Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-05
Details Given of the Annual Outing,
D. @. N. G.
The DUTY OF GUARDSMEN OUTLINED
Respect for and Honor of the
National CoIors.
THE PRACTICE MARCHES

of the District of Columbia National Guard,
as well as the m mbers of the general staff
of the District of Columbia militia, met at
the Center Market Armory Saturday even
ing, to discuss the coming encampment of
the brigade. Gen. Harries made clear all
details regarding the outing. His officers
are in thorough accord with his views, and
when the troops leave this city for Lees
burg next Thursday morning it will BE- for
stay of eight days under canvas. 1t is
expected it will constitute one of the most
successful and beneficial outings in the his
tory of the guard
Orders covering all the details of the en-
campment We're issued from the District of
Columbia militia late this afternoon. Among
other matters referred to was that Under
the law making provisions for the organiZa-
ton of the militia of the District of Column
bia the annual encampment of the District
of Columbia National Guard is a fixed mill
tary duty which demands of all its MEM
berS faithful discharge. The oathS of OFF,
GERS and enlisted men entail positive obli-
cations and unavoidable responsibilities.
With this in view it should be needless to
state that the annual encampment is an oc-
casion for such military exercises and in
struction as will tend TO develop and foster
the most efficient military organiZa ton pos
sible in the District of Columbia. To ac-
complish this, while it is neither desired nor
individual enjoyment and recreat ton of the
soldier when off Immediate duty, mere per-
sonal pastime or enjoyment must neVerthe-
less at all times be regarded as secondary
and Subservent to that military duty of
which rigid discipline and accomplishing
loyalty are the distinguishing elements:
Important Preliminary Duty.
1.-The most important preliminary duty of
the guardsman respecting an annual en-
campment is attendance. This duty. espe-
cially in view of the disturbing conditions
of the past year tending TO AFFECT disad-
vantageousy the National Guard through
out the country generally, becomes now all
the more imperative and it is expected that
officers will resort to every practicable
means to insure the fullest possible attend
ance of men, In case less than 10 per CEN
tum of the enlisted strength of any COM
pany organization shall be reported for the
encampment. the commanding officer of
the organization will be required to show
cause why he should not be relieved from
command of his decimated company. If
men fail TO attend except for good and suf
Hcient reason. prompt panitory or diSciphn-
airy measures will be adopted. Simple ex-
cuse, or offer of excuse, will not suffice.
The excuse must be previously offered by
the soldier and accepted by proper author
ty, and the soldier who fails TO attend eX-
cept for acceptable sufficient military rea-
son will be regarded as absent without
leave or in desertion. as circumstances indi-
cate, and will be dealt with accordingly.
Special attention is directed to the uni
versaily common tendency of National
Guardsmen to disregard the forms of mil
itary courtesy and respect so essential TO
true military discipline. The effort of all
officers and non commissioned officers will
be directed to the instruction of members
of their respective organizations in their
duty in this regard. bearing in mind at all
times that example on the part of superiors
is ever an easy and useful lesson to the in
feriOr Officers and soldiers alike must
he mi nd "a he ga iS n
act of courtesy, involving neither servility
nor dcgra dation, and whatever be the at
tftude maintained between the military SUI
perior and inferior in their civil relations,
in the military the SureSt mark of intelli-
gent appreciation of the obligations as
sumed by all alike in taking the prescribed
oaths is a punctilious observance of all the
forms which experience and good order
have set in government of the relations
between inferior and superior in the mil
itary service.
ITO facilitate military instruction, organ
izatiOn commanders will see that sufficient
copies of the regulation books and manuals
are taken 10 camp in order that due refer
ence may be made to them by all concern
ed preparatory to the officers and nom
commissioned officers schools in camp,
hereafter TO be arranged for and ordered.
Instructions in Guard Duty.
aside from the general routine of exer-
cses and instruction hereafter to be pre-
scribed. special attention of all command
ing officers will be directed to instruction
in guard duty in all its phases and require
mentS. Each soldier must not only DE in
structed in the general duties of sentinel.
but will be taught TO recite the general or
ders and so soon as possible after their
PRONUNCIATION, the special orders for senti-
nes in camp. Officers of the day and Off
GERS and non-commissioned officers of the
guard will be held to rigid responsibility for
the proper performance of guard duty in
hDi of a
quireTnents pertaining thereto.
The course of instruction to he pursued
in this encampment Will embrace the gen
eral duties of the soldier in camp and in
active field operations, 1t is designed that
Camp Ordway" shall be maintained and
conducted as a permanent camp, or base
of supplies to an imaginary army in the
field the plan being TO require of each
ganization at least four days actual field
exercise and practice march outside of
camp. including exercises in advance and
rear guards, formations for attack and de-
Tense, reconnaissance patrol, outpost duty,
etc. A special report of each of the field
exercises will be required of the command
ing officer concerned. accompanied by a
Typographical sketch of road travelled by an
acting engineer officer to be detailed for
each expedition.
The Daily Details.
Camp guard duty will be by regiments
and separate battalions, and, in addition 10
the required guard details for each regi-
mental and separate battalion guard, there
will be detailed daily, beginning June 8.
one sergeant and four privates from each
battalion TO constitute a brigade headquar-
tiers guard. These details will be duly
mounted daily at the guard mounting of the
respective organizations to which they be-
long, and will be required to fall out on
reaching the regimental or separate battal-
ion guard tent, and thence ordered to be
reported by the sergeant of the guard detail
to the adjutant general at brigade head
quarters without the least delay.
From each detail of four privates thus
reported for headquarters guard duty
headquarters orderly will be selected by the
adjutant general in accordance with the re-
auiraments of paragraph ls3, Manual of
Guard Duty, L. S. Army. The headquarters
guard will be under the immediate COM
mand of the field officer of the day.
Guard mounting, beginning June :, VIII
occur daily as follows: For the LIST Regt-
ment, at am; for the I'd Regiment, at
$50 a. M; for the LIST Separate Battalion.
at am.
The band and corps of field music will
alternate in the performance of duty at
guard mountings, except on such days when
special exigencies of the service will rem
der necessary specific orders for brigade
p I,a,1