Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-01

Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy REGISTER

Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.
The War department has issued the order
designating officers Of the army, thirty from
the infantry and fifteen from the cavalry
FOR term Of instruction at the infantry
and cavalry school at Fort Leavenworth
Kan The preparation OF the order was
attended with considerable difficulty, mas.
much as the commanding officers making
the nominations from among the officers
Of their regiments failed to observe the
regulations limiting the details to those
who had served four years This was
sumed in many cases to render eligible
those officers Of cavalry and infantry regi-
ments who had been appointed on Feb
ruary 2, 1901, upon which date many Of
| tcers are recorded as entering the military
service. As a matter OF fact, most of those
who were appointed at that time did not
accept until some time afterward, in sew
eral cases the period being months. It
so happened that I'm many OF the nomina-
tions made by regimental commanders the
Junior officers had not served four years
In the military establishment, taking the
date of acceptance as the one from which
the four-year period should be reckoned.
This has caused much correspondence be
tween the war department and the officers
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and resulted in the delay in the completion
of the draft Of the order in the military
secretary's Office OF course. the selection
of officers for duty at the Fort Leaven-
worth school is confined to those Of regi-
ments serving in this country. and while
there will be an equivalent OF one officer
for each regiment OF infantry and cavalry,
there are commands from which more than
one officer is chosen, to make up for the
absences caused by the regiments stationed
in the Philippines and Alaska.
The War department is advised Of the
arrival at the front with the Russian
troops of General T. II. Barry and Cap
tain s. A. Cloman, Twenty-third infantry.
1t is understood that those officers are at
the Russian headquarters. Nothing has
been heard of Colonel John Van r, Hoff of
the medical department, who left this
country with General Barry and Captain
Cloman as a military observer, but 1t is
believed he is ut one Of the base hospitals,
possibly at Harbin. 1t is also learned that
Major M. NJ. Macomb of the artillery corps
and general stan is at the same place from
which General Barry reported. 1t Is be-
lieved that the officers with the Russian
troops are able to see very little of what
has been going on lately, and from all
accounts the attaches with the Japanese
army are in no better position to con-
duct their observations. Ali our army Of
ficers who have returned from duty in
Manchuria have made their reports with
the exception of Colonel E II. Crowder,
who is at work on his comment.
Arrangements have been made by the
army ordinance Office for the manufacture
of the new scabbard for the bayonet,
adopted by the War department a result
of the consideration of the subject by a
special committee of the general stan and
in accordance with report which has been
printed in the Register, The scabbard will
be made of pine, covered with hard raw
hide, which will be allowed to shrink, and
then be covered with russet leather, which
is also put on wet. Altogether this will
furnish fine looking article. 1t has been
decided by the ordinance officers to have
the nouthpiece of steel, with hook of
the same form as that now used on the
present scabbard. The new bayonet has
l6-inch blade, and will have new de-
sign of catch which not only secures the
bayonet to the rife, but also holds 1t in
the scabbard. The bayonets will be made
at the Springfield armory and at the Rock
Island arsenal, while all the scabbards Will
be made at Rock Island.
The chief of ordinance of the army has
taken such action as will place the service
in possession of 1,OOO OF the new
type of sword, adopted on the recommen-
daticn Of the special committee Of the gem
eral STAFF, the report from which source
has been printed in full in these columns,
1t is planned to issue the swords to the
cavalry and mounted field officers and the
noncommissioned staff OF infantry regi-
ments, for the purpose of giving It full
and complete trial under practical condi-
tions af service. II is required that re-
ports shall be submitted from the sources
where the sword is thus used, in order to
see whether there is necessity for further
! change as result of the experience OF
| the officers The new sword will have the
| same blade as that now in service, the
handle being longer and the guard of solid
metal. The scabbard will be of wood,
covered with leather.
A chaplain of the Michigan militia does
| not see why there should not be distinctive
insignia for those Of his rank and calling
IN the military establishment. One of the
questions recently submitted to the general
| staff of the army has come from Chaplain
White of the First infantry regiment of
the National guard of that state. He asked
| II chaplains wear insignia OF rank and II
not he wanted to know on what grounds
surgeons are given such insignia and chap
lains denied it. The reply of General Chat
! fee is that for reasons deemed conclusive
| IN. uniform order prescribes that chap
lains do not wear any insignia Of rank
| that IL there are any reasons which seem
TO Chaplain White to Justify a change In
the existing regulations in that respect. II
! he will forward them to Washington they
will receive consideration when the uniform
! order is next revised
THE LAWS DELAY.