The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-28
THE dSTOR BfTTERY y.


To THE EDITOR OF Tue SrS-Sir: In a recent
issue OF The suN there appeared a lett. ar from Capt.
Birkhimer of the Third Artillery. in which he com.
ments rather severely on the late Aston Battery as a
military organization. Capt. Birkhimer ia unstint.
INK in his praise of the members of the Aston Bat.
terry for their soldierly qualities and personal ,alor,
but his statements rs to the battery's withdrawal
from Manila are misleading and place the battery in
an entirely wrong light before the public.
In his letter. the Captain says that the battery
left Manila when hostilities were imminent and
when the other troops were preparing TO meet the
enemy. and that the receipt Of the orders for the
battery to return to the United States occasioned
surprise and discomfort among the troops aud weak.
ened the prestige Of the regular army.
The facts are that at the time the battery left Manila
no trouble was anticipated with the natives. Every.
thing was in a quiet and satisfactory condition.
There were no United States troops in the trenches,
nor were there any military movements going on
other than were incident to keeping possession Of
Manila. The Aston Battery left Manila Dec. IL, over
a month and a half before the Filipino outbreak.
c. Mn,de some ene o .Srps,s nor !, th diS Sa not SaS. return Girnd may have
was xenerally believed among the troops that the
draw.i Of ali troops from the Phiiippines that ~~ieerre,
no, intended to form a permsnent garrison. The
being the hrst organization 10 return to the United
states, but there was no discomfort nor jealousy, for
Capt. Brkhimer does not seem to understand the
congestion Of the Astor Battery. In his letter he
Fe'H 'he' 'ho ih'Oib- "a NV NcTt Nv hplet-
tiun from the regular service. This is true OF the
ofhcers. but not Of the men. The men were not se.
lected from the regular service. but were recruited
from civil life into the regular army for servire in
the Aston Battery. They were enlisted for three
years. but with the understanding that at the close
OF the war. and on personal application to the War
Department. they would be entitled to their dis.
charge from the service. Thus. the members OF the
battery were not on the same footing as tho regular
who has enlisted for three years absolutely, and 10
all intents and purposes they were nothing more
than volunteers. therefore fail to see how the re-.
turn OF the Aston Battery from Manila has in any
way Affected the prestige OF the regular service.
Tho captain says that taken in it's entirety the
career OF this battery should serve az a warning
against the repetitionSot the experiment OF the
United States Government lending its cOuntenance
10 such organizations" What there IA in the
career Of the Aston Battery that should serve az a
warning to the Government against again accepting
the patriotic generosity OF its citizens / am at a loss
to understand.
The Aston Battery left Manila. not by its own
election, but because II WAS ordered 10 do No, iust az
any other organization. regular or volunteer, would
have done under similar orders,
FRANKLIN TAYLOR,
APRII. rs. Private in the late Aston Battery.