The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-31
TROOPS CAPTURE CITY
MILITARY DAY A BRILLIANT SUCCESS FROM EVERY POINT.
Visiting and Local Companies in Parade Greeted by Thousands - and the Pageant Was Worthy
 the Lavish Cheers.

.It was the most successful and largest | military parade that has passed through the streets of Montgomery since the ] sham battle ten years ago. and I feel that the men reflected great credit upon the National Guard
 This is the opinion expressed by Lieu | tenant Colonel May. of the End infantry, | who commanded the big military parade which was the principal feature of the Military Day of the Fall Festival.
 There were twelve companies of infan- try, a troop of cavalry and an artillery battery. Each of the companies had we'll l filled ranks and the parade extended the length of seven or eight city blocks. There were but nine companies in the parade which was given during the Street Fair
 of 1900.
 The Montgomery Greys did not partici-
 pate in the military exercises, but the
 company was represented by its comman-
 der, Captain Dudley c. Williamson, who
 was in the distinguished party of officers who were with the reviewing officer. Col. Eugene H. Graves of Eufaula, in the-re- viewing stand at Hunters corner on Dex- ter Avenue.
 Neither Major Bricken of Luverne. Ma jor Carter of Selma, nor Major Anderson of Montgomery took part in the military exercises. The two out-of-town officers
 were detained at their homes and Major Anderson, who resides in Montgomery, sent word to military headquarters that he regretted that a pressure of private
 business caused him to be absent. The parade was divided into two bat
 talions, commanded respectively by Cap tain G. O. Dickey, commander of the Lu- verne Company, and Captain Frank s. l Austin of the Wetumpka company.
 Infantry companies from Selma, We- tumpka, Prattville, Geneva, Opelika, Ev- l ergreen, Greenvilie Luverne and Eufanla
 began to reach Montgomery on regular
 trains early yesterday morning. The
 Fort Deposit company. it will be remem- bered, came to Montgomery Tuesday evening.
 The first company to arrive yesterday morning was the crack Escambia Rifles of Pensacola Fla, forty strong, under
 command of Captain J. c. Watson. The men came in on regular passenger train, reaching here at o'clock. AL though they were dusty from travel, they
 were in excellent spirits, and the Florf- dians made fine appearance in the mar tial exercises yesterday
 | The visiting soldiers were met at the
 union railway station by detachment | from the local cavalry troop under com l mand of Sergeant Charles Dexter and the officers were greeted by local and regi-
 mental officers. The men were marched
 to the armory in the City Hall, where | their arms were stacked until in the af- | ternoon.
 | The troops were mobilized near the
 Methodist Protestant Church on BiDb and Moulton Streets, at 2:30 o'clock. Lieu | tenant Colonel May, who was to com- mand the parade, had held conference | with the line officers, and in the absence of the three regimental Majors, he des" 0 Nlolxo af verne Company to command the 1st bat talion of the parade and Captain Frank s. Austin of the Wetumpka company to command the 2nd battalion. Captain Dickey selected Lieutenant Archibald of the Prattville company as Battalion Ad- jutant, and Captain Austin selected as his Battalion Adjutant Lieutenant Pru- | den of the Eufaula company.
 Lieutenant E. E. Baber of the Mont gomery True Blues acted as Regimental Adjutant and rode with Colonel May. The parade was organized as follows: First Battalion, Capt. G. G. Dickey com manding companies from Pensacola, Fla, | Captain Watson; Evergreen Lieutenant
 Stearns Greenville, Lieutenant A. B.
 Long; Luverne, Lieutenant R. H. Adams; Eufaula. Captain G. w. Whitlock, and | the Montgomery True Blues, Captain Charles A. Allen. Jr.
 Second Battalion-Captain Austin com-
 manding companies from Prattville; Cap tain J. M Ward; Fort Deposit. Captain Dayton Plaster; Wetumpka, Lieutenant E. Taylor; Geneva, Lieutenant Collins; Opelika, Lieutenant Edwards; Selma, | Lieutenant Lardent.
 It was arranged for the battery of ar- | tillery located in Montgomery to follow the infantry company and the troop of cavalry located in Montgomery to close up the rear of the parade. The battery | was commanded by Captain Charles Hin derer and the troop was under command of Lieutenant w. O. Garside.
 Promptly at o'clock the command, Attention" was sounded in the stem torian voice of Colonel May, and in the order here set out, the big military pa- l rade began to move. It was preceded by platoon of mounted police, Colonel May his Adjutant. Lieutenant Baber and a bugler on horseback, who sounded the military commands. passing them down the line from the comma nding officer. Closely following the Colonel came the Pensacola Concert Band, which came to Montgomery with the Escambia Rines and behind the band was the Florida soldiers. There were forty of them, and they stepped with a firm tread and in close order. The Floridians have evident ly been carefully trained in this art of warfare and they made a great impress
 
 people have clamored to belong to Ala bama, and the representatives of Flori- das only seaport were given an enthusi- astic reception all along the line.
 The Alabama soldiers did not fare bad " in comparison with the Pensacola boys in blue, however. The men reflected great credit on the entire State and hum dreds of old-time National Guards officers gave voice to the same expressions as Colonel May concerni1g the excellent ex- hibition of Alabama's guardsmen.
 The parade marched north on Bibb I Street, turned into Commerce and went | by way of Commerce to Dexter Avenue | Through Dexter Avenue Colonel May led Through Decatur Street the soldiers marched to Washington and by Wash 1 ington to Bainbridge. Turning into, Bain- l bridge the soldiers went to the avenue again and thence to the Festival District 1 where 1t was reviewed by Colonel Graves after which the companies were marched l to the Armory where the men were dis missd.
 The music was feature of the parade Paoletti's Band from New Orleans was not in line, the management of the Fes- tiVal having detailed this splendid mu- siCal organization for duty al the Vaude- vile performance in the Auditorium. The Pensacola Band led the parade and the battalions were divided by the Georgia State Band. which occupied a central po- sition in the pageant.
 All along the route the soldiers were greeted by cheering thousands. Visitors by the hundreds chcred their home companies and the big crowd was unani- nous in cheering for the Florida soldiers who had travelled so great a distance to tread the streets of Alabamas Capital