The news & observer., 1898-05-09
SUGGESTIONS TO VOLUNTEERS
How They Will March and What They
VIII Garry on the Campaign.

The veteran of half a dozen Indian
campaigns, whose body still bears cal
loused "reminiscences of lava-hed mat
tresses and sage-bush sleeping cots. adj
vises every national guardsman who de-
signs to earn chevrous and shoulder
straps on. Cuban soil, above all things
to take care of their feet.
Volunteers, he says, should nrovde
themselves with good, strong walking
shoes, waterproof if possible. with me
dunn thick soles, having the invisible
thin cork insoes. The fat-iron last is
recommended. In buying campaign shoes
it will be well to bear in mind that
shoe too small cannot be worn and
shoe too large raises blisters.
Woolen socks, although rather I'M.
comfortable at first, will prove To he the
most comfortable in the end. for they
will absorb moisture and prevent chat
ing They should fit we'll for a wrinkled
sock or stocking is the cause of more
sore feet than is generally supposed. In
buying shoes and stockings for the
campaign allowance in size must be
made to accommodate feet swollen by
the steady tramp, tramp, tramp" over
Cuban roads and through Cuban fields.
A fOOt-sOre army is an army half de-
feated, and European nations are said
to be paying more attention to the feet
than the heads Of their soldiers.
Shoes furnished from Quartermasters
stores are not suited to the untried feet
of the boys who viii go to the ranks
from stores. banks, offices and shops
They are too clumsy and stiff. But af-
ter the walking machinery of the recruit
has got down TO its bearings" to dnote
an engineers phrase, then the regulation
army shoe can be worn, and will he
found surprisingly comfortable.
The foot soldier whose underninninC
gives way is as useless as u wounded
man. To quote Grand Army veteran.
"ln the COS water i'm the South killed
more of the boys than whiskey did in
the North, and cOrnS carried off moro
men than bullets did" This explains
why the army officer paid so much at
tention to the subject Of shoes and stock
ings.
Naturally a swiftly moving body Of
soldiery will carry the minimum amount
of personal belongings. and the chances
are that every soldier in the army below
the rank of a major will take with him
only what he can carry. This means
that privates, non-commissioned officers.
lieutenantS and captains will rough if
from the day of cmbarkation to the day
the campaign is over.
Ae private soldier will carry rife.
ammunition belt. bayonet, his half Of the
shelter tent, the iointed pole and three
pegs which go with it. and his mess out
fit-tin cup, meat pan, etc. No KNAPP
sacks will he. carried for the blanket
and shelter tent will be made into
loOped roll and carried across the body
over the left shoulder, the tied ends of
the roll coming at the right hip. A sin
gle change Of light underwear, two pairs
of socks and handkerchief or two
viii be about all the extra clothing the
volunteer or regular soldier will be able
to carry
The shelter tent, which is made up of
two pieces of duck, will accommodate
two men, each carrying one-half the
tent and one of the poles. The canvas
is buttoned together, and when raised
on the poles makes a pyramidal tent
four feet high at the point and FIVE feet
square on the ground. The tents come
all one size: there are no short tents for
short men or long tents for tall men,
and when a six-footer crawls under one
of these shelter tents he resigns his feet
TO the tender mercies Of the wide, wide
world. The shelter tent is closed at one
end only: the other end is left open for
ventilation and to save weight But
th.s tent will keep off the rain. and if
it blows in at the open end the tent
chums can tumble the affair down with
one kick and put it up again with the
closed side toward the rain.
The common imnpnCeiou of a In roo
body Of soldiers. infantry, cavalry aud
artillery, on the march, as gathered from
Decoration Day parades and war novels.
is that of n solid column of men in "ser-
ried ranks" elbow to elbow. head rig
idly erect, every gun at exactly the same
angle, feet and legs moving with the
harmony of movement only attained hy
q sextet bicycle team. sweeping glorious
ly along with unbroken files.
A body Of troops, whether n corporal
guard or a massed corps. out for busi-
ness does not move over hostile ground
that way Flcxibiity and not martin
cts rigidity. is what modern methods
call for. Information of the enemv's To-
cation is the safeguard of a moving regi-
ment or brigade. A body of soldiers is
n hostile country. uniformed as to the
Whereabouts OF the enemy, Is dlWdyS III
peril. and subject to disastrous sur
prise.
When the American troops begin the
march to Havana they will resemble
the octopus. in that they will send feel
ers ahead and on each side as they move
forward. Suppose II column of troops
cavalry, artillery and infantry-on the
road to Cuba. Quite a distance ahead,
and on each flank. will move the ''cav-
airy SCREEN" mobile outposts to act rs
scouts, ready to fall back on the main
body of troops if danger is sighted. When
the troops halt, the scattered cavalry
men become cavalry outposts, pickets Gu
horseback, who keen watch and ward
The vanguard or advance party" of
the main body Of troops also is a feelcr.
Leading the advance party, and march
ing in the road. is Il group of foot sol
diers, four to eight in number with 4
On-commissioned officer in charge.
About $50 yards on each side of the
point is similar group, called flank
ers, who will march through fields. un--
dergrowth, swamps, etc. Back of the
point" in the road marches a solid body
of men. having about twice as many
soldiers as are in the point" group.
Back of this small body some 200 wards