Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-01
Is THE ARMY IN A DRY ROT?
Pertinent Comment by q Critic Who H,
Seen the Wires Pulled.

Frederic Remington in the New York Sun.
feel lmpelled to make q few observations
which are called to my mind by the resignation
OF Lieut. 8. c. Robinson Of the first cavalry.
He was driven to drink BY lot of opposition
from old civil war tailenders. He went crazy,
tried to commit suicide unsuccessfully and then
resigned An eminent military authority COM
ments on it by piously ''hoping that the terri
BILE lesson has not come too late" I concur in
the hopes, but would probably differ as to the
terrible lesson" Robinson was talented
young officer. He was graduated from West
Point in 1879 and was class adjutant.
Two or three years later he went to
France and took the postgraduate course
in cavalry at the Saumur School,
When he returned he was appointed
to the Leavenworth School as instructor in rid
ing. Finding no drill hall and no regulation
clal use for his presence, SO he got himself re-
heved and joined his regiment. During this
period he made one of the longest rides in mill
tary annals during the winter in the northwest
| while pursuing deserters. He was recognized
as handsome, active, accomplished and more
skilled in his art than any of those over him.
He was always trying to advance the service to
make many needed changes to train the men
under him. He wrote papers for the service
Journals, but the gibbering idiots who ranked
him-the men who thought more of suppress
ing this young enthusiast than Of advancing the
service-sat on him singly, in pairs and in con-
cert whenever he wrote a line or advanced a
new idea or did a worthy act.
The gallant Lieut.. Casey, who courted and
found death as relief from the "old fogies. -
recognized his ability and recommended him
for the leadership Of the Crow scouts. He
made the finest scout corps, except Caseys,
which ever existed. He advocated an increase
Of these scout forces partly in the army inter-
est and partly a civilizing agent. Before
the regulation which enlisted Indians in the
ranks WAS put to the test he protested that
it was not being done properly, and now
every one knows that Indians as regular SOL
diers are failures whereas if the original propo-
sition to make them scouts had been followed
they would have been valuable. For the fail
ure Of this grand scheme a bunch of fat old
bureau men in Washington are responsible.
They didn't know any more about Indians than
q coal scuttle would; they had rcd-tape ink
stand ideas OF the army, and then it was such a
fine opportunity to sit on young man Of ideas
that 1t could not be resisted; SO a great failure
was scored when tremendous success might
have been achieved; but they killed the young
man. which was their plan. He went on pro-
longed spree which unseated his reason. md
now they are well rid Of him. d their souls
The service is full of young Robinsons chatting
under the heavy hand OF the fat god OF rank.
They cannot protest, or they would find a row
of nice old gentlemen sitting on them in court
martial. While l write this one of the most
pronounced Of these ancient officers who got
his grades for faithful and meritorious SER
vices in the quartermasters Office during the
war" is on q board of court-martial and is
going to crush young man. If he had his
deserts he would have been cashiered long ago
for 'incompetency and cowardice in the face of
the enemy" and in any other army in Christen-
dom he would have been turned down." but
he had pull with that band Of sleepy old tubs
in Washington who are Gen. This and Col
That of the stats forsooth.
The real soldier stuff don't ''stck close to its
desk and never 60 to sea, and some day to be
ruler Of the"-United States army. Oh, no; it
wants to ride and shoot. and dreams of eff
cheney and glorious actions. The old gentlemen
who have taken care enough of their healths to
get into high grades and who don't scout
but send young Lieut.. A. b. c. to do the work.
and do not have to pass examinations which
would pull them all out at tho first fire. are
responsible for the dry rot which is disinte-
grating our army today. 1t will probably take
a war to make them resign and get out. but if
some one with the power could only get n
regulation on them they could be gotten rid Of
in n less expensive way. In the German army
an officer cannot get his colonel's grade unless
he passes the examination Of mnster-at-arms
Think of that. old fellows. how funny il would
be, don't think there are over three or four
III that. of our cavalry colonies who could take
u HNt-Daf gaze On thtif horses, anu then think
how valuable must be n cavalry colonel who has
to say to his men. Il can't negotiate this stone
wall, so we cant charge"
10 there no hope?
There are plenty Of infantry field officers
who couldn't get pony past dead dog in the
road if they were following their regiments in
action, not to dream Of six rails ON a snake
fence. Lighthouse batteries in our service nro
the most solemn funerals or drill ever beheld
Instead OF galloping madly and shrieking "Act-
ion right in a way to set the nerves of the
enlisted men on edge. they issue paaver and
with the elaboration of apprentice boy
filing o saw.
We need staff-a general staff-but we don't
need that as much as fully manned regiments
well drilled, well commanded, and full of esprit
de corps. Why have we not had large aud
small arms issued to our troops before
this? l would like an answer to this. II
we did not need the arms why did We need the
army? Why was that old cavalry bit kept SO
long, when have never known Of n cavalry
officer who did not pronounce it an absurdity?
United States cavalry cannot vancouver with
our present cavalry equipment. 1t never did
in war, and it never will. Every one who knows
anything knows this but the staff. and they
don't know anything that can discover. There
is not cavalryman alive who ever took q orse
through long. hard campaign with that "kit. "
or at least never heard one say he did. Our
uo cQulpulcut tS u
although some regiments exceptions. 1t
goes in baggage wagon. Every soldier in Eu-
rope or Asia carries his equipment. If Ameri-
can soldiers are more weak in the back-more
lazy, more this more that-let us find out
what American soldiers can or have carried in
the field, and then invent a fold kit suited to
their needs. Then the skeleton" organiza-
tions Of our army-that is another brilliant idea
but it don't work. We should have full. fine
regiments, and then they can be skeletonized
on the eve of war. and the skeleton can wear
flesh and carry blood, and not fall to pieces.
What we must have are officers who do not
eat ham sandwiches while reviewing troops,
who can ride a horse. who have ideas them
selves and who like to see other men have ideas,
too. We need men who will get out and do
something instead of sitting about with whisky
and water before fireplace. putting up jobs on
young men who are active intelligent and pro-
gressive. Without officers, of course, We can
not have enlisted men.
Let us hope against hope that the strong man
will come some day who can revolutionize all
this. He will either be a born soldier, the hero
OF many fights, man of the camps, or he may
be brilliant Secretary of War, who knows n
real soldier from grade-hmting old mossbnck
and one who can stir up the military dish with
spoon big enough to reach the bottom.
The brilliant young officers of the army are
torious-service- in the 9uarternasters g. Office
during-thc-war" sort of puds are to be made to
stick to their knitting and not go fussing
around about things of which they know moth
ing.