tion was made in very orderly manner, the companies of one battalion marching off, armed and fully equipped, and forming on the road at suitable distance, then the other in like manner, and then all marched to their camp inside of the fort. After putting away the arms and equipments, and having had dinner, the guard were established. This regiment was the one selected for artillery duty pursuant to the laws of the State mentioned previously. It was composed of twelve companies, or three battalions and a band. The following table gives the strength: In conformity with the regulation of the State and standing orders, the routine order of duty established calls for reveille, tattoo, taps, fatigue call, meal calls, surgeon's calls, guard mounting, inspection of quarters, drill calls morning and evening, and dress parade. The roll calls were properly called; sometimes the men were slow in falling into ranks. The police of camp was well done, surgeon's call attended to and company sick book kept. Great attention was given to the ceremony of guard mounting. Inspection of quarters was attended to, an officer of the Inspector General's department being present. One feature concerning the tents is noticeable, as follows: no large chests or intoxicating liquors were permitted in the tents; a wide swinging shelf was provided for each tent; no carpets or rugs allowed. General Orders, No. 14, regimental, paragraph 11, established routine of duties by battalion, on the alternate three days, as follows: one battalion guard duty, one infantry drill, one heavy gun drill. The messing was done by contract with a caterer. Good satisfaction was given. Morning reports were rendered daily. == Band. Percentage Absent. Arms. The Springfield rifle musket, of three different models, apparently in serviceable condition. Equipment. The same as reported for the brigade camp. Instruction. In forming detachment and marching the same to the heavy guns, and posting detachments at same, manual of the piece, eight-inch converted rifle, all according to heavy artillery manual. In actual target practice, with the eight-inch converted rifle, each company firing four shots. The drill and practice were very good. I noticed the mean actual deviation of the forty-eight shots was 73.6 yards; of the best company, 32.75 yards. The target was about 2,700 yards, and of the standard supplied artillery arm of the United States army. Instruction was also given in school of the battalion, embracing the movements or most of the movements in paragraphs 290 to 367, new infantry tactics, and in extended order, 502 to 607. I did not witness the drills in extended order, which were held on Lovell's Island. I went over one day, an extremely hot day, and but few movements were tried. Those showed that the battalion commander understood the drill. Guard duty and sentinel duty were well performed; there were about forty posts. The salutes were rendered by sentinels with snap, and on my visit after challenging hours to the sentinels, I heard them examined, and examined several myself. I judge none were better instructed in any of the camps than these. Discipline. The discipline was very good; great courtesy extended between officers; the men were careful about saluting, and showed immediate and unhesitating obedience. Courtesies and good feeling between the regulars, officers and soldiers, was remarkably good. The Troops. I attended the review of the troops by the Governor on Boston Common, Saturday, August 13. It was a fine-looking regiment, the companies large, consequently the regiment large. The heavy artillery duty in its marching showed there was some crowding, and an attempt to keep the close touch of the elbow of the old tactics. The angle measuring and plotting was done by details from the regular garrison. The officers and non-commissioned officers of the regiment should be familiar with that kind of work. A few practical lessons in the company armories is all that is necessary to cause the method to be learned. Visitors at Camp during Encampment. I think the work would have been better done and more instruction derived if fewer visitors were permitted to land at the post during the encampment. Saluting. It will be seen, upon examining paragraph 440, A. R., that it reads: "Soldiers at all times and in all situations pay the same compliments to officers of the army and navy and marine, and to officers of the volunteers and militia in the service of the United States, as to officers of their own particular regiment and corps." The soldiers of the regular army at Fort Warren, during the tour of the First Infantry Massachusetts Militia there, were not called upon by the regulations to salute any of the militia officers, however high their rank, nor were the soldiers of the militia obliged to salute officers of the regular army; both classes generally did, but there were exceptions. I would therefore respectfully call attention to the matter, which can easily be remedied by simply changing the paragraph slightly to read, "and to officers of the volunteers and militia in the service of the United States, or on duty at United States posts or camps for instruction and drills," etc. MOBILIZATION. In this State brigades have been mobilized and regiments are mobilized annually on annual field day, which is a day in each year, usually in the fall, appointed by the Adjutant General of the State of Massachusetts. The brigades or regiments are ordered to assemble a few miles outside of the limits of some city or town, when order of march in presence of the enemy is assumed, and an advance made upon the city or town; reconnoitering parties and scouts are sent to the front, to get information about and find the enemy, some part of the troops having been detailed to take unknown position near the town as the defenders. The enemy having been discovered, the advance is made, skirmishers deployed and re-enforced, and finally the charge made and the enemy's position carried. Afterwards street drill in the city or town is practised by the troops. Parts of the command for this purpose are ordered from a distance of a hundred miles, and have to be transported by rail, so that considerable night work is imposed upon such troops, which have to arrive upon the field at early daylight at the point of rendezvous; for some of these particular troops it takes ten or twelve hours to assemble, others more concentrated can assemble in a few hours. For emergency mobilization the Adjutant General has maps prepared of the State, each of which has marked upon it certain railroad centres, about three in each regimental district. I copied from his map the following towns and cities; viz., Pittsfield, Springfield, Fitchburg, Worcester, Lawrence, Salem, Newburyport, South Framingham and Boston. Each headquarters is provided with one of these maps. The different organizations can be assembled at any one point of a district in from four to eight hours, and from those centres the organizations can reach any point in the State in sixteen hours. Thus the troops of the State can be assembled in any part of the State in from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, and eighty-nine per cent. of the strength may be relied upon turning up. I am informed that the cavalry and artillery can be assembled in about the same time, as those organizations know exactly where to get their horses upon very short notice. The artillery would be without ammunition except a few rounds of twelve-pounder Napoleon gun shot, shell and canister; hence the ammunition would have to be supplied afterwards, upon requisition upon the United States ordnance department. The following table gives the full strength of the troops, the number that can be relied upon for service outside the State for sixty days, and the percentage, bands excluded : Based upon the above table, I give below a classified list of articles to enable the force to take the field for sixty days. Nearly everything is on hand, and there will be required only the following: Camp equipage: 800 axes and helves. 800 hatchets and helves. 520 spades. 520 pickaxes and helves. 520 camp kettles. 1,300 mess pans. Ordnance: Artillery ammunition, three-inch ordnance gun, muzzle loader; two batteries, four guns each. 160 canisters. 160 time shells. 640 percussion shells. 480 case shells. 160 solid shot. 1,650 cartridges, one pound. 2,500 friction primers. 920 paper time fuzes, ten seconds, fifteen seconds, twenty seconds, twenty-five seconds, equal proportions; twelve-pounder Napoleon gun; one four-gun battery. 64 shells, fixed. 192 spherical case. 192 solid shot. 258 Boreman fuzes. Canister, plenty on hand. 800 friction primers. Implements: 24 vent punches. 24 fuze blocks. 24 fuze cutters. 24 fuze gauges. 36 tow hooks. 12 long-handled shovels, 12 felling axes, 12 pickaxes, 4,500 tin cups. 4.500 knives. 4,500 forks. 4,500 spoons. 4,500 meat cans. Small-arms ammunition: : for caissons. 210,000 ball cartridges, calibre .45, Springfield rifle. 10,500 ball cartridges, calibre .45, Springfield carbine. |