Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-13
Gen. Merritt on 1nefRoienoy of the
Coast Defense.
DEFECTS ARE POINTED out IN DETAIL
Urgent Demand for Remedial
Legislation.
STRONG ARRANGEMENT


| N. Y, was made public at the War Depart
ment today. 1t is document which, while
couched in very conservative language Is
| a strong arrangement Of the whole situa-
| tion in the artillery branch Of the service
and is calculated to cause more comment
even than the strongly condemnatory re-
port of Capt. Crozier on the Atlantic coast
| forts last year. = Gen. Merritt's attack is
particularly directed against the ordnance
bureau and incidentally, the quartermas-
ter's department, the latter for failure to
furnish what Gen. Merritt considers prop
er quarters at artillery posts, while the
former. though not specifically named, is
disadvantageously compared in its eff
cheney with the work Of the engineer corps.
Gen. Merritt says that he resumed COM
| mand of the department January last
since which time most Of the infantry and
cavalry in the department have been or
dered on foreign service, leaving at the
present date only four troops of cavalry
and three companies of infantry. He re-
Gently inspected the artillery posts at Fort
Monroe and Washington barracks and says
II is his intention, as soon as possible, to
inspect other seacoast forts, probably dur
Ing the coming season of target practice
with heavy guns. He says he has spe-
cific recommendations to make regarding
any one place. The officers are known to
their efforts to improve the efficiency of
their commands.
Defects in the Artillery Service.
THAT the coast artillery is not today in
an efficient condition" Gen. Merritt says
is due to causes over which artillery Off
GERS have no control; nor can these impede
ments be reached by the department COM
manders. Some require the action Of the
Secretary of War, and others can be RENE
died only by Congress. The needs of the
artillery are most ably presented in the re-
port of the department artillery inspector,
to which l invite attention I do not feel
called upon to urge the specific remedies
which he proposes, but / certainly< coincide
with the opinion he expresses, that the ar
tillery is IN need of remedial legislation.
deem 1T my ddty to call attention to the de-
fects which Maj Storey treats in detail
and then leave the question of how they
shall be removed to the law-making au-
thorlties and their advisors.
Our cavalry and infantry today are or
ganiZed lon a modern basis, are splendidly
differed and, equipped, and with regular
supplies of food. clothing and ammunition
contain within themselves the elements of
complete efficiency.
Officers Are Handicapped.
''ThisIis. not true of the artillery. The
officers well educated and jealous. but
their efforts are cramped by an imperfect
organization, and responsibility for the eff
ficiency tor inefficiency of their arm lies not,
as 1t should, with themselves, but very
largely in other quarters. Either through
defects, of law or their own inefficiency, the
supply departments upon which the artil-
lery Is wholly dependent have frequent
ly failed to Loyalty and energetically serve
its interests. The fact that the engineer
department, working under the same laws,
has under Its present chief given the ar
tillery no cause for complaint, would seem
to indicate that something is wrong be-
sides the law.
This condition gives rise to the often
expressed desire of the artillery for a
chief of that arm of the service who would
see that 1t is supplied with what 1t needs
to be effective: but 1 personally have very
grave doubts to this being the most
suitable remedy, as it may result only in
adding another bureau to the War Depart
ment which IT may be as difficult to make
istence.
Points Made by the Inspector.
II desire in addition to call special at
tention 20 the following points in the re-
port of the artillery inspector:
Il. The failure Of the quarterma ster's de-
partment to make timely provision for
housing the garrisons at new artillery
posts.
lery posts permanent post non-commis-
stoned staff of specialists-i.e.. electrician
and observer sergeants.
"3. The recommendation that the strength
of the coast artillery be fixed at the num-
Der of officers and men required to fully
man the guns.
"It is also observed that the artillery
should be inspected by artillery officers
and the fact that the department COM
mander's artillery inspector has no power
to inspect IS patent absurdity, and one
which J urge may be disposed of at an
early date The means of making any arm
of the service all it should be should rest
| with the general commanding the geo
graphical department in which the said
arm of the service is stationed"
Target Practice at Ordway.
i Capt Harry c. Hale. Goth Infantry, A
D. c., inspec tor of small arms practice. re-
ports to Gen. Merritt that upon the COM
pletion of the movement of cavalry troops
ordered In General Orders No 1876 head
quarters of the army, of July %, 1899. there
will remain in the department Of the east
but four troops of cavalry. These VIII be
stationed. he says. at Fort Myer, Virginia
where there Is no rifle range. 1.-The use of
the National Guard range at Ordway. Md,
he saws has been recommended for this
year. While that range is said to be we'll
adapted for elementary practice at known
distances, 1t will not permit of the voley
firing and company held practice contem-
pla ted by the firing regulations for small
arms. AS large percentage of the troops
at present In; service have never had any
target practice, it has been deemed advis-
able to take advantage of the opportunity
to have. such practice as the Ordway range
| admits Of, rather than to initiate steps for
| the establishment of a permanent range
which might result in deferring the practice
entirely for this year. In view of the large
amount of work required of artillery
troops With respect to instruction. drill and
| target practice, with the arms pertaining
| to that branch of the service, and also on
account of the lack Of facilities for small
arms practice at many Of the posts where
| the heavy batteries are now stationed, the
| substitution of course Of gallery practice
| for the practice at the usual ranges has
| been Authorized by the department COM
mandervat NEST Of the posts in the depart
s. Extension Granted.
l ~ tha VU