The San Francisco call., 1898-04-07
By Virtue of Their Rank They Would Act in
 Command.
Leaders of Great RenOwn Who Are Ready to Serve the
 Country Again.
MOVEMENT OF TROOPS.
No Orders for the First Infantry and Fourth Cavalry to Leave
 for the Front.

The assignment of General Schofleld to the duty of commanding the armies of the United States in the event of war with Spain would not cause surprise in military circles. General Schofield is on the retired list but holds the rank of lieutenant general Should he be called into active service by the President his rank would be preserved. Army officers on the retired list are not out of the ser vice by any means, but are expected to perform any military duty to which they may be assigned. Schofield is leader of courage, discretion and enterprise. His war record gives ample proof of his hero ism and coolness under fire. He fought in the civil war from the start to the finish, and gained his advancement by the excel lence of his service. At the battle of Wilson's Creek, where General Nathaniel Lyon fell at the head of the column, Schofeld gained renown for the masterly manner in which he handled a battery of regular artillery. During the famous At lanta campaign Schofield commanded the Army of the Ohio. and actively partici pated in many engagements. He planned and fought the battle of Franklin, suc- cessfully resisting the most desperate charge made during the war by the Con- federates. In point of numbers slain the charge of Pickett's division at Gettys- burg was a small affair compared with Hoods assault at Franklin.
 Although on the retired list, General Schofield is an active and vigorous man. With Schofeld in command of all the land forces and the director of the campaign, Miles would have free rein for his ac- tivity as a field marshal General Gran l vile M. Dodge, an able engineer officer, who commanded a department under l Grant and sherman during the war, and gained great distinction as the command ! CT of the Sixteenth Army Corps, in the l battle of Atlanta, is very close to General i Schoteld. Grants book and Sherman s 1 memoirs bear testimony to the value of | General Douge's services during the civil war.
 Generals Howard Stanley McCook, the Forsythes, Butterfield, McMahon, Lew Wallace, King and many other officers of distinction stand ready to respond to the call of duty.
 No doubt an important command will be rendered to General Fitzhugh Lee. He is leader of men and soldier of superior attainments. A campaign in Cuba would ! probably present opportunities for cav 1 airy leaders to gain special prestige. Gen l eral Merritt is a rider of renown, and has l probably lost none of his dash since the war. Troopers now in the service be- ! lieVe that Colonel David s. Gordon, U. S. A. (retired), would come to the front ] at once. Gordon is a rider and a raluer | among ten thousand.
 It is common talk at the Presidio that ! the regular troops stationed at that gar rison will not be disturbed; yet if the | policy of sending regulars to Cuba and calling out the National Guard to garrl- son home posts be adopted the First h. fantry and the four companies of the | Fourth Cavalry at the Presidio might be | hustled off to the front on short notice. 1 It Is regarded as pretty well settled that | the Government cannot safely detach any of the artillery from this station In fact, more artillerymen are needed to man the guns already in position.
 l Lieutenant-Colonel Louis T. Morris, commanding the squadron of cavalry at the Presidio, has record for gallant and l effective service as a leader of mounted men. Should the Fourth Cavalry be or | dered to the front the command might de- volve upon Colonel Morris. Colonel s. B. | NJ Young, formerly of the Fourth Cav 1 airy is a rider of recognized ability and vigor. The only time the Presidio reser- vaLion ever seemed small was when Gen. | eral Graham and Colonel Young were | stationed there. General Graham now commands the largest and most important of the military departments. 1he enlisted | men say there is no better soldier alive | than Billy Graham
 l Following is the text of an order issued i from department headquarters yesterday: Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace F. Randolph. l Third Artillery, having reported at these head quarters for assignment to a station under the provisions. of paragraph s, special orders No.
 
 hereby assigned to station at the Presidio of San Francisco, S3S Gal, Cal By By command n of r
 J. B. BABCOCK. Assistant Adjutant- General.
 Orders from Washington announce the 1 abandonment of two military posts and the following transfer of infantry regi- ments:
 The headquarters and six companies of the Eleventh Infantry from the Depart ment of the Colorado to the Department | of the Missouri, to be stationed at Jeffer- son Barracks. Mo. the headOnarrprS of the Fifteenth Infantry from Fort Bay ard, N: M, to Fort Huachpca. Ariz.; one mander, from Fort Bayard, N. M, to Fort Apache, Ariz:; the Twenty-fifth In- to the Department of the Gulf. The commanding officer, Twenty-fifth Infan- try, VII VIII report by telegraph to. the com TOT instructions for assignment to sta ti9n in that department.
 by direction of the Secretary of War Fort Missoula, Mont, viii ' be M disconfin- tim ued and the. portable property there dis. tributed under the, direction of the de- the Department of the Colorado and the Department of Dakota, respectively. In. service1able public property will be in and sale, by special inspectors appointed by the department commander
 The following special order has been issued rom headquarters, Department ot California:
 First Lieutenant Francis E. Lacey Jr, Firs, Infantry. having reported from detached service at the Presidio of San Francisco the station of his present company, his station Is changed from Benicia Barracks to the Presidio of San Francisco.
 Paragraph l. special orders No 25. curren, series, from these headquarters is amended ar as to direct Major John S. Witcher paynlaster to pay the troops stationed at I3enicia Barracks and Benicia Arsenal, Cal. in addition to thf payments assigned to him In that paragraph
 One of the ten-inch disappearing rifles was used yesterday in testing powder The tests were conducted by Iieiltenan, l Edwin B. Rabbit of the Ordnance Corns The two shots were fired to ascertain ii the powder was quick No oroiectiles