The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-20
GUARDS CENTENNIAL
ans WILL CELEBRATE ITS
'oi+ ,ooTH ANNIVERSARY MAY 1.
MEMORABLE MILITARY EVENT.
rvYOR AND OTHER DIsTIN-
~ cIIsHED GUESTS EXPECTED.

.aIiOn VIII ne AoO AeHs Va" OA
- /. and the Day Will Be CeIe-
tod by a Street Parade, the
mand Escorting the Veterans
cn.-Review in Park Extension.
nd BANQUET at Night-About
400 VIII Be Seated-Omcers of
c.ntain,s Rank or Higher of Other
,ocaI Commands Invited-History
= the Organization That VIII
CELEBRATE Its Centennial.
Tho savannah Volunteer Guards will
&. nm wears old May 1, and the CEN
..,nial celebration of the corps Will
an event long to be remembered.
nronarations for it have been going
for weeks, and the members in
barge of the arrangements expect to
.ear a display and an entertainment
hat will be a revelation.
The afternoon of May 1 will be sig
nolized by a street parade, in which
,ho Guards will act as an escort to
tso veterans Corps. This parade will
animate in the Park Extension, where
ha,+aIion parade will be held and
r.bere the Guards will be reviewed,
noseibIv by the Governor, who has
b4en invited to be present and whose
occentauce is expected. The review
n.fl close the afternoons ceremonies.
In the Guards Hall, at night,
great banquet will take place,
Of which some 400 will be
sao+ed The Guards have sent
invitations to all officers Of other
commands in the city of or above the
rank of captain, and it will be not
able gathering of the military. Dis
+inction will be loaned by the pres
encA Of the Governor, who is expected
IN he one of the speakers. Col. w. S.
Rasinrer of Athens, a former COM
roander of the Guards, and other dis
tinquished Georgians are among the
invited guests.
Present strength of Guards.
In officers and enlisted men the
Guards now number 223. There are
nine officers and nom commissioned Of
4cers of the staff, which runs the to-
tai strength to 232 active members.
Mai William w. Williamson is COM
Wander of the Guards, and his staff
is COMPRISED as follows: First Lieu
tenant and Adjutant H. L. Richmond,
First Lieutenant and Inspector of Rifle
Practice w. G.. Austin, First Lieuten-
ant and Commissary John D. Carswel'
First Lieutenant and Quartermaster j.
". Motto, Jr., First Lieutenant ana
Surgeon Craig Barrow, Sergt. Maj. j.
=. Warning, Color Sers cant c. j. Hun
ter. and Commissary Sergeant C. II.
Banks The officers of the four COM
lanies of the battalion are as follows:
Company A-Capt. James NJ. Rogers,
First Lieutenant John A. Hutton ana
Second Lieutenant George freeman.
Company B-Capt. William B. Steph-
ems, First Lieutenant r. G. Turno and
Second Lieutenant Ed. +. Lowell, Jr.
Company Capt. F. c. Wilson,
First Lieutenant ]. S. Bond and Sec
ond Lieutenant A. B. Green.
Company D--Capt. w. L. Ptitchard,
First Lieutenant A. D. Johnstoa and
Second Lieutenant George II Ellis.
The Veterans Corps comprises many
Of the older members of the Guards,
who are no longer active in the orgar-
ization. Their interest remains, how
ever. and they are ever ready to ali
the command in any way that offers.
The officers Of the Veteran Corps are
John R. Dillon, captain; John NJ 3ry-
an. first lieutenant, and Davis Free
mar, second lieutenant.
Indicative of the interest that the
older members of the Guards feel in
the command and it's success is the
promptness with which they have res
pended to the appeals for subscriptions
to the centennial fund. 1t is said that
$1,000 will be expended for the banquet
and in nthar and arlV all of
this amount has been raised among
the older members of the corps.
Organized as "A Company.
Though there are now four compan-
les in the Guards, at the time of the
organization in 1902 there was but one.
This company held its first parade on
May of that year, and that date
therefore, has been regarded as its
anniversary. Twenty days later the
company paraded in honor of Vice
resident Aaron Burr, who paid Sa-
vannah visit. The uniform at that
ume was blue, lightly trimmed with
Ied, with gold bars across the breast
SAuI year or so ago, when the
Guards were Withdrawn from the First
regiment of Infantry and constituted
Cle FIRST Battalion of Heavy Artillery,
Georgia State Troops, as they are now
olciaily designated, they were the
Caest infantry corps in Georgia. AS
eney are now artillery, though they
ghg to the term Company" prefer
ing It to battery" they rank second
W me Chatham Artillery, which COM
'''allu was organized in 1856.
Guards First Captain.
t. IT, John Cumming was the first cap
vi oan OF the Guards. He was an Irish
b,, uH Dy birth, and one of the leading
t a. men of the city. He assisted
lganlzing and was the first presi-
NJ u = OF the famous Hibernian Society
H. savannah. Capt. Cumming lost his
NO. while making trip from Savan-
lasti 10 Baltimore on the steamer Pu-
nsr,i., Inc Guards and the Hibernians
tb5,ttelpated in the funeral exercises
Cs"ere held in his honor. 1
Capt James Marshall succeeded
~ Cumming in 1908 Under his
His 1eIshlp the corps prospered greatly.
Ia S eonamlssioned officers were Lieuts.
WI Machin, Frederick S. Fell, Steele
erts. De1-Son anu Jonn l.. rsoo-
eco utlhg Capt. MarshalHs tenure of Of
cntAe War Of 1872 occurred and the
Via as We're mustered into the SER
fe1s.oI the United States for coast de-
Save As the enemy did not approach
ttn,a5i dh' however, this service con-
war ior but a month. During this
can halt the Guards and the Republi-
justine, Fla. '''''
wbos T. Fell succeeded Capt. Marshall
the IN .He latter was made colonel Of
succeessiIIInient. but his regime was not
hava slui The command is said &c
in 1e,e t8psed under his leadership, but