The times., 1897-03-28

can be drawn by taking the actual mod
ern fighting force of America on flying
trip back through a few thousand years
of time and landing them, say, in the
year 333 B. c. There would be no
force of trained fighters even in that
fighting age that could stand up before
our army without the certainty of de-
feat, for the warriors Of America would
outnumber by three to one the army
that was able to conquer nearly the
whole Of the then civilized wOrld-the
invincble army of Alexander the Great.
This army OF Alexander numbered scarcely
1000 men. A Issus, b. c. 333, Alex
ander, at the head of this force, is said
to have met and defeated Persian army
OF 100000. In 331 B. c., at the battle
Of Arbia, be defeated another Persian
army of 100000 In 334 Il. c., with a
considerably smaller force, he had de-
feated 10000 Persian and Greek mer-
cenaries at Granicus
These three battles practically brought
Persia to AleXander's feet and made him
absolute master Of the ancient world His
$4,000 men were doubtless trained soldiers,
but Uncle Sans present force OF trained
men could have made short work even OF
Alexander This American force would
comprise 145 ,931 effective men trained to
the use of arms. Among them would be
the 1886 enlisted men who make up
Uncle Sans gallant little army, an army
that stands ready to tackle anything ofits
own size at any time. To this sturdy
nucleus would be added the 1885 men
comprising the National Guard OF America,
the number Of all arms serving under the
I,,,t, .in nS ~ ar liIS
made The army of American fighters
trained for war would therefore number
I45,931 Before this tremendous array of
men the much-lauded force Of $4,000 Of
the conquering Alexander dwindles into
inSignificance, and if conquest can be made
the subject Of comparison the army Of
the United States as il exists toda y-reg-
ulars and National Guardsmen-could
armed with weapons similar 10 those in
use in Alexander time, have effectually
stopped the latter in his rnerrylittle pastime
OF subiugating the world. After stopping
him it could have wiped Alexander and his
men off the face of the earth that they
had started out to subdue. and could then
have proceeded To conquer it themselves
at their leisure.
These were the greatest armies OF an
cient days the one great in numbers only
the other in all-conqueIing valor and dis
cipIine.
But TO turn to other nations: If the 900
900 Carthagenians sent in the year 4sO
b c. against the Greeks in Sicily were
defeated 10y force Of 5o,OCO foot and
5000 horse led by GelOn of Syracuse, what
chance would they have stood against
Uncle Sans 100000 of men? Hanni-
balls original army Of 1000 men, only
a small fraction OF whom crossed the Alps
into Italy in 2IS b C.. would have made
a very sorry showing had the modern Amer
lean army been waiting TO toreceivehim The
force which threatened all -conquering Rome
with destruction could have been diSper'e ed
without calling out the whole of the Ma
tiOnal Guard.
There We're vast hOrdes that invaded
ancient Rome that could hardly be dig
| niried with the name OF soldiers-the
Tcutones and Cimbri We're nomad horde>,
practically CONGRATULATIONS in the ag-
gregate, but easily defeated by trained
warriors America 5 regulars could have
whipped any of these vast nomadic tribes
without the assistance OF the National
Guard. hut if necessary they could have
been opposed man for man, in spite of
their vast numbers, by the fighting forCe
OF the United States today.
Thus, it viii be seen, that in drawing
parallels between modern events and those
of ancient history, it is very necessary 10
bear in mind that the world has grown
since the days when force One-third the
size of Uncle Sans peace-fooung Army
conquered nearly the whole civilized portion
of it,