The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-22
General Sale Orders In
v%estigation Of Entire
Battalion.
THREE OFFICERS
HAVE RESIGNED
Sharp Criticism Visited Upon
Service by Fort Monroe Off
cer-Captain Said to Lack
Capacity and Desire for
Efficient Work-court
of Inquiry Called.

Following stricturos upon the dis
ciplinc ana military efficiency OF tho
Coast Artillery Corps OF the Varginia
Volunteers, rs the cummandant Of For,
Monroe, and his severe criticisms OF
some Of the officers. which apparently
has prompted the resignation; Of three
of them, Adiutant General Sale ycster-
day ordered a court OF inquiry 10 III.
NcstiEatc the entire battalion and 10
maze a report. This action was the
result of Il conference held by General
Sale with Governor Mann.
The personnel Of the court VII, be
announced tomorrow. III view OF ti.e
Importance uf the affair. and Of its
wide scope, IL rs probable that the
court will be composed OF leading oii.
GERS of the service. probably selected
mostly from the stat.
Almost Without Precedent.
Not In many years In the Virginia
tsorvicc las an entire battalion Of
militia been investigated. Tho pro.
eceding viii arouse tho greatest in
terest throughout the State. ana is not
at all unlikely TO result IN u general
shakcup OF the Coast Artillery service.
Military mon express the opinion that
either initiates have been made IN the
personnel Of the leaders In this branch,
or else that the members or the RANK
and file are wocfully lacisinE in AN ar
1p1tNio ton VI lltlT DDtlSttlOlS ana tllc.t
opportunities. In "a report Just sub
mittcd by observation-disclosures c. L.
Townslcy. OF Fort MonrNc. on the Coas,
Artillery ncamp'lcnt there during the
past summer, hc calls attention TO the
fact that the men came from Norfolk
and Portsmouth splcnhidly equipped,
and yet when they left. after only ten
days service, much of the equipment
, was In ba~dscondition. "Nfsf ta
Service Encourngcu.
There can be no question OF the in
tcrest taken b. the War Department
in tho Coast Artillery service. Prcst-
dent Taft. when last in Iichincnd. toid
-idjntant-Gcncral Sale that this brancn
was the solution OF the problem. in his
opinion, Of defending the ports or the
United states, which are scattered over
such an enormous coast line and WA
n small standing army. This indicates
the attitude OF government officials.
The result is that the Coast Artillery
can get almost anything it wants. Yet
II took little or no care OF the equip
mont given it. according TO Colonel
Townslcy.
The report OF this officer. which has
JUST been made public. contains.a good
many structures on the service. The
Fort Monroe officer suys that the at
tendance was very small, and that dis
ciplinc was often sadly lacking Pay
'No'i iiih IA VI iltt Ii'.li llt COntliucS.
could not do the work rcquired or
them.
Lnckcd Discipline.
Especially severe were his comments
on the Second Company, Of Norfolk.
Its captain. hc SAYS. was Very incf-
fcient. and showed apparently neither
tho desire nor the CA pacity for cfrcc-
tive command 1;cfcrriug to discipline,
CV.oncl Townsley says lie can report
nothing of the Second Company, since
1T had M discipline.
However,, some OF the officers are
spoken OF more kindly. as they showed
81 disposition To overcome their lack OF
efIicIancy by earnest work,
Ono of the lieutenants, according 10
Colonel Townsley, had IL plethora OF
social engagements.
Following the publication of this
report, the resignation Of Captain
Francis DcCordy Matthews was re-
eeived yesterday BY Acknowledgement
Sale. Captain Matthews assigned bust
ness as the reason for his retirement.
The designations of First Lieutenant
William i. Taylor, OF the First Com
pany, ana Of Second Lieutenant z. w.
Page, ri the Second Company. rad
previously been received. The official
roster OF the Third and Fourth Com
Dnnics, both Of which are located In
PORTSMOUTH, arc so far intact.
Fnticd 90 Eject Major,
Generally speaking, tho troubles Of
tho battalion arc supposed to have
had their inception over tho election
OF q major. which has never been con
summated, although the four com
panies have been organized into q
battalion for nearly n year. 4 long
contest arose bctween tho friends OF
Captain Charles a. Mclean. commander
OF the First Company, and those Of
Captain Charles Parker Dreese, n re-
tired officer. "a deadlock was tho re-
suit Of numherlcss attempts at IN
election. the vote standing s TO 4 each
time. On one occasion tho vote stood
3 for Captain Brccse> and o for Cap
tain Mclean, one OF the ~latter's sun
porters heing absent. On this. basic
1t was cOntended that Captain Breeso
had been elected, but Governor Mann
ruled otherwise. The executive was
OF the opinion that where the cleo
torate Is restricted by q law to n GER
tain number, a majority OF those quail
He'd to vote are required to elect.
captain Mclean has been in com.
mand OF the battalion by virtue OF
his position as senior captain.
Thorough Investigation.
However. military men believe that
Tho real trouble antedated the at
tempts to elect q major. The service
seems somehow to have he'd tho wronr
Kind of a start, and tho court OF In
quiry. orders constituting which Will
DO issued Tomorrow, will be required
TO look into evory detail OF tho trouble.
Recently matters have been going
from bad to: worse. Attendance ut
drills witp@sohIe Of the companies It
has been lstated, f,has, dwindled to prac-
tically nothing. fractional feeling has
l'een rife. and it, has boen realized for
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