But the time had not yet arrived when conditions would permit any further depletion of our already weak artillery garrisons. It is true that Spain, after the utter annihilation of her sea power, had been humbled into asking terms on July 26th, and that, with the signing of the peace protocol on August 12th, hostilities had been suspended; but there yet remained possible complications with Germany over the long and ugly succession of unfriendly acts of which the vessels of her fleet in Philippine waters had been guilty. Within a very recent period Berlin has seen fit officially to disavow any intention of interfering at that time with our naval representatives at Manila, but in spite of this disavowal it still remains a fact that such interference occurred, and it was not until early in the fall that our military and naval authorities could feel assured that the immediate future might not find this country called upon to face a fresh and really powerful adversary. Under these circumstances, all our available artillery troops, both regulars and volunteers, wisely were held at their stations until, on the final passing of the German war-cloud, there remained no further hope for active service against Spain. On September 4th, telegraphic orders from the War Department were received at all the posts garrisoned by fractions of the regiment, directing preparations to be made for the assembly of the command for furlough and ultimate muster-out; and on the 17th, Colonel Pfaff issued his orders for the concentration of his widely scattered batteries at Framingham. On the 19th, the regiment was again reunited at the State camp ground, the batteries from the posts on the North Shore, under command of Colonel Pfaff, being first to arrive, followed at short intervals by the battalion from Fort Warren, under Major Frye, and the garrison from Fort Rodman, under Lieutenant-Colonel Woodman. It was found that camp already had been pitched by Captain Landy and his men, under direction of Colonel Converse, and all that remained to be done by the command was to settle in quarters and start in operation the battery messes.