Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-05-19
ORDERS TO THE STATES
Virginia Troops will be Called July
25 to Receive a Months or Six
Weeks Training.

Orders have gone out from the Wal
J Department to the national guard moi
now under arms and to the national
guard reserve to assemble for draft
ing into the Federal service in three
great incfements on July Is, July 25
: and August 5. The national guard
coast artillery will be drafted on July
Is, The District of Columbia men
Join the colors on July %. The guard
and the regulars will form the first
line of defense.
Announcement was made at the
War Department yesterday Inat in
structions have been sent to the ad-
jutant generals of the various States
for the assembling of the guard fore
!. es. All organizations, both IN and out
of the Federal service, will be recruit
ed at once to full strength.
The New York and Pennsylvania
troops will be in the first increment
to be called. They join the colors on
July Is. On July 25 there will be
called the Delaware, Maryland, Dis
trict of Columbia and Virginia troops,
On August Indiana, Kentucky,
Georgia, Florida and Alabama men
are among those called.
The national guard will first as
semble at company rendezvous, and
will be held there for about two weeks
They then will be sent to concentra-
ton camps IN the Southern, South
eastern and Western departments.
All of the troops east Of the Rocky
Mountains will go to the cantonment
camps in the Southern and South
eastern departments. The Western
troops will encamp in the Western
department.
Meanwhile the War Department is
pushing vigorously its preparations.
Officials estimate that with from a
month to six weeks intensive train
ing, the guard will be ready to go
forward for final preparation behind
the fighting lines in Europe for. the
fighting that is before them.
Regular army regiments already |
are in motion northward from the
border, preparatory to the expansion
of the regular service to full war
strength. Of the 1S3,S9s men neces-
sary to bring the regulars up to the
$4,000 mark, 1898 already have
been recruited, and the remainder
are expected to enlist before June ID.
Richmond, May 10 Orders Tor
recruiting the Virginia National
Guard to full war strength were re-
ceived late last night by Adjutant-
General w. w. Sale from the War
Department. The telegram follow
ed closely on the heels OF the an
nouncement that the units not in the
Federal service would be called to the
colors on July %.
The recruiting of the Virginia Ma
tional Guard to war strength VIII
bring it up to $500 men and officers.
This means an addition of approx
mately $500 men to the present
peaee strength. These men will be
sought by voluntary enlistment, but
in event they are not secured in the
reouisite time, conscription may bel
resorted to.
That the Virginia troops will bel
trained at some point in the South
was the news received here also
The troops will be mobilized at Lake
mont Park, Petersburg, on or about
July 25, but after being recruited up
to full strength and fully equipped,
will be sent to concentration point
for intensive training. Major-Gen-
eral Leonard Wood will be in charge
of the training of this part OF the
army.
All men enlisting in the National
Guard will be discharged at the end
of the war, according to telegram
received by the Adiutant- General
yesterday.