Evening star., 1899-04-08
Prompt and General Response to Call
ofsfhdhsday.
EVIDENCE OF GOOD ADMINISTRATION
Brigade's Present Strength Com
pared With That of Years Ago.
ITS GOOD EQUIPM TENT

Inc parade or Thursday last demonstrated
to the people of Washington that the Ma
tional Guard of the District of Columbia is
thing of reality, maintained in fact and
firmly established in all military respects.
The best evidence of the discipline and
punctual administration of affairs was
| found In the starting of the command from
| the White Lot promptly on the, minute pre-
scribed, and everything pertaining to the
march to the Virginia side of the river was
SO well timed and conducted as to land the
brigade in position in Arlington cemetery on
exactly schedule time. ~
Adjutant General Dapray. upon whom
| rested the responsibility for the brigade as
sembling in the White Lot, expressed him
self as highly gratified with the formation,
which, in point of precision Of movements
was well executed. At Arlington the alert
ness of the District troops was practically
put to the test. No position having been
previously assigned to the brigade, it be-
came necessary to send an aid forward to
determine as to the ground to be occupied
and the formation to be assumed when the
instructions were returned for the brigade
to form in line of masses on the large open
field to the west of the burial plot. The
smoothness with which Adjutant General
Dapray put the brigade in the position in
line of masses, accomplished as it was with
out a single hitch error, showed that
both officers and men well understood their
business This feature of the day was es-
peciaily gratifying, as it was in the nature
of a brigade drill movement. When the
fact is remembered that there had been
neither brigade formation nor brigade drill
| for year past the perfection of Thursdays
brigade movements indicated the military
capacity OF those in charge of the maneu-
! vers and their ability to handle emergency
situations promptly and properly.
Excellent Showing Made.
Gen. Harries has every reason to feel
| a.
by the National Guard, especially when the
brief notice for the assembly is considered
1t must be remembered that members of the
National Guard, unlike those of the regular
army, cannot be assembled by the simple
calls of the trumpet or drum. Each par
ticular man has to be individually notified
and the fact that SO large a number of men
in all the organizations turned out duly
armed and equipped on the short notice
given them speaks well for the administra-
tive methods in vogue at headquarters. Gen.
Harries and his adjutant general have all
| along expressed the fullest confidence in the
capacity of the National Guard and their
| loyalty in general, and this confidence was
more than sustained by the excellent DEM
onStration Thursday.
In this connection one important fact
| might be quoted ito rest some recent criti-
cisms. For example, while it has been said
that, as compared with its numbers of a
| year ago, the National Guard today is a
depleted establishment, existing largely. If
| not wholly. on papery a few figures taken
from the records YESTERDAY Wi Will be timely
| The returns for March 81, 1898, Of the 4th,
| 9TH and 9th Ba6talions, now constituting
| the I'd Regiment, show a total of 5s5 men,
! as against GS7 men reported the last day
| of February, 1893. There were twenty-five
men more at the, close of last February in
| the 4th Battalion than there were a year
ago, and there are 101 more men in the 5th
months ago. The 9Th Battalion shows
minus of twenty-four men. but that has
| been due to extraordinary conditions as re-
CARDS one of the companies, which are now
being closely scrutinZed at headquarters
This 1t is explained, might be regarded a
| refutation of certain inaccurate statements
| Disadvantages Overcome.
| One thing is certain, the National Guard
| of the District of Columbia although en-
| countering in the past year all Of the dis
| turbing influences of the war with Spain
| that so disrupted the National Guard of the
! states, has more quickly recovered from
| those disadvantages and influences than
| any state thus far reported. Under the CT
| forts made by General Harries and Adju-
| tant General Dapray, asst summer, arrange
| ments were completed with the War De-
partment by which the National Guard was
| furnished new arms and clothing to replace
| the supplies which had been turned over to
| the volunteer regiment that took the field
| and the 30th of last November issues to the
guard of the new arms and clothing were
made. Compared WIN tn1S prompt and
| peditious rehabilitation of the local brigade
| it has recently developed that only within
| the past month have the National Guard
| organizations of the states been even au-
| thoriZed to submit reQuisitions for reim-
| bursement of arms and clothing supplied to
volunteer regiments. 1t is fair to assume
| that it will take one or two months longer
| before any of the state troops can be placed
! in the condition to which the District bri-
| gade was advanced at the beginning of last
| December.
|
| as commander of the 1st Battalion In the
| lead. made a fine showing under Col Mays
| irection. The 1st Battalion is of course
| always handled well, and the I'd Battalion,
| which was the second largest battalion in
| the brigade acquitted itself most credftably
| under the command Of Maj. Anderson The
| I'd Regiment, headed by Col. Urell, is en-
titled to special mention for it's part In the
| parade. From the time it appeared on the
| White lot until it was dismissed its move
ments were executed without any manifest
| flaw. Upon arrival at Arlington the I'd Reg
| iment had a very unique and honorable
| duty to perform-the placing of one man
| from the regiment at each Of the open
graves Of the dead heroes. Col UrelI In
accordance with instructions previously
given him Immediately after the form ton
| of the brigade line at Arlington, caused the
| 4th and 9Th Battalions, under command of
| Lieut.. Col. OBrien. to stack arms and
march in columns of twos to take their
place beside the graves. Subsequently the
9th Battalion. under command of Mai. Gra-
| ham, was detailed to assist in the perform
ance of this duty.
Other Organizations.
| The 1st Separate Battalion came in for
very general praise. Although Maj Arthur
| Brooks. the permanent commander of the
| battalion, was absent in Cuba with Secre-
| tary Alger, Capt, ]. II. Campbell the Sc
nior officer present. commanded the battal-
ion in a most soldierly manner. All along
| the route people remarked the excellent
physical condition OF this splendid body
| of colored soldiers. ~'t1
| Next in the order Of formation was the
| Signal Company,sunder command Of Lieut..
| VIII F. sorrellss Although about 80 per
| cent of the membership of this organization
is absent serving in volunteer signal COM
| panies, and their places being held for
( them, Lieut.. Sorrells, during the short time
he has been in command. has done gosd
| work, and the men deserve credit for the
! part they took in Thursdays parade.
The Naval Battalion was a novelty and
| excited admiration all along the line of
march. Lieut.. S. G. Hopkins, in command
| capacity in assembling his men and making
| them ready for the march, In the very short