Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25

vision of military affairs, War Depart
ment, contains the following paragraph
which will undoubtedly be Of interest to
the National Guard of the District Of Co
lumbia:
"A careful perusal Of the reports from
the summer camp of 1911 showed that
in many cases an undue amount Of time
and attention was devoted to guard duty.
and thereby needed instruction in drills
and tactical exercises was curtailed. Ex-
cessive guard duty Drought about a
material percentage Of absentees from
other outdoor work. A solution Of this
problem consists in medium course
being followed. 1t is believed that rather
than have large. indifferently instructed
guard. 1t would be preferable to reduce
1t and improve the instruction. If the
regular service is taken as q guide. note
Is made of the fact that in the San
Antonio camps no guard was on duty
in. some instances during the day, and
only squad by night, and yet no prop
erty was lost or stolen. Guard duty in
camps Is primarily for the safety Of prop
erty. An attempt should be made to
have every officer and man present at
drill and other forms Of instruction"
1t will be remembered that at the joint
maneuvers at Gettysburg In the summer
OF 1910. Gen. WotherspOon frowned on too
much guard duty around camp, saying
that the idea of stopping every one who
stepped in the camp ground was foolish
ness The guard duty at Frederick last
year was ordered more on account of
instruction thereby than for any other
reason. Several officers who have read
the bulletin from the division Of militia
affairs have nodded their heads with ap-
prevail at the suggestion.
4 \, X X
Regret is heard from every quarter on
the approaching departure from the Ma
tional Guard Of the District of Columbia
Of Col. Samuel E. Smiley. who has
been adjutant general of the Dis
trict OF Columbia militia for four
by the War Department order for
Col. Smileys farewell to his friends here,
but beyond the brief announcement Of his
relief the brigade is left in the dark. AT
present no one has been told who the
new adjutant general will be, and no an
nouncement Of Col. Smiey's new post
has been made. 1t will be service with
troops. beyond doubt, as the war De-
partments policy is strict on the point
of placing an officer with troops for two
years out of six.
Col. Smiley will hand some big prob
which at times seems almost within the
grasp of the brigade, will be one of these
while the most pressing item is that of
the militia pay. The twenty-four-th thou /!
sand-dollar item dropped by the House
Of Representatives from the appropria- |
ton bill now before Congress will de-
prive the members Of the guard of the |
ordinary pay for camp duty, a matter |
which has been attended to by every
Congress for several years. Col. Smiley |
is hard at work. with the assistance of
several lawyers of the organized mill |
tia, trying to straighten out the techni- |
cality which permitted this surprising ac-
ton by the House.
The commanding officer of one of the
mounted organizations of the National
Guard of the District of Columbia sent in |
reauisition recently for some new bits
for his brides An inspector looked at
the old bits and said they had rusted
through, or showed signs of having the
nickel worn off. Whereupon the COM
manding officer wrote a strictly military
report. bristling with correctness Of form
and expression, and in it he expressed
the hope that no charges would be- pre-
ferred against the horses for having
champed their bits. that they were merely
bits in service seemed to be part of
their military duties. Up to date the
commanding officer has not been court
martialed-nor have any new bits been
received.
detachment of twenty-five men of
the 1st Battery. Field Artillery, all the
officers of the battery being present,
went into the field Thursday under Capt.
oliver L. Spaulding, jr.. 9Th Artillery.
Congress Heights. mile eastward of
that place scouts were sent out, and
agents of communication established
The enemy with one battery. was found
somewhere over a mile east by south
of Garfield School. on the wooded
height beyond Oxon run. The battery
commander and reconnaissance officer and
party went forward. found q position
near Garfield. established an observing
station, the battery was brought into |
position under cover, limbers posted
under shelter and fire constructively |
opened. Various problems involving
map reading. EYE for country and the
preparation Of firing data were worked
out. The fields were muddy. and some
of the battery positions were shoe deep
in mud and water, but the battery men
gave no heed to trifleS