New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-15
SOME COMMON WAR TERMS.
THINGS THAT THE PRESENT GENERA
TON KNOWS LITTLE OF.


sEA-Ho. INFANTRY FORCES ARE DIVIDED
LOOSE SIGNIFICANCE OF GER
TAIN NAVAL TERMS.
When General Robert T.. Lee surrendered and
were few adults in the United States who could
not give definition for ordinary military terms.
Uniformed men formed a part Of nearly every
gathering and children were able to tell the
rank OF an officer by his shoulder straps But
with the disbandment Of the volunteer army
and the resumption of peaceful occupations in
terest in military matters became less. and the
generation which witnesses the present conduct
of active warfare has little knowledge as to the
meaning of military terms. This fact was dem
onsrated recently by a correspondent, who
asked.
What is an army corps? What II q d.
vision? What Is a brigade? What Is a reg!-
ment? What IL battalion? What Is a COM
pany? What is troop? What is a platoon
What are lieutenants and what do they have
to do7 What is a fleet? What is a squadron ?
Is a cruiser? What Is an auxiliary cruiser?
What is a monitor? What is a torpedo boat !:
What is a torpedo catcher"
An army corps is made up Of a number OF
divisions Of infantry with a proper proportion
Of artillery and cavalry. An army corps Is
commanded by a major-general and is in all
respects complete army, being the largest OF
the subdivisions Of the military forces. During
times OF peace there could be no army corps In
the United States. because the $4,000 men were
scattered all over the country. and concentra-
ton was impracticabe and almost impossible.
An army corps Is divided into divisions which
term Is applied to the next tactical unit below
IN army corps
BRIGADE" A FLEXIBLE TERM.
Brigades are to divisions what divisions are
to army corps division differs from corps
In 80 far that while the larger body includes
every arm OF the service division may be
composed Of only one Of these arms Thus
there may be a cavalry, artillery or infantry d.
vision or there may be q division which In
cludes all these. The number Of men for d.
vision depends upon circumstances. Three
brigades may be formed into a division. but
there Is nothing to prevent its being twice as
large A division Is commanded by q major
general.
A brigade. commanded by brisadler- general.
b composed OF three. four or five regiments
and may be made up from one arm OF the ser
vice. or it may include regiments Of infantry
and cavalry and batteries Of artillery together
with engineers and signal corps.
A regiment is commanded by a colonel and IS
Q permanent tactical unit with It's own dis
tnct individuality Infantry regiments. accord
Ing TO the new regulations have three battal-
ions each. and each battalion has four compa
MES The second officer In a regiment is the
Northumberland who. in the absence OF the
hot
TALON commanders are Of the rank OF major
The platoon is to the company what the bat
TALON is to the regiment. and as the major is in
command Of a battalion under the colonel. so
arc the first and second leutenants in com
mand Of their respective platoon3 under the
captain
THE LOWEST COMMISSIONED OFFICER
First lieutenants have been described as hold
ing the places OF vice captains. The title Is purely
French. When company formation Is made the
FIRST platoon Is commanded by the first lieuten-
ant Each company has also first sergeant.
quartermaster sergeant. four sergeants and SIX
corporals. two musicians. one artiicer. one en-
graver and sixty-five privates. In the cavalry
arm OF the service companies are known as
troops and in the artillery as batteries
Other non commissioned officers In regiment
are one sergeant-major. one quartermas'cr-
sergeant. one chief musician two principal mu-
ncans and three hospital stewards.
The terms fleet" squadron" and "hotilla
are elastic in their nature. They each desi8-
hate number Of vessels under single com
mander but fleet" is a term superior to squad
ron and Squadron" stands for more than no
tilla" The term fleet" may be properly applied
TO an aggregation Of canal-bOats. and II Is not