West-Jersey pioneer., 1873-05-30
OUR M0DoC WAR.

we 40 nOG pretend TO understand Cue SCI
ence of war, nor do we suppose that man
of our readers profess to understand it
The tolls and duties of the life to which w
have been called has made this as unneces
sary as it has been impossible. In view o
this fact, it is supposable that we should b.
modest upon this subject. What we know
very little of we ought to say very littl
about West Point controls the move
ments of our military force, and West Poin
knows all that there is to be known abou
a military force. The tactics applicable tt
the science of war, as that science is under
stood and practiced by civilization, have
been studied by its officers, and 1t is but
fair to say that these tactics did answer q
noble purpose in our own terrible civil war
j In the contest between American people,
where other things were equal, West Point
knowledge and West Point tactics bore the
banner. But unfortunately it is not with
modern civilized warefare, if we can claim
any truth in so sad misnomer, that we
have to deal, and therefore we claim right
to express an opinion.
A civilian is as likely to know about the
proper ways of managing an Indian war
fale as West Point man. Indeed, he will
be more likely to be correct, because he will
judge the question more from original
standpoints. The fact that he has not been
taught any way of warefare is better than
if he had been taught a wrong one. And
ordinary military knowledge as applied to
Indian battles, is all wrong, and so wrong
that is simply murder in the Government
longer to permit it. The whole principle
upon which the war is to be waged is en-
tirely opposite to that which govern nations
of the cultivated world. There are certain
principles of honor, well defined and under
stood, which are accepted by all these ma
tions The man who breaks them is scorned
and secuted afterwards for all the rest of
life by his former associates and compeers.
4 punishment heavier than death is inflict-
ed in this way, and the man lives only an
object of disguised scorn. Among these
principles is one, that a man shall not be-
tray the cause in which he has drawn his
sword. If he does this his name and race
are doomed Benedict Arnold, for just this
reason is a kissing and a by-word, and
will be so while the United States possesses
a history. Any man who bears the name,
even now, is anxious to disclaim any such
ancestry as this might possibly give, and
such a punishment is, we repeat it, worse
than death. But the Indian has II such
sentiment. He rather accounts it a matter
of superior ability, if he can betray cause.
If he has been sufficiently cunning to in
duce confidenee-if he has succeeded in
getting himself trusted, it is to him only an
additional incentive to treachery. He has
no special difficulties in the way at any
time in deseiting one cause for another.
His sense of allegiance and fealty is deter
mined far more by the amount of bad whis-
key he expects to receive, than the amount
which he has drunk. 1t is huge joke for
him to desert one side for the other, and that
to, in the midst of battle. He cares very
little for what the United States army may
think of his conduct. He cares less still
about what his fellow Indians may think
or say, and nothing at all fol posterity,
OF history. Indian warfare clearly cannot
be carried on upon the principles of honor
able allegiance and trust and yet there has
been an attempt to carry it on in this way.
Modern warfare also adopts maxim that
where there is no resistance there shall be
no killing-that the destruction of an unre-
sisting enemy is murder-that when there
is a surrender there shall be no more blood.
The massacre at Fort Pillow, under the
Confederate General Forrest, has left an in
delible brand of shame upon the Confeder-
ate cause But the Indian knows no shame
here. He has more sense of shame if he
has not killed where he had the opportunity,
than he has if he has Drained and scalped all
the men, women and children that he could
find His maxim of war is to put all his
enemies out of the world, as the only sure
proof that they will never trouble him again.
Nor do they come out fairly in field and
battle. They account the modern ideas of
fair play in battle, to be the sheerest absurd
ity. A chief who would lose an advantage
because Of some technical dishonor, would
be more likely to be deposed than praised.
Yet all these principles have influenced our
officers and played sad havoc with our men.
There is only one way to fight Indians and
tlat is IN the Indian way. The advance of
our troops upon tie lava beds, were the
sixty five Modocs where intrenched, was
only murder. 1t was not possible that we
on the outside of them, and the Indians
skullzing within, that we could have any
success. A hundred thousand troops could
scarcely have insured success under these
circumstances. The impatient and out
ragged feeling of the country over the muir
der of Gen. Candy and DIR. Thomas de-
manded an advance and the lives of almost
as many American soldiers as there are Mo-
advance. What we want for this warfare
is a regiment of frontiersmen, and another
of Indians who hate the Modocs. Then let
the fighting be done in their ways. They
kUOW-Lucy Lave lelG tue tcuuSI IucICIcS VI
these savages, until they have no scruples
left. IL it wants few months to starve
the Modocs, why take a few months to
starve them; but no more killing of Amer
lean soldiers in a vain attempt to kill Mo-
docs according to the rules of civilized war
fare.
The Christian Ad0ocate gives the follow
ing tabular statement touching the salaries
of the chief functionaries of the Methodist
Church, which may prove of interest to
our rreaders:-Blshop Morris, 81, 300; James,
Simpson, Scott, $4,000; Ames, Bowman,
Harris, Foster, Wiley, Merrill, Andrews, Ha-
ven, Peck, $4,000. Mrs. Kingsley, $1,000
Secretaries-R. L. Dashiell, T. M. Eddy, J..
NJ. Reid, e. 0. Haven, $4,000. Agents
New York First, New York Second, 81, 500;
E;,c+ C;,o;nno4; Coaonl A OA0