The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-04-25
DEPARTMENT OF POTOMAC.
A Lively Week for Both Orders.-Fraternal
Greetings.

DEPARTMENT OF POTOMAC.
A Lively Week for Both Orders.-Fraternal
Greetings.
The past week has been lively one in the
Department of the Potomac W.R.C. and
GAR, fraternal greetings having been numer-
Gus and pleasant. The Department President,
Mrs. Anna Hamilton, and her staff have been
visiting the Corps that compose the Depart
ment of the Potomac, and Department Com
mander Anderson and his staff have been Wis
itng tho Posts, and it was almost inevitable
that the two organization should como together.
An extremely pleasant occurrence Of this
character came about on Wednesday evening.
when Lafayette Corps entertained its friends
right royalty in honor of Henry Wilson Post,
GAR. Of the National Soldiers Home.
Twenty-Five members of the Post, headed by
their Commander, Jacob Moore, were present to
enjoy the honors extended.
Commander Moore, after saying that he knew
more about a musket than pen, and that his
strongest hold on speech. making was answer
ing here" at roll call, paid glowing tribute
10 the noble women who had so long stood by
the old soldier in his battle for bread. He said
that the men must have given up long ago but
for the splendid support Of the women. Other
comrades who spoke were Senior Vice Com
mRnder Carpenter, who has been in most rs
many wars ns he has fingers to count them on;
Comrade August Smith, who is not much behind
him in years of service; Comrade j. III. Cole, and
half dozen others. What eventful lives those
old fellows have had, and how simply they
talk of the trials and dangers of military manu-
vering on the early frontier!
Mrs. Miller, President of Lafayette Corps
had around her during the evening Mrs. Anna
Hamilton and staff, well as her own corps of
efficient officers, and in the midst of the serv-
ing of refreshments, Commander Bumpus, of
Lafayette Post. put in an appearance, with
Commander Anderson and staff. OF course,
everybody talked, there was musical and
literary program, and the evening in general
was quite hilarious.
Mrs. Hamilton, having resigned the Presi-
dency of Potomac Corps to accept the higher
office, Mrs. Edgar was elected to fill out the un-
expired term, and Mrs. Bessie Boone Cheshire
WAS elected to the Office of Senior Vice Presi-
dent. Both ladies are ardent workers in the
W.RC., and highly regarded by everybody.
Mrs. Edgar appointed as her Secretary Miss
Ruth Hamilton, as bright and bonnie maiden
as ever wore the pretty badge with its ribbon
| Just the color of her eyes. Miss Hamilton is
| perhaps the youngest Secretary in the Order,
| and she will be one of the best. Burnside
| Corps lost its able Secretary in the shuttle of
tho cards, but the Department gained n splen-
| did Vice-President in the person Of Mrs. Eliza
beth Months.
At the meeting of the Federation of Clubs of
| the District of Columbia Mrs. Katherine Nc
Monigle read a brief but pithy resume of the
W.R.C. organization in the District, aud in the
| forthcoming number of Potomac seres-the
| organ of the Woman's National Press Assoca-
ton-the Woman's Relief Corps. in conjunction
| with the Federated Clubs. will be represented
| by series of well-written sketches, showing
the growth of the Department by Corps. and
| with q full roster of each. 1t will be hand
! somely illustrated also.
The Department President and staff have
visited Lincoln, Burnside and John A. Logan
Corps, and will visit all the others in turn. 1t
| is pleasing innovation which is much appre-
ciated, and will probably result in arousing
greater interest in the labors of loyal women.
One thing that is particularly appreciated
| just at the present time is the cutting down of
the Department expenses. The National Presi-
| dent, Mrs. Emma II. Wallace, expresses the
opinion that the expenses of a Department
| should be kept at a min mum, and the Corps
and people should not be taxed at every hands
turn to help them out of hole. The admins
tration is thus placed on square business basis,
and will run things on that line.
IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM.
About four years ago the War Department
| began tho practice of a system of personal
| records of soldiers, with the purpose of pro-
viding absolute means of Identification.
The medical officers, by the use of fgure-cards,
took careful note of every indelible Derma-
nent mark on the persons of recruits, and
these were filed away in the Office of the Sur
geon- General.
| Last August Congress passed an act to pro-
| hibit the re-enlistment of men whose army
service had not been honest and faithful, aud
| Immediately the data which had been previ-
| ously accumulated became of great value in
| preventing enlstments of bad characters. At
the beginning of tho present calendar year,
some statistics were gathered to show the
workings of the system, and it was found that
in the first three months, of every thousand
| men enlisted from civil life, 81 were identified
through the outline fgure-card records as con-
victs. deserters or otherwise undesirable char
| actors.
The officials of the War Department are now
thoroughly satisfied as to the merits of the
system and as for the privates they willingly
pay the price of submitting to the txamina-
ton and record. in consideration Of being
saved from ultimate association with notorious
scoundrels.
REVOLUTIONARY RECORDS.
Documents relating to the services of SOL
diers and civilians at the time of the Revou-
tionary war, which heretofore have been scat
tered through the Pension State and War