The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28
SURPRISED The MILITARY.
The Object Of Lieut.. SatteTleG'S Visit
to Savannah Explained.

He Game to Find If the Savannah
Military Gould be Depended Upon
to Cooperate With the Governor
if Called Out to Prevent the Prize
Fight-The Infantry Men Would
Like to Know Why the Cavalry
Was Ordered Out Dismounted to do
the Work.
The announcement in yesterdays
MORNING News that the object of Lieut..
Satterlee's recent visit to Savannah was
to test the sentiment of the Savannah
military and ascertain if their co-opera-
tion could be relied upon, in case they
should be called upon by the governor to
aid in preventing the Corbett-Mitchell
prize fight in this state, was something of
| a surprise here.
Lieut.. Satterlee's report to Gov. Nor
then, upon the result of his visit, states
that he conferred with Col. Gordon of
the Fifth cavalry and Col. Mercer Of the
First regiment of infantry, and that he
found that the governor would have the
hearty and thorough cooperation of the
officers of these commands in case he
should find it necessary to call them into
service, and within their power the
greatest available strength of their com
mands.
NOT RELIsHED By THE soLDIERY.
Lieut.. Satterlee's report, while in mill
tary form, ) not exactly relished by the
members of the Savannah military. They
are not in the habit of considering it nee
essary to have their sentiments consulted
{ f,rfT. ILL
are so thoroughly imbued with the idea
that it is the soldiers duty to obey orders
that they never think of consulting their
own personal opinions on any subject
where military duty is concerned.
While it is doubtless true that the ma
Jority of Savannah's militia men would
have had no objection to witnessing the
Corbett-Mitchell fight had they had the
opportunity, it can be safely asserted that
had Gov Northen ordered all the military
in the city to the Florida line every COM
mand would have gone with full ranks
and the commands would have even We'd
with each other as to which should carry
the largest number of men.
WHY THE CAvALRY7
The members of the First regiment,
which now includes the Guards also, are
asking whether Lieut.. Satterlee's visit
to Savannah led him to believe that tae
cavalry could be relied upon to cooperate
more heartily in suppressing the fight
than the infantry. The ordering out of
the cavalry, dismounted, caused surprise
at the time, and the infantry men have
been asking themselves ever since why
cavalry was ordered out to do infantry
work.
An officer of the First regiment, when
! spoken to on this subject yesterday, said
he thought it was a selection Of COM
manders and not of commands Lieut..
| Satterlee, he said, found both Col. Mercer
and Lieut.. Col. Reilly, of the First regi-
ment, in i'll health, and consequen thy the
! service just at the time would have been
hardship upon them. Col. Gordon, on
the contrary, was in good health and
eager for service.
TROOPS NEARER THE SCENE.
The fact that several companies of Col
| Gordon's regiment are located between
! Savannah and the point at which it was
desired to center troops, probably also
had something to do with the selection of
his command AS the four companies or
| dered into service were each from
different county, less incon-
venience was ordered by putting
them into service than by taking a whole
battalion or regiment from one county.
| These were the reasons, in the opinion
of the officer referred to, why the cavalry
and not the infantry was ordered into
service
The infantry soldiers are very glad now,
| however, that they were not ordered into
| service, as the tour of duty of the cavalry
| proved both unpleasant and Improbable.
|