The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-05-26


had in his hands, entirely untrammeled,
IFS organization, the selection, instruction,
and promotion of its members, and mas
brought it to its present perfection. To
this perfection are due in DO small degree
the Prussan successes in recent years.
70 the relative inicriority of their general
staff corps their antagonists may to great
extent attribute the disasters they have
experienced. In our own last war infn-
its difficulty, ,.not only in the organization,
but also in the subsequent handling Of
the armies, arose from our lack Of such
body of men. SO absolutely certain is it
that such corps is Of the first and most
vital Importance in war that we must,
even if at some length, explain its organi-
aation,its duties, and the manner in which |
ite members are selected and instructed. |
As promotions are practically made, it
often happens that general officers, while
possessing many Of the essential quali6ca-
tions for command, such as courage, en-
ergy. the ability to govern and inspire
men, lack other equally important quail.
ties Of more scientific nature, as well as
the trained intellectual power necessary
to enable them to determine what is best
TO be done in an emergency, and how to
do it, One purpose OF the set Of men
with whom we are now concerned is to
supply this want. Again even when a
general possesses all the requisite quail.
6cations for his post he cannot be every
where at once, see everything with his
own eyes, or give every order in person,
and he requires the assistance Of this
highly instructed corps to increase his
powers Of action for be can see with their
eyes. trust to their reports, and commit
safely to them not only the delivery OF
his orders, but also the watching over
their proper execution. TO such men also
he can safely intrust the power of modi.
lying his orders as circumstances change.
Sometimes, also, it happens that gener.
al has served in only one OF the arms Of
service, and has only general knowledge
OF the powers and necessities of the 9th.
ers. Here, too. the general staff corps
comes to his aid.
1t ought to follow from this, and in
practice it often docs, that the more per.
feet the general staff corps, the more trc-
quently will general officers be selected
from among then number. In the Prus.
sian army the great majority Of tho gen.
erals have passed through the admirable
War Academy, and fully three. .iourths
have served on the staff but in most
other armies very large proportion Of
the generals come from the line of the
army. In time Of peace the duties of
such a corps arc twofold: First, to col.
lect and keep in perfectly convenient
shape for immediate use all the informa-
tion iu the way of topography and statis-
tics that, in the event of war, can be
useiul in arranging plans of campaign and
conducting operations. Secondly, to train
the members Of the corps for the proper
performance Of their duties in war. The
information referred to is so varied and
extensive that we can only indicate few
Of its main features by way Of ilustra'
} tloD. One Of the most important point:
is the collection of the best possible maps
of ones own aud Of all other countrie:
> where it is possible that campaigns may
have to be conducted These maps should
80 into every detail, and give ample IN
formation on all points that can affect
the movements Of troops, and must bC
supplemented by full Internationally
tained through reconnaissance or other
) wise-as to the nature of roads, streams
forests, etc, the geology OF the country
| its practicabilty at all seasons and in al
r weathers; the capacity Of the towns ant
: villages for defense, shelter supplies, etc.
the nature and location of the defensive
positions, and their approaches simila,
information in relation to the permancn
deicnses ; the railways, etc, etc. Ful
: information must also be procured in re
; gard to the military resources otal posi-
5 bic antagonists the organization anC
strength Of their armies their arrange
D menis for rccruiting etc, the natur,
, and qualilr, a. their weapons the char
, acier and 1l+iiies Of their different gen
| erals, etc IN regard to the other par
e OF the wok in peace, the first step is t.
select the :ncir' ers from among the mos
t intelligent, a,.lte, energetic, ambitious
t and high tord of the entire body o
c the officers ol 'r army, to institute pre-
. liminary exau atoms iato their qualitica
r 'ious, and uni ,iiatingly to remove frou
r the corps any who at any subsequent pc
. nod Of their service prove to be in an
I way unsnltci To the duties required o