The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-11-10
III. CADET BATTALION
OF PAST RENOWNED
CADET BATTALION ENTERS osth.
YEAR OE WORK; BAND WAS
SOME SMALL AFFAIR

OVMG SHALL ATT AIN
Almost twenty eight years ag
when our Alma Mater had just pas
sed its third mile stone; when tn
student body numbered twenty-eigh
college students and 1873 preps; whel
two small buildings constituted TIN
offices and classroom facilities OF tn,
university proper; when the facult.
consisted of eleven instructors; tn,
war department, in conjunction witt
the Morrill, act in establishing iaLt
grant colleges, decided to establish
course in military training at the
University Of Idaho.
Accordingly, Lieut.. Edward r
Chrisman, at that time a second
Lieut., Is Infantry, was detailed or
special duty to organize cadet corps
at the University. On Feb. "a, 1894
68 underclassmen were organized in
to two small infantry companies, an
artillery unit and six piece band
The law required a minimum of loo
men, SO Lieut.. Chrisman Immediately
set out to find the necessary number
to bring the total up to 100, although
it was necessary to recruit every
albe-bodied male student in che Uni
yersity.
Basement Was Drill Room
"Our drill field" said Col Chrisman,
"at that time, especially in inclement
weather, was the basement and cor
ridors of the old Ad Building, which
burned a few years ago, and the board
walks leading down to the old horti-
cultural builing, which is now being
used as music hall, was our outdoor
drill grounds.
Eve had real artillery section in
those days. The old limbers' now
standing near the monument on the
campus were used 20 teach the boys
the fundamentals in artillery fire"
Not much Of band, you may say,
as compared with our present organi-
cation of A members, but old timers
will tell you that that was the biggest
little band in the United States, and
the leader, Hal Tilley, was not only
a musician, but one of the most fam
GUS athletes in the history of our
university.
The first annual encampment of
the cadet battalion was held at Lewis
ton, Idaho, in May, 1896, where the
battalion participated in the various
connected with the formal
opening of the Lewiston State Normal
school.
Governor Proud of Cadets
Referring to the above encampment
Of the battalion of cadets at Lewis
ton, Hon. w. J. Mcconnell, at that
time governor of Idaho, wrote Lieut.
Chrisman as follows:
II beg leave to express to you and
you to the cadets Of the Ida
ho university, my grateful appreci-
alton of their soldierly and gentle
manly behavior during the recent en-
at Lewiston. On every
hand I hear kindly expressions OF
heir conduct, and feel proud to real
lie that they have done such honor
10 their state and the university of
which they are members
Shortly after this encampment the
battalion was inspected by a repre-
tentative of the war department, who
.endered a very complimentary re-
,ort concerning the interest and pro-
,ress OF the cadets. Many similar re-
,orts have been filed since that time
'egarding the commendable work OF |
he cadet corps.
Battalion Volunteers Enmass
In 1898, at the, outbreak Of the |
war, the services !
t the entire battalion as an organi- :.
alton were rendered to Governor
for the war. This tender
yas rejected on the ground that the
Guard, when recruited to its
ull strength, was sufficient to meet
he call of the president This sug
ested the advisability of having the
attalion of cadets made part of the
Tatfonal Guard Of the State by law,
hitch was finally brought about by
,gislation. When it was found that
1e entire battalion could not be taken
ito the service as an organization,