
Each of these posts will then have avail
able space for recruits as transient occu-
pants. 1t is therefore proposed to station
at each of these three posts the regular
complement of officers and non-commission-
ed officers allowed for a single company,
and to employ them with the recruit de-
tachment
Fort Sheridan has accommoda tions now
for forty-nine officers and twelve compan-
les. There is now one vacant barrack
This II is proposed to Use as a rendezvous
for recruits enlisted in its vicinity, and not
required for service thei eat all in the same
manner as above outlined at the posts of
Columbus, Davids Island and jefferson
barracks, each of which would be q recruit
ing rendezvous.
stations and Rendezvous.
1t is believed that under no circumstances
will recruit be detained at any rendezvous
more than month and oftener but a week
or two. Meanwhile. the men will he crit
ically examined by the surgeon, and in
structed in setting up drill, facings, etc
They will be supplied with such absolutely
necessary articles of clothing as are essen
tial to comfort and health. In the charge
of officers or trusty Ron-commissioned Of
ficers, they will be sent to remote regi-
merits.
The recruiting rendezvous will be under
the disciplinary and administrative control
of the department and post commanders
The recruits will come and go only In obedi-