The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-21

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2u.-The dlsln-
tegratlon OF the volunteer slgnal corps
was begun to-day, when orders were IS
sued for the relief from active duty OF
the fourteenth company, with view to
its furlough and muster out. General
Greeley, in issuing this order. takes adj
vantage Of the opportunity to Issue an
his men. Of whose record in the war he
has Just reasons to be proud. He says
that while detained himself by multi
tudtnous duties from participating Ct
the front, he cannot permit his men TO
return to private life without Gclsnowl-
edglng "thelr loyal, efficient and valua-
Bile services to the nation"
! In recitlng the services rendered by
the CORPS, aeenral Greedy says:
AtSautlaEo.
'In the Santiago campaign you were
the first OF the army to arrive, a. you
were the last to leave, destroying with
In range-of the Spanish guns the sub
marine cables that gave the enemy daily
information Of inestlmable value. When
the occupation OF Santiago was ordered,
you repaired cables with such eelerity
that you opened communication be-
tween tho United States marine camp
at Calmanera (Guantanamo) and New
York City on June 81, the day prior to
the landing of'the Fifth army corps OF
Santiago. Battles may be fought and
epIdemlcs spread, but speedy communl-
cation must nevertheless be maintained
and, owing to your efforts, the AmsrI-
can army in Cuba has not been isolated
Geographically single day.
Emslonsy OF the Corps.
In the Cuban campaign you arranged,
matained and operated a system of ca
bic and land lines, partly commercial.
partiy war cables, partly flying tele-
graph lines and partly telephone lines,
that enabled messages to pass in twen-
ty minutes from the executive mansion
in Washington to the headquarters of
the army before Santiago, and which
offered direct and immediate communI-
cation between the secretary of war in
his ONCE and the signal corps men in
the advanced rife pit on the right, the
left and In the center of our entrenched
army, within four hundred yards OF the
enemy. When the city fell, your lines
followed immediate army headquarters
% It moved therein.
Peri Encountered.
No one will ever know the difficulties
physical and moral, climatic and SER
ylce-under which you Iabored in Gu
ba. Heat and thirst, hunger and IA
ugue-these present sufrerlngs with Inn
pending disease and death-you endured
and faced uncomplalnlngly, with the
rest of the army, but these conditions
never prevented the prompt cheerful
and eficlent discharge of the important
duties devoIyIng unrcmIttlngly day
and night on the signal corps.
In Porto Rico you were ever with the
advance, participating as scouts and
sklrnIshers in the capture and oceupa-
tIon OF towns. From the beginning to
the end of the campaign, you kept each
,mpor,ant command in telegraphIc or
telephonio connection, both with the
corps commanders and also with the
base OF operations.
In the Philippines You were always to
the front, and throughout Siege opera
tIons. constructed and maintained tele-
graph and telephone lines In the ad-
vanced trenches at Manila, remaining
with the ret Of the army under fire
daily. under conditions 30 dangerous
that fivO officers were brevetted and
several men recommended for medals OF
honor.
The connections by cable Of the princi-
pal forts In our great harbors and the In
l,latIon and Ins;alment Of an entirely
new electrical control system were also
your laborS.
The Lessons Learned.
While your services everywhere have
been OF the highest character, you have
s,pecally Illustrated that development
OF character necessary to expert work
BY your devotion as oficerS and your
obedience as mon under the trying and
monotonous conditions Of camp and gar
rt.ou life. where the soldier and officer
arc fashioned day by day for the SUI
prsme moment OF battle. The lessons
there learned have served you well.
The signal corps has filed neither the
guard house nor the hospital. Serving
in the field in Cuba, in the philippines
and in Porto Rico, and in home garrl-
SONS At Tampa, ChIckamnuga, Camp AL
ger. jacksonville and Monauk, yet your
total aggregate of over thirteen hum
dred has lost by disease In camp and
field to date, only flve-oficers and men
Included.
As our roads part and the greater
number OF the signal corps go back to
the paths uf civil life. the chief signal
officer OF the army glves you all doi
speed, hoping that the hardshIps OF
war, while making you advocates OF
all peace that Is not shameless aud I'M
patriotic, VIII ever make you mindful
OF the value and welfare Of the reglllai
signal corps. Of which you have been 20
great part In the war, to the glory Of
the American army.