Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-29
THIS WAR OF nIRS.

The washington Post says that only
twenty men out of every hundred at
Chickamauga are equipped for actual
service. and that the impromptu review at
Camp Alger Friday revealed many COM
panes without uniforms, or even rifles.
1t is hoped, however, that the next week
or ten days will see the present defcien-
cles remedied and at least 5000 Of the
volunteers ready TO follow the regulars
upon the Cuban soil. While the troops
are being delayed, adds the Post, the
government is paying out $4,000 day
for the transports that are waiting idly
in Tampa harbor
We have seen something Of this state
of unpreDaredness here at Richmond,
but have been told in explanation that it
is necessary TO send our regiments to
Washington, Tampa, or Chickamauga to
receive their outfits. Now it appears that
there is absence Of adequate supplies at
all the great camps of mobilization. And
we hear there is lack not only Of arms,
uniforms. camp equipage. etc, but Of am
munitlon.
The Dispatch is not disposed to quarrel
with the War Department, particularly
as supplies are now being hurried in very
rapidly by contractors, but the present
condition of things goes to show that
our country challenged Spain for war
before we were ready to fight Had Spain
been Give" power we would probably
have been taught costly lesson by our
'previousness." Hereafter we should be
very careful about entering into war
or else we ought to have a considerable
standing army and a large national
guard which can be readily put in the
field.
II seems to us that our present expert
ence should teach US to concentrate our
efforts in mobilizing cur national guard
or militia. We have at this time hun
dred regiments out, yet we doubt IL half
a dozen of them are perfectly equipped.
Would II not have been better to have
concentrated our efforts upon ten or
twenty regiments? After we had put
them upon war footing, ten or twenty
others could have been equipped in like
manner, and so we could have been send
ing properly-equipped soldiers 10 the front !
instead of rushing them there |
without rifles, many with |
out uniforms. and nearly all without |
camp equipage suited TO sub-tropical |
suns.
1t is very lucky, indeed, that we did
not attempt to invade Cuba three or four
weeks ago. for it is presumabe that the
medical department Of our army is no
better prepared for campaigning than are
our ordnance, quartermaster, and COM
departments. And then, where
would have been ali that boosted modern
The fevers of Cubai Indeed, judging from
The newspaper reports OF the condition
Df some Of the camps now occupied by
our volunteers. there are many untrain-
ID. not TO say incompetent. medical Off
GERS in the commands that have been
into service. In one place it
was found that the soldiers were drinking
very unwholesome water In another the
sinks had been badly located. In another
4
The tents had been pitched upon damp
ground. which could have been, but had
not been. we'll drained. In another i'm
proper food was served. ETC.. etc.
Bus vexatious as all these things are
they do not incline us to rail unmerciful-
y ~ the government. Thirty-three years
u peace had made Us somewhat forget
lui OF TIC arts OF war. We thought that I
modern processes and inventions would
enable us 70 create an army In next TO
no time. We have been dlsillusioned.
ufeat as Is this Yankee nation Of ours.
We cannot create an army merely by IS
SUNG Proclamation. We see now why
y - mat England maintains such
'p'sass Meet: why Germany. France. Rus {
>"s'ri"- ana Italy keen un spch sress |