Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-04-26
RECOMMENDATIONS oFlNTEREsT
TO COAST ARTILLERYMEN.
What Officers Think of the Tour Of
Duty Last Year.

The war department has just issued
a pamphlet giving extracts from the
reports of the regular and militia Of
ficers on the joint army and militia
coast defence exercises last summer.
Each state is treated separately, and
the report contains many recommen-
dations of interest to national guard
men.
The principal report for Connecticut
is made by Col. c. D. Parkhurst, COM
handing the artillery district of New
London, who says:
AT the guns and at drills generally,
the men showed more aptitude and
progress than the officers in many
cases; the officers seemed to be both
ignorant and more or less Indifferent,
with a lack Of confidence in them
selves that is much to be deplored.
Want Of proper books, etc, for the
drills for study at home stations prob
ably accounts for this in general and
the very latest and best drill regula-
tons should be supplied to all COM
panies for study and use at home sta
tons. Now that assignments have
been made to guns, and a beginning
made, such assignments should be
made permanent, and each company,
commissioned, personnel and all, con-
fine itself to studying the duty and
OTll OF It's SpeCldI guns.
Colonel Parkhurst makes the follow
ing recommendations: The supply at
once Of standard range finding equip
ments to all of the armories for use in
home instruction and a supply"of PAM
phlets and drill regulations to all COM
panies of the militia coast artillery.
The permanent assignment of compa-
MES to guns and, if possible, batteries,
so that each company can concentrate
rTNr % A,4 IL -E
and not diffuse its efforts over all guns.
Drill regulations sent out from Wash
ington are said to have been old pro
visional pamphlets and not the latest
standard books. If special pamphlets
on the guns and carriages assigned to
any certain company could be printed
and sent to that company II would
have what it needs, and thus confine
itself to its special gun and drill. It
is useless to expect that the militia
can familiarize itself with the drills
Of all kinds Of guns in the coast ar
tillery service.
"A field hospital has never been pro-
vided for any of the camps so far.
Recommended that such a field hos
pitaI be provided, with cook house,
mess shelter, latrine and lavatory for
eac hcamp in the future.
Col. Gilbert L Fitch of the Conneeti-
cut Coast Artillery corps says: I rec
ommend: Next tour Of duty to be for a
period Of two weeks, and that more
officers Of regulars be detailed for
duty that United States government
provide building at each post for the
storage Of camp equipment; liberal al
loWance of sub-caliber ammunition:
change hours for lecture to daytime.
to have evenings for social visits, etc;
complete range finding equipment to
be installed at the eight armories at
once, and that each company be in
structed by regular officers once each
month, or oftener II possible
Maj. Hadlai Hull reports: Repeat
recommendation Of last year to supply
complete sets Of range finding appara-
tus. Schoo! Of instruction in the even
ings productive of good results, and
officers should be detailed for similar
talks at home stations; electricity and
kindred subjects for coast artillery
Should be treated in pamphlets FOR and
brought within reach Of national guard
Capt. ]. Walter Libby Of the First
company. Connecticut Coast artillery,
reports: Measures should be taken to
make employers less reluctant in al
lowing men to go to camp. Coast ar
tillery most attractive to most young
men, but fear loss Of civil employ
ment a serious drawback, which should
be overcome. One employer said: "Fe
didn't want any member of the Con-
necticut National guard around" this
from a firm controlled by one of the
New London city officials.