The record-union., 1897-01-24

slSSlShpa, and covering several thou
sands of miles of Indian Territory, and
within twelve-hour ride of Chicago
and other Western cities in the Missis-
sippi Valley.
This regiment has drawn from the
very best fighting blood of successive
generations of Americans 1t has not
only fought through all the campaigns
of the century, but has furnished other
commands with leaders, helped to de-
plete exhausted regiments. set a fine
pattern of soldierly stability for the
incoming bodies of volunteers.
Some of it's commanders have been
prominent in the military and civil life
of the nation-such men as General
Zachary Taylor, afterward President of
the United States; General Anthony
Wayne; Major Charles K. Gardner, au-
thor of the system by which companies
are designated by letters of the alpha
bet; Colonel Leavenworth, who Sc
lected the present site of Fort Leaven-
worth, and who was leading military
figure; Colonel Benjamin S. E. Bonne-
Vile, whose life and adventures Irving
has so happily described. From the
regimental officers who served in the
war With Mexico, six Major Generals of
volunteers We're contributed to the Fed
eral armies of the civil war, and one
Major General and one Brigadier Gen.
eral to the Southern forces.
And what a revolution, or perhaps it
would he better to call it an evolution,
this regiment has witnessed as it has
marched onward through the century,
an evolution in arms, in accoutrements,
IN uniform; indeed, it has seen marked
changes in the very flag itself. When
the regiment was organized President
Washington had been engaged with
the republic of France in that charming
international episode when the color-s
IN such formal and inspiring manner
or the two nations were exchanged
IN the Congressional halls of the two
republics. The flag was then the same
in colors as that of the sister republic
over seas, though it had the five-pointed
stars belonging to the heraldic device of
the house Of Washington, and with
them the stripes or bars of the great
Generals arms, the first suggestion Of
the banner of the new nation.
The flag then had but it's thirteen
stars, but as the Third has carried It
ON through the century it has seen the
white stars grow and grow in number
on the beautiful blue azure field, while
the nation has been giving mighty birth
to noble States, until to-day, upon the
ensign which floats atop the milk white
Flagstaff on the wide-horizoned parade
ground of the regiment, there are for
ty-five snowy stars, steadfast tokens
Of r
When the regiment received it's formal
commission as a military body of the
army of the United States, it's uniform
was more or less nondescript in style,
though the prevailing continental garb
was followed There were the long
coat, caught back at the bottom of
the skirt by buttons, showing the more
or less gay facings, he snug, spruce
waistcoat, bright of hue, the knee
breeches and leather leggings. Wher
the century was young the leggings
had heightened out to the conventional
pantaloOnS Of to-day, the coat had lost
great deal of it's continentalism, and
the three-cornered hat had given way
to the stiff, tall one with it's gay cock
ade. AS the garb of the nation changed
the regiment took on new dress, and
as the years passed the arms Of the
regiment changed in style, though not
so markededly as the uniform.
When the regiment was established
the muskets were all muZzle-loaders,
the most of them of the fiint-lock pat
tern, which had followed the ancient
matchbox and the wheel-lock, the lat
ter invented in 1917, the ignition of
"A hcin ad h1y hn hao
generated by a rapidly revolving wheel
attached 10 the outside of the gun. AS
early as 1856 chlorate mixtures, ex-
ploded by percussion, had been discov-
cred in France; in 1900 illuminate was
discovered by Howard in England; per-
cussion printing was employed in 1897; +;
the PERCUSSION cap and nipple were
adopted in France, and their use
spread TO the regiments of the army in
this country. While the Chinese made
use of a breech-loading gun at least
as early as the year 1913, the arms of
the regiments of the nineteenth century
were, until some time after the Civil
War, almost wholly of the muzZle load
ing type Indeed it Is estimated tha. a
very large per cent, perhaps seve-
eighths. of the soldiers of the war Of
the rebellion, carried muzzleloading
muSkets.
The Third has kept pace with the ad
vancement Of the equipment of the
years, and it's arms and accoutrements
are now, of course, of the most ap-
proved modern pattern. When the
regiment was organized the war forces
of the Nation, thanks to the patience
and the skill of irrascible, many-oathed
Baron Steuben, the Inspector of the
Continenal army, had somewhat
emerged from the chaos in which he
found them when he came over seas
to the aid of the struggling States
Could that profane, but invaluable old
drill master, who was wont to swear
at the clumsy Continentals in all the
languages at his command, have visited
the Third at its centennial celebra-
tion, he must needs have been deep
ly gratified at the show of earnest dis
cipline, the marked attention to details
the complete soldierliness which We're
so strtiven for when he was in the
charge of the raw recruits of the revo-
luton.
The regimental life of this historic
body is not now so full of stirring
events as in the days of battle, but the
regiment is by no means leading an
idle life. The post duties are full of
education. There are practical mill
tary maneuverings. occasional jaunts
overland TO put in practice the arts OF
war, long summer days spent in camp
where the regiment follows active army
life to the letter: these and the care
fully kept up drills, and study, and lee
lures, and the like, give to the present
members of the regiment opportunities
| for Sl1ch advancement as were nof nos