Evening star., 1922-07-13
yY 7 AsIIINoroNs new citissn
AN army" IL In the held. The
" Y white troops are in bar

AN/ army" IL in the held. The
v white troops are in bar
racks and under canvas at
Camp simus. near Congress Heights.
b. c.. and the eolored troops at Camp
Humphreys. tho Army engineer post
in Virginia, fronting on the Potomac
river. Just below Mount Vernon. This
army" is the nucleus Of what It 10
hoped will be q new National Guard
Of the District Of Columbia-a nnsr
and better organization Of citisen
soldiery than the National Capital
has heretofore possessed.
1t 10 the hope and the intention
Of the War Department., and of those
ly and generously of their time and
energy and ability to the guard. to
make the local organization a model
one which the several states may
copy. and to which every one may
properly point With pride, Admittedly.
due mainly to the lethargy in; all
things military following the close
OF the world war. But q start, and
an encouraging start. has been made
and success Is believed to be as
! sured. As an evidence, sixty young
the troops proceeded to Camp simms
last Saturday afternoon. That Is an
unprecedented record.
**+ \
Washington had a National Guard
OF which its citizens were justly
proud until few years prior to the
| world war. But a War Department
policy. claimed by guardsmen at the
outset to be harmful wrecked it
aided and abetted by the war. Brig.
Gen. Albert Ordway, 4 substantial
citizen of the National Capital and
. veteran Of the civil war. back in
1887 took the frst step to organize
4 National Guard here. Almost sin
gle-handed. he secured the passage
Of a law by Congress authorisins
isting Independent" military bodies.
including the Washington Light. In
fantry Corps and the CorcorRn Cadet
Corps, a. q basis. Cen. Ordway built
up skeleton brigade of two regi-
ments Of infantry: 2 separate bat
TALON Of engineers. q signal corps. q
troop Of cavalry and battery OF
The brigade grew with the pass
ing Of the years and its efficiency
Increased. Representative companies
the United states in interstate com
Neb.: indianapolis. Ind; Little Rock.
Ark; Memphis, Tenn: San Antonio.
Tex. and Savannah, Ga. The brigade
rifle team as consistently captured
prises in target competitions at
Seagirt. N. j.. and later at Camp
Perry, Ohio. : Gen. ordway died in
1897. He was succeeded by Brig.
Gen. George H. Harries. who con-
tinued with increased visor che work
Of the former.
**
By reason of possessing . thor
oughly efficient and adequately uni
formed. armed and equipped. brigade.
the National Guard was enabled to
be represented in the war with Spain
by a regiment of volunteers. AL
though allotted only a few more
than 400 men-a mere battalion
Gen. Harries induced President Nc
Kinley to allow the District Of CO.
lumbia to have a full regiment in
States. In few days the regiment
was organized, uniformed. armed and
equipped and differed, mostly from
the National Guard Of the District of
Columbia. 1t had sailed for Cuba.
as part Of the 6th Army Corps be-
fore the majority of the other volun-
teer regiments had even been sup
piled with uniforms. s.ra
The wreekfng blow fell in 1914
when the War Department decided
20 merge the two regiments of In
fantry and render supernumerary
about sixty officers. who for years
had given freely Of their time and
energy and money in the upbuilding
Of the guard. 1t was contended by
the guardsmen that the regiments
actually. That contention proved