The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-06
WOLSELEY ON VOLUNTEERS.
English Commander I'm Chief Talks About
| Tacfics ard strategy.

English Commander I'm Chief Talks About
Tacfics ard strategy.
From the London Globe.
In a recent address on THE Tacti-
cal Training of Volunteers" Lord
| Wolseley, the new commander in chief
of the English army, said that there
was a general tendency to confound
| tactics with strategy. When one talk
| but when he talked of tactics he talk
| ed of an art. Ii was very desirable
that those who had to hold high posi-
lions in military forces should have a
very extended knowledge of strategy
and of military history. from which
the rules of strategy were derived.
Tactics. on the other hand, was an
art very easily acquired and related to
outpost duty, rear guard duty and
work of that kind. He believed any
competent captain of a company could
teach IL to his subordinates, and he
would even go further and say that
tactical instruction might be given in
a room. OF course he did not wish TO
deprecate the instruction which was
given in the field. On the contrary,
the more officers of both the army and
the volunteers who could go into camp
and be taught tactical operations the
better IL would be for them.
II had been said that regiments and
regimental officers are what the COM
manding officers made them, and he
believed that TO be entirely the case.
When he remembered what the volun-
teers had been. and knew what they
were at present, he could not but con-
graduate them upon having done so
much in recent years to improve them
selves. They had improved both in
discipline and drill. He referred par
ticularly to drill, because IL had been
rather lost sight of in the discussion,
and although no one worked harder
than he had done to get old fashioned
drills abolished in the army, he had
always thought, and would continue to
think, how great was the value and
Importance of a knowledge of drill. 1t
was not only discipline for the body,
but for the mind. and taught men the
first rudiments of obedience.
If he were asked what were the
greatest military virtue-greater even
than courage-he would say that II
was unhesitatingly, unquestioning ODE
dience. With regard TO the suggestion
that volunteer officers should be re-
quired to pass a compulsory examine
ton in tactics, though there was a
great deal TO be said in favor of II.
one had TO deal with actual facts and
could not lay down in writing what he
conceived would be the best possible
process for imparting a knowledge of
tactics. IT was necessary to take vol
unteer officers as they were found and
make the best of the force, but, above
all. he must not do anything which
would injure the patriotic feeling
which called the force into existence.
Instructors should take every oppor-
tunity Of instructing the officers in a |
knowledge of tactics, but they could |
not lay down a hard-and-f fast rule and |
say that volunteer officers must pass |
an examination in tactics or their |
services would be dispensed with. on |
the other hand. however, where they |
got bad commanding officer in a bat !
TALON and Ii was evident that the de- !
rs g. tho ''1,-tai.1r Aern 10. rs f..f.
"sir. you have done your best, but |
your best Is not good enough for US.
and you must go"