Amount paid by General Curry en route from Spokane Falls to Conconully and Meals and stable bill for escort and team from Coulee City to Concon ully and return for self and escort....... 63 50 Meals of escort returning to Coulee City, being sent back in advance.... 15 00 10 00 $144 45 To 12 days' pay for services of General A. P. Curry at $10.00 per day. $120 00 60 00 To 12 days' pay for services of Lieutenant J. J. White, aide-de-camp, at $5.00 60 00 To 10 days' pay for services of Frank E. Howard, as escort, $3.00. 30 00 30 00 330 00 Telegrams by adjutant general to General Curry and elsewhere, ordering shipment of guns to Spokane Falls for Okanogan county, as follows: } Much credit is due Brigadier General A. P. Curry, N. G. W., for the able manner in which he discharged the duties imposed in him, to allay the fears of the whites and prevent hostilities on the part of the Indians, and I respectfully submit for your especial consideration his report, herewith marked "Exhibit D." SMALL ARMS PRACTICE. The present system of drill and tactics recently adopted for the use of the regular army, has somewhat changed the military system, which in the main, must be conceded to be for the better. Under its provisions, greater attention is paid to the use of small arms, necessitating a greater degree of rifle practice than has heretofore existed, in order to establish a greater proficiency on the part of the soldier in the art of war. During the year 1891, under detail from the war department, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Frederick E. Trotter, instructed the companies of the National Guard of this state in the use of the rifle; and in his report submitted herewith, marked "Exhibit E," expresses the most encouraging outcome for our state troops in that particular. It is to be regretted, however, that the captains of companies have not given that attention to this duty during the present year which it deserves, having up to this writing made no report upon the duty of small arms practice. THE ANNUAL ENCAMPMENT OF 1892. Pursuant to general orders No. 10, c. s., the National Guard of Washington went into camp of instruction at Murray, on the line of the Tacoma, Olympia & Gray's Harbor Railroad, a distance of fourteen miles from Tacoma, and twenty-two miles from Olympia. The location was favorably adapted to the purposes for which it was used, the soil being of a gravel and sand composition, covered with a close growth of wild grass, surrounded on the north and west by heavy fir timber, and on the south and east by groves of scrub oak scattered over the undulating prairie. Through the camp grounds flows a stream of pure, clear and cold spring water emptying into American Lake, whose placid waters lie a half mile to the north of the camp grounds. The transportation facilities afforded by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, whose road runs directly through the camp ground, were in every way adequate, comfortable and timely. The routine of duties laid down in orders followed closely, so far as circumstances would permit, under the able superintendence of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Frederick E. Trotter, major twentyfourth United States infantry, and First Lieutenant William A. Kimball, fourteenth United States infantry, were performed with a degree of alacrity and interest which added greatly to the success of the tour of duty, and the pleasure of the inspecting officers. During the five days of the encampment, the weather was extremely hot, necessitating to a certain degree a suspension of the routine established in orders; and, to the extreme heat, perhaps, more than anything else connected with the camp, may be attributed one of the saddest events that has been my sorrowful duty to witness in many years. a. On the 28th day of June, about 10:30 A. M., Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Frederick E. Trotter, U. S. A., who, upon my application, had been detailed by the secretary of war as military instructor of the National Guard of Washington, at a moment when about to enter upon the duties of the day was stricken with cerebral apoplexy. He was at once taken to General Curry's tent, and received the most careful medical attention at the hands of Surgeon General Smith and the entire medical staff of the guard. Shortly afterward, while yet conscious, he was removed to the shaded awning of my tent, where every effort of the highest medical skill was put forth to secure his recovery, but, at 4:55 o'clock in the afternoon, he passed away as in the peaceful slumber of a child into the field of the great eternity. Colonel Trotter was born in New York in 1838. He had a long and honorable military record. On April 26, 1861, he entered the volunteer service as a private in company G of the Seventh regiment, New York state militia; was discharged on June 3 of that year, and became a captain in the One Hundred and Second New York infantry on December 18, 1861. He was promoted to a majority on July 16, 1862, and on March 18, 1863, was honorably mustered out, having been severely wounded in the lungs. Although he never fully recovered from this wound, he did not abandon military service, for, on June 18, 1863, he became a captain in the veteran reserve corps, made up of wounded soldiers. On October 15, 1863, he became a major in that corps; on March 30, 1864, a lieutenant colonel, and on October 11, 1866, was honorably mustered out. He was appointed major in the forty-fourth regiment of the regular army by President Johnson, July 28, 1866, but that appointment was canceled on December 