REPORT No. 9. INDIANAPOLIS, August 30, 1905. To the Assistant Adjutant-General, Indiana National Guard: Sir-Pursuant to General Orders No. 9, c. s., I have the honor to report regarding tour of duty at the annual Camp of Instruction held at Fort Benjamin Harrison, August 2d to 11th, inclusive. Prior to the date for reporting at camp I was, by verbal instructions of the Adjutant-General of the State of Indiana, placed in charge of transporting the troops from their home station to the camp and the return. They moved from home station as follows: FIRST INFANTRY. Band—I. & V. R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. B-Big Four R. R. to Indianapolis and to Army Post. Co. C-Pennsylvania R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. D—I. & V. R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. E—S. & T. H. & Vandalia R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. F-Pennsylvania R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. G-Big Four to Army Post. Co. H-Monon and I. & V. R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. I-Monon to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. K-I. & M. Traction Company to Indianapolis; I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. L-C., H. & D. R. R. to Indianapolis; Big Four to Army Post. Co. M-L. E. & W. R. R. to Muncie; Big Four to Army Post. SECOND INFANTRY. Band-L. S. & M. S. R. R. to Fort Wayne; L. E. & W. and Big Four to Army Post. Co. A-I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. B-Big Four R. R. to Indianapolis and to Army Post. Co. C—I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. D-I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. E-I., C. & S. Traction Company to Indianapolis; I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. F-Big Four R. R. to Army Post. Co. G―L. E. & W. R. R. to Muncie; Big Four to Army Post. Co. H-I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. I—I. U. Traction Company to Indianapolis and Army Post. Co. K—I. U. Traction Company to Indianapolis and Army Post. Co. L-I. & N. W. Traction Company to Indianapolis; I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. Co. M-I. & E. Traction Company to Indianapolis; I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. THIRD INFANTRY. Band—I. U. Traction Company to Indianapolis and to Army Post. Co. B-L. S. & M. S. to Fort Wayne; L. E. & W and Big Four to Army Post. Co. C-Lagrange, C. R. & I. R. R. to Richmond; Pennsylvania R. R. to Indianapolis and Big Four to Army Post. Co. D-L. E. & W. R. R. and Big Four to Army Post. Co. E-Big Four R. R. to Army Post.. Co. F-Pennsylvania R. R. to Colfax; Big Four to Indianapolis and to Army Post. Co. G-Pennsylvania R. R. to Warsaw, and Big Four to Army Post. Co. I—L. E. & W. R. R. to Indianapolis, and Big Four to Army Post. Co. K-L. S. & M. S. to Fort Wayne; L. E. & W. and Big Four to Army Post. Co. L-Monon R. R. to Indianapolis, and Big Four to Army Post. Battery A--Overland. ARTILLERY BATTALION. Battery B-L. E. & W. R. R. to Muncie; Big Four to Army Post. Battery C—I. & N. W. Traction Company to Indianapolis; I. U. Traction Company to Army Post. SIGNAL CORPS. Indiana Union Traction Company to Army Post. HOSPITAL CORPS. Indiana Union Traction Company to Army Post. The companies, band and battery moving to Muncie via L. E. & W. R. R. and thence to Army Post via Big Four were on special train, as were also the companies traveling via the Michigan Division of the Big Four. The manner in which the several companies were handled by the different transportation lines was a matter giving considerable pleasure to the officer in charge of transportation, as with the exception of two companies all came into the city of Indianapolis and proceeded directly to camp on schedule time; these two companies were delayed by wrecks on the railroad and therefore no criticism was to be offered. The only instance of delay in transporting to the camp was in the case of the Indianapolis battalion, who were scheduled to leave at two o'clock on August 1st, but owing to error at the general office of the Union Traction Company arrangements had not been made for cars. The local officers of this company, however, immediately arranged for extra cars and the troops moved with a delay of about one hour. Troops were returned to their home station almost entirely by same routes over which they were transported to the camp, the only notable exceptions being the Lagrange company, that proceeded to Fort Wayne on the special train to that point, and thence via the G. R. & I., and the South Bend company, that moved from camp to Frankfort via the I. & N. W. Traction Company, thence via the Pennsylvania Lines. This arrangement enabled these two companies to reach their destinations prior to midnight of the 11th inst. Inasmuch as conveniences for loading at Fort Benjamin Harrison were not the best, and there being but one siding each for the traction line and the Big Four Railroad, and there being a number of the companies moving at the same time, there was necessarily some delay in starting. The Traction Company, however, did excellent work with the exception of moving two companies. This, I believe, after investigating, to have been caused by a change in the hour at which the Indianapolis battalion was to leave the camp, and as the change was not made until the morning of departure, the transporting company did not have opportunity to supply the necessary cars, and the local battalion, with the zeal of an old Quartermaster-Sergeant, appropriated the first cars available, thereby leaving two companies that should have left at two o'clock p. m., waiting at the Post until six o'clock. The railroad company moved their first two trains from the camp as arranged. The third and fourth trains were, however, considerably delayed, this being caused by the Indianapolis Union Railway Company prohibiting the trains from entering the depot as soon as they arrived, the depot at the time being filled with regular trains and several excursions leaving on that date. This occasioned a delay in several companies reaching their home station. In connection with the transportation the writer desires to bring to the attention of the Commanding General the fact that General Orders No. 8, c. s., Assistant Adjutant-General's office, Paragraph 7, was not fully complied with. This, however, is hardly a matter to embrace in this report, as the subject was clearly dealt with during the tour of duty. I would respectfully recommend that orders covering the size of chests to be taken to camp embrace a limit of weight which the article is not to exceed, as even a medium sized chest is sometimes filled with excessively heavy material, necessitating seven or eight men to handle it, and where the loading facilities are as meagre as those that we have considerable delay is occasioned by handling heavy baggage. The discipline of the troops was, in the main, good. Some few cases, of course, are open to criticism, but such are usually excusable owing to the inexperienced and short length of service of the individual committing the breach. The general appearance of the troops, in the opinion of the writer, could be much improved by a thorough washing of the khaki uniform prior to the coming to camp. A number of instances were noted where the new drill regulations had not been familiarized by the officers although the order promulgating the same and prohibiting the use of the old regulation has been in force more than eight months. From communications and reports received at the Division Headquarters it is evident that the manner in which books are kept at the home station is not always of the best, and in many instances probably very poor. It may also be said that in the majority of cases officers are not well schooled in correspondence, this showing that a school of officers for the purpose of such instruction should be held two or three times during the interim between camps of instruction, and would result in much good. |