The National tribune., 1898-05-05
OUR SpEcIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Doings in the Army at Chickamauga Park.
nhickamauga
Concentrating PotValue Preliminary
Work

sh ould the first landing be made? are al
questions of interest.
Never despise an enemy" is an old and
excellent maxim. We hear much of the in.
effectiveness of the Spanish forces in Cuba
and part of what we hear is from sources Ell.
titled to full credit; but, if not able to with
stand an American force of equal size in the
open field, they could make the capture OF
Habana by a land force cost us dearly, if a
siege, with lack of provisions in the city, to
cause a surrender, should be thought too
slow. e,..,s,,.r 7-r-pst
To put few thousand men on the island
now, and expect them to do anything more
than to hold the ground on which they
landed, might only invite disaster. and dis
asters we cannot afford to risk Why not
try the effects of a strict blockade till the
close of the rainy season, if the want of pro-
visions does not force surrender before that
time Any small force landed now must stay
within reach, and have the support of the
Navy, and any disaster to that would, of
course, put it in very precarieus position.
THE NATIONAL GUAgDsMEN.
Whatever may be said by the press, or even
by the guardsmen themselves, as to their
present readiness to take the field, venture
the assertion, based on personal knowledge
and inquiry, that not one of its organizations
is fully ready. 1t needs not so much drill as
it does to get its commisSariat, its hospital
corps, and equipage in frst-class order; 90
into camp, in this country, on some such
ground as this place affords; get brigaded and
assigned 10 divisions; let commanders get &C
quainted with their commands and the men
in the ranks to know their officers, all from
highest TO lowest; get Injured to camp life; get
the weak and the incompetent weeded out;
enforce strict discipline in every grade, and
then, at the end of two or three months. We
will have an army. $4,000 of whom can land
at any point in Cuba and march to any other
point assured Of success over any army Spain
can put in its way.
EXTEND ACoUAINrANeEs.
AS means of uniiieation, avoid as far rs
practicable the brigading of troops by States
Rather, unite different sections OF the country
under the same commander, and thus cult
vate better acquaintance.
1T Is to be hoped that no political Cen
erals will be seen in this war The man
who goes into 1T from political " motives is
a self-seeker, not patriot, and should be
avoided
1t is probable that before this meets the
eyes of your readers the number OF men called
for by the President will have been enlisted.
But, while l would not utter one word which
could be construed into encouragement OF
patriotic spirits, would caution those who.
from extreme youth, or from any physical
unSoundneSs are not Unqucstionabiy fit to
stand the exposure which fails to the soldiers
lot, from enlistment
Surgeons will be careful in examing would
be recruits, but some wll ''get past them'
who ought not to, and such can only be
burden instead of assistance
| have been led to make these remarks by
what l have to-day seen in Chattanooga.
where enlistment has been going on, and boys
who should be in school have been in the
ranks.
NEW FEATURES IN WAR
In passing through the camps two or three
special things, among Others attracted my
attention when compared with usages and
articles in use 35 year ago. The click
Of the typewriter, using manifold paper,n
renders the issuance of orders and keeping of
records much easier than such work was
then; and the man on a bicycle is essentially
- the coming man y as bearer of dispatches.
when roads are available; and a detachment
nf signal service men, stringing wire among
the trees near camp to-day, aud sitting down
at the foot of one, with sounder" on ones
knee, while he read the message, showed that
On the field messages could be carried by
speed greater than that of wheel or horse.
Old cavalry soldiers of the war of the re-
Dellion would find some difference in equip /
nents now. The saber when one is borne. |
S fastened to the saddle, passing under the 1