The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-23
FIRST REGIMENT SPLIT UP
SIX COMPANIES ASSIGNED TO FOUR
DIFFERENT POINTS.

DIFFERENT POINTS.
Companies # and TX Are Ordered to Fort
Preble, Portland, Me-, Company to
Fort Constitution, Portsmouth, N, H.,
Company B to Gull Island, and COM
panies e and to Plum Island-stafr
Officers Are Despondent.
Camp Haven, U. S. Army post, Man
tic. Conn, May 22.-At 4 o'clock this
afternoon there came to Colonel Bur-
dette, commanding this post, a docu-
ment from New London, containing in
formation which makes disposition Of
part of the infantry force Of the Con-
necticut contingent Of troops. The In
formation was in the shape Of a notifi-
cation to Colonel Burdett from Captain
Crawford at Fort Trumbull, New Lon
don. The note states that the quar-
ter-master's department at Fort
Trumbull is ordered by the war depart-
ment to furnish transportation for the
following forces: Two companies to
Plum Island, one company to Gur Is
land, two companies to Fort Preble,
near Portland, Me-; one company to
Fort Constitution, near Portsmouth,
N. H. Mention was also made Of the
possibility of the assignment Of Iieu-s
tenant colonel to command the detail
at Plum Island and one major, prob
ably for Fort Preble.
Colonel Burdette has received no re-
ders from his immediate department
commander, and nothing is known as
to the distribution Of the other troops.
1t is therefore believed that the re-
mainder Of the camp will be detained
at this point. Immediately upon re-
ceipt Of this notification Colonel Bur
dett called Fort Trumbull by telephone
| but was unable to CLEAN additional in
| formation. Efforts to communicate
with the adjutant generals depart
ment at Hartford and with the head
| quarters of the east also were unsuc-s
cessful. Colonel Burdette does not like
| the idea of his command being split up
and the members of his staff are de-
| spondent and believe that some OF the
| officers will be dropped. The news
| leaked out and the camp was soon
greatly excited. The superior officers
| who were made acquainted with the
| portent of the news, made efforts to
keep it quiet, but the manner of its
arrival and the resultant hustle was too
marked to permit of complete secrecy.
| At about O'clock team drove rap
| idly into the camp and the driver was
] apparently considerably excited. He
/ held in his hand a document, and ex-
| citedly inquired for the post COM
mandhnt. He was speedily directed to
Colonel Burdette.
| The special orders calling on Colonel
Burdette for the assignment Of troops
is dated May 20 and are probably in
the postoffice at Niantic, which does
not open on Sunday. The first intima-
ton that the troops would be needed at
once came from Captain Crawford, who
asked Colonel Burdette when he would
be ready. Captain Crawford informed
Colonel Burdette that he had received
orders to furnish the necessary trans
portation for the troops to the points
named. From what can be learned to
night, it seems likely that the troops
| will go not only to Gull Island and
| Plum Island by water. but also to
| Portsmouth and Portland, taking
transport steamers at Crescent Beach,
The two former details will probably
| go tomorrow afternoon as Colonel
| Burdette notified Captain Crawford
| that all the troops would be ready to
move at an hours notice.
4 Colonel Morgan, the assistant quar-
! termaster general, was in Hartford
| when the order was received and came
| to the camp by a special train accom-
| panied by number Of officers who
| were in the city on leave. There was
great excitement in camp tonight over
the movement Of troops, and considers
able disappointment is felt at the divi-
sion of the regiment. The assignments
| of the different companies were made
up at a late hour tonight and are as
follows:
Fort Preble, Portland, Me-, compan-
les F and K.
1 Fort Constitution, Portsmouth, N. H.,
| company ".
Gull Island, company B.
Plum Island, companies e and I.
The field and staff officers and the
band will remain at camp until further
orders.
New York, May 22.-General Royal T.
Frank, commanding the department Of
the east, to-day made further assign
ments Of volunteers to assist in the
coast defenses. Five companies Of the
Second Pennsylvania are ordered to
Penn Grove, N. j., to guard the powder
work there; four battalions of the
Third New Jersey under Colonel Lee
are ordered to Pornpton Lake to relieve
the Second Pennsylvania, the heavy
battalions of the Maine volunteers are
ordered to Fort Patham, Me-; the First
regiment of Connecticut infantry is to
be split up, one.half one half to stay at
Camp Haven, Mantle, and the remain
der to be divided among the various
New England camps; two battalions of
! the First regiment of Maryville are
under orders to report to Fort Monroe,
Va, the Breckville battalion of Con-