The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-12-18
COMPANY / AMONG
EFFICIENT ONES
Lieut. Chapman Says a Good
Word For its Captain.
FIVE COMPANIES BELOW PAR
Annual Report Of Inspecting ofieer Of
National Guard Contains Many Help.
ful snggestions-Pay Would In.
crease Efficiency OF Troops.

Lieut., l.. 4, |. Chapman of the 9th U
:, cavalry, who made an inspection d
the Vermont National guard for the gov
ernmcnt last March, has Just submil,e,
a import Of his findings. lie declare,
more or less inefficient. The iield staff
hospital corps aud baud lac found salts.
factory, lie speaks of the regimenta
commander and staff as men OF high
standing IN military attninmenis, az
gressi,e and deeply interested in their
work.
The companies found efficient for ser.
vice are A Of Rutland, ID of 1t, Johns.
bury, l. Of Bellows Falls, 4 Of North.
field. III Of Montpelier OF Bmttleboro
and NJ OF Burlington.
In relation TO Company !, Lieutenant
| Chapman says: General appearance
good. Men are interested in their or.
ganilatlon and their drills. Officers are
jealous and deeply interested, and Ell.
cient. The organization has improved
greatly during the year since the last an.
nual inspection. With complete equip.
ment II Is believed the company would
render good service. A close order drill
was fairly well executed. There was a
squads. Movements by twos and files
showed lack OF instruction. This com.
pany has recently been recognized and
Il is believed il will soon become eff.
Client. The company commander is a
man of high standing and takes deep in.
terest in his work and organization, and
has impaired this enthusiasm 10 Others.
Probably all of this company would IL.
spond IN case OF war or domestic emery.
ency. The company has had preliminary
instruction in target work and has both
an indoor and an outdoor range"
Ot the First Regiment band he says:
Good: band plays well and is composed
Of men who could render good service in
the field. +"
Lieutenant Chapman in his general re.
marks at the beginning OF his report rec.
ommends that the officers and men ne
ccive one days pay at United States |
rates for ~ drills per annum. This would |
be some inducement for the men TO at. |
tend the drills and would not add greatly |
to the cost of maintaining the militia by |
the state. He recommends that the an.
nual officers school now held in the win
ter take place in the summer before the
annual muster.
As result OF these recommendations
the members of Company | and other
members OF the state militia are interest.
ed in the bill now before the legislature
which provides for payment for the at.
tendance upon drills
This bill, which Is entitled an act TO in.
crease the efficiency OF the Vermont Ma.
tional Guard, calls for the payment in
July to each duly enrolled member of the
state militia half.day's pay for each
lrll not TO exceed -, which such mem.
Der shall have attended during the pre-.
'eding year This rate is to be according
% that established by the United States
government for the regular army. When
ever a member is absent from drill with.
nut authority he is to be fined an amount
,qual to what he would receive providing
ne had been present. At present the
members receive no pay for attending
lrlls
Lieutenant Chapman states that Com.
ANY b of st. Adams lacks confidence in I,
is captain and could not be relied upon
or efficient field service as now organ.
zed, but that il could be made efficient
the company commander would devote !
more attention to records and property ,,
etails. Lack of interest on the part of !
he citizens Is the reason given for the
nefiiclency of Company G Of Brandon. !,
his, he says, has a most depressing in y
uence on the men, He found the spirit Il
Company G of Bradford poor, the men
lcking snap, and recommended that the
ompany he mustered out unless marked :,
Improvement was shown. Company L OF u
ewport he characterizes as wholly in
fcient, having a disturbing subordinate
ement which must be weeded out before It
ny service can be expected of the com ~
any. He recommends new captain. v
ompany X of Bennington had no drill n
all at the time of the inspection and as
lie men had not had an opportunity for y
DIRK the inspection did not occur at a y
me which would determine its efficiency. u
The. report made by Lieut.. Chapman "
as the result of an inspection made last u
arch. Since that time, Company / has Gu
own marked improvement, both in ie
e spirit of the men and along military
les. At the present time the company m
in a high state Of efficiency. There are w
it four vacancies, and in two of these 10
ses there have been applications for en- co
tment. 1t is the desire of the captain We
d the men to have full ranks before the
d of the year. At Pine Plains where co
e regiment was encamped with the reg ne
lrs during the period usually devoted to III
state muster Company | led the state an an
yiment in the field. On the long hikes re
d tests of endurance some of which 90
re harder than those of actual warfare, 70
e men stood up well under the strain, q,
ere being but one case where a man all
opped out Of the ranks as result of
? hard and incessant work Interest in
, organization is at food tide and it
ks as though the Brattleboro company
uld hold its place at the head of the
,ment ma,