The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-12-03


mutiny, or misconduct of any charac
ter, in any company or among an,
soldiers of the Mississippi Nationa
Guard is false and without any foun
2 dation on fact; harmony reigns su
\ preme among the organized militia
in this state, and statements to the
contrary are pure fiction: such in
brief, was the statement of Brig. Gen
Erie c. Scales. the adjutant general OF
the state militia, when he was asked
to discuss a report from Natchez that
the Quitman Rifles there had elected
several National Guard officers and
passed a resolution criticizing the ad
jutant general ''for disbanding the
Third Independent battalion" when
as a matter of fact. the battalion had
/ not been disbanded, and it was never
his intention to do so.
The idea of mutiny in part troop is
simply preposterous." said Gen.
Scales, and continued, what we did
| was to muster out the headquarters
Iof the Third Independent battalion in
Natchez in compliance with strick or
ders from the war department in
Washington. This order OF muster
ing out the headquarters means that
four officers lose out and that the
companies in the battalion will be re-
assigned: not a troop will be muster
ed out so long as requirements of the
war department are lived up to. Fur
* hermore, the Quitman Rifles. who are
alleged to have become mutinous. are
ot members Of the state militia of
mississippi, and in no way connected
With the organized National Guard of
his state. So you see there could
|ardly be any mutiny connected with
be incident in Natchez"
Gen. Scales says that there are now
wellorganized companies in the
pate militia, and all show UP well on
eports and in the annual encamp-
pents. Complete harmony prevails
ong all Of the officers and men in
n reorganized militia.
The NatcheZ incident it appears. oc-I
krred under a misrepresentation Of
he facts in the matter. Evidently the
ecent orders issued by Gen Scales in
pmpliance with instructions from the
ar department in Washington were
ken to mean the mastering out of
ne Third battalion, when as a mat
pr OF fact only the headquarters was
mustered out. and this was done be-
Ruse the commanding officers had
Pen unable to recruit the battalion
to full strength at this end of the
oDation period named by the war
partment The junior major. under
eSe orders, must be the one to lose
t. IN the event the battalions were
completed, and Maj. Andrews Pat |
Fson, commanding the Third Bat |
ion, had to be the man.
The mastering out of the Third In. |
pendent Battalion naturally means |
ere must be reassignment of |
pops into battalions. and an official |
van will be promulgated in few |
pr statement about the |
Ole affair Gen. Scales said:
ION May IS, 1915, the state militia
gartment received from the chief of |
division of military affairs in !
lshington reports of the organiza- i
n OF the Guard in Mississippi. On |
Count of the fact that the following
npanies failed to measure up to the
'ndard prescribed in official require
fnts they were mustered out as re-
ocular $, Division of Military At !,
OF the war department issued in |
., Company A. Third Battalion. at |
ksburg; Company X, Fifth Bat
ION, of Leland; Company A. First
TALON, at Shubuta: Company G. |
nth Battalion. at Greenwood. |
companies fell below the stan
required under the militia law
|lgated in 1910 and paragraph |
lrcular s, of the war department.
., which require battalion head
Iters to be disbanded when the or.
ization falls below requirements.
10 have the number of companies
Bcribed to complete the battalion
Pnization This left the organiza-
as follows:
f1rst Battalion, short one com
Second Battalion, organization
plete; Third battalion, short one
pany; Fourth Battalion. short one |
pany: Fifth Battalion. short one
pany.
Ne sent officers commanding the
t. Third, Fourth and Fifth bat
ms copies OF inspection reports |
: repeatedly warned them that at /
: end of six months they would find |
q battalion bpadouarfarc diSho,dod !