The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-01-16
A MILITARY STAFF.

Some Reasons Why the American Army
Should Have q Properly Educated stan
Corps.
That we may be able to keep pace
with the rapid and unceasing improve.
fments of modern military science, and
: adapt them to our peculiar needs, it is
absolutely necessary that we should
have permanent establishment where
officers devote themselves entirely to the
military profession, while the non-com-
missioned officers and men remain long
enough in the service to acquire
thorough discipline and instruction.
In measuring the value of such
permanent establishment it is to be
borne in mind that not only can it per-
form certain duties, such as the control
of the Indians. very much more eff
silently and economically than any tenn
porary force, but that, II maintained at
. sufficiently high numerical standard,
it stands ready to bear the first brnnt OF
hostilities until new troops can be or
ganized and instructed, that it affords
the means Of infusing discipline and in
strucdon among these new troops,
and that it furnished the
robust frames of the various
staff corps, whose business it is to d.
rect the movements and supply the
needs of both old and new troops. 1t
is impossible to exsggerste the import
ance of these staff corps Of the regular
army and it is one of the unavoidable
necessities of our position to maintain
them on larger scale than is demand
cd by the current needs OF the army on
peace footing.
Our ability to increase the strength
of the army with rapidity, and to inn
provise new armies, depends chiefly
1t might perhaps justly be said entirely
upon our maintaining in time OF
peace large and thoroughly trained
staff corps. Far from having too many,
our organization is still deficient in the
lack Of something corresponding to the
magnificent General Staff Corps" OF
the German army-a corps composed
of the ablest and most highly trained
officers Of the most perfectly organ zed
army the world has ever seen, and form
ing the most admirable and efficient
military instrument of which history
bears record
1t must not for a moment be forgot
ten that the mere drill in the tactics and
the use of arms forms very small
although o very essential-part of the
instruction required to prepare troops
for war.
The proper feeding and clothing Of
Che men, the care of their health, the
collection of the various supplies requir-
I'D, together with the formation and
management of the requisite depots and
trains to insure their being on hand at
the right time and place, the determine
lion Of the most efficient arms and am
muniton, the establishment Of hospitals
and feld-hospital trains, the provision
of the means for crossingirivers, the use
of heavy and light artillery, the con.
duct of seiges, the attack and defense Of
posts, the collection Of information as to
Che theater of war and the supplies il
affords, of the movements andintentions
of the enemy, guard and outpost duty,
reconnaissance, marches, handling
troops on the field of battle-in other
words, the means required to put troops
to the best possible use, or, in fact, tc
any use whatever-all this requires fol
its proper execution combination o.
the theory and practice, of education
and experience, that can be acquired
only through a regular establishment
Moreover, It must be remembered tina
never before has technical science play
ed so great part in war, and never be
fore was thorough scientific knowledge
of the art of war. in all its branches, 81
necessary to insure success. The lat
George B. Mcclellan, in Harper's Maya
sine.