The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-31

and rubber shoes. Not only was
preliminary inspection made, Out eN
aminations OF the water supply anu
general sanitary conditions were hept
up at intervals during the whole sea-
SON From the very first as the men
rendezvoused at Quonset Point, thelr
food was carefully prepared anu
cooked, "A generous allowance OF iIeah
meat, vegetables, soft bread fresh Dut-
ter and milk provided, ana coliec
served the first thing each morning aS
the men came off guard duty ana wheh-
ever they needed it. Everything was
done to prepare these men Tor the ser
vice before them, ana, While no eN-
travagances in any of the departments
were tolerated, the commissary general
was instructed TO buy the very pest !
material i'm the market and plenty OF H. |
The result OF this policy was very APP |
parent when the regiment left the state
without having had a single case Oh Sc
rious illness while IL was in camp.
4 mention I'm detail this care Whlch
the state took of it's men because II
shows that with a little foresight the
task of providing for troops taken from
civil life and placed i'm camps on mo-
bilization is not a difficult matter IL
only managed on intelligent business
principles.
AS fast as recruits were sent 10
! Ouonset Point officers from the militia
/ were selected to drill and organize the
regiment, and the work of forming the
/ companies and drilling the men was
carried on without interruption.
on the Goth of April | appointed FIRST
/ Lieut. Charles w Abbot, Jr., 18th L. :.
| Infantry, to be colonel of the regiment
! Capt. Frank \. Cook TO be lieutenant
colonel; Col. \. A. Baker and Col. Jas.
Il. Phetteplace TO be majors Lieut..
! Col. Lester :. Hill to be major ana sur
geon: Capt y. Darrell Harvey ana
Capt. Rowland r.. Robinson to be first
1 lieIItenants and assistant surgeons;
! Rev. j. j. Woolley To be first lieutenant
and chaplain: Capt Cornelius BarroWs,
first lieutenant and adJutant. and Lieut..
! Frank t.. Hopkins, nrst lieutenant ana
quartermaster.
These officers were mustered into the
! service OF the United states on May ).
and on May 10. and entered at once
actively upon their respective duties.
col. Abbot had been on duty as L. ;.
army inspector of the II. |. Nj. since
1896 having been of the very greatest
service TO the military authorities of
the state and of inestimable benefit 10
the officers and men OF the X. l. NJ.
The fact that he knew personally all
the officers and the exact condition or
kthe militia at the time of the breaking
out of the war. made his services par
ticularly valuable. not only to this de-
partment but to the officers and men
of the regiment which he was to COM
mand.
During all this time the executive
was engaged in making such prepara-
tions as were deemed necessary Tor the
protection of the state from an invasion
by a foreign foe. In 1885 Lieut.. grimm,
L. s. Engineer Corps, estimated the
total value OF destructible property in
the city of Newport alone, exposed TO
an enemy, to be s2424l, $50. Early III
the spring the executive was in corre-
spondence and also had personal I'M
teryieWs with the officers OF the army
stationed at Newport. lie rendered
them the services Of the militia OF the
, state I'm order that il might be drilled
in the use of heavy guns, and, in case
of emergency, supplement the troops
of the United States stationed at New
port But his overtures were not mel
5 with that cordiality which he had hoped
to receive and although the Newport
Artillery company was permitted tC
4 have one weeks tour OF duty in the us,
of heavy guns at Fort Adams, that wa:
e all the opportunity the militia had I,
= accustom Itself to duty which mlgh
T at any time have forced itself upon us
e The executive of this state was there
. fore compelled. with the assistance o
4 the department officers and the Unitet
= States inspecting officer on duty VIII
I our militia to formulate such plan
4 defence for lower Narragansett pay a
{ would be practicable for the militia
= the state The only encouragement
a and the only information received from
o the war department in the early day
j. of the war was through the courtesy O
l, Mai. Gen Wesley Merritt, commandin
n the department of the east ana Sta
II toned at Governors island. Upon m
n visit to him to ascertain what Rhod
r. Island would be expected TO do in cas-
. Narragansett bay was menaced ID
x Spanish vessels, Gen. Merritt gave m
j. all the information necessary; approve
@ of the general arrangement had MAD
II OF the little force OF the X. i. M, an
J. assured nae of his cordial support an
,e co-operation. | think II is due To Gel
Il Merritt to publicly express to him IN
a sincere Acknowledgment for his cour
d tesy interest and valuable informa
l. tion. which gave TO the military au
~ thorities of Rhode Island a plan whic
10 could have been put into operation =
IN once IL the occasion had required.
: Ia was the policy of the state militar
= authorities To keep intact the actiN
Ia militia consequently. as the officers an
men became attached To the First keS
40 ! ment. r. l. l.. =. Volunteer lnfantr!
,u ! their places were flled by oflcers Ten
,s ! porarily commissioned and by men ten
"a ! porarilv enlisted i'm the brigade an
a. naval militia. In order TO test the ell
q | cheney OF what was left OF the Rhoo
=. Island militia. an emergency call wa
made in May and the militia kept ur
N | der arms in the CITY OF froNluehCe =, ~
three DAYS The result satisfied "
II authorities that we had from 500 TO 4
" men who could be depended upon
=, caso of an emergency go do active So
~ vicc for a week or ten days. For son
-. time the remaining militia was supple
a. with everything needed. This matcrl
~ ,yas supplipd from purchases made
"a accordance with the resolution OF Il
~ general assembly, February Il, 1893. b'
~ as time went on. and the United Stat
~ government developed its absolute il
~ ability to furnish anything. IL becan
- necessary To use this material whi'
u' Am some cases had been already issue
nn to the militia. i'm uniforming and su
20 plvinc the troops raised under the "
~ calls of the president
ue It may be of interest to know TIL
= tho officers of the Rhode Island milit
nd | -..4 -. ..,iiat.I mon n bp aap1p "a