New-York tribune., 1906-06-17
STATE CAMP DAYS.
Contrast of Past and Present-7Ist
Regiment and Squadron { There.

and there are few who march up the Hill from
Roa Hook now who trod the winding roadway
twenty-five years ago. There has been almos
an entirely new roster made. Privates then are
officers to-day. some of them, and more of then
are out Of the guard. Some years the season
has been short others long last year being the
shortest-three weeks. But in the old days
= the tours were much longer. seldom less than
eight weeks once nine. beginning early I'm June
and extending into August. Then every state
regiment had a week under canvas each year;
now each regiment. battery troop has al
ternate year The guardsmen who come
up visitors. and there are hundreds of them
every year and the visitors who have been
coming year after year find many changes not
only in camp. but in its manners, its routine. its
surroundings and the discipline OF the men.
There were no automobiles in the olden days,
and now not day passes but one wheels up past
Battery Hill to the big field. Last Sunday
there We're nine big touring sllirting the
bluff at evening parade. There many
changes on the big plateau and the customs
there. The chaplains of the regiments used to
come up with the men. On Sundays. at II o'clock.
the drums Of the field music were brought into
requistion and piled into pulpit, the American
flag was draDed over them. and out under the
spreading trees on the bluff overlooking the
Hudson such men as Henry Ward Beecher
ing service. 4 regimental band of fifty to sew
enty pieces would play stirring hymns Eight
or nine hundred male voices from as many
guardsmen would make the air ring with old
familiar hymns. People would flock from
Peekskill and the surrounding country and
would come UP on the earliest train from New
York 10 be present at one of these inspiring
outdoor services and hear sermons by men
Of note.
For the last dozen years. with few excep-
tons, post band has furnished the music 1t
comes with the opening Of camp and goes with
ITS closing. ana receives $500 week, the amount
allowed by the state. 1t furnishes fairly good
marching music. but what TO the music of old
days? The names of Cappa and Gilmore will
ever remain green in the memory of thousands
Of guardsmen who have trod with martial steps
behind their stirring airs. Such music 'at sound
off in the evening parade-dress parade it
called then a play ceremony, now evening
parade, After that ceremony a concert in front
Of the coonels tent with printed programme.
II was not unusual 10 have a thousand spectators
remain after parade TO hear Gilmore or Cappa
lead his band in classical and popular music
from to g: 80 o'clock At guard mount at all
functions, a band Of seventy pieces and field
music Of fifty more fairly made the hills re-
echo with the strains of martial airs
The list Regiment which has occupied the
greatest part Of the camp and the public's at
Iention this week is of the best known and
Oldest in the National Guard. According 10
AdJutant Carlton Greene's figures on Wednesday
there are ten companies, divided into two bat
talions. The total strength Of the regiment is
6S3 men and officers. There have been in camp
462 men and 80 officers, a total of sol. The
officers include IA field and staff and 25 line
officers. Company B, Captain Walter Schuyler
Beekman, is the largest SO officers and men and
73 present at camp. The smallest is Company
c. with So officers and men and 81 present
There is no captain of that COMPANY at present,
but First Lieutenant John T. Jenkins, of Ossin-
ing, is in charge The only absentee of the
staff officers in camp is Chaplain Tilton who
reported for service last Sunday and then re-
turned To the cit-.
The 71st has an excellent record and was or
ganized in lS52. The battalion of four com
panies, the American Rifles, formed the nucleus
of the regiment. on September 21, 1870, the
- o'th Regiment was consolidated with the list
Regiment Companies E D. II. A. G. K and p
Of the 37th being united with companies A C.
D. z F, and X OF the list respectively. In
ts 1851 il entered the United States service for
three months, from April y TO July 30 MAY %
1862 il re-entered the same service for three
months, a. the expiration Of which it volunteered
J.
1862 fl was mustered into the United States ser
vice for thirty days, and served from june i 10
july -. April 2N. lS9> II received authority to
organize as twelve company regiment pre-
paTatory 10 sits entry into the United States
service IN which ii was mustered May TO- 1895,
as the list Regiment United States Volunteer
infantry ana mustered out November Is 1898
on December g. 1895. ii was reorganlzed as 2
-Nauohal Guard regiment. composed OF ten com
panies, COMPANIES / and N being disbanded
The regiment has authority to place silver
rings on the Iances Of its colors engraved as
follows; On the national color. AIexandris
Va May Il. 1861 Aqua Greek Va. Nav n
1861 Matthias Point Va June y 1851 R,u
Run, Va July =. 1861. Tennallvtovn. d 9
1862 Washington, d. c. 1852. Getrysh,,re cam
paiSn 1853 Kingston, Penn June &c. 1854. Near
Harrisburg. Penn june %. 1868: Spanish-
American War. 1898; Cuba. June. july and
August, 1898; san Juan Hill July / 1898: SIEGE
"i Santiago de Cuba, July TO H. 1888 On the
state co!ors. Dead rabbit rio;. 1871: quarantine
riots. -h5s. draft riots. 1868, Orange rios. 1871.
ial-Toad riots 1917, Buffalo 1892. Rrool;Ivn
lsS- The present commander of the regiment
oolonei William Graves Bates has been in The
+ National Guard twen1y-nine years H enlisted
r u the an Regiment Company X on December
o. l1'' was made corporal November % 1882
sergeant December i, 1884, sergeant ma ior
, March p, 1881 He then became regimentaI
aa3uiant with the grade II first lieutenant in
me list Regiment, May Is. 1892. was captain
Nay y. 1895, major May J.. 1893 and colonel
November g, 1899. lie brevetted bricadier
general on August H. 1909. In tae armies Of
the United States he was first lieutenant and
tegimental adjutan' II The list Regiment Vol
uhieers- May . 1895 and captain and assistant
aaJuian' general United States Volunteers, June
- October l.. 1928