Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-10-01
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Good Work Being Done by the New
Adjutant General.
GEN. HARRIES ACTIVELY INTERESTED
Efforts Being Made to RehabiIitate
the District Militia.
AN IMPORTANT CIRCULAR

AN IMPORTANT CIRCULAR
! Upon his return from Santiago Gen. Har-
| ries. whose interest in the National Guard
! is undiminished, at once resrmed command
and began looking into the conditions gov
erning the District militia He found much
to be DONE and as the guard had practically
been without an adjutant general for some
months, he conferred with Gen. Miles, and
| finally Capt. Dapray, former aid on Gen.
| Miles staff, was selected to cooperate in
| the good work of bringing order out of
| chaos. Capt. Dapray was last week as
| signed to duty as acting aijutant general
of the District militia.
The New Adjutant General.
| The selection of Capt. Dapray for this i'm
portant duty was due to his experience in
| military operations, extending over the past
| eighteen years. He was aid-de-camp on the
| staff of Maj. Gen. Hancock at the time of
| the death of the latter. and for several
years was aid on the staff OF Gen. Miles
| and served with him through the Geronimo
| campaign.
Subsequently he was military aid for the
| Secretary of War, then going to the world s
| fair as adjutant of the War Department S
| model camp, after which time he was regi-
| inenta! adjutant of the I'D Infantry, which
| position he gave up to be assistant adjutant
| general of volunteers. He organized the
provisional brigade of regulars under Cen
| eral Shafter at New Orleans, and was then
| assigned as adjutant general of the Sd
| Army Corps, having been applied for by
General Carpenter to assist in the organi-
| cation.
| He was taken i'll in the south, and came
| here to recuperate his health and was as
signed to his present duty with the District
| militia.
| To Rehabilitate the Militia.
| General Harries and Captain Dapray are
now working energetically to rehabilitate
| the District militia, and. although quite i'll,
| General Harries is in constant communica-
| ton with Captain Dapray in relation to
| these matters.
| The first thing they hope to accomplish is
! to uniform the guard. Another important
! question under consideration is whether the
| guard will nave returned to them the ord
| nance equipments which were turned over
! to the LIST District of Columbia Volunteer
| Regiment when 1t went into active service
| last May.
An Important Circular.
| In order that immediate steps may be
taken for the Improvement of the condi-
ton Of the District militia, Capt Dapray
| has issued the following:
| Circular No. ~
| Headquarters District of Columbia Militia,
| WASHINGTON, D. c.,
| September %, 1898.
| I. For the purpose of correcting and COM
| pleting the official records of these head
| quarters, all organization commanders will
! at once report the names of such officers
! and men as awaited themselves of the
| leave of abse and furlough authorized
| in paragraph II, General Orders Nc. 8, cur
| rent SERIES these headquarters, Ito enable
| members of the National Guard to enter
1 ~ 81, ha nj tod at
| TIE reports of Tegimental and battalion
| commanders herein called for will relate
| only to the field and staff of their respac-
| tive organizations.
| II. The mmanding officer of each sep
arate integral organization will submit di-
| rect to these heaGqu arters, as soon as pos
sible, a report Of the amount of clothing
| ana ordnance actI ally on hand and the
| CT rdttion of each article: also the exact
amount of each required for the full ana
complete equipment of the organization.
In this connection attention is directed to
| the importance of setting forth in the re-
| port herein called for the exact amount of
clothing and ordnance articles which may
| have been transferred on memorandum re-
ceipt or otherwise by me respective COM
handing officers of National Guard organi
cations to the 1st District of Columbia Vol
unteers. 1t being the purpose of these head
quarters to secure the complete re-equlp-
ment of the National Guard, 1t is essential
| to set forth accurately and in detail the
various credits that due on account of
! the emergency transfers of National Guard
property to the District of Columbia Vol
unteers in May last.
! III. With a view to obtaining information
| direct and in the quickest time possible Of
certain conditions which have been infor-
rnaiiy report ID at these headquarters, the
| inspector general will at an early day be
directed to make a special inspection of all
organizations. To meet the purpose Of this
| Inspection al company commanders will be
| prepared to exhibit their property books,
property, etc. and have ready for the in
Spector general a statement of such OBJ
| stacles difficulties may stand in the
way OF that constant and progressive mil
| itary work at all times contemplated in the
National Guard.
| w. Information having reached these
headquarters that at least Two o-ganiZa-
items of the National GLard are now, and
| have been for some time past without any
| immediate commander, the attention of all
| concerned is invited to the necessity for
| immediate correction of that condition. 1t
| need hardly be stated that military admin
| ;ration fmperatively requires that no or
| ganiZation shall at any time be left wholly
| without a commissioned officer in cCm-
| maid Indeed, military usage and regula-
| tons have long prescribed as fixed rule
| that no company sh all under any avoid
| able circumstances ever be left without at
| least one commissioned officer present with
| it for duty.
| When exigencies arise in particular or
| ganiza. zion to make that rule impossible
| it then becomes a duty Immediately to as
| sign or attach officer of some other or
| ganiZation for duty with the officerleSs one
| To this end, if, owing to the fewness of
| staff and company officers, it should be-
| come necessary for one officer to command
| emporarily two more companies, the
purposes of military administration at least
! would b. met, and the matter of reports,
| returns, &c, would not be delayed, at
present on account of there being no OFF,
! Ger present to sign and submit them within
| the prescribed period.
Commanding officers of regiments and
| battalions are enjoined to inquire into the
| mater hsrein complained of and to take
! Immediate necessary action in the direction
| indicated.
| BY command of Brigadier General Har-
| rieS. j. A. DAPRAY,
! Acting Adjutant General