The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-20
NAMES ARMY.
Adjutant General COnnOl's Annual
Report.

1t Shows, In General, Good State of Al
fairs-Especial Mention of the New
Portland Armory.
Augusta, Me-, April 1s-The report of
Adjutant General Connor for the year
1895 has just been given out. In
the course of his report, General Conner
says:
. The strength of the Guard Is as follows:
Officers OF the Staff of the Commander
in Chief, II; First Regiment, 43 officers,
564 enlisted mon; Second Regiment, A
others. 565 enlisted men; Ambulance
Corps, officer, non. commissioned Off
GERS. IL privates; Signal Covps, officer,
non-com missioned officers, 10 privates
Total, 100 officers, 1853 enlisted men.
The Signal Corps is valuable accession
to the Guard. 1t has been provided with
two sets OF telegraph and telephone in
struments, five hundred yards of cable, u
photograph, pocket compass and signal
flags. The men are armed with Spring
Held b. Il. oarbines and equipped with
woven cartridge belts. Some members of
the corps volunteered for duty at the
rifle competition at Brunswick and rem
dered good service there as did the Corps
at the enoampment, in communicating
WIG ooI SCU-p1u duu euo
point. 1t will be supplied with sufficient
| cable to make it Of use at the longer
ranges.
The greatly increased range of modern
artillery and rifles, and the use of smoke
| less powder serve to enhance the useful
| ness and enlarge the field of observations
of this branch of the service of informa
ton. The captive balloons of the signal
| service of the Army of the Potomac were
| not only the means of affording intelli-
gence of the whereabouts and movements
OF the enemy but also, as their officers
| have declared of discouoerting their
plans. Recent experiments point to the
possibility that the signal corps Of the
| near future will DO equipped with car
and o series of kite-like sails for raising
| it in the air all inexpensive ana easily
portable, that will enable an observer 60
reach a commanding elevation.
Equipped with such device and with
the bicycle to quickly attain vantage
points OF lookout, and with the hello
graph, flags, and appliances for telegraph
| ing and telephoning to communicate the
results of observation, a well-trained sig
nal corps could render service of incalcu
liable value in war.
| The Singal Corps is composed of intelli-
| gent young men, many of them skilled
! telegraph operators. Their character and
| the variety and interesting nature of
gives assurance that the Corps will aim
at high standard Of efficiency and prove
a credit to the Guard.
| On the whole the Encampment of 1895
was successful and profitable, and, in
many respects an improvement upon that
of 1894 which. according to the testimony
of competent witnesses, was the best that
| had ever been held in the State. All
ceremonies were remarkably we'll per-
formed. The simple but impressive cere-
mony of Escort Of the Color" formed
part of nearly every parade of the Hirst
Regiment and was well executed. This
homage to the flag ought never to be
omitted. It is an object lesson in patrio-
young soldier the Eprecious and exalted
character of the symbol he pledges his
life to unphold in honor.
There appeared to be a good degree of
improvement in guard duty, but generally
this duty had not evidently received suffi-
oient attention in the instruction of en-
listed men at the armories. The drill was
not so much in advance of that at last
years encampment as it should have
been. Too much time was
given to the simpler movements and to
"rehearsing" for the review. OF course
this criticism applies in much greater de-
gree to some portions of the command
| comings, which are mentioned that they
may be amended, the fine physique, SOL
dierly bearing and good conduct of the
| men. the degree of skill show in the drill
exercises that were practiced, the esprit
de corps" and the pride and interest in
| the service shown by the great majority
of officers and men, made the Encamp-
ment of 1895 exceedingly creditable to the
| National Guard and to the State.
The largest number present on any day
| was ninetY-six officers and ten hun
| ored seyenty-six enlisted men.
| In my report for 1894 reference was
made to the provision of new armory &C
cOmmodations for four companies and to
| the improvement of the armory of one
company. The expectation then expressed
as to Co. g. Second Regiment, Bangor
and Co. D, First Regiment Norway, has
been realized and those companies are
now we'll quartered. The building con-
| tanning the armory of Co. T, Second
Regiment Dover, was DESTROYED by fire
in June. Through the personal efforts of
Col. Philbrook satisfactory acommoda-
lions were soon furnished by the town.
1t is with great pleasure that / now am
able to report that the city of Portland
has under construction a handsome and
substantial armory in the centralspart of
the city with larae drill shed attached
COHV6Ol6uU QUAR-
tiers for all the organizations of the Guard
stationed in the city, and that it will
probably be completed and Eready for oc-
cupanoy early in the summer; that the
city of Augusta also has under construc-
ton city building, principal feature
of which is an armory for it's company
of the National Guard which will be
ready for occupancy early in the coming
year; and that as I am Informed by the
mayor. the city of Lewiston has purchased
at the cost Of $500, twenty thousand
square feet Of land in central location
as site for an armory, and chat with
out doubt steps will be taken in the early
spring towards the erection of satisfac-
tory building.
General Common says: cit is believed
that the State never before had so large
body of citizen soldiers, SO we'll uni
formed. armed, equipped as that now
constituting the National Guard; or one
composed of a better class of men in
higher state Of Efficiency He urges
| that steps should be taken to furnish
each company with uniforms, arms and