Inspection.

The division was formed promptly at 8 o'clock, with about one-half of the men present.

The enlisted men of this division are practically all employed in the rolling mill of the Maryland Steel Co., about one-half of them working on the day shift and the balance on the night shift. Owing to this it is only possible to get half of the division at a time and individuals only every second week. As the population of Sparrows Point is composed almost entirely of these workmen, it would be impossible to remedy this state of affairs in this division. Uniforms and Equipments.

The men in this division keep their uniforms at home, and all that were present at inspection were clean and in good condition, showing very little evidence of wear.

Lack of uniformity as to fastening name bands on caps and lack of effort to adjust web belts to fit wearer was also noticed in this division. There were also some men who had removed the grommets from their caps. All knife lanyards were incorrectly worn.

Arms.

The division is armed with the Lee-Metford .45 calibre magazine rifle, an arm which has been obsolete for at least ten years, and from the appearance of these rifles they must have been in use for some years before that time.

The rifles are fitted with the old fashioned triangular bayonets, all of which are more or less rusty.

The barrel and breech mechanism of every rifle is rubbed bright (as though with emory cloth), and there is no remaining evidence of any bronzing which may have been on them when new. This makes them liable to rust in an incredibly short time, especially in a damp climate like that of Sparrows Point. The bore of these rifles is thickly crusted with rust, and they must kick like a cannon when fired. In fact, many of them must be dangerous. There are also quite a number which cannot be fired owing to worn out breech mechanism. These rifles are useless for purposes of instruction or as firearms, and it is earnestly recommended that this division be supplied with U. S. magazine rifles, calibre .30. If modern rifles are supplied they should be

cared for by the individuals and kept at their homes until such time as an armory with suitable protection against thieves can be secured.

Drill, etc.

The men of this division were rather unsteady in ranks and the manual of arms was not good-either marching or at a halt. The close order movements of this division were fair, and the officers seem to have fairly good control over the men. The junior officers make an effort to correct

mistakes made in drill.

The division has had no extended order drill.

Target Practice.

They have a target marked out on a sheet of boiler iron and set up against the wall at the east end of the armory building. They have occasional target practice at this target from the other end of the building (100 feet), using the LeeMetford .45 calibre rifles and the full service charge. No damage has been done by this firing; the bullets flattening against the iron and dropping to the floor.

Sixth Division, Cambridge.

The inspecting officers left Baltimore at 2.30 P. M. and arrived in Cambridge at 8 P. M.

Owing to the suspension of navigation due to ice, it was necessary to go to Cambridge via Newark, Porter and Seaford, Delaware, by railroad. At Seaford the inspecting officers were met by Lieut. Barton, commanding the division, who proceeded to Cambridge with them.

Of

The division was formed for inspection at 9 P. M., all officers and twenty-eight enlisted men present. The enlisted strength of the division is fifty petty officers and men. the absentees, six have removed from the State, and should be discharged; the others were down the bay on oyster boats.

Uniforms.

Uniforms are in good condition and seem to be well cared for by the men, who keep them at their homes, as there are no lockers in the armory. Only one blue blouse was found in bad condition. This had a tear in the back.

This division was the only one which turned out for inspection in canvas leggings.

Clothes bags containing spare uniforms were also brought for inspection, and were found to be in good condition. White clothes very clean and neatly packed. The same defects regarding caps and adjustment of belts exists in this division as in the others.

Arms.

This division is also armed with the Lee-Metford rifle, and they were found to be even in worse condition than at Sparrows Point. Lieutenant Barton states that about half of them cannot be fired, and I am quite sure that a bullet could not reach the muzzle of several that I examined, no matter what charge of powder was behind it.

It is strongly recommended that this division be supplied with United States magazine rifles. It is especially important that this be done, as company "C," First Infantry, which also uses the same armory, is armed with the United States magazine rifle, and I am informed that the men of this company guy the men of the division unmercifully while they are drilling with the obsolete rifles. This necessarily has a demoralizing effect on the men of the division.

This division would also have to keep its rifles at the homes of the men until a suitable armory is secured. Drill.

The drill of this division was poor, and the manual was also poor.

The division has always been drilled in single rank, and when an effort was made to drill in double rank the men were at a loss as to what to do.

The men are unsteady in ranks, and I noticed that there had been much spitting on the drill floor.

Armory.

The armory is on the third floor of a frame building and is reached by a narrow, dark and steep stairway from the street. The draft up this stairway is terrific, and in case of fire on the lower floors would act as a chimney and make it impossible for any one upstairs to get out at all.

The drill floor is about 60 by 40 feet and has two rows of pillars down the centre. These necessarily interfere with the drill.

The building is in a very shaky condition and rocks as though it would tumble when the men are marching.

The men were playing basket ball a short time since, when one of them slipped and fell against the wall. This made a hole in the wall and the man came very near going all the the way through and down three stories to the street.

A new armory should certainly be secured as soon as possible or the efficiency of the organization must suffer.

This division has a Fletcher three-inch gun, but it was locked in the court house and could not be seen. There is no ammunition for it.

The division is very poorly equipped as to text-books and this should be remedied as soon as possible.

The division has only thirty-six reefers and should be supplied with enough to equip the whole division.

The inspecting officers left Cambridge at 7 A. M. December 17th, reaching Baltimore about 3 P. M.

The paymaster's books were inspected at Broadway armory on the night of the 17th and were found to be in good shape and up to date.

GENERAL REMARKS.

Character of Enlisted Men.

The enlisted men throughout the organization seem to be an intelligent lot, but would average very young. This is especially true of the Cambridge division, many of them being mere boys.

Many of the men are undeveloped, and look as though they could stand very little hard service.

Uniforms.

In good condition and well taken care of.

Arms and Ordnance.

Unusually well cared for, except as noted regarding LeeMetford rifles.

It was noted that a great many U. S. Magazine rifles were left cocked after closing the bolt.

A special effort should be made to impress on the men the importance of always pulling the trigger after closing the bolt on an empty chamber. If this is not done, the constant tension on the spring will soon weaken it considerably.

Infantry Drill.

The inspection shows the organization to be deficient in infantry drill, and although this is a minor part of the sailor's training, it must be borne in mind that this drill instills into the men the idea of discipline by teaching them the necessity for both precision of movement and the prompt execution of orders.

The organization should give more attention to the infantry drill for the above reason, especially in winter, when it is impossible to have boat drills or anything else outdoors.

Officers.

It is, of course, impossible for me to judge of the officers" capabilities aboard ship, but they should put more snap into their commands, and should pay closer attention to the men in the ranks, and endeavor at once to call attention to any mistake or omission.

I wish to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the assistance given me by Lieut. Lyman A. Cotten during the tour of inspection.

Respectfully submitted,

E. L. WOODSIDE,

Col. and A. D. C.,

Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen'l.

Report of Lieutenant L. A. Cotten, U. S. Navy, who Accom= panied the State Officer During the Inspection of the

Naval Brigade in December, 1904.

U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY.

ANNAPOLIS, MD., December 29, 1904.

SIR: In compliance with your request in letter of November 11, 1904, I respectfully report the following in regard to the Maryland Naval Brigade.