The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-30

In Camp Supply, NJ the borders OF Tue
Indlnn io,rllorv The result H. TINT,
with a total force In the three depart
ments of six cavalry and eight Infantry
regiments, the only llspOsable troops
ARE thirteen companies OF cavalry illu
seven Of infantry In Forts Wallace,
Dodge Union ana Lyon, Of which the
nearest detachment viii have 10 scout
at Toast hundred miles 10 reach the
scene OF action
IL lsa strange confession for ~ to
have 10 make, but the fact becomes
plain on reference TO the map, thnll
strntegIcnlly, the Indians are Immense
~ our superI0rs starting rom thelr
reservations IN o body, they r0dlato IN
wdc.sprnndlng circles OF destruction
oyerthccountry ,decclvlng us ms to their
real motives, ns clleclunlly ns dld Nller-
man his foes, in his march TO the sen'
While our toiling soldiers nrc painting
IN vain pursuit, around the outside Of
this circle, the Indians shoot rom SIDE
to side, aud gain the reputation 1l
ubiquiiy, from thesimple advantage OF
interior lines. Instinct and common
sense have taught them this Were
our tactics and weapons ns lnlerlOr 10
theirs ns our strategy, tho Indians
would long ago have driven llS out
The same problem occurred thirty or
forty years ago with the same results
to the French IN Algeria. Just rs long
as they kept up the vicious system
which we hive since adopted, Of mlll'
| tllude of small posts, those posts were
constantly hnrried by the Arabs, men OF
| the same habits ns our Indians. Their
settlers were mnssacrcl, their troops
wcnrlph to death, aud the wave OF
/ French conquest began to rocede. Ille
| Turks have been able TO hold the same
extent of country without trouble, with
an army Of some ten thousand men,
which The French could not conquer
with u hundred thousand, Bnt the
Turks kept that army IN n body, ana
It was composed solely of mounly IN
mntry. With an agent In each tribe
to report any signs of trouble brewing,
on the first intelligence thereof n secret
and powerful expedition started for the
unrIly tribe and suddenly appearing,
could oyerNwe resistance, secure hos
tages, and return, at half the expense
of the smallest war. / the United
States were to abandon half the two
and three company posts that now eX-
| list, aud concentrate the troops, at the
very least In battalion units, If not by
/ brgndcs, the service would and must,
on all strutegicnl principles sanctioned
by the experience of ages, improve IN
economy and efficiency.
What the advantage Of thus 0ssorlnl-
I ing the troops would be 10 the troops
themselves, and especially 10 their Of
licers, IL needs no prophet to forelell
At present ns of y0rc, our officers on
frontier duty are daily deterorating
Deprived Of society, too many Of them
seek refuge in that curse of oar army
deep drinking. with access to society,
especially to that Of rival regiments,
the tone of the service must soon rise
~ emulation developed higher and
more general military education. Our
army would not need to fear n COM
parison with any army in the world in
those points, were II not for the inilu-
ence of these isolated posts When II
IL once clearly recognized that these
posts, however apparently useful, are
/ really u poor substitute for COncentrA'
| ton aud activity, we shall hear little
more of Indian wars, and orr plains
will become mt least rs peaceful as Al
ecria. May that result soon arrive.