The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-23
IMPORTANT ORDERS ISSUED.
Great Activity in the New York Ma
tional Guard.

t1Onat
New York. March 2s-All -the-separ-
ate companies of the State were yester-
day hastily formed into battalions by
orders of Adjt. General c. Whitney I'll
linghast. Coming upon the State troops
without warning. this step was taken
by the entire National Guard as full of
significance in the face of the present
crisis with Spain. The commanding Of
ficers of the various companies at once
began perfecting the necessary details.
Under the orders the separate compa-
MES will be formed for convenience in
rapid mobilization into seven battalions,
something that has never been done be-
fore in time of peace.
Hitherto these separate companies,
scattered alI'over the entire State in the
larger towns, with occasionally two in
the same town, have acted absolutely in
dependently of each other. The captains
took their orders from no one save th'
adiutant general, commander or all the
State militia. This command Is now
transferred to the commanding officer
under the new law, Major General Roe
but his orders will hereafter be trans
mitted to the separate companies
through majors of battalions. facilltat-
ing rapid movement and prompt ooedi-
ence -"t
Only when the separate companies
have gone to State camp at Peekstti
have they been massed with other COM
panies into provisional battalions and
provisional regiments, but then II mas
been solely for the purpose OF drill Inc
separate companies now ordered 10 De
in the same battalions are not In the
same towns, so the new organization IS
not for the purpose of drill Troops in
towns far apart cannot drill together.
Furthermore, the commanding officer
of the Third Brigade, Gen. X. 5. oliver,
under whom these separate companies
are now. will, without delay, as the
orders read recommend officers for APP
pointment as majors OF these new bat
talions, and this once done they are or
dered to attend to the appointment nf
suitable men to fill the positions OF adj
jutant. quartermaster, commissary III
subsistence and surgeon, these officers
constituting the staff of a fully equipped
battalion.
As soon as seven new majors are
properly commissioned by the governor,
who is commander-in-chie of the
State troops, Gen. Oliver is directed to
designate where the headquarters IF
itate the transmission of orders before
the new officers can be selected and
their commissions made out. the senior
captain of each battalion is ordered 10
assume the command at once.
The Headquarters Of the new briga lie
will remain, as heretofore. at Albany.
where Gen. Oliver has his office. This
will give him eight battalions in his
brigade. the Tenth Battalion having eH-
listed for many years as an organization
of companies In the city Of Albany.
These eight battalions will make three
fuIl-sized regiments of nearly LOCO men
apiece.
Yesterdays orders creating these bat
talions are the first that have come dur
ing the present crisis that have been
really out of the ordinary, the National
Guarismen who heard the news, all
agreed The general opinion was that
more of similar purport might be eN-
pocted at any hour. particularly II
strained relations with Spain continue.