No. 89.

WASHINGTON, June 14, 1905.

By direction of the President, the following order is published for the information and guidance of all concerned:

For the purpose of instructing the field artillery in modern tactical methods it is directed that two provisional field artillery regiments be organized as follows:

First Provisional Regiment. Field Artillery, to be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sydney W. Taylor, Artillery Corps, will be the provisional regiment organized by paragraph 6. General Orders, No. 152, War Department. September 14, 1904. the batteries of which, with the exception of the 16th (siege), will be assembled at Fort Riley, Kansas, on August 1, next, on which date the battalion organization prescribed by General Orders, No. 152, War Department, 1904, for the batteries of this regiment will be temporarily suspended, and they will be organized into three provisional battalions of two batteries each, as follows:

First Provisional Battalion: Major Granger Adams, Artillery Corps, commanding; 7th and 20th Batteries (horse), Field Artillery.

Second Provisional Battalion: Major William H. Coffin, Artillery Corps, commanding; 6th and 19th Batteries, Field Artillery.

Third Provisional Battalion: Major Henry M. Andrews, Artillery Corps, commanding; 25th and 29th Batteries, Field Artillery.

The 16th Battery (siege) will not be included in the mobilization of this regiment.

The 2d Provisional Regiment, Field Artillery, shall consist of six batteries of field artillery, organized into two provisional battalions of three batteries each. Colonel Walter Howe, Artillery Corps, is designated to command this regiment.

For the purpose of organizing this regiment, the 2d, 6th, and 10th Battalions of Field Artillery will report to Colonel Howe at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, on June 30, 1905, at which time the battalion organization prescribed in General Orders, No. 152, War Department, 1904, will be temporarily suspended as far as the above organizations are concerned, and the batteries comprising them will be organized into two provisional battalions of three batteries each, as follows:

First Provisional Battalion: Major Lotus Niles. Artillery Corps, commanding; 2d, 15th, and 13th Batteries, Field Artillery.

Second Provisional Battalion: Major Warren P. Newcomb, Artillery Corps, commanding; 14th, 21st, and 8th Batteries, Field Artillery.

15 Rec'd

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Sergeant Major William H. Shaffer, Artillery Corps, junior grade, will report on June 26, 1905, to the commanding officer of the 2d Provisional Regiment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, for duty as acting regimental sergeant major.

The 2d Provisional Regiment will not be part of the garri. son at Fort Sill, but will be an independent command, and its officers will not be available for post duties or entitled to quarters, but will be subject to the post police regulations. The post quartermaster and the post commissary will, however, supply this regiment with the necessary quartermaster and commissary stores, and will be directed to make timely requisitions for the same. In estimating for supplies they will assume that a battery consists of 4 officers, 120 enlisted men, and 104 horses.

During the period that the 1st Provisional Regiment is assembled all artillery recitations at the field artillery school will cease.

The provisional regiments will remain in camp until November 1, 1905, at which time the 2d Regiment will be dis. banded, and the 2d, 6th, and 10th Battalions, Field Artillery, will return to their proper stations. The 29th Battery belonging to the 1st Provisional Regiment will also return to its station on this date.

It will be assumed by the regimental commanders that the batteries of their respective regiments have been fully instructed in accordance with the program of instruction for field batteries, as prescribed in General Orders, No. 71, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General's Office, May 14, 1903, and therefore no time should be spent on battery instruction. Sufficient time, however, will be allowed the battery commanders in which to instruct their men in the handling and care of the new material, and schools of the cannoneer. All instruction, with the above exception, will be by regiment or battalion. If, however, it should be found by the regimental commander that any battery is deficient in battery instruction he may direct that battery instruction be given it outside of regular drill hours, which instruction shall be in addition to the regular drills required. At least 75 per cent of the time available will be devoted to regimental instruction. In a general way the instruction will be limited to what is needed to teach the field artillery to operate in large units in the field and to solve the problems which they may reasonably expect to be confronted with in the event of actual hostilities.

Special attention will be given to the following subjects of instruction: Preparation for action, fire control, location and change of position, replacement of ammunition, marches, field practice, and target practice.

