The Sentinel=record., 1911-03-09

new state of affairs over those that existed in the war department before the days of the Spanish-American war made more manifest than in lne quar- termasters' department. General Aleshire, with his deputies, was en- gagged in a heruclean task--he was moving a body of soldiers across the country more numerous than the en- tire force wlich was gathered at Tampa, Fla, to form the American army of occupatoin in 1898, yet there actually was no evidence to the cas- ual observers that there was in prog ress anything more than mere rou- tine business of the quartermasters department. Troops movements were proceeding with absolute accuracy, not one telegram had been received by the quartermaster general to con- plain that anything was missing es- sential to the comfort of the troops or the animals on the road.
 There was good reason for this, be cause as the records of the quarter masters department show, every de- tail of the movement had been work ed cut long in advance. Lying on the desk of the quartermaster general and in the hands of his aides were type written statements showing the exact method of routing troops and supplies from every part of the United States to San Antonio. Every particle of in formation that might be needed by the department was included. The trunk lines of railroads the small feeding lines; the water routes; the pumber of sleeping cars and flat cars and boxcars and other vehicles avail able were carefully catalogued, as was an exact record of the number of men and animals and the tons of supplies that could be handled by each carrier.
 It was not asserted that all of this data had been prepared since the or der had been given to mobilize the troops in Texas, but it was pointed out that the same information existed IS to every other point in the United States where 1t was probable there r fight be need to concentrate great body of troops. All that was part of the great work which the general staff has been doing for the last ten years, assisted to the utmost by the staff departments.
 Particular credit attaches to that part of the quartermaster generals department, which deals with water transportation. Last Tuesday four of the big army transports, the kil- patrick. Sumner, Mcclellan and the Meade were lying in the mud at New port News. They had long been out of commission with small crew of caretakers to look after them The captains and few of the engineer officers were available and were or dered at once to put the first three named saips into commission. It was not beli ved that the Meade would be needed at present. Orders were tele- graphed to New York to get crews for the ships They were rushed to New port News, the vessels were docked, cleaned and painted, the supplies are now going aboard and they win be ready to embark two full regiments of coast artillery by tomorrow night and to sail for Galveston Friday morn ing morning.
 De tails of the composition of the full division of troops which will be concentrated at San Antonio under command of Major General Carter, will consist of three brigades of in- fantry, a field artillery brigade. a divisional cavalry attachment, an in dependent cavalry brigade and mum Der of auxiliary troops, including members of the signal, medical and engineer corps of the army.
 The First infantry brigade will be composed of the Eleventh. Fifteenth land Eighteenth infantry, the Second of the Thirteenth, Twenty second and Thirty-third infantry, and the Third of the Tenth, Seventeenth and Eight. eenth infantry.
 The field artillery brigade is formed by the Third and Fourth field artil. lery.
 The divisional cavalry attachment will consist of the Third cavalry which for the present, it is an nounced. will remain on the border
 The independent cavalry br' ads
 will be composed of the Ninth ant
 Eleventh cavalry. The following auxiliary troops hay,
 been attached to the division:
 The thrid battalion of engineers
 Companies A and D. of he Sigma
 corps, four ambulance companies an four field hospitals.
 The three hrip,,des wiu ha ro,,,