The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-09
A Scheme to Increase the Army to
IJG.OOO Men.

10000 Men.
The West Point military family has or
ganized aggressive warfare against the
reduction of the army. 1t has determined to
fight the decrease Of its numbers, diminution
of its pay and cmoluments, change Of its
gcntecl life and elegant subsistence. The
United States regular army has ut last come
to be social institution, like the Church Of
England, and the officers are going to com
bat for their order and privileges. There Is
cunning in their plan of a campaign Of
aggression. They will demand six times rs
much as they have got, content TO be left by
Congress in possession Of what they have.
Strange to say, this warfare against the
peoples demand for reduction is heraldcd
by n responsible representative Of the regu
lar army as n necessity arising out Of the
neighborhood of Canada The dreadful
opinion of II leading member Of the Canadian
Government that the time was surely COM
ing when the Canadians would wrest from
US the control Of the North American con-
tinent, Is held up bloody headed to the breed
Of men who fought Mt Gettysburg, Coal
Harbor, Chattanooga, and Five Forks, to
scare them into consent to scheme
for an army of ljGOOOl This Absurd argu-
ment for increase Is of a piece with the ar
guments heretofore urged against reduc-
ton Only military place hunters and
sinecurists would suggest II conquest of this
country by Canada. Fighting men would be
ashamed even TO dream of it in their sleep.
Among the lawless commissions to take
pleasure trips about the world at the public
expense, given by heads OF departments to
personal favorites, was one to examine the
military systems of the various continental
powers. Gen. UPTON was its chief. 1t lately
returned from two years of military aud
other Sightseeing. He brought home q plan
for reorgani2ng the army of the United
States, which we are ncodcssly told twas
matured in the atmosphere of tho VoN
MoLTKE school" Germany is q camp of
soldiers organized for tho maintenance OF
territory acquired by conquest and perpet-
ually mcnaccd with rccapture. The balance
of-power theory in politics constrains her
also, as it does France, Italy, Austria, Rus
STA, and England. She is obliged to make
the whole nation military, and to keep up
nm Immense army. Our condition is utterly
unlike Gcrmany's. We have no covotous
aggressive ncighbors. We have no occasion
whatever for an army, except what the wan
dering Indians of the plains give us. These
are few in number, are fast disappear
ing under tho advance of white settle
| mcnts and the extension Of the transcon-
| tinental railroads, and can be easily
| whipped and scattered by our present
| force of ten regiments OF cavalry The
| palpable difference Of condition between
| the United States and any OF the great Euro
pean powers is ignored by Gen. UProS's
| commission and while we are yet struggling
with the losses Of our great war, and the
corruptions of Grantism, he brings forward
this scheme OF huge army modelled upon
| that Of Germany He recommends a war
establishment Of three army corps and n
corps of cavalry. Truo to his West Point
family, he rejects that feature OF the Ger
man system which divides a regiment into
four companies Of $50 men each, and adheres
to our system OF ten companies of 100 men
each Then he deploys his plan to establish
apowerful military social order, which would
eat the Treasury hollow, and break the man
hood Of the nation by its corrupting spec
tacle Of profitable and honored idlencss. He
would organize each army corps as follows
} divisions infantry..e brisades--3o reeirnents-
l hrilaiy cavalry > regimen,s-O baitalons- -
uAN--a2O 2f'
Infantry division artillery, batiahons-O bat
tsric-fN guns 20
l bai"ry horse artillery, Tor cavalry brgalo-
corp. c-cr,e arulicry brisade-.2 bat,ahons--
6Iatterie-- gum Observation-Disclosures. 90
battalion heavy arullery--4 companies.......... T..
4l.55C
The total of three corps and cavalry
corps would bc as follows:
Odiyisions Infantry brisadcs--los resmcnts-- 49,.
LIZ ,l'-vf
hrlsadcs casalry-6 regime mt, -le battaion,--
Infantry division artillery % tattaions-Is bat
tcft~l ~ Jtp
| Reserve aruicry OF g corp-a3 bri. adc--o batia-
luns-+l~ harTie,-l|t guns ............... SEQ
hatlAlun~ heavy urtiicrN-l3 cOmpanlt lrp
ArnN reserve artllVrN-sl hrl4 3 battautis.-
- hatt.fifs=Ni gtl- l,1p
regiment heavy artillery l,i'pe--a ha'talions-l2
cvinaics. iN'
i97,9o
Cavalry corps-3 ii,-inn-~a br -ahcs-1s
r-lnltnts ID buuaiiuns- lAAlrJ 2St
COMPANIES. .l,Nfl
Division rise artillery, 3battaAons-obat
terir~aa 81 guns .... .,s......,. VpO
Corps reserve hors" ariIlisry.-l bntiaion-
batteries 10 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 40 49,
- % 90
Total, four corps 100. iS
Tho trained officers required for this fore
are thus tabulated by Gen. UPTON: