The age-herald., 1898-08-28
OLDEST MILITARY
 ORGANIZATION

Ine d1St1nctlOn or naVlng the oldest mllis tary organization in the United States be- longs to Savannah, Ga They are the Chatham artillery, Georgia hussars and the Savannah volunteer guards. All of them saw active service in the war of 1872 against Great Britain, and the volunteer guards were in the conflict in 1S45 against Mexico. The civil strife of 1S61-5 marked their next conflict in arms and when the president called for volunteers to wage war against Spain these three organizations were amon4 the first to show their patriotism and fealty to the stars and stripes by a ready re. sponse.
 The guards. under Colonel Lawton, were accepted and mustered into the vounteer service and sent to Tampa, where they camped alongside the Thirty-first Michigan from Kalamazoo, under Colonel Gardner. These two regiments now compose the First brigade of the Second division of the First army corps, under Brfgadier-General Roe. and have been transferred to Knoxville, 'Tenn., where their camp was recently To- cated
 The volunteer guards. now the First Geor. gia volunteers, were organized in 1S00 and one of their first notable parades and escort duties was during the visit to Savannah of Vice-President Aaron Burr in 1902. The guards were on duty during the war of 1872, and were part of the troops sent to Florida on an expedition against St. Augustine Tn the reception to President Monroe in 1S19 they participated with honor and in 1895 pa- raded in honor of Lafayette during his visit to Savannah. During the Mexican war and later in the civil strife the guards were a. part of Scott's and Lees armies, and were with General Lee when he surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox.
 While this historical organization saw no active service in the Spanish-American con- fict, 1t was ever ready and would have gone wherever ordered. The organization has been kept intact without interruption since 1900.
 l, 17S6, it's birth being coeval with the ter imitation of the revolution This company bears the same relation to Savannah that the Ancient and Honorable Artillery does to Boston. month after organizing tho Chathams acted escorts in the funeral of General Nathaniel Greene At General Washington's funeral they fired minute guns During the war of 1872 they formed part of the garrison at Fort Jackson at Savannah When the corner stones of the Pulaski and Greene monuments were laid in Savannah in 1925 the company partici- pated in the ceremony and fired a salute in honor of General Lafayette, who was guest on that occasion.
 the civil this " arxyfo around Savannah, and later was assigned to the western army of the confederacy. It took part in the Yorktown centennial in 1S76 and celebrated its own centennial in 1886.
 In possession of the organization are the Washington guns two brass pieces), so called from their having been presented to the company by General Washington short- ly after his visit to Savannah in 171. These .are relics around which cluster memories of many historical events. They were used against the continental army during the revolution, and were surrendered by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. When the confed- crates evacuted Savannah they were buried under the company armory to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Afterward they were recovered and re- mounted and are in use now by the com- pany.
 >The Chathams were not called out in the war with Spain, but were held in reserve against any emergency that might require their services in the protection of Savannah against invasion.
 The Georgia hussars, which were a part of the famous Jeff Davis Legion" during the civil war, came into existence shortly after the war of 1872 by the consolidation of the Chatham hussars and the Chatham light dragoons, the latter of which was an organized command early as 17S1, and offieated with the Cha tham artillery at the funeral obsequies of General Greene in 17S6. That troop was constantly on duty with the Chatham artillery and Savannah volunteer guards during the war of 18ie The hussars are part of the First Georgia regiment but were not called out. However, they were held in readiness to respond to a call of the president at any hour.
 Some years ago the three commands oecu- pied the same armory During the joint occupancy the armory was destroyed by fire and all the records dating back to the time of the organization of these commands were lost For that. reason history or these organizations was never written.