Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-27
AMERICAN WAYS OF FIGHTING.
What Great Military Leaders Have
Learned From Uncle Sam.


Maj. George B. Davis, who is in charge of
the publication Of the Rebellion Records, will,
in few days, present to Secretary Proctor an
argument in favor Of the publication by the
War department of map of the battle field
Of Chattanooga as companion to that just fin
ished by Capt Sanford G. Kellogg, fifty cav
airy, . mention of which was made in The
STAR last Monday. Maj. Davis, in a conversa-
ton with q STAR reporter the other day said
that he considered the map of Chickamauga
produced BY Capt Kellogg one of the most
valuable additions to the science Of tactics ever
contributed The officers intimate acquaint-
ance with the battle. derived from his expert
ence as . member of Gen. Thomas staff. was of
lnestimable value in the working out of the
lines and the various positions occupied by the
troops during the two days of the battle. The
battle OF Chattanooga, he said, bore a most in
inmate relation to that Of Chickamauga, being
the direct sequence of the latter engagement.
The held Ii rapidly undergoing the obliteration
ana enacement that is a direct effect OF the
spreading influences of towns and cities. The
town OF Chattanooga, said Maj. Davis, is grow
ing quite rapidly and some Of the important
fortihcations that bore a direct relation to the
outcome of the fight are even now absorbed
into the outskirts of the city, and there is
danger that in a very short time there Will be
streets and yards along the battle lines ana
other landmarks that can never be replaced.
The battle of Chickamauga, he thinks, was
one of the greatest strategic maneuvres OF the
war approaching in Importance to the crossing
of the Alps by Napoleon. The succeeding en-
gageinent of Chattanooga involved much
larger army and in some respects was OF more
Importance. The cost of the publication OF
map of the field would be a mere trifle, not
amounting to more than g, 900 at the most and
the value of such work would be incalculable.
There are not very many of the battles of the
late war that are susceptible of such treatment
with advantageous results. owing to the great
variety Of geographical conditions.
AMERICAN IMPROVEMENTS IN FIGHTING.
Maj. Davis. during the conversation, went on
to remark that American warfare so far as it
had gone has produced a result upon martial
methods in vogue among the advanced powers
OF Europe. The tactics of skirmlshing were
originated IN the revolution, but 1t many
years before the military geniuses of Europe
recognized their importance in battle. Napo-
leon was the first to see the value of the Amer
lean mode of fighting and his initial step was
to investigate the work of the French troops in
this country during the revolution and this of
course involved the incidental study of much
that was thoroughly American. The result
was that In his future campaigns he employed
the skirmish line to the great confusion Of his
enemies. Frederick the Great, with all his
military genius and skill, moved his men as a
child does its toy blocks in great masses that
carried everything before them by sheer force.
IL was his exquisite handling of this machine
that brought him victory, but had there been
opposed to him a general with an equivalent
mish fighting he would probably have been de-
feated every time.
ANOTHER AMERIcANIsM
Another Americanism in war that after being
pooh-poohed at for years by European generals,
has been finally adonted all oyar The ,rorla =;
the system of throwing ND light Notifications
or breastworks in the field of battle. 1t was
formerly the custom to lead on a line as far as
1t could go and then there would either be a
victory or rout. But some of the keener
military minds of the rebellion conceived the
idea OF providing our soldiers with light easily
portable digging implements, with which they
could, at moments notice, throw up trench
across bulet-swept field and there was line
OF earthworks as safe as fort. The idea prob
ably originated in custom of certain soldiers of
throwing up rifle pits on their own hook, some
times being reduced to digging with their can
teens. Gen. Skobeleff of the Russian army was
the hrst European military man to see the
reason in this plan and he adapted it to his
campaigns during the Russo Turkish war with
remarkable success.
THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND
Returning to the subject of the battles of
Chlckamauga and Chattanooga, Maj. Davis
paid high tribute to the valor and the char
acter Of the men who composed the Army of
the cumberland, commanded by Gen. Thomas.
In ms correspondence with the survivors of
the battle III which this body took part he
says he was surprised at the uniformly high
standing In business and in social rank of the
survivors. He noted the fact that there is
scarcely a business house or an Office or any
other well-founded establishment in the north
that has not among its leading lights a veteran
OF the Army of the Cumberland