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Chapter 13 To Texas and Fort Myer On March 11, 1911, I was promoted to major. A month later, I departed West Point to assume command of the Second Battalion, Third Field Artillery, whose station was at Fort Myer, Virginia, but the unit was then at San Antonio, Texas, as a part of the Maneuver Division.1 It was with deep regret that I left the artillery detachment at West Point, then at its highest state of efficiency and morale. The noncommissioned officers were the equals of officers in the practical instruction of cadets. The artillery, both field and coast, commanded the respect of the cadets and was a popular choice of branch on graduation. The horses and equipment were equal or superior to those of the regular field artillery in the army. The chief of field artillery in the War Department told me that he had assigned me to a “rotten battalion,” which he expected me to change. When I joined the battalion, I found that his statement was conservative, for, although there were a few excellent officers, others were worse than useless. Some were very dissipated, including two captains. The men were uninstructed, the materiel in deplorable condition, and the horses much neglected. The Maneuver Division, composed of a large part of the army, had been assembled to invade Mexico as a result of border depredations. I at once began to establish camp sanitation, care of animals and equipment, and a course of instruction. The poor officers reacted with resistance or indifference. Because the season was wet, the soft adobe made walking or movement very difficult. The troops were soon moved to Leon Springs for maneuvers. After my soldiers, batteries, and cadets at West Point, the contrast was distressing. Target practice was a farce because so many officers could not properly conduct fire. But the battalion improved rapidly as the marking and occupation of positions became very creditable. Yet the ignorance of even general of- ficers of artillery, especially of indirect fire, shocked me. A brigadier general criticized me for placing the guns where the cannoneers To Texas and Fort Myer 89 could not see the target. I tried to explain to him defilade and indirect laying. His son, who had been a cadet under me at West Point, was the general’s aide. When the general left, his son rode back to me and apologized for his father, saying that he knew nothing of indirect fire. On another occasion, a general told me that my guns were not pointing at the correct target. I asked him where he wanted them to point, and, on his giving the change in deflection, all guns were at once turned as he ordered. He appeared to be disgusted and rode away. The class from Fort Leavenworth had been sent to the Maneuver Division to assist in the latest training methods. Some of them told me that the colonels would not have anything to do with them. I realized the great truth that all impulses must come from the top. They cannot be passed upward. Although the troops suffered real hardship in the rain and mud, the experience was most useful. The plan to invade Mexico was abandoned, and the battalion was ordered to proceed by rail to Fort Myer, Virginia. Each of the three batteries traveled by a special train and departed from San Antonio July 31, 1911. I traveled with Battery F, commanded by First Lieutenant Sherman Miles,2 a most superior and loyal officer. Food was prepared and served in a kitchen car. I invited the young Pullman conductor to eat with the officers in the Pullman, but he felt too modest and declined. As we were entering Atlanta en route, he came to me and said quite simply that he had shot one of the porters. The porters were the most industrious and attentive whom I had ever seen. I asked him the trouble. He said that, when this particular porter did not obey at once when spoken to, he dragged the porter up by the collar when he resisted. Then he returned to the Pullman, got his revolver, and went back and shot the porter, who was attached to a standard sleeper. I went with him to where the incident occurred and found one porter dead and another badly wounded. The train conductor stopped the train and advised the Pullman conductor to escape. I advised him...

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