New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-01
PART II.
PAGES 10 TO IS.
TIE BATTALION FORMATION.
.nopTION FOR THE ARMY URGED BY
SECRETARY LAMONT

.r,.prs OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WAR
,,,vryT- CoNCENTRATIoN OF TROOPS
CUMBERSOME BUREAU sYsTEM-A
REDUCTION or PAPER WORK
AND RED TATE SUGGESTED.
.,r,on Nov. so-The report OF Daniel S
vac" secretary of War. made public to-
La"'" summary Of it follows:
DAY o,orts of the officers in command of the
the Geographical departments corroborate the
seveidi eSvnressod in my last annual report that
opinion srtare virtually at an end in the United
Indian Snd that beyond occasional calls for police
duty ID will nenceforth be relieved to greater
the Ain Zach year OF the labor of armed surven-
lance o serious nfractions of the neutrality laws
been ~ exicau frontier during the year, but the
prese";s clearly prescribed 10y the conditions of
csoami' s m that region. IL was found neces,
saIy d" through July of the current year. in
sSsm "s Sections Of the country. to employ con
sisIaos states courts otherwise successfully
GsS and resisted to protect the dispatch OF the
lh'e roammerce and guard the property of the
ssIaarsrnment The movement Of troops tnus neces-
state, the close of the Civil War. The difficult
sn mS extraordnary tasks imposed upon the ofcers
AND men Of ne Army weFt drcnarSSsa c PrUnpd
in ,Ss courase. intelligence. ana Loyalty OF those
called into acys dny y, ana the 'hoT3usn n lila
H abs States wherever employed also proved gen
" .uv 10 be composed of qualihed ana reliabie
so TSs number Of enlisted men in service on October
u was S5l6 Deiuc,ing the sick. those III cohilne-
men recruits 10, Yet joined those absent on fnf-
i"nrS and Others employed IN stan departments or
On sSeachei service the effective field strength on
ne same date @lli of all arms
BATTALION FORMATION.
earnestly recommend that Congress enact the
LEGISLATION necessary 10 establish in the Army the
ns,.al,on formation. now adopted by the armies of
every other civilized nation. As necessary to effect
that change recommend the removal Of the limit
~ u 900 men fixed by the act of June 49, lSi. and
rs,Irn 70 the limit fixed by the act OF July To- le'V
ieSsIstiye approval of these propositions VIII
rSsInre - the effective force about 1000 enlisted
M bringing the actual strength Of the Army up
me-, ,n-sir - Strength nov fixed by law BY
s5snges inc Army will be increased in efficiency ~
ner cent H. numbers about l62 per cent ana IN Cost
q maintenance only about per cent; IN oriet, ~
nroposel tina; two COMPANIES be added TO each OF
the twenty-five infantry regiments so uidt edCh
shall consis, Of three oaitalons 81 iour h
and that TWO foo; batteries he audei 10 eaCh ol nt
Ave artillery regiments. No increase in the cavalry
is propose -, ,, -, tho ,rnv has m
dergone no material change since the close OF tHe
Civil War During this period OF thirty years tNci;
large foreign army has been completely reorgdnized.
Changes and improvements IN arms I mn i ~,
and equipments have forced upon the leallns sud.e
gs,s ami tacicars of the great armies OF the Word
the necessity Of broad departure from me o.u
tens Al. have adopted the battalion as tAc lactCdi
ur.f
esyalry unit The light artillery battalion has
similar composition should our AImy ever ,rpon pe
our present formation would prove so defective as
10 turn the scale against us in conflict on terms
For some years the Secretaries Of War the gen
erals commanding the Army and the most emihen,
auhorities in military science IN TINS country nave
urged IN. adoption OF the battalion formation ana
our mos progressive ana best-in:oimsd olneeis ny
lieve tia, tn organization Of our small Amy sh9ul
embosv this universally approved result OF modern
military thought Four compan.es are a. iaIse
ssn,ro In @e,p co and a re GIw the NJ
of ali the men OF his regiment, who marched ana
fought IN double rank with touch Of elbows tniei
ron. on the battle-lns no greater than would now
be covered by a sna. battalion OF one-tnird 'ia'
ereciIse at distances greater than g" or $50 yards
while II viii be deadly at ranges o. -Vo yatu
the men Will act in small groups or snsy' anu o'ie
advance VIII be made in successive hnes IN Jpn
the commander of each unit will be absolutely es
sentia 10 efficiency and success IN ns helu more
progressive than the general Government. aietny
Sas M battalion organiza:i ion. and our own Army
So vi, nc rmit battallons Of from two 70 hve
compan!es being lmprovised In the diiitteni s"I
h strength allowed up to 1874, and providing ior
The battalion formation. win few minor '""'s -
he organization OF the Army VIII De: , .,h.
