The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-01


 struction Is given in care of the sick or wounded. No instruction in litter drill or first aid. No company has litter at it's armory, but each regiment has six filters at its headquarters, which are stored with property and used in camp only.
 The First Regiment of Infantry had a band in uniform at the inspection, fully equipped with instruments. which for meriy were carried by the Second Ala bama Volunteer Infantry. having been presented by citizens to that regiment.
 The Second Regiment had no band or ganized at the date of inspection at Montgomery. where band has since then been enlisted, using private instruments | and as yet without uniforms. As the regimental commander has failed to fur nish a certificate of their enlistment. with names of absentees, they are not included in the enlisted strength of the regiment.
 The Third Regiment has no band. but | engages a private band, when 1t goes into camp. Most of the companies of this regiment served in the First Alabama Volunteer Infantry. in 1898, which regi- ment had instruments, but the location of such instruments at present is unknown.
 The cavalry and artillery have no bands.
 Criticism of the Guard. No regiment has given sufficient atten- | tion to small arms practice, no instruc- | ton whatever having been given in the State in the preliminary exercises. esti- nation of distances or gallery practice Tn the First Regiment practice was had | in camp last year by all companies, and most of the companies have had a Him. ited amount of practice at their home stations. The State makes no allowance | for target practice, but I am told cap- tains may obtain authority to expend ammunition for practice. Lack of prac- | tice seems due to lack of interest and energy on the part of company command CTS rather than lack of authority to ex- pend ammunition. The regimental com- mander has taken sufficient interest in the subject, and the companies stationed with him, at Mobile. have had the most practice. A team from this regiment won a prize at an interstate rife con- | test at Savannah, Ga., in 1902. going there at their personal expense. and the colo mel has presented each member of the l team with a medal.
 In the Second Regiment a range was established at their camp in 1902, but so l late in the week. that the companies were not all able to practice, six of them firing | at skirfnish figures from 600 to POO yards, advance and retreat. Very little benefit was derived from such practice the men not knowing whether or not their shots were good. and gaining no information of the proper adjustment of their sights. In the Third Regiment no practice at | all was had in camp, 1902, the claim be- ling made that it was impossible to select a range near camp. As the camp was at | Birmingham, and the Birmingham com panies report practice at their home sta | tion, it seems that a range might have been found, or the camp located where practice would have been possible. Major Daniels battalion of this regiment meets once each year for competitive firing, at some station of the battalion These com panies and the two at Birmingham are the only ones in which the subject seems to have received any attention.
 The artillery battalion had practice at their camp in 1902 with the 32 inch B. l.. steel rifle of Battery "B.' the 3-inch M. | l.. rifles, 1.65 Hotchkiss mountain gun and ] with Calling guns over ranges from b5O to 1 230O yards. Much practical benefit was obtained These batteries should be per mitted to camp near the batteries of Pen sacola this year. that they may receive | the necessary instruction in artillery practice from the officers and men of the Coast Artillery stationed near there. In the cavalry squadron. which camped at Birmingham after the Third Infantry had left the camp, there was no practice, | though it must surely have been prac- ticable to have pistol practice. No troop has had practice at its home station, though the infantry have used ranges at the home stations of three of the four troops
 In all organizations there was apparent a general ignorance by enlisted men of the method of adjusting the sights of their small arms. Very few men called upon by the inspector could adjust the sights at ranges designated or read them when adjusted by the inspector. Instruc- l ton such as this could be imparted at drill in the armories, and without 1t the organizations would be unable to fire ex- cept at point blank ranges "-
 The Yearly Camps. H sr~
 The appropriation for camp purposes has been referred to. Under this au- thority, the troops are sent into camp once each year. Some good is accom- plished but there has been too much tendency to devote time in camp to com pany drills that could as well have been at their home stations. Dress parade seems to have received undue attention, as it was spectacular and pleased the cit izens of the city. near which the camp had been located, many of whom had subscribed to bring the camp to their home.
 | In all but the First Infantry Colonel DuMont), a general mess was conducted | for officers and men, the food being cooked bv servants. In the First Infan- try the food was bought and distributed by the regimental commissary, and com panies were required to conduct company messes While the cooking was done by hired servants, the men learn ed something of the handling Of the ration In this regiment, also, com panies were required to pitch their own | tents, after arrival at camp; while the other organizations went to the expense of hiring men to pitch the tents. The regimental headquarters reports show the amount of tentage and mess furniture possessed by each regiment. The mess l equipment has been purchased by each regiment. The mess equipment has been purchased from funds allotted to the regi- ments for camp purposes and is consider ed regmental property.
 While there seems to be sufficient tent age for the three infantry regiments to camp the number of men who attend camp, there Is not sufficient for their en- listed strength. and there is none in the State for the artillery and cavalry. which must use the infantry tentage, after those regiments have had their camp.
 The camp of the 1st ipfanty. forty miles from Mobile. was the only one free from | the pernicious influence of the picnic kfeature too prominent in the others through their proximity to the cities The State owns no transportation Eacn regiment made its own arrangements for hauling baggage from the cars to camp, some having for this out of their allot-