The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-27
THE DEFENSE Of
THE PRESIDE
How the Pest Would Be
Protected From the
Enemy.
An Important Military Move.
ment Demonstrated by
the Soldiers.
six Hundred Men on Outpost Duty.
Browns Captured By Blues While
Crossing the Line.

The outpost duty at the Pre- sidio yester-
day was one of the most extensive mill
tary name uvers that has ever been under
taken at that post. To accomplish the
object ii required the entire garrison of
the post, about 600 men, and included the
three branches of the service, the cavalry,
light artillery and infantry.
The day was bright, the sky clear and
the sun was warm, but not SO much so as to
make it uncomfortable. 1t was just such
day as inspires men who take au inter-
est in the work 10 be performed-and the
rank and file took great deal of interest
in the problem of yesterday-to action.
The reason that the men took SO much in
terest in tine event was that it was rough
work and variation from the humdrum
monotony of parade ground exercise such
as two right" 'fours lett,' which looks
pretty, but W hen once learned is only one
small portion of the duties that soldier
should know.
The problem that was presented yester-
day by Captain John J. O'Connell OF Com
pany E. First Infantry, was the placing of
men rs to protect the Presidio post
from the attack of an enemy supposed to
be approaching from the south and the
w
opposing forces, simply the placing OF the
available force 10 prevent the advance of
an enemy and 10 protect the post from be-
ing captured. The post is assailable from
land from three sides-fro the south,
from the east and from the we,t-and the
problem was how to dispose of the men so
as 10 cover those three possible points of
attack and check the advance OF an en-
envy.
On the north side of the line of the Pre-
sidlo reservation there Is now being built
strong stone wall, and within the line OF
that wall there is magnificent avenue
that parallels it from Central TO First ave-
nue., and then it takes turn to the south
west and terminates at the Marine Hospi-
tai.
North of this road between the two ave-
nues named there is border OF forest
trees about seventy-6ve feet wide, and be-
tween that and the quarters OF tue post
there is a wide stretch of territory that is
known in military parlance as open"
North and west Of this open country there
is frinse of forest trees. Beyond this
fringe, which inciu des the northwestern
part of the reservation, on which are the
Notifications at Fort Point, there is a
stretch of territory of sanddunes up hill
and down glade on which there is but lit
tie protection for soldiers beyond the cover
of lupin and scrub oak which would en-
able them to conceal themselves from the
enemy.
TIE wall from Central avenue west as
far as built is as good defense as any
military commander could desire, and one
OF the safest positions that men on the de-
fensive could wish to occupy. Experience
is that in action an advancing enemy will
never run against stone wall, as IL means
sure death TIC the advancing force, and it
is position that can be held with COM
paratively email force of men. From the
Central-avenue gate there is shaded road
1877 feet long that leads to the main pa
rade ground, while east of this road there
is considerable country through which an
enemy could march to the point to be
captured.
The troops that were available yester-
day for the covering of this territory,
whica embraced front and TANKS, some
thing more than two miles Ionp, were
Troops and l, Fourth Cavalry Light Bat
teries c, F, G and X, Third Artillery, and
Companies A, e, F and G. First Infantry.
The cavalry wasunder command of Cap
tain James Lockett of Troop /, the artil-
lery under command Of Captain Ramsay
D. Potts of Light Battery and the infan-
try under com mand OF Captain Charles
G. Starr OF Company F. The scouts of
the enemy were represented by squad of
Browns under command of Lieutenant
Hiram Mel. Powell of Company A.
At half-past o'clock in the morning