Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-29
TO HAVEHOME GUARD
GOVERNOR To ORGANIZE MILITARY
COMPANIES THROUGHOUT STATE.
LIEUTENANT. COLONEL R. c. CROZTON
This Omcer Named as Com mandeP of
the Two Negro BatfaIions from
This sfate-The CoIored Soldiers
Not EnIisting Very Rapidly.

on the results that might attend inc /
depletion OF the State militia by the /
departure for war Of almost all OF the |
volunteer soldiers Of the Commonwealth, |
and as a result he has decided TO reor- |
ganIze the State militia as soon as he |
possibly can. It is his purpose to or |
ganize companies in Petersburg, Norfolk, |
Lynchburg, and Staunton, and TO put the |
three companies remaining in this city |
on a good basis.
With this end in view he will confer
with Acting Adjutant-G General 10 Lane
Stern to-day, and as soon as his plans
can be perfected he will issue a call for
volunteers in the various cities named
above 1t is his purpose to ask the Con-
federate veterans who are sufficiently
able-bodied 10 do duty around their
homes to organize companies, and where
the number Of veterans Is insufficient 10
make up a company, to ask the young
men to Join them.
The one great trouble the Governor Will
labor under will be TO supply the COM
panies thus organized with guns. There
is no money In the State Treasury avail
able for this purpose, so he has deter
mined TO call upon the State military
academies to return their guns to the
State Armorer, and these rifles will then
be issued to the volunteer companies, to
be held by them until guns can be Sc
| cured from the Federal Government TO
| replace those taken by the troops which
were mustered into Uncle Sans service.
| LIEUTENANT-C CROXTON.
The Governor has appointed Lieutenant
! r. c. Croxton, OF the First Infantry,
| United States army, who was detailed
| here as instructor of the State volun-
| teers. as lieutenant colonel of the two
| battalions Of negroes now being mus
| tered into the Federal service. The Gov
errors reasons for appointing an army
| officer for the two battalons was that
the Hull bill provided that at least one
| regular field officer should hold Office in
each regiment OF volunteers organized
the intention being evidently to have the
| advantage OF army discipline and regu-
| lations in each organization. Believing
that the same thing should obtain with
the two battalions. the Governor named
Lieutenant Croxton. and is confident That
the War Department will give his action
the stamp Of approval. The Governor
had recommended Lieutenant CroXton
as major of the Fourth Regiment, but the
officer was sick when that regiment was
ordered away He has now recovered
| and. asking to be assigned TO THIS uu'g'
his request was quickly complied with.
Had Lieutenant Croxton not recovered
sufficiently, Captain Ayers, OF the regu,
lar army, who is now in Cuba, woulo
have been named by the Governor
Colonel Croxton will have the appoint
ment of a battalion surgeon, ana mas ue
cided to appoint one OF the young phEnl-
ciens OF this city 10 that position. The
nan,e ~ the surgeon could not be ascer'
tanned last night, but II is thought ina
he has held the office of surgeon or the
Rlues Battalion, The Governor Is anN
tons also. that Colonel Croxton shai
have an adjutant and quartermaster
and he has written 20 Washington dh'
asked that he be given authority u
rame two gentlemen for those posi'iohS
THEIR EXCUSES ARE MANY.
J Major shanks, who has been designate
: bv the War Department 10 music
Into the Federal service the members Q
. The two negro battalions in virginia
: having n hard time of it at the eoiore
, arr,ory on Leigh street. Almost half {
t1,a members of the Richmond companie
4 are unwilling TO go to war anu the
Claim physical disabilities winch eAeilI
| them from duty. Major Joniison -, -
: | oyer. not discouraged. He says that =
| bas more than a hundred men III i'yhci
> -. ,ybo are anxious TO come mere an
49, bis command and he can get
Doanv more from other parts or the Stat
= The work Of examining the VoluhteeiS
: mic CITY will probably be compieteu =
daw or tomorrow, and then MAY
Shanks will go TO PETERSBURG
= WHERE THEY WILL CANT
= T, the mean time Major Price, WI
# has charge of the commissary uepa al
a ment is busy arranging Tor tne ALL ~
mediation of the coloreo soi'lei ia g
first duty is the selecuoll "a - moi
tbe camp al which they are 10 De InoI
= tiaad and I'm company with Mr.. Johh
d 49, OF the Chesapeake and ONO, al
j. 1891 coulling. he visited Poplar Gro|
d ota,,+ ron miles below the CITY, OH u
Ie S"o,oneoI,e and Ohio. He was We
a Sa,'orahIv impressed with the slte'
4. To-, 10 return TO the city was inlorm
N 10 the Mace was unhealthy anu NV ~
n no is not now inclined 10 selec' It,
d Governor WILL of course, nave 10 ~"
= the selection. and ne - hnI 90 IIi,
V. tbought. to favor the site onereu "' - L.
"a rtas.a en- prince Edward county IL
=, DisSIra more than likely that the re
W. ICONS will be there. III Is pretS '"
deAEous .ba troops will not be MOI
, ~, The True Reformers farm aoo
: ,ttv as Superintendent Boillns' Vi
rit,, Nater-Works, has protesteu as -
,hts site being selected, asse, 'lns
mt the soldiers there wouiu d,,a
the health OF the city, as l iso,i,, IN
=. from the camp Wouiu no" ,be CITY !
y the river at the point "here INV
81 | its reSeFNOlIS.
pEcRI1ITs GO TO JACKSON LILLE
= IN ,rorl, Of recruiting the voluntee
- ~ second and Fourth regimen
10 - Jacksonville, is progressing rap
p ~" The 81. claire Hotel. sixteen
az ,S,s we're started forward yesterday
y 49,, ever the Southern railway. Iap'a
"a No. cent six 10 the Second Reslihe
O. - lieutenant Klein ten TO the oui III
~ any ~ recruits for the Fourth were
$ - 81 Mr.. Tabb Lane. Besides nj
ic eoIf there were in his party nunlS
Se Derriest. Eldridge r. Noel MIhan ~,
l. roller Thomas Feldner, James H. 1 DT'
SO row Arthur H. Harvey, EuMaic e.,
lie THOMAS j. Raydon, ana haI'e'
% man. 49, cecond W,
on c,lr.o ~ Milstead, Charles T. Jonns
er ~ O. spraggins, john r. elDas
c. hnth,,r T. Tatum, and Jefferson ~ bes
= a The Sn recruiting officers have been n nls,
a ,,,nl,mented on the character vi
G @en they are sending to sacksOn shin,
he ' Fire Engine Company. No; l. oe smiDl
OF a.ardav 10 Captain Russers conpd
ne 81 Jaeksonville, three large boxes OF 3,
&c things to eat including many da' r
4 note expressing good wishes ior
success and welfare OF the DoSS "e'O
panied the boxes