Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-10
ARMY REFORMS NEEDED.
Lieut.. Clarke Talks Plainly About IL
Service.

Lieut.. Clarke Talks Plainly About the
Service.
Powhatan H Clarke, tenth United States
cavalry, in an article in the New York Herald.
saws:
The United States wants a small army, but
1t wants a good one. The army at present is
small enough but is not good, and there is no
reason why it should not be good-the best
The method Of supplying officers and training
them to enter the army is the best. 'and with all
due modesty think the officers Of the United
States army are mentally and physically the
most capable in the world
First. we want better men in the ranks and
and they should be got, no matter what they
cost; but We need some changes before we get
the men, To prevent further discussion here
are nv reasons for saying the army is not as
good as it ought to be. No army is good unless
there Is a systematic, uniform method of train
ing in every part Of it. Now there may be
some posts where some sort of energetic train
ing is carried on. but from December 1 70
March 10 no instruction has been given the
men where L have served excepting a few
recruit drills and non-commissioned officers
schools, and for months the horses have been
lied up TO the picket OF manger. The puerile
excuse Is given that il is too cold: vet the
government supplies the men with warm cloth
ing, in which they would be fully protected
the Cheyennes down at Lame Deer took to the
warpath- Does IL not SEEM with such an out
break ever liable to occur. the men and horses
ought to be kept in fighting trim, leaving out
the chances of a national danger which ought
to keep every patriotic soldier earnestly work
ing during his entire life.
One does not have to 60 TO Germany to learn
such truth, but one does have to go there to see
the senior cavalry officer ALWAYS present at drill
and exercise, which have not seen at home in
Is school where men trained to fight to
rlde-l mean to ride across the country and
ride fast-to fence, to shoot carblne and pistol
TO bear hardships and obey implicitly. to scout
and make sensible reports of what they have
seen.
OF more importance vet Is it school in which
TO train officers who should be past masters in
all Of these details. That is the theory; in fact
our men can shoot the carbine, some of them
can ride-our regiment having negroes can
nearly all rlde-but instruction in fencing
gymnastics. scouting. patrolling and field work
generally has not been attempted. These re-
marks may appear disloyal to the service and
to my regiment. but believe loyalty to a regi-
ment consists in doing all in ones power to
increase its efficiency. We need a more
thorough system Of practical inspection Our
generals are so tied down by office work that
tney can get the time to spend inspecting the
garrlsons thoroughly and most of the inspec-
tions have seen by delegated inspectors have
i
have been told that the older officers whom
thought ought to get out and work were
PnVsical wrecks from campaigning in and
since the war. Some Of them NAV be.
but L have not met any so feeble that
they could not drill their regiments especially
those who can hunt prairie chickens all day or
take trips into the mountains for fishing and
hunting purposes They NAV be tired OF ..fours
right" and 'fours left and in fact of all drill
II they are the government should get
tred OF paying them. The American
soldier Of our younger generation has
but little to look forward to- If he
Is conscientiously American he NAV not in his
heart, even wish or hope Tor war that might |
bring him fame. but he has the right to strive |
TO make himself and his men ready for war that |,
may come, 50 that he NAV equal the feats of
the men Of "a, and he has the right to COM
plain when he knows that the service is handi- !
capped by men whose highest idea of duty is to |
do only that which they cannot shirk
what We want Is a rigid system of instruction |
requiring reports at once when deviated FROM |
We have the finest system Of rife practice ever
seen. All other branches Of the soldiers edu- |
cation should be. and can be. carried to equal |
PERFECTION without an act of Congress The /
great difficulty in our service is that we have no
ing each learned the details Of artillery cavalry
and infantry, and perfect in those Of his own
corps, the reading Of MAPS the writing of \
orders, quartering, marching. massing and /
nBnunS OF rye bodies OF troOps-in other /
words. staff capable Of handling the 1000. 600 |
Americans who would want to fight if we got /
into a row.
L would advise those in Washington to ride /
over to Meyer and see the cavalry drill. to /
watch closely every exercise of the militia. for /
those who can stand it to join the Hunt |
Club and follow the hounds across country.
II 10 said that in war staff officers have to go
over ground with bitches and fences without
waiting for the pioneers to take down or
NIL up the obstacles. OF course as our
system OF paper work is now it Is impossible
10 get time to ride. hours and hours
each day being taken up triefing and indorsing.
referring. approving and disappearing millions
OF little details referring to supply and equip
ment. The old English court of chancery as
described in BLEAK House. and the equally
harassing decentralization Office are simple.
practical business institutions as compared to the
present bureaus of the War Department. that sap
the very vigor and vitality out of our army and
prevent the staff, such as it is. from attending
TO Its own practical duties and those of the line.