The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-12-04

@hsuVerlng Modern Armies
we are by no means sure that armies
at the end Of the nineteenth century
are not to some extent in the condition
OF the armies Of the last few years Of
the eighteenth century, says the Lon
don Spectator. No doubt the modern
generals are, or, shall we say, seems
less sleepy-headed than the old be-
wigged Austrians and Prussians,
though they, it must be remembered,
were in their day reckoned men of
science, but at the same time We ex-
pect that good deal of our modern
military organization has beCome stiff
and impractical. We shall be told. no
doubt, that the Prussian army went
like clockwork in 1870, but we must
be allowed to doubt whether the clock
work is as good now as it was then.
IN spite OF appearances. Besides. prus-
STA had just the very force opposed To
her in 1870 against which good clock
work would be sure to prevail-a niece
OF bogus military mechanism. Whether
Prussia would have had an easy vic
tory II some Frenchman had arIVeE
capable of organizing and using a real
ly mobile force of 10000 men is an
other question. It is possible that such
a spearhead stuck into the clockwork
might have done great deal of dam
age. That, however, is speculation.
what we do know Is that the Prussian
army was splendid fighting organism
at the end of the seven years' war and
that at Jena, some forty years after
1t proved utterly unable to meet Napo
Icons quick, fierce assault. In spite
then, of the magnificent organization
of the present European armies and of
their vast size, we believe ii tn he
quite possible that some new Alexan-
der may arise which will organize q
new method of fighting, which for .
time at any rate, may bring all their
far-stretched greatness to ruin. or
course such genius in the art Of war
may never get to the front, but that
his opportunity exists in the present
bloated ornaments we have no sort of
doubt. Yet 1t will be said, how about
the big battalions? All military au-
thorities agree that in the end. and CON
sidering that the European nations are
practically equal in courage and NOR
ais. the way to win a battle is to con
front five men of the enemy with
eight, or, If possible. ten. men of vour
own. That proves that the big armies
will always beat the small? Bv M
means. 1t is because we entirely and
absolutely acquiesce in the big battaI-
ions theory-"Providence is on the side
Of the big battalions," was Napoleon's
dictum-that we hold that small and
properly organized mobile armies will
beat the huge, unwieldy armies that
the modern European strategists con-
template putting into the field, Re-
member, your big battalions must CON
front the little battalion not on paper
but on the ground. Hence, if a body of
10000 men can be swiftly and suddenly
confronted with a body of 1000 the
big battalion rule is on the side of the
10000. The fact that the 10000 belong
to an organization which has a couple
of hundred thousand men behind II
does not matter. Unless the 100000
men are available at the moment they
do not count. An extremely mobile ar
my, ready to spring first in one d.
rection and then in another. is quite
capable of beating an army three OF
four times its size, and beating 1t al
ways, by having a substantial majority
of combatants in every actual engage
ment. OF course, the big army may
be so splendidly. organized that II viii
be quite as mobile. If not more mobile.
than the small army. In that case the
small army will be swallowed whole
All va pnnfand iv RbaF tba hurro,,. =