New-York tribune., 1908-07-19
GEN. GRANT SUMS UP
PRAISES N. Y. TROOPS.
Work at Pine Camp Most Success
ful-Soldiers Benefited.

General Frederick Dent Grant commanding the
Department of the East. returned to Governors
Island yesterday from the encampment AT f1ne
Plains. N Y. where he has been putting national
s,,ard troops and regulars through vigorous
course of sprouts" He was sunburned and
healthy looking and said he was greatly pleased
with the results of the work at Pine Camp
II think it was most successful camp. he said
II worked the men pretty hard-about as hard as
they could stand, guess, but they didn't seem 70
mind and Il know they received much beneht from
the work there The national guardsmen ana the
regular troops worked together well About the
only thing in the OF an official report WHICH
can give you is what the inspector OF Pennsyi-
vania who came up there to pay OF the troops
told He said that he took vote OF the Penn
sylvania troops what they thought OF the camp
and the work there. and 90 per cent OF the men IN
the ranks told him they believed they had received
much more benefit than they ever had from Their
state encampments, and they liked this plan
greatly.
"Of course. at first, the men may have been
somewhat disappointed for they were worked hard
there wasn't the air of recreation about Pine
Camp which some of them say they have at the
state encampments But they gained by attention
to business. The last problem showed that IL was
a dawn attack and the men came up to 1.-THE men
on both sides-spendidy almost like regular armies
in the field. 1t almost perfect. a marked I'M
provement the preceding problems
''The first phase lasted only eight days-the Mass
achusetts troops-and there one Sunday then
in the second phase there were two sundays ana
the Fourth Of July, while in the third phase there
was a long stretch of work with only one Sunday.
/ took the men out the night Of the 18th and they
conducted themselves we'll 1t raining hard
but those Pennsylvania boys scratched around like
rats-they had equipment but they built tnen-
selves line of intrenchments and fortified them
selves there. They didn't turn in until 1 o'clock
and then the attack about 2:30 1 got out
between the lines when the problem was being
developed to see how the troops handled them
selves They deployed splendidly; it was excellent
work, easily the best development OF any OF the
problems set for the men at the encampnlent.
There many things to be learned at camp
like Pine Camp" went on General Grant The
troops say. from New York. who drill In their
ar1nories. know very little about guard duty patrol
and outpost duty-that sort Of thing All that they
have to learn. Take the troops from the country,
and they know nothing about work in formation
above the unit of company-nothing of drill by
regiments. and almost nothing of battalion drill
All this they got, and the of all branches OF
the service showed good results from their drilling
with the regulars and men Of other commands"
How did the New York State troops compare
with those from othe states?" was asked
VERY favorably." replied General Grant.
Squadron A and Squadron c. Troop and Troop
D did fine work The cavalry a whole was spen-
did, just splendid. Squadron A is a fine body OF
men," General Grant laughed heartily as an Incl
dent of the camp life struck him.
IT take 1t that It was a bit of facetiousness," he
chuckled. Just before Squadron A left camp a
delegation of the men called me and said they d
had splendid time at the camp. had enjoyed the
work and certain they had made great I'M
provement. But they had one kick to register, they
said they had not had enough to do. Nevertheless
1 thought they had been worked pretty we'll
"The New York State men showed up WELL" con-
tinued the general. land the cavalry troops were
splendid. The 23d Regiment not quite up to
Squadron A and Squadron c. but, on the other
hand, I think possibly its members gained a little
from their camp experience
General Grant said he had not seen the report OF
Lieutenant Colonel Glenn and Captain Johnson on
the use of automobiles In field tactics He came
through ali right in my car, he said
The report to the advsabty Of the govern
ment's buying the territory at Pine Camp for reg1-
lar encampments of this sort has been forwarded
to Washington. General Grant says the place. nat
urally, has disadvantages we'll advantages
but he is inclined to favor it.
TT is not so central could wsh,'' he de-
cared. ''If could get place about hun
dred miles to the south and east, about 80 per cent
of the cost of transporting troops could be saved,
and the cost of transportation is one of the most
important items. But. the other hand, there Is
q large of land there, the water is good, and
the land reasonable in price and adapted to work
of this character"