Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-01

to harass and delay the march of the OPP
| posing commands.
| and when they resumed their march in
| retreat toward camp, the opposing cavalry
! forces in each case endeavored to harass
/ and cut off their rear guard.
| Field Artillery of the regulars and of the
| organized militia, drilled battery, sub
| division, for action and firing Instruction.
on the target ground field under the super
| vision of Maj. E. E. Gayle
Field Intrenchments.
| At 2:30 o'clock this afternoon the LIST
| Separate Battalion. District of Columbia /;
| the Separate Battalion Delaware militia
and the LIST Battery, District of Columbia,
reported to the chief engineer officer of
the brigade for instruction in field intrench-
ments and gun pits:
All other officers of organized militia
not otherwise disposed of for instruction
purposes, reported at their respective bat
talon headquarters to an officer of the
regular army designated by the provisional
brigade commander at the same hour for
explanation and instruction In tomorrow's
duties.
Five rounds of blank ammunition for each
rife and revolver were taken on the march
this morning. The equipment consisted of
rifles, belts and canteens, the latter filled
with boiled water
The lectures this evening will be by Col
L. NJ. Brett, adjutant general District of
Columbia militia, on "Outposts," and by
Capt F. ]. Rooster. co1nmissary United
States army. on The Use and Preparation
of the Ration
Plan Meets With Favor.
Even the enlisted men of the District Ma
tional Guard are speaking in the highest
terms of the plan being followed for drill,
of mixing up the regulars with the guards
men. Each morning thus far the regiments
nave been formed IN column of masses so
that corresponding companies of the Ma
ttonal Guard and of the regulars are
abreast of each other Each company COM
mander of the regulars has sent to the
corresponding company of the National
Guard one sergeant and two squads and
in return from him received one sergeant
and three squads Brigade commanders
have then changed one battalion of Ma
tional Guard with one battalion OF tile regu-
lars.
Guardsmen and regulars are in ranks
elbow to elbow. The enlisted man of the
National Guard, therefore has eycrv facil-
lty Tor observing at close range just how
the regular does things. Further half of
the number of District Guardsmen are
serving under army officers, while the com
pany officers of the Guard have half a com
pany of regular soldiers in the ranks with
a similar number of their own men.
81. No Hardships Experienced.
The troops of the National Guard. of the
DlStrlcl OF Colurnbla nave done and are
doing just what any other organization
would DE required to do under similar cir
cumstances That some delay was expert
enced in obtaining tentage, commissary sup
plies and the like last Saturday was due to
the fact that the methods employ Cd by the
army diner somewhat from those followed
by the National Guard in the past
Heretofore the brigade established an in
dependent camp. The commissary general
and the acting quartermaster general OF
the District militia is the same Individual
He had wagon transportation under his
control and issued supplies direct TO the
several organizations, which. by the way
were camped near one another within
limited bounds. That was all very we'll
Here things are entirely different An army
quartermaster has charge of all wagon
transportation, army commissary con-
trolls the Issue of food supplies and the
several organizations of the District Ma
tional Guard are widely scattered through
out the immense camp Through proper
channels wagons have to be obtained from
the army quartermaster and food supplies
obtained by formal reQuisition from the
army commissary. All this takes time. But
this Is a camp of instruction and the ex-
perience already derived by the citizen SOL