Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-19
Will Not Take Part in Coast Artillery
Exercises.
BREAKS UP REGIMENTAL UNITS
Gen. Murray Urges Retention Of the
Adopted Scheme-Acting Secretary
Oliver Writes to Gov. Hughes.

| ment's invitation amounting to a positive
| declination. Acting Secretary Oliver Is
still endeavoring to secure the cooperation
! of the New Workers. in this important
scheme of military defense, and to the end
| that the people may know the facts, has
| made public the correspondence which has
taken place between the War Department
| and the New York state authorities.
| March IA the plans for the joint drills
| were submitted to the governor Of New
York indicating clearly how the New ork
militamen were to be divided into com
| panies and assigned to the various forts in
| New York harbor 1t was particularly
| pointed out that the state troops assigned
| to coast artillery would have two distinct
classes of duties, one In the state, as IN
fantry and the other under the United
States coast artillery. In the latter ca
pacity they put aside temporarily all con-
nection or relation with any organization
of higher unit than the company.
New York Declines.
The adjutant general of New York de-
clined the invitation because the colonel of
the 18th Regiment, Heavy Artillery, re-
ported that the scheme would result in
serious disadvantage through the breaking
up of their regimental organizations: that
not more than 80 per cent of the guards
men would attend; that the forts were
near at hand that those going would meet
with continued requests from their employ
ers to excuse their men. Says Gen. Roe:
NO language l could use would be ade-
quate to express my disapproval of the
scheme.
The colonel of the It'll Regiment of In
fantry reported that It's detail as a regi-
ment would be most acceptable, but the
detail of it's companies as individual units
would fail to be of such benefit as infan-
try state troops can receive in biennial field
work. Therefore. Major Gen. Roe recon-
| mended to the governor that coast
tllery be sent as a reserve and no infantry
as supports" Acting Secretary Oliver re-
ferred these communications to the chief
of artillery and Gen. Murray indorSed them
as follows:
Gen. Murray's Comment.
while it is to be regretted that the
state of New York has troops which
can participate in the joint army and
militia coast defense exercises without
prohibitive sacrifices of efficiency and
spirit, the fact remains that regmental
organizations have no proper relation, ad-
minstrative or tactical, to the needs Of
coast artillery service, and it is, there
fore, impossible for the chief of artillery to
recommend that regiments be assigned as
units to this service under the command
of their own regimental field officers.
THE chiefs of artillery and the War
Department have repeatedly announced
that the only organization that is properly
adapted to the needs of Coast artillery
service is one of independent companies,
able in numbers CT officers and men, de-
pending the caliber and number of
guns in the batteries to which they might
be assigned A fixed unit like regiment
composed of companies of equal and fixed
size is absolutely a misft when applied to
the service of the armament of a coast
fort, as much SO as 1t would be If applied
to the service of the armament of a bat
tleship.
1T is recommended that the scheme set
forth in circular No. II. War Department.
| hn ct rod r. i'm
regard to this question, and that the War
Department advise in all cases that troops
assigned to coast artillery service in the
| forts must go there as Independent COM
| panies that If any regiment of state
| militia be assigned to coast artillery duty,
| it's regimental organization Will have to be
| laid aside leaving its state armory for
| duty at the forts, and that the field and
! staff officers thereof will have to go to the
| forts as individuals for instruction in coast
| artillery duties appropriate to their re-
| spective grades.
| 1T is recommended that such of the
| ganized militia as cannot conform to these
| requirements be not assigned to coast ar
| tilery duty. Those troops which must re-
| tain their regimental organization in order
| to preserve their morals and efficiency
| should be assigned to infantry duties rather
than to coast artillery duties. This is, in point
| of fact. required by the Dick bill, which
| prescrbes that, after five years from the
| passage of the act the militia shall have
| the same organization as the same arm In
! the regular army, If the benefits of the act
| are to accrue to the organization, and the
| organization Of the coast artillery of the
| regular army is corps of independent
| coast artillery companies.
| 1T is recommended that the authorities Of
| New York be requestedst ito indicate, as soon
! as it is convenient. whether troops will be
| designated to participate in joint exercises
| in accordance with the conditions enun-
| ciated in circular No. II, w. d.
| Assignment Of Forces.
| Forts Terry and Wright pertain natu-
| rally to Connecticut and the troops of that
| state have already been assigned to duty
| at these forts during the joint exercises.
| 1t is not practicable to assign any other
| militia companies to duty thereat. SINH
| larry, Fort Hancock pertains to New Jer-
| sey and New Jersey troops have been
| signed there. 1t was assumed that the de-
lenses at Throgg's Neck and the Narrows
are the ones to which New York troops
| should be assigned, and recommendations
| were made accordingly in circular No. II.
w. D.
1.-The troops assigned to defend the land
| approaches to the batteries, called in the
| scheme artillery supports will serve as
| infantry only and will retain at all times
! the infantry Organization. 1t was thought
| that a regimental organization would be
be made for the defenses of separated forts.
| like Totten and Schuyler, and Hamilton
and Wadsworth.
| 1.-The scheme presented for New York
| for these exercises contemplated that the
| twelve coast artillery Companies Of the
| 18th Regiment would be assigned fol-
| lows:
Five companies at Fort Totten. three at
| Fort Schuyler and four at Fort Hamil-
| ton.
"That the one five-company separate
| battalion shown on the list of state forces
| would be assigned artillery reserves at
! Fort Wadsworth: that one Of the eleven
company regiments would make up the
! supports for Forts Hamilton and Wads-
worth. and that one of the four-company
separate battalions would make up the
supports at Forts Totten and Schuyler.
| ''If it is possible to arrange to have In
| dependent companies for artillery reserves,
| the sizes Of the artillery supports could be
| modified within certain limits, but If the
/ former is not practicable, it is recon-
! mended that the exercises be not attempt
| cd this year In the eastern and southern
artillery districts of New York -.
| Appeal to Gov. Hughes.
Replying today to Gov. Hughes. Acting
Secretary Oliver, transmitting Gen. MUIR
Trays Endorsement, has expressed the hope
that New York viii not fall to respond
| because of the unfortunate conditions that