The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-25

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quarter, which Is surrounded by a camp
euard. hut on the n ;rch the order - %
u ,tessity "a times very loose. Here.
again. the discipline OF the separato
corps and batteries comes into play.
Taking the army as "A whole. II IL d.
rected by the general in CHIEF 10 mach
to some certain poiEt and go into camp
or throw up intrenohmenta ~ pfers the
enemy or engage him IN hattie. These
directions are handed down from the
COMMANDER through his aids 30 the gem
erals OF the corps. Each corps Will he
jectiye point. The corps commander
directs division commanders a. to
the movements, and each division. con-
sistins usually Of two or three brioadee.
move "a one body. On arriving at the
destination the division generals ret
TO work with their subordinates 10 car-
ry out the orders, Thus from the no.
ment the last camp was broken up II
the time when active operations begin
at the front officers and soldiers have
some definite object In view TO occupy
attention. Any deviation on the part Of
any officer or his men is subject TO pun
ishment under the articles OF war.
Were II not for the high state of dis
cipline In the army such q thing 80
combination In movement would not he
possible. and with a large army success
without combinations is impossible. The
troops are distributed over a field 20
wide that communication cannot be had
IN the instant with separated wings
and detachments. Everything must
move like clockwork, and II Is rarely
that combinations fail for lack Of dis.
cipline. Often they do fail with diuas-
trous consciousness. but failure IL due
TO wholly natural causes not to be pro-
vided against. such AZ violences OF q
ture. destroying bridges or flooding
roads. the interpretation OF the enemy
with q strong force across the lire ofl
march Of some isolated corps or divi-
sion. the treachery of a guide or the
~inaccuracy Of maps. which are often the
sole reliance of the commander.
Soldiers In actual contact with the
enemy are q marvel to q stranger 10
war. and ne will be surprised that there
should be so little show OF discipline on
the one hand and so much execution on
the other hand. The reason for this 10
that the soldier is sometimeS a warrior
and sometimes only a man while under
the hostile guns The last word Of q
good leader before going into battle to
his followers is, after directing them
how to get at the enemy, Take care of
yourselves" and while he Ii taking care
OF himself the nan never forgets that
he is taking are OF Uncle SANS soldier.
He will ignore danger nj keep cool un-
der fire with men falling all around
him, but he may show impatience over
such a trifing thing as mud or cold or
heat or flies. This shows the powey
which discipline has over the mind.
The warrior has had 1t out In q tusDle
with danger, but has failed to steel him.
self against the little annoyances of life.
The matter Of health IL left In the
main to the soldier himself except In
the case OF epidemics. There are SUR
geons and a ~dispensary with syery regi=
ment and battery 10 be called In In case
of need. but the soldier has started out
insisting before the examining board
that he is perfectly healthy. and he doos
his best to prove II. He hates above all
things to be seen In the hospital squad
marching up to the surgeons tent.
In the matter Of policing camp. as Il
is called. or keeping the quarters In
bivouacsk clean. there Is q regular pyg-
TEN in Which a detail OF on1cers looks
after 1t to see that no breeding place
for disease be left lurking In or around
a camping place or near the headsprtngo
Of water used by the men.
In thinking OF possible great war
problems We may well take into &C
count the fact that the American vol
unteer soldier OF 1898 is the most thor.
oughly up to date man on the face
of the globe. Modern improvements and
ideas are a universal possession In this
~o-,.hls, The rounofoof ho ro1of ha0 hn0U
invaded by the intricate mower and
reaper. the steam mill m steam
thrasher. the sewing machine and re-
peating rifle, the electric light and mo-
tor, the telegraph n daily paper, the
bicycle and telephone.
Civilization travels all around the
Hodges of England and the Sleepy
Hanses OF Germany. leaving them AZ
rustic as their fo~refathers. But Ameri-
ca has no verdants now. The tradi-
tionai "wayback'' has passed out. The
"hayseed'' beats the bunko man at htR
own game. Add to this the Americans
adaptabiiity to conditions, and there re-
mains no room for wonder that b
farmland masters at a glance the ma-
chine gun, the dynamite thrower. the
Krag-Jorgensen rife n h machets
or that the Newport blood roughs "
as well as the Texas cowboy. Neither
should there be any wonder when they
readily sim self at the word OF COM
mand without reasoning, without deub-
Grating. without replying, simply doing
and dying for the glory of Amertcan
arms. Astounding, is 1t, that men al
be reckless of death n wounds ana
yet so orderly and businesslike? They
are not gods given UP to glorthed im-
notation. but creatures of human as
pIrations and desires, schooied In tee
trade Of warfare to put battle armor
and battle fierceness on or on at Will.
Beside q row of barking guns or on
the picket outposts stand h harnessed
warriors sending home death shots ev-
cry cord at a tension. every eyeball
strained. They are shooting to kin.
shooting at Spaniards. Around them
within call and even within reach are
their of duty comrades. some sleepines
some cooking. some eating. some writ
ing letters so close to the ramparts that
dust thrown up by the enemy's shots
dries the ink on their paper. others Arc
- 49, "a nara Twnv1w