8, 1866, because it had been discovered that New York State had been given more than her apportionment of appointments to the grade of field officers in the reorganization of the army. He was then appointed captain of the forty-fifth infantry to date from July 28, 1866, and was transferred as captain to the fourteenth infantry on July 22, 1869, when that regiment was consolidated with the forty-fifth. He served continuously from that time with the fourteenth until his promotion to a majority in the twenty-fourth, which occurred last April, incident to a promotion following the retirement of Brigadier General Kautz. Colonel Trotter was with the army of the Potomac in all the important engagements during the period of his service in the civil war. He was brevetted major and lieutenant colonel in the regular service on March 2, 1867, "for faithful and meritorious service during the war," and colonel and brigadier general of volunteers on March 13, 1865, "for gallant and meritorious service during the war.” His first service in the army was in the defense of Washington City. He was in the battles of Bolivar and Maryland Heights; he served in Banks' Shenandoah valley campaign, and at Cedar Mountain he was wounded in his foot and arm. In 1864 he was in the provost marshal's bureau, and he was also superintendent of the war department building at Washington City. Colonel Trotter was at the time of his death on the staff of the commanding general of the department of the Columbia as department inspector of small arms practice. He made his home at Vancouver barracks, having been stationed there with his regiment. continuously, with the exception of three years, during which he was on recruiting duty on David's island, in New York harbor. Two years ago he was detailed as instructor of the state militia at the American lake encampment. Last fall he was detailed by the secretary of war to instruct the National Guard of this state in target practice, and visited every militia company on that service. This year he was again detailed as instructor at the state encamp ment. The deepest gloom was cast over the camp, the officers and men realizing that this was a most fitting occasion to show their respect to their dead comrade and sympathy with the living, and, as a consequence, silence reigned. Every soldier's heart was turned with the most tearful sympathy to the daughter of our stricken comrade, who was an honored guest at the camp, and who, during the trying hours of affliction, bore with a fortitude which characterized a soldier's daughter the bereavement she was so suddenly called upon to endure. Colonel Trotter's remains were prepared for interment by the medical corps, and at 10:30 in the morning of June 29th all the commissioned officers of the brigade, led by the second regiment band, with company H, of Vancouver, following as a guard of honor, formed an escort of honor from the hospital tent to the train which was to convey the remains to the home of his family at Vancouver. Attended by Lieutenant Colonel Boyd, A. D. C., and Captain Conner, A. D. C., with company H, of Vancouver, as a guard of honor, I escorted the daughter of our deceased comrade to her mourning family and the remains of her beloved father to his brother officers of the regular army, who loved him so well. The shock experienced by the death of Colonel Trotter was so great, that nothwithstanding the untiring efforts of Lieutenant Kimball and the officers generally, the amount of work anticipated was not accomplished although it was generally fruitful of good results. Calculations and preparations had been made in anticipation of a regimental encampment, but a change of programme from that to a brigade encampment only a few days prior to the date fixed, necessitated a doubling up all along the line, and the purchase of sufficient tentage to cover the entire brigade together with stabling for two troops of cavalry, sufficient lumber and other necessaries for mess sheds, floors for tents for the troops, etc.; and the increased accommodations required, necessitated the employment of a strong force of carpenters and laborers in getting the ground ready for the opening day of the camp; but notwithstanding every effort was put forth to accomplish this, the encampment was nearly half over before the requisite accommodations were completed. Much trouble was experienced during the first three or four days of the encampment in securing proper attendants for supplying the troops from the commissary department. Men who had been hired as waiters, helpers and cooks, were found deficient in the knowledge necessary to economically administer to the wants of the troops in that behalf, and who likewise took advantage of the situation to endeavor to extort more pay for the services to be performed. They were at once dismissed and others employed; in doing which much delay and inconvenience was caused as well as expense. My own convictions, based upon experience, is that better results can be obtained both from a practical knowledge to the troops. as well as from an economical standpoint, to hold regimental encampments two years, and a brigade encampment the third year. COST OF THE ENCAMPMENT FOR THE YEAR 1892. The following is a correct statement of the cost of the encampment for the year 1892: Pay of troops.............. $16,187 92 Transportation....... 6,197 70 Expenses of the quartermaster's department, including forage, lumber, labor and supplies for camp.... 4,698 05 Subsistence...... Total..... Considerable of the above expense could be establishment of a permanent state camp ground. |