New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-27
THE BUSINESS OF WAR.
HOW TIE ARMIES OF THE WORLD LOOK
TO FRIENDLY EXPERTS.

TIE ARMIES OF TO-DAY description tdonr Of ,m 5nr
Illustrated Pr H. 43s Harper ~ Brothers.
| This is not merely an entertaining book II
| contains lesson or two. For Americans the les
son is problem which, after all that has been sild
| by the expert essayists-(ienenl Merritt for the
United States Lord Wolseey for Great Britain,
Lieu,enant-C olonel Exner for Germany, General
| Lewal for France. an Anonymous general for Rus
sia Baron Won Kuhn for Austrla-lIungary, Colonel
| Goran for italy, Mr. Janvicr for Mexico, and Lieu
| tenant-C Colonel EXner for the small powers of
| Europc-remains unanswered That problem Is
how to raise citizen sodicry 20 level OF eff cheney
| approXimatng that of a standing army without IN
curing the ruinous cost and the peril 10 liberty
| which are the inScpardblc accompanimcnts OF an
| army maintained in piping times ready for war
General Merritt points out that it took year AT
the outbreak Of the Civil War 10 prepare IN" mr.
mics on either side for efficient work in the field
| but lie adds, " from that time on, supplying
| fresh material from the farm, the shop AMI the
| Office we had till the end good armies rs the
world ever saw Then lie points out now
short rapid and decisive recent wars n Europe
have been. and concludes that the year Of drill
| and organization which was needed at the outset
will not bo vouchsafed by foreign enemy. The
militia OF the nitcu states Will answer Will
purpose of a second line in case Of with a
foreign power but is not now, and never has
been in the first days of war, FIT TO take the field
49,. In SAYING TIL, IN regard 10 the militia il j.
not intended to undcrrate the material Of which
it is composed. In my opinion there l. not an
army in the world that could defeat an cqu lly
strong American army. prepared with proper dIi
and discipline. But these take time and neither
ukasc of Gar. bull of Pope. nor act OF Congress
can make an army without them" II = 10 be- OBJ
served in addition to tho - difficulties that the tine
is approaching, and perhaps has already arrived,
when the practical school Of war for the small
body of Regulars which the Indians kept up on
the frontier out Of pure enthusiasm in tie work Of
collecting scalps is to he closed forever With no
sharp experience III sight on this continent wnat
is there likely to keep up the spirit Of even the
small group Of American citizens allowed 10 devote
themselves TO the profession Of a soldier The time
when mere drill in cvolutisns m de a soldier l.
gone by. General Merritt quotes with approval
the remark Of an English authority: Formerly
we depended the perfect drilling Of our men;
henccforwarl it is upon the efficiency Of battle
training and firc-traiung We shall have {, rely
Unless our regiments be first rate in both thos.
points no longer hope for victory, although
they may be able to merch past Ike wall and
20 through the most comp icatcd barIac k-yard
eVolUtOns with tie utmost precision An incl
dent told 10y the Russian csSiyIst illustrate, graph
cally what this meals 1t was an attach Of
Turkomans Oh column which had fallen into
needless confusion while getting Oh the march be-
fore daylight. Says he
In word, the troop was in Il position where
II was least prepared to meet an attack, ana
thar, too, III the middle of the night. and in
/ darkness such as 70 inhabitant 0I the North
can conceive Hardly had the first sluadron~
/ with Prince Eugene de Lcuchtcnbcrg AT their
/ head started along the road, than suddenly the
air trcntled with clamor. bowls and savage war
J cries from crowd Of several thousand men, ard
/ seven Iurkoman tribes and women To-
! gcther, fell upon troop. our sluadrons were
| nang back upon the rest Of the cavalry by force
/ OF the shock upon the infantry. The confusion
| was terrible We could not see the confusion for
/ IL was TOO dark, but Sc felt it, NJ more could
We distinguish friends from enemies At first
| not a single shot was heard. but only the dull
| thud Of sabres striking human bodies and the
| lamcntabe cries of the wounded. suddenly there
was flash and glare in front of us and
| q violent explosion, then second and Il third
! The rocket battery being among the first squad
| rOns, had succeeded thanks TO the darkness in
placing its stands right in the middle Of the
enemy. Unfortunately the rockets burst with
! out rising However, the explosions frightened
| the Turkomans, and had the result Of forming for
| a moment a little opening in the mass Of com
batants Then ! heard behind me energetic
t yob'e c Mnhe way and two companies OF
! through the midst Of the COssacl<s, and dashed
to the spot where the battery had taken ii.
| stand. Fire" rc-echocd the word OF command
and discharge was heard uniform that il
sounded like single shot. L" Fire! :" heard
Immediately alongside. ard another similar
discharge followed. Fire little farther. and
yet farther, and then farther still, 10 the right
Of where | was, one vollcy after another. and
in peace time during reviews. | have ofthn
heard worse firing. When the sun rose on the
horizon, our troop was found 10 bc drawn up
in scmcirclc one company by the side of
the other. in an order as exact If the
manoeuvTe, had been executed in broad day
light and by srccial word Of command. II was
tho regular vollev firing which lad shown the
battalions their places
That is TO say. troops should be so trained that
they may be relied upon TO wrcst victory al
midnight not only from an unseen foe, but from
the incompctcncy Of their own commander
Troops have been trained, hut il takes war
10 do it, II is here, as Lord Wolsclcy points
ont, that the British army has in the past hal
an advantage. "Our army he writes, d" has
far greater practice in war than that Of any other
nation. While tho armies Of other
European Powers can only gain annually some
insight into with the blank ammunition fired
during the autumn manocuvrcs Queen Victorias
soldiers learn their lesson with ball cartridge fred
in real warfare, and with almost annually recur-
ring regularity 1t is the varied experience and
frequent practice in war provided for our officers
by tho nature Of our Understanding Empire
which makes them what believe them % be- the
best in the world For the present generation
however the generation which is likely to fight
the next great battle in Europe, the French and
the Russians have had not a little practical ey-
porience. and even Italy knows what war in an
African colony is like. Germany has not been
without such training. But in the years TO come
where is the United States soldier u get the hard
knocks that will keep the nonsense of pompous
reviews out of his head and put something else
there. 1t is no use talking about valor that never
gets anything to do. The best sword that was