Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-18
MAINE C.. G.. A. AND
DUB COAST DEFENCE

1t was recently announced that,
subject to the appropriation of the ne
cessary funds, the Coast Artillery
Corps would join in the joint coast de-
Tense exercises at Portland from July
II to u inclusive and to participate
in a camp of instruction for officers
and non-commissioned officers from
April "a to % inclusive, probably at
Fort Williams.
This means the usual 10-days en-
campment and tour of duty for the
Coast Artillery and gives the officers
and non-coms of this corps something
not experienced by them since they
became part of the c. c. A, the
school of instruction, although the
commissioned officers a few years ago
did attend five days school at Fort
Williams, Portland.
Elaborate plans had been worked
out for the Coast Artillery manoeuvres
at Portland, but recent orders from
the Militia Division of the war de-
partment at Washington have COM
pletely upset them and the Maine Of
ficials are at loss to know what the
plans of the Militia Division at Wash
ington may be. They are also at q
loss to account for the cause of the
resembling orders from Washington.
Some of the plans which have gone
awry called for the following, as out
lined by Portland officer:
For the first time in five years the
10 companies Of coast artillery in the
National Guard were to be reassigned
so that the companies will be divided
between the three posts in the Coast
Defenses of Portland, Forts Williams,
Mckinley and Preble, with the proba-
bility of five companies at each Forts
Williams and Mckinley and three
companies at Fort Preble. The vari-
Gus companies in the Guard were to
be assigned to the batteries that
would fall to their lot in case the
Coast Artillery is called into active
service, and this means that the
Guardsmen would be expected to man
at least a portion of the batteries In
the three posts. The contemplated
change. if carried out. would have ne
cessitated a marked change in the
work of some Of the companies. 1t
meant that several Of the companies
would be assigned to mortars, whereas
during the past five years all the
companies. having been stationed at
Fort Williams, have had experience on
the big rifles alone.
In 1910, the first year that the
Guardsmen were transferred from in
fantry to artillery, the II companies
90 hA IiSfri Init 1
the three Notifications in the harbor.
In the following year. 1911, the entire
corps was ordered to Fort Williams
for the annual tour of duty and that
plan has been carried out every year
since that time. During the first year
several of the companies were as
signed to mortars, but as there is
none of this type of ordnance at Fort
Williams this branch of the service
was discontinued in the National
Guard and all companies were as
signed to the 6-10-and-12-inch guns.
1t was understood that headquar-
tiers during the 10 days tour of duty
were to be established at either Fort
Williams or Preble, with the odds in
favor of the former, owing to the fact
that the big post Is far better equipped
to house the headquarters force Of the
National Guard than Fort Preble
would be.
Because of the extra opportunity the
Portland companies have had to work
on the dummy gun and equipment at
the Portland armory during the past
few months it was thought the Port
land Guardsmen would be assigned to
one Of the large calibre batteries at
Fort Williams with one Of the COM
panies from outside the city to man
the six-inch battery. Either the 4th
Company of Bath or the 18th Com
pany of Westbrook were assigned to
the small calibre at Williams, while
the remaining eight companies would
be divided between Fort Mckinley and
Preble, Ave at the former and three at
the latter post