The Origin and Services of the 3rd (Montreal)

"CHAPTER VI.THE WORK AND CHANGES OF RECENT YEARS.JNCE the Fenian Raid of 1870, the Battery has not been called uponto perform any actual service in defense of the country, but it hasheld itself always ready to do so if required. Its efficiency hasnever been allowed to fall off, though there have been the usualnumber of changes.Through the Seventies the drills of the old days were keptup and numerous salutes were fired. In 1872, the Battery fired thesalute in honour of the unveiling of the Queens statue on VictoriaSquare.The Battery assisted in the organization of the Dominion ArtilleryAssociation, being one of the first corps to affiliate. It has alwaysstood high in the competitions of that useful organization, and ColonelStevenson has in his possession, and prizes very highly, a fine pair offield-glasses bearing the following inscription Dominion :Artillery Association.Presented to Lieut.-Col. A. A. Stevenson, Commanding the Montreal Field Battery,that Battery having the highest total number of voluntary drills during 1877."Later similar glasses given as prizes in these competitions were given to thebatteries instead of to the commanding officers, and when Lieut.-Colonel Stevensonrelinquished the command, he had the honour of handing over to his successor twopairs of glasses similar to the ones in his possession, as well as two silver cups,awarded as prizes for general efficiency.The six-pounder guns and the twelve-pounder howitzer originally served outto the Battery, were called in in 1867 or 1868, and to replace them there wereissued to the Battery three smooth bore nine-pounders and one twenty-four-pounderhowitzer. This armament was in time replaced by four nine-pounder muzzleloading, rifled guns, and they in turn have just been replaced by six twelve-pounderbreech-loading, rifled guns.The Battery has fired salutes upon the occasions of the arrival in Montreal ofall of the Governors-General.While Colonel Coursol was Mayor of Montreal, the city was visited by theRussian Crown Prince Alexander, afterwards Czar. The mayortried to arrange a62