Drill on parade ground will be confined to simple movements necessary for ceremonies. The allowance of ammunition for

service practice of the batteries of these regiments will be expended at regimental and battalion target practice under the direction of the regimental commander. Rules for this practice will be communicated at some later date to the regimental commanders.

For the purpose of testing the material, the provisional regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, will during the period of instruction make a practice march of at least 200 miles. During this march a full supply of ammunition will be carried in the limbers and caissons, and at its completion the regimental cominander will make a full report to the Chief of Artillery, giving in detail any defects noticed and suggesting any changes which he may think advisable, either with material or organization.

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph M. Califf, Artillery Corps, will report on July 20, 1905, at Fort Riley, Kansas, to Lieutenant Colonel Sydney W. Taylor, Artillery Corps, for duty with the 1st Provisional Regiment, Field Artillery.

The following-named officers, Artillery Corps, will report to Lieutenant Colonel Taylor at Fort Riley, Kansas, on July 20, 1905, for duty as regimental and battalion staff officers: Captain Stephen M. Foote, Captain John Conklin, jr., Captain Oscar I. Straub, Captain Edmund M. Blake, Captain John P. Hains, and Captain George Le R. Irwin.

Colonel Walter Howe, Artillery Corps, will report at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, on June 30, 1905.

Lieutenant Colonel Harry R. Anderson, Artillery Corps, will report at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, for duty with the 2d Provisional Regiment on June 26, 1905, and take charge of the preliminary arrangements for the accommodation of the regiment until the arrival of Colonel Howe.

The following-named officers, Artillery Corps, will report to Lieutenant Colonel Harry R. Anderson at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, on June 26, 1905, for duty as regimental and battalion staff officers: Captain Charles A. Bennett, Captain Ira A. Haynes, Captain Samuel D. Sturgis, Captain Harry L. Hawthorne, and Captain Charles F. Parker.

Captain Thomas Ridgway, Artillery Corps, is appointed acting regimental ordnance officer, and will report at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, for duty on June 26, 1905, or at such time previous as will enable him to take charge of the ordnance material for the regiment to be shipped from the arsenals. The date of shipment of this material will be communicated to Captain Ridgway.

The Ordnance Department will, as soon as practicable, ship to Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, the new material necessary to equip the following batteries: 2d, 15th, 8th, 14th, 21st, and 13th. These batteries, before leaving their present stations, will prepare their present ordnance equipment, excepting the horse equipments, personal equipment of the men, and target

material, for shipment to the commanding officer, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Illinois, and will then turn it over to the post quartermaster of their respective stations for shipment. As soon as the Ordnance Department has enough of the new material on hand to equip five more batteries it will be issued to the organizations of the 1st Provisional Regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, which will then prepare their present equipment for shipment to the commanding officer, Rock Island Arsenal, turning it over to the post quartermaster for this purpose.

Instruments for the observation of fire will be issued as soon as manufactured to the above organizations by the Ordnance Department.

The material necessary for lines of communication in connection with fire control instruction, such as field telephones, signal flags, etc., will be issued on approved requisition by the Chief Signal Officer of the Army.

All movements directed in this order will be by battalion. The 16th Battery will not be included in the movement of the Fort Leavenworth battalion.

Before leaving their present stations the battalion commanders will see that their battalions are fully equipped for field service by the Quartermaster's Department at their present stations, and that the necessary tentage, field ovens, and other field stores are issued to them. They will also take with them their targets and target material.

The personal baggage of officers and enlisted men will be limited strictly to the field allowance. All other property will be left at the stations, carefully packed, marked, listed in duplicate, and turned over to the Quartermaster's Department for storage during the absence of these organizations.

Division and department commanders will by concert of action arrange the details of these movements, and will promptly report hours of departure and arrival and strength of commands by telegraph to The Military Secretary.

The Quartermaster's Department will furnish the necessary transportation. the Subsistence Department suitable subsistence, and the Medical Department proper medical attendance and supplies.

The travel enjoined is necessary for the public service. [1023341, M. S. 0.]

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:

OFFICIAL:

ADNA R. CHAFFEE, Lieutenant General, Chief of Staff.

F. C. AINSWORTH,

The Military Secretary.