The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-10
Military Dress.

Next to plentiful supply of proper food
the soldier requires loose, easy clothing
All military f6ppery should be discarde4
and the individual energies be left untram
melled. The best dress that could be as
sumed by the soldier would consist OF shoes
shirt, trousers, and low, light zap, which
was the uniform of the best and most success
ful soldiers of our time, the men who follow
ed Garibaldi in his last campaign, and over
threw the Bourbon monarchy OF Naples,
though that monarchy was defended by l2O'
900 regular troops, who were supposed To
form one of the finest armies on earth. Com
mander Forbes, of the English navy, who
was with the Garibaldians, speaks us follows
when he mentions the junction OF the Pied.
montose with the conquerers OF Sicily and
Naples -" Here the Piedmontese were OBJ
liged to abandon the farce Of shakoes and
Knapsack, versus kepis aud great coat
though exceedingly we'll built and strong, it
was absurd to imagine that they could hop,
to keep pace with mon whose limbs and
lungs were uncncumbered with aught save q
flannel shirt and pair Of trousers, instead
of sweltering in u stock, close-ftting tunic
and head.dress which required all their In
genuity to keep in the right place, though
tied on. When will it be acknowledge
that legs have rs much to do with lighting
as arms of precision ? Here were the Pied
montese Bersaglieri, the type Of light troops,
dressed and laden in such u way as to pre-
vent them from marching moro than twelve
miles day consecutively. Fancy two men
struggling with the bayonet, both equally
skillul, the one dressed in an unsoldierlike
manner, with loose raimcnt and uniettercd
limbs, and the other encumbered with Q
knapsack, the third Of q " tentc d'abri,
and tight fitting suit and shake. Could
there be any doubt as to which would win
Place two such armies in the field against
one another; the one marchiug with ease
thirty miles day, and the other fifteen Of
the outside, what must be the result| We
submit these sensible remarks Of an ohsery.
ing, experienced, and intelligent military
man to the consideration of those gentle
men who are raising companies, battalions,
or regiments, as the case may be. What
Mr.. Forbes says agrees with the results OF
the Italian wars operations, in which that
splendid military machine, the Austrian
army was torn to pieces by the active sol
diers of France and Italy; and the French
and the Italians were not half so lightly
equipped as they might have been, or as they
probably will be in the next war they may
have. So it was in India wlTen the Sepoys
were subdued. The English soldiers soon
got rid of all those, nice, beautiful, and
80, ~ oJ,o;.,J ;,st.n,,o 20 nf tnrturo that 90
to make up what is known as uniform.
No the English know better than to embar-
rass themselves with their dress, and their
appearance in India would have much as
tonished those ladies and gentlemen whose
knowledge OF the soldier is derived from as
sisting ut reviews. The Ilighlandcrs, who
are among the best men in the world at
fighting, particularly when close work is to
be done, used nearly to strip themselves
when they went into action. Sailors throw
of much OF their clothing when engaged.
Bnt too many men look upon soldiers much
as did the late Grand.Duke Constantine,
when he was viceroy Of Poland. lie had q
splendid army, and in reply to an eminent
foreigner, who congratulated him on his
ability to bring such force into the field,
(" Oh, | hate war 7" he said. "Why 2"
asked his visitor. - Because it spoils sol.
diers. 1t makes them dirty, breaks up their
drill, banishes their diIcipline. and destroys
their dress" The soldiers business Is to
fight. not to parade merely, and he should be
so clothed as to be made good combatant,
and not SO as simply to please the eyes OF Ia
dies and martinets. Trdaeilr.