Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-02
MEN WITH THE GUNS
Excellent Work Being Done by
the District Artillery.
SIGN OF. THE RED GUID0N
Never Such Comfort in Field Known
by the Battery.
HIGH PRAISE BY CAPT. FOX
Says That the Discipline Is Excel
lent and Tells in Detail Of the
Work Of the Camp.
HIGH PRAISE BY CAPT. FOX
Special From a STAT Correspondent.

Special From Stan Correspondent.
FORT HUNT. va. August 1.-The Sign
of the Red Guidon-camp of the District
artillery-lies under the breaches of the
four S-inch rYles of Battery Mount Yer
non. To call the place an ideal camp Is
to be commonplace, nevertheless 1t II
ideal If ones ideal Of camps be high. The
battery has never known such comfort
in the fieid-a lawn as a camp-site, ade
quate tentage and cots-real cots OF the
regular army-cots that have caused en-
vious bile to rise in many a bone-aching
back-sprained and stiff-jointed battery
man at Leesbur4. Mount Gretna, Harpers
Ferry and other glory-fields On the
road march to Harpers Ferry the fol-
lowers of the scarlet guidon pitched their
pup-tents, spread a poncho and blanket
and sought repose (more or less) in stub
ble-felds. on rocky hillsides or in stumpy
underbrush along the way.
The War Department. not content with
furnishing a cot to every man. has pro-
vided a mosquito bar and netting Tor
every cot. An old batteryman told the
Sta,- man that II the present tendency
toward luxury is pursued much further
enlisted men will be given rocking chairs
and feather pillows, and that tent floors
will be covered with oriental rugs.
High Praise Of the Camp.
Can't. Fox, the commanding officer,
said:
''It is the most instructive camp we
have ever had. The discipline is excel
lent Every man is performing, his full
share of work ch.erfully. intelligently and
under good instruction. Even the old bull
section has not been riotOus. The drill
exercises are systematic and progressive,
beginning with elemental work and reach
ing battery formation by degrees. No,
sir, the silver pitcher was left in Wash
ington, and those distinguished artil-
lerists who took the degree OF the Oaken
Keg in the Mystic Council of the Foaming
FIagon are performing military service
are concealed in the bed sacks in this
camp. One reason Is we have cots In
stead OF bed sacks.
Preparatory to receiving the new field
pieces of our work in accordance with ne"
drill regulations. Instruction in horse
manship is emphasized. The object is to
make every batteryman familiar with
the care and management of a horse or
team. In our Harpers Ferry campaign
it was thought wise to make every horse
of batteryman, but conditions are now
different. No. sir; Talbert. Lowry,
Ahearn and Shannon are not with US this
summer; as said before. this camp is
one section at a time this summer. An
other innovation is that when water. and
stables are blown all my men are not
cannoneers. and when the guns are to
be cleaned they are not all drivers.
MY lieutenants are to be found in camp
and not over In the Chautauqua grounds
but forget: my mind reverts to Mount
Gretna. Nevils and Orange have not been
up to the Hilltop House this week. A
good many lace handkerchiefs are waved
at Lands. but he is such dashing officer
| that 1 have not been able to restrain the
ladies.
Schools for Non-Coms.
"A school for non-commissioned officers
is held each afternoon and the drivers and
cannoneers attend riding school. There
are range-finding exercises in the morn
ing. Ranges to all the prominent points
in the vicinity of the fort have been de-
termined by exact instruments of the
coast artillery. The battery men find
ranges to these points with the Weldon
range finder and then compare results
with those of the coast artillery.
Some vicious person has uttered a cal
jimmy by saying that the men of this
command know something of that strange
game called poker. Voght. Cornish and