The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-10-21

DlgDeSt oliiCef III iaiik IL ilSid iSS i'oASiuiC,
and should be consequently armed with
the fullest power of the Executive, sub
ject only to law aud existing orders.
The more simple the principle the
greater the likelihood Of determined
action; and the less commanding Off
Ger is circumscribed by bounds or by
precedent, the greater is the probability
that be will make the best use of his
command and achieve the best results
The Regular Army and the Military
Academy at West Point have in the
past provided, and doubtless will in the
future provide, an ample supply OF good
officers for future wars. but should their
numbers he insufficient we can always
safely rely on the great number of young
men of education and force of character
throughout the country to supplement
them.
At the close of our civil war, lasting
four wears, some of our best corps and
division Generals, as well as staff officers,
were from civil life; but cannot recall
anv of the most successful who did not
express regret that he had not received
in early lie instruction in the elemen-
tary principles of the art of war, instead
Of being forced to acquire this knowledge
in the dangerous and expensive school
of actual war.
QUALITY OF soLDIERY.
But the real difficulty was, and will
be again, to obtain an adequate number
of good soldiers. We tried almost every
system known to modern nations, all
with more or less success voluntary
enlistments. the draft, and bought SUBJ
stitutes-and | think that all officers of
experience will confirm my assertion
that the men who voluntarily enlisted at
the outbreak of the war were the best,
better than the conscript, and far better
than the bought substitute
When a regiment is once organized
in State, and mustered into the service
OF the United States the officers and
men become subject to the same laws of
discipline and government as the Regu-
lar troops. They are in no sense
militia" but compose a part of the
Army of the United States, only retain
their State title for convenience, and yet
NAV be principally recruited from the
neighborhood of their original organiza-
tion. Once organized, the regiment
should be kept full by recruits, and when
1t becomes difficult to obtain more re-
cruits the pay should be raised by Con-
gress, instead of tempting new men by
exaggerated bounties.
i believe it would have been more
economical TO have raised the pay Of the
: soldier to $50 or even 500 a month than
to have held out the promise of $500
and even $500 in the form of bounty.
Toward the close Of the war, / often
heard the soldiers complain that the
"stay-at-home men got better pay,
bounties and food than they who were
exposed to all the dangers and vicissi-
tudes of the battles and marches at the
front.
The feeling Of the soldier should be
preference of his Government is for him
who fights, rather than for him who is
Oh provost or guard duty to the rear,
and, like most men, he measures this by
the amount of pay. OF course, the sol
der must be trained to obedience, and
should be "content with lis wages;
but whoever has commanded an army
in the field knows the difference between
willing, contented mass of men, and
one that feels cause of grievance.
There is a soul to an army as well as to
the individual man, and no General can
accomplish the fuil work of his army un-
less he commands the soul of his men, as
well as their bodies and legs
RECRUITMENT AND PROMOTION.
The greatest mistake made in our civil
war was in the mode Of recruitment and
promotion. When a regiment became
rednced by the necessary wear and tear
of seryite, instead of being filled up at
the bottom, and the vacancies among the
officers flied from the best non-commis-
stoned officers and men, the habit was to
raise new regiments, with new Colonels,
Captains and men, leaving the old and
experienced battalions to dwindle away
into mere skeleton organizations. | be-
lieye with the volunteers this matter was
left TO the States exclusively, and | re-
member that Wisconsin kept her regi-
ments filed with recruits, whereas other
States generally filled their quotas by
new regiments, and the result was that
We estimated Wisconsin regiment equal
to an ordinary brigade.
i believe that 500 new men added to
an old and experienced regiment were
more valuable than thousand men in
the form Of new regiment, for the for
mer by association with good, experienced
Captains, Lieuienants and non-commis-
stoned officers, soon became veterans
whereas the latter were generally un.
available for year. The German
method of recruitment is simply perfect
and there is no good reason why We
should not follow it substantially.
On q road, marching by the flank
it would be considered "good order" tc
have 3 (l(t(1 men tn q milo cn that q f,l