The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-07
AROUND THE CORRIDORS.

Captain Tom Cunningham blew into the
California yesterday to find out how the land
lies on Governor Budd revised military chart
when he had sized up the geographical situa-
uop to the extent that something is going TO
happen and nobody outside knows what, he
slipped into a chair and unused. "1t's just
something like a year ago." he said, "that
went down to Santa Cruz with Colonel Sulll-
vans regiment as an inspector, along with
Lleutenants McIver and Holley OF the regulars.
George Burdick of the London, Paris and
American Bank was ma jor in those days, ana
II you know Burdick you don't need to be told
that he Is soldier par excellence and was
brought UP on drill-books There isn't much
between the covers that Burdick doesn't know
spent many an evening with him in his tent
lighting tactical battles and solving problems
and all that sort of thing, and pretty merry
time we had of it.
''Well, sir, one night the major and settled
down to good talk early in the evening. We
had little preliminary skirmishing, which
didn't amount to much, but served to while
away the time until taps was sounded and
everybody but the sentinels turned in Tor the
night l don't just remember what the discus
sion was about, but it was on some problem in
major tactics or strategy or some such thing
that kindergartens don't have much use for.
When it got along to about IL o'clock BurdicS
duct the debate from his comfortable cot. So
into bed he got and we proceeded. By about
midnight the major had completed his argu-
ment, and believe he was confident that my
guns were abundantly spiked and my battle
lost. But wasn't. l pitched in and began
talk that would have done your heart good
to hear. began by mastery survey of the
subject, commenting upon the dignity OF the
theme, and incidentally referring to the value
of the problems solution to modern military
science. 1t was an exordium that might have
paralyzed Fortress Monroe instructor. And
it was only the beginning, too. Well, when
the sentries called out 'one o'clock and alFs
WELL 1 was away into the subject, and
actually felt that the guards early morning
signal was an augury of my ultimate success.
l felt more assured than ever in their prophetic
'alPs Well and l went ahead with renewed
hope. From that time until two was winning
that tile by a most magnificent calculation
of abstruse tactical problems. l followed up
the preliminary skirmishes with the
most carefully planned assaults upon the
strongest positions of the enemy. I routed
the masses of infantry, captured battery after
bastery of light artillery, secured positions of
extreme Importance by the most ingenious
methods, and had a bright particular time
generally. By this time / had been at it for
couple of hours, and now began an elaborate
resume of the thing. Here again the great
problem went to pieces under renewed as
saults, the enemy's lines of battle were
broken, his batteries captured and his best
positions occupied. The peroration was fit
tngly brilliant and emphatic the exordium
was mastery and eloquent, and with parting
shot at the majors pretty theorizing l dam
pened my remaining ammunition and waited"
"Of course you won the debate?" some one
remarked.
"Won nothing" growled Cunningham.
"Burdick had been asleep for nearly two
hours"