Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-09-19
He IS A Great General
WalderSee Wins Laurels
in Army Maneuvres.
Military Experts Unanimous in
Their Praise of His Gencralship-
Took Unforeseen Advantage Even
of the Kaiser-Failure of tho Cav
airy Under Undue Exertions

Berlin, Sept. 15.-The military experts
who have just returned from partcipa-
tion in the annual manoeuyres at Stet-
tin are unanimous in their praises of the
mastery generalship of Won Walder-
see, who reversed the whole programme
and snatched unforeseen advantages from
the kaiser himself. AS tactician he is
almost if not quite the equal of the late
Field Marshal Won Moltke, and in respect
to dash and energy is second to no gen
eral that Germany has ever had. In re-
gard to the fighting qualities of the Ger
man troops the notions formed bv the
different experts and correspondents diff
fer somewhat, but in the main are favor
able. One correspondent says the re.
serve men during the heat of the move
ments lay about on the ground making
it look like field of battle strewn with
wounded. During the climbing of the
slopes for an assault the men dropped
from the effects of the heat as though
they had been shot, and the army doc
tors rode around among them admins
tering reviving cordials. The sanitary
corps uEfastened the heavy knapsacks
from the fallen and assisted them to
arise to their feet. The men were always
full of grit and moved forward as soon as
they were able to after they had recov-
cred their strength.
The correspondent of the United Press,
who was present throughout the man
oeuvres, contends that the men stood the
hardship imposed upon them with won
derful fortitude and without any show If
fatigue worth mentioning 1t is true
that some of them broke down and lay
by the roadside, but these men comprised
only few hundred out of 100000. Of
much more importance was the failure of
the horse material under undue eXer-
tions. The cavalry became completely
played out and the horses of the balloon de-
tachment were so overworked that some
times not even the severest whipping
sufiiced to get them up hill. The weight
of the gas reservoir also proved too
great a strain for the horses, and these
show the necessity for II radical reform
of the military material. Another re-
form affecting the lances introduced
throughout the German cavalry of late
years seems imperatively necessary The
lances do good work for a single man
sent out to scout in opening doors and
windows giving the natives of an oc-
cupied country wholesome scare and a
degree of respect for invading forces
during a clearing up expedition, but as
soon as the men work in squadrons the
lance becomes an incumbrancs and even
source of danger to both man and
horse.
The infantry tried their new bayonets,
which are of triangular shape instead of
being shaped like Yataghsns, and it is
conceded that the latter syle proves to
be the most useful of any. The new
portable tents wereia great success. The
men liked them as they could be erected
without the slightest trouble. There
was great deal of discoutent, however,
with the management If the commits
sariat. Numbers of the men complained
that they had nothing t. eat for whole
day except a slice of breld Officers and
men alike were sometimes so fatigued
that they preferred to 90 to sleep rather
than remain awake and await the ar-
rival of food. The chief commissary re-
ceived decoration 1t which he was
highly elated, but tn, other officers of
the commissariat werr left to indul gence
in volumes of bad language provoked by
the clamors of the hungry men