The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-25
The INVASION OF CUBA.
General Wingate Says There Is
No Reason For Hurrying 1t.
DIFFICULTIES IN CAMPAIGNING
The Volunteers Now In the Field Are
Especially Unit. He Says. For Active
Service I'm Cuba How lie Would Train
Them In Marching aud "Fpe Dlsci-
pline"-- Dangers OF the Rainy season.

Them In Marching aud "Fre Disci
piine"-- Dangers OF the Rainy season.
General George w Wingate is high
authority in all that pertains 10 The na
tional guard He is best known 20 army
and guardSnen as the father of riff,
practice in the United States. Il was
he who built Creedmoor and introduced
the. system which has since been copied
into the regular army and has made
marksmen of the regulars. who. when
they first competed with the guardsmen
at CreeGmoor. made l35-the lowest
score of all the 5 teams that entered,
and not more than one-third of the top
score.
Men of my age will understand me
when | say that hope the army will
not be driven forward by any desire TO
emulate the great deeds of the navy to
make a premature invasion of Cuba, :"
said the general Men of my age will
remember how the cry On to Rich
mond 7 drove the army of the Union to
advance when II was not ready The re-
suit was Bull Run
The volunteers now in the field are
not fit TO campaign anywhere, but espe-
cially unfit for campaigning in Cuba
Before Scott marched on the city of
Mexico he spent six months in prepar-
ing his men. The result was that his
march was distinguished by success
sion OF victories If our boys go down
to Cuba now in their present shape,
they will die like sheep not from bull
lets OF the Spaniards, but by reason Of
the climate. The Spaniards are all in
fortified cities. They will stay there,
and our troops will have to camp in the
deadly lowlands about them 1t would
be madness to send troops to Cuba be-
fore the end Of the rainy season. Idon't
think the government really means it,
l Judge that Puerto Rico. where the
are much better. is really
our objective point. but I'm afraid of
foolish thing being done to satisfy pub
lie clamor or because the army is anx-
lous to catch up with the navy
1.-The volunteers now in the field have
the best OF stuff in them, but they. are
not soldiers, they are not disciplined.
they can { march, they don { know how
to take care of themselves. they don't
understand maneuvers. Another thing.
they have no proper equipments Their
uniforms are all wrong for Cuba-won' {
10 at all. Their blankets are not worth
anything They have no proper shoes.
II think good way to train the vol.
lnteers would be to start them out on a
100 mile march, making SO many miles
| day and gradually increasing the dis
ance. BY that means, blvouacking each
night In different place, the regiment
would learn how to take care Of itself
IN the march, how to pitch camp and
make itself comfortable IL would grow
nured to heavy marching order and |
earn TO take care of arms and equip |
nents. Ii it had some regulars along to |
ave 1T tone. 1T would get more instruc- |
ION in week than in three months of |
present camp life.
The troops also need handling by |
'rlgade and division, so that they will !
earn the necessity of obeying orders
nd being at the place directed at the |
lme directed. Without this maneuver-
ng on an extensive scale is impossible
mother thing our boys need before they
make a move on Cuba is training in
fire discipline. A soldier can only car
y from go to 80 rounds of ammunition
or the Springfield rifle. As caliber, with
Which the national guard is armed The
egulars are armed with the krag .Ior-
ensen and can probably carry 1870
ounds. caliber being smaller Either
ne OF these men can fire all his ammu.
ition IN half an hour, and one of the
iults OF green soldiers in battle is that
hey begin firing too soon and keep 1t
p when there is nothing TO shoot at
To prevent this it is necessary that
ne fire should be under the strict con.
'ol OF the officers This is the case in
II modern armies The officers in charge
the firing indicate the object, give
lie elevation and tell the number of
lots each man shall fire. If the men
re not trained to yield implicit obedi-
ice. the result is that they will be
ithout ammunition when it is most ,
A recent report of the inspec-
on at Camp Black shows that from 25
40 per cent OF the men are not only
cruits. but are not even supplied with I
niforms. Half the volunteers knew {
othing at all about the use of the rifle. j
"All that goes to demonstrate that
e volunteers at present are wholly s
lsuited for campaigning anywhere, es- {
,cially in Cuba. Now, then we have I
regular army which for this purpose i