The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-21
REGULAR VS.. VOLUNTEER.
The Professional Soldiers Opinion OF
the Amateur.
Irvington, Ind.

the AnaAtcuEs
New York Evening Post.
The regular has his opinion of the volun-
teer soldier; in some respects a very decided
opinion, and yet one which he finds it diff
cult to state in so many words, because.
no doubt. it has never occurred to him to
analyze it. When questioned as to what
he thinks of the volunteer. he will often
hesitate, retract and qualify. His feelings
in this matter are rather complex. And yet
it is easy enough to detect the three or four
chief emotions which enter into his view Of
the volunteer. In plain, bald terms-al-
though the regular has a different way Of
expressing them-they are contempt, con-
descenson and jealousy; and notwithstand-
ing these, a generous readiness to give full
credit where credit is due.
The regular looks upon the volunteer first
of all as an amateur, and, like all profess
SIGNALS, he has a hearty contempt for any
thing amateurish in his line.
It's all matter of discipline" said a
wounded soldier in one of the New York
hospitals the other day. He belonged to the
Sixth Regular Infantry, this soldier. and
took part in the assault on San Juan HILL
He was shot through the breast on the first
udy, dILu iOT tWeHIy-IOuF HOurS lay uIuSi
fire with his chest full of blood. Its all a
matter of discipline. The volunteers, who
get about all their drilling in some armory.
can't fight like the regulars. The regulars
ought to know how to fight oughtnt they?
They don't do anything but soldering. They
drill and practice in regular battle line for
years and when they get into fight they
know just what to do But the volunteers
fighting
trouble with the volunteers is they don't
know how to fight. Why, when we were go
ing up san Juan hill, we saw the Volun-
teers trying to go up in corporal's squads
1t was wonder they weren't every one of
them shot You didn't catch the regulars do
ing that. They knew enough to spread out,
each man for himself under such fire.
But you can't blame the volunteers; they
did the best they knew how. They hadn't
had the experience to show them what to
do, nor the drill to show them how to do it,
No, 1t isn't that they'd never been under
fire before. Lots of the regulars had never
been under fire either 1t was the drilling
that made the difference, The trouble
wasn't with the officers either. After we had
got the word forward we didn't see any
thing more of the officers than the volun-
teerS did. 1t was every man for himself,
and every man knew what to do"
YOU don't think the volunteers are much
"Oh, l don't know about that. They're
good boys, the volunteers. They'd make
good bs tery t they had the They
But tell you who can fight he continued
winking Significantly, Teddy Roosevelt
a aaers the R fbs1 kd Ike Yes tGs aee vo
How. did 1 feel when we got the order
to go forward? Just as l would any time
but know only thought e Of ig getting to to
the top of that hill, and getting there
mighty quick. Did think of getting hit?
Not bit. You've got to take your chances
under fire Just as you have any time. When
you're walking home you may fall and
break your leg, but you arn't going to stop
for chance like that. It's the same way
under fire; you may be hit and you may
not. You've got to take your chance. It's
no use trying to get out of the way of
those Mauser bullets. If they're going to
hit you, they'll hit you, and you might as
well be hit marching to the front as crouch
ing in the rear. You were likely to be shot
anywhere within five miles of San Juan that
day. Lots of men that went into that fight
never saw Spaniard. Men were taken to
the rear wounded who said they had never
seen a man OF the enemy"
IN tell you one ln1lg about the volun-
teers though, they'll never make good SOL
It's a terribly hot climate down there, and
you may not believe it, but it's a fact-I
saw lots of those volunteers with big chok-
up to their ears They carry too much
frippery around with them too, white shirts
and such stuff. And what's the result?
Well, l saw one volunteer regiment travel
ing with the flag and the regimental colors
sticking out the rear of a baggage wagon.
What do you thing of that? [ can bring
witnesses to prove it, if you don't believe
it. They have to wear white collars, but
they can stick the flag and the regimental
colors in baggage wagon.
That's what | think, brother, and don't
mind telling any one. The volunteers are
good boys. They're brave. But they haven't
had the drill for fighting. It's hard to see
why the government let them fight there at
Santiago. That was the regulars business"
Another opinion Of the volunteer from
the regulars point OF view was furnished
by a wounded soldier whose cot stood but
a few steps from that on which lay the man
who was ready to tell any one what he
thought. This second soldier was more
luctant to give his views; but his opinion
was. none the less, worth hearing when he
did give it.
What do you think of the volunteers?"
he said, smiling difidently. well, 1 don't
know as | ever thought about it much.
know this, though-regulars and volunteers
can't soldier together any more than caval-
ry and artillery can. Whenever you get
cavalry and artillery together there's
volunteers. Why? Well, I don't know, but
| suppose politics has the most to do with
it.. You know that the regulars always
think that the volunteers have big politi-
cal pull or drag. Politics has a good deal to
do with the regulars even. In fact, there's
politics in everything. But the regulars
eminent officials and haven't any vote,
that's the reason. The regulars think the
volunteers have got the best of them be-
cause they have a political pull And they
use it--you bet! That's what makes the
scrapping."
You mean they use it to get promotion?"
was asked.
NO; who cares about their promotions?
They use it to get to the front first Isn't
best man? Yes. sir. the regulars think that
the volunteers have the bulge on them in
pretty nearly every way. OF course they
can't fight like the regulars; they never
have had the drilling The regulars have
the best Of them there. But drilling doesn't
count for much if you can't get into the
they want and there's the whole trouble.
The regulars and the volunteers got along
pretty well down there in Florida and
Cuba-pretty we'll, considering he added
with smile.
Summers OVersOul.