The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-28
ARTILLERY AND INFANTRY.
fInns for ReorEauizine the Two Arrs IN
Accordance with Modern Needs.

Accordance with Modern Needs.
WARRINGTON. Aug. 27.-Bilis introduce into
the Senate indicate that the advocates Of army
reorganization will mako strong effort to
secure that remodelling OF the artillery and
infantry which they believe to be called for by
the needs ot the country.
One obstacle in the Path OF those improve
ments hitherto has been the cost OF carrying
them out in the way most desired. But so inn
portant are the measures themselves that.
with much ingenuity. notifications OF the in
fantry project have been made which are said
to call for a smaller expenditure than the or
ganization OF to-day. At all events. the ques-
ton Of cost need not interfere with the success
OF these modified plans. provided that Con-
gress ia satisfied with the manner In which the
changes are to be brought about.
For the artillery an Increase In the number
OF regiments from five. as Mt present. to seven.
is the project most favored. This change 10
based on the Obvious need OF enarging the
proportion Of artillery In our service. with the
new Notifications planned for coast defence.
Since the protection OF the seabonrd and OF the
lake frontier Ia n matter OF the highest impor-
tance and since in any future war with for
eign country the true danger Ia that which
IL TO be apprehended from bonn harding valu-
able ports. or possibly seizing a base OF opera
lions on the coast. the adequate manning OF
the forts becomes of great consequence. A
recognition OF this fact caused the War De-
rnrtment some time ago to arrange a system
of transfers OF enlisted men from the cavalry
and infantry to the artillery. 1t was felt that
with the diminution OF Indian hostilities this
redistribution was safe. and tho growing i'm
portance Of coast defence was believed to
require 1t. With this accomplished. 1t Is now
proposed CORRESPONDENCE to increase the
number Of regiments in the artillery.
That such q change would cause some eN-
pense is obvious. but there are now greater
number OF First Lieutenants Of artillery than
nre needed. and by the employment and pro-
motion OF these officers. while giving fewer
Lieutenants to each battery. the cost Of tho
change will be greatly reduced. Gen. Scho-
field. in fact. has declared that the conversion
OF the present five regiments into seven "can
be made with very slight degree OF expense.
there being now in the five regiments almost
the entire number OF officers required to prop
erly officer seven regiments" One difference
would be in the increase OF pay resulting from
An argument suggested against this change
is that the real need is not of q greater number
Of ii se Hst 81 is ss of sn 4nssS
sometimes widely distributed. As an offset
crease in the number Of forts viii cali for
already twelve to a regiment. or the maximum
number tho proper resource is an increase in
eo con promise Hish he the Increase Of the r"si-
m needs and most new o5ts viii IL
motions. and with the half loaf now, the other
The Infantry organization sought is the one
embodied In the wellknown Henderson bill.
and i'H IS m" now introdnced once more. 1t gives
the infantry the three battalions for each regi-
Sns sd hS es wo af a eneS res
ment or fifty in all. It also provides for in
creasing the number OF companies to twelve
Ths ana
many years. It is generally admitted that the
regiment consisting Of three equal battaiions
manHuvre. and the Importance Of tactical efll-
cheney has been increased rather than dimin-
shed by th great % eoSn 9e the
with ten COMPANIES as well as with twelve. hut
Gon Com re Would authorize a change: The
leading European nations. except England.
with much larger mpanies than ours.
But in the infantry change thus proposed the
cordngly the plan has been devised Of making
the third battalion q skeleton battalion: or
" Mar Sn1 etS eat seqsa
notifications in the number OF officers to be
attached to this third battalion. and especially
with the great decrease in the total number OF
non com m issoned officers required. the en-
listed len being all concentrated into eight
companies. tho cost OF maintenance would be
actually less than now. The aggregate number
OF enlisted men would not he Increased
dminished but there would be more privates
in proportion to serGeants and corporsls.
1t has sometimes been asked what the need
is OF having many officers without COM
mands. One answer might be- that in our
service great numbers OF line officers are de-
tailed MS required by the laws. for special
service. For example. there are about seventy
instructors in tactics ut the colleges: there are
dozens Of officers on duty acting as Indian
other duties away from their organizations
could he mentioned. 1t is. therefore. regarded as
wiser that such officers should be transferred
to Il third battalion. in their respective regi-
ments. existing on paper only, and that their
men should be concentrated into fewer COM
pnnies. Indeed both in the cavalry and in
fantry this concentration OF companies now
exists. though In a form which many do not like.
Still another method of securing the three
battalion formations would be to decrease the
number OF regiments by cancellations: but
that would largely interfere with the promo
tions that would result from the other plan.
Perhaps. therefore. here. as in the artillery.
COMPROMISE might be devised with n slight
decrease In the number of regiments and tho
twelve company formation for those that re-
main. thus increasing somewhat the nom
inal number Of companies. reducing the ac-
tual number. and furnishing n part OF the de-
sired promotions with no increase OF cost