c.v,ir,--Ten REGIMENTS OF three sduddrOns eaCh
one co,onei one lieutenant ,onei two ezra ~
fDf 4n
%ss,oned staff; cacn squadron, one major or neG-
nr-r1lone! and four troops, each Troop O"e zap
tan mo rerimen,s u tire foot batta,ions
and one field artillery bdttai.on edC. IN cor ad-
2n.an. "a nuartermaster anu five nOn-cOnnlis-
STONED s;.r each foot battalion one MayS' oi
;enant-colonal ana four batteries Ihg e "a ci
soo hsfiary one captain lieutcnan;i ana SIM
Eve enlisted men each nee 4S2s'"d men
Infantry-Twenty-hv regiments OF thfee va
each coone one five nom
commissioned staff; each oattaIioli oe aanh com
lenenant-colonel and four companles ,et,v1ve en-
pary, one captain, t"O "S"'''''
listed men.
ADVANTAGES OF THE FORMATION
rha ha,,suon NJ engineers would remain as no"
NTH four c.,,o,anies Of 100 men, making an asgfe-
za,s NJ q ~ Of all arms. and SUFFICIENT hui''oei
remaining for the hospital corps. non-commisS'onei
SIAN ordnance detachment. Indian scouts anu 80
unattached men, 70 make tOtaI OF '''"''
deductions are made for the sick absentee e'0'
The effective strength 81 the Army would D. aD'us
800 solder ana forty field guns. Inc loi 800
desired admits OF rapid ana great eSpd'sIo'i =.
the exigencies Of actual waTidie az, ,ne pea CO
establishment u the United states. ,imerI Sher-
ago. before retiring from coi,an of he forma-
pointed the great awnings - force
ton enabling TO put large anu til a,list ing
In the field upon sh Jrt notice by meIe,S 49," ,he
sufscen, number OF additional private solders' hs
officers and organization being always i"ais 10 -
EXPANSION. The promotion OF elsntS ~ rithout
rexinsnal adiu,ants and qudrterndsteis - WI 49,
expense save as 10 the cavalry regiments az, -
amounts $500 per annum In orrei M nv in
motions in the different arms Oh ' n. IN The na a.
the future be more nearly equal than ~ ,ne pa,
and that a surplus Of euienants oi az .,hs,rbad
required In In. new ORGANIZATION may De aDsO ip-u'
proposed mat considerable numoer OF nos f
leutenants should. upon their own appncati91n, " -,
transferred 10 the infantry in present order OF
re.atve rank IT,. .oa,,
Resolving the effect OF these changes mo HiV'isS
II appears thar for nav rdtions and clothing OF tne
increased number Of enlisted men proposed an IN
crease OF s. 10000 in annual approprd loi.s VII We
required Reirencnment In the a!InlnIs'i q I've
branches OF the War Department has reduced tx,
half a million dollars compared with last year. ana
the estimates contemplate further retrenchii.t'
Tor the coming fiscal year These economies ~ ~
administration Of the war Department may P,,OP-
erly be turned to the benefit Of the Army ana 20
regarded the proposed increase IN numbers anu CIV
higher efficiency IN organization OF the ehnslrn nv"
may be obtained at increase OF ony nDo1
the War Department The proposition outIht ga III
templates increase In the number OF 'lhe . no ~
ina.al. ..-.4 clog a