Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-20
THE CHILEAN FORCES.
They Are Formidable Only on Paper,
but They Are Armed
WITH MODERN PARAPHERNALIA.
Some Misconceptions About Them Intelli.
gently Explained Away.
THEY ARE GOOD FIGHTERS, HOWEVER
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArCH.1
NEW YORK. Jan. 18.-The Chilean army
is formidable only on paper: In 1883 it
contained two regiments of artillery, ten
battalions of infantry and three regiments
of cavalry, with 1,023 officers and 12,450
men. By the law of 1884, however, this
establishment was reduced and limited to
10, 40 men at most
In 1891 the strength of the standing army
on paper had fallen to 397 officers and 5, ,719
men, organized in eight battalions of in
antry, two regiments of field artillery,
hree regiments of cavalry, one battalion of
sappers and one battalion of coast artillery.
The effective strength of the army however,
was estimated by German colonel last
year as only 2,305 men. for during 1890 no
fewer than /, 15S had deserted.
There is universal liability to service in
Chile, and therefore there is the fiction of a
'people's army" such as is supported in
France and Germany, but in fact most
soldiers are pressed into the service and are
paid to stay in it, while exerting all their
political influence to get out. When politi-
cal influence fails an unwilling soldier
merely takes his case into his own hands
and deserts as the figures just quoted
show.
All Able Must Bear Arms There.
Tourists in Chile frequently have much
to say about the strength and efficiency of
the war departments in the large cities there.
The explanation of this is that every fire.
man is exempt from military service. AS it
is not customary in Chile, however, as it is
on the continent, to drill the fire andpo1ice
organizations for service in the field the
Chilean firemen would not be any more
available for war than the rawest recruits
from the provinces.
Besides its 1885 regulars the Chilean
Government has in times of peace national
guard of As, ,602 men and 2,119 officers, to
which every Chilean able to bear arms is
supposed to belong. The National Guard,
like the regular army, is much more consid-
erable on paper than in reality. AT the be-
ginning of last year it was estimated to con-
tain but 81 900 men and ], 155 officers poorly
drilled and armed and almost undisciplined.
This force is divided among "a regiments
of infantry and three separate companies,
IL squadrons of cavalry and few old-fash-
ioned batteries.
wrote German military authority, "is a
cans have long urged thorough reform.
The training is hardly better than the
organization. So, for instance, the cavalry
is drilled according to the Spanish system
of 1907. On the other hand, the weapons of
the regular army are sufficiently modern.
The field artillery has Krupp guns and the
infantry has Mannlcher rifles. The ammu-
milton factories and repair shops are under
the supervision of German officers
Too Many officers In the Army.
Not the least of the serious defects of the
Chilean army is that it has an amazingly
large number of commissioned officers.
Every battalion has one colonel, two
majors and two captains. The change,
moreover, from the peace formation to the
war formation has been in no way provided
for.
The weakness of the Chilean army is more
the result of poor management of War
Ministers and Inspectors General than
lack of good material. The Chilean soldiers
are fair fighters, as 30, 900 of them showed in
the war with Bolivia and Peru some u
years ago. They are, besides, hardy and
uncomplaining and of phenomenal endur-
ance. In the last war the Chilean infantry
did some astonishingly good marching.
Marches of 80 or 33 miles a
day, beyond the power of the highly
trained European troops, were for them
nothing extraor binary. The cavalry showed
similar ability to stand fatigue. Marching
day and night it several times covered go
miles at stretch. The secret of this en-
durance of the mounted soldiers is that
every Chilean is at home on horseback, and
that every horse, when ridden at gallop.
the only gait of the Chilean cavalry, has al
most ine1haustible strength. BecaAse the
Chileans are famous riders, however,
it is not correct to draw the inference that
they are poor pedestrians This is shown
not only by the work of the infantry with
Peru, but also by the records of the couriers
and professional runners The latter cover
As or so miles day, although carrying bur-
dens of 40 pounds on their shoulders.
That from such material fine soldiers can be
made is self evident.