The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-11
REAL SITUATION AT TAMPA.
Analysis of Recent COmpIaints-The
Lesson of Rushing to War.


Lesson of Rushing to War.
Tampa Letter in New York Post
An American army of respectable dmen-
sions. which grows larger and more pic
turesque every day-a Enthusiastically
American army including now not only reg
ulars of all branches of the service but
volunteers from pretty nearly every part
of the country. and full regiment of ex-
pert horsemen and sharpshooters from the
romantic far VESTS an extremely inter-
esting thing to others as well as to the
Americans themselves. 1t is no wonder that
we have here now a small army of foreign
attaches. We are growing familiar at
Tampa with the uniforms of the officers of
the British, German. Russian, Norwegian
and japanese armies. We observe that
these gentlemen are not here merely to wait
for an onward movement, but to study the
work going on every day. To them the
present is undoubtedly the psychological
moment of the war; for they regard the fate
of any war as bound up in the mobilization
and concentration.
There is one thing that they must have
seen-I have not met any American officer
who is prepared to deny it-and that is the
story it tells of the absolute unfitness of
the United States to make war successfully
on its own seaboard, with any first-class
power. No regular army officer, at least,
would deny this He wants the people to
know it, in order that they may not threat
en- war hereafter until they are prepared to
make war-or, rather, in order that they
may first prepare for it, and then, if neces-
sary, threaten It, What the country is now
supposed to be finding out every army Off
Ger of intelligence knew long ago. The only
question is, Is the country really learning
the lesson? VIII it be able to learn it while
its really representative press is declaring
daily that the army, which placidly listens
to the "Star-spangled Banner every even
ing in Tampa. is already in the Florida
channel, after having accomplished impos-
sibilities in the way of embarkng men and
material? Is not the ignorance of the Amer
lean people in all military matters really
so dense and innate that it is hopeless to
suppose that it will learn anything without
a great disaster?
AT the same time that the regular army
realizes, and realizes bitterly, the obstacles
in the material situation here, and profound
~ wishes that there might be legislation
which would fit the army to meet such an
emergency hereafter it resents quite natu-
rally any oVerstatement Mr. Poultnev
blSeloW S recent arucle on the camp az
tampa, which has been so much talked
ABOUT mere tnat II has to be written about
IN any lalr account OF the situation, appears
10 me TO De such an overstatement L say
lhaI a good many things In the camps are
not exactly as they should be Is simply to
say tnat we nave no such army as Ger
many ana Russia and other armed and mil
ltafy nations have. 1t would be vain to AT
Tempt TO meet the emergency created by
THIS war with an imitation OF the admirable
methods prevailing in Germany Even an
imitation mas got to be organized. And
Wnlle the star of the regular army realizes
mat II could hardly be expected to WORK
miracles, it does not like to be put wrong
with the pubic by being represented as in
competent
Meantime, it simply is not true that the
men have been made any more uncomforta-
PIE than II was desirable for them TO be.
II the soldiers had been left in barracks or
provided with hoors for their tents or if
they had teen concentrated on the cool
SHORES OF Narragansett bay, instead of at
tampa the present campaign would have
been vastly Iurther behindhsnd than il is
now. The stan have done their best to solve
the problem that was put before them. If
the men nave been We'll fed and kept in
good health, all the discomforts that they
have endured must be put down to the
deplt Oh state OF war which the staff are
not in the least responsible for 1t is abso-
lutely true that there has been less sickness
mere than the medical staff expected. There
has been less sickness here probably than
there would have been at Narragansett
Beach. For an example, the illness OF which
Two volunteers died, one in the SeVenty-first
MNlessSachusetts, were brought from the
Northern rendezvous. So long as il was
certain that sooner or later the troops would
have to go to the West Indies. and endure
considerable hardships there, it was wisest
and best to bring them to climate which
Is somewhat like that they are going to,
and still is not unhealthy In the West In
Florida.
l fancy that while the foreign attaches
must have recognized in the degree of help
lessness that the American army has shown
the result of state of unpreparednesS quite
out of keeping with the tall talk that we
nave been engaging in for a good many
years, they must also have recognized some
thlng OF the rough-and-ready business capa-
bllty OF the Nation. 1t is comparatively
easy to concentrate an army when you have
one to concentrate. To create the army and
concentrate it at the same time is different
matter That is what we have had to do
and we have done 1t probably as we'll as
any other country would have done it, We
have an army of invasion-of dimensions
not TO be mentioned, and of composition
very various, but a respectable army, not
Withstanding. 1t is not to be supposed that
it is going on any quixotic enterprise or
counting disaster 1t is not badly adapted
to the purpose for which it is intended /
predict that, while foreign attaches will de-
scribe some of the ridiculous things about
our war-making that we all know about
they will find good deal to admire after
all. and possibly some small thing to learn.
fail TO see any material for surprise
here. The unknown quantity after all is the
value of the Spanish troops in Cuba. After
pellttIlHS lnelI Nalue 10 the last possible eX-
tent at nrst, there has been tendency here
lately to make heroes of them. Their "des-
perate bravery their ability to live almost
without food and to sleep in jungleS in
DEFINITELY without tents or blankets have
been talked about a great deal Now that
we thus have them TO a great extent re-
habilitated and our own Cuban adjuncts
rated at the lowest value that ever mas been
mentioned, we are, perhaps, reader than
ever to go and fight them. 1t would be abb
surd 10 suppose that such troops ours. of
superior physical strength and stature, bet
ter clothed, better cared for, better Differed,
better looked after in every way, better
armed and including larger proportion of
marksmen should not be able to meet at
least an equal number of them.
No one but military pessimist OF an eX-
IRENE type could deny that we have been
getting some very fair troops lately in the
volunteers that have been pouring in here
They have not been under FIRE; but how
many of the Spaniards have been either
An old army officer tells me that the volun-
teers that now coming down here are
better troops than the majority of the Union
regiments that took part in the battle of
Shiloh. The liability of volunteers to a
stampede when they first go under fire al
war; and doubtless 1t will have to be
counted on now. Possibly the increased
deadliness OF firearms since the days of the
civil war, with the dread of Ii instilled in
the heart of every young volunteer. and the
common apprehension OF something un-
new conditions, may have added something
to the liability to panic on the part of all
soldiers who have not actually been tried
under these new conditions. If so, the
SDaniards may be expected to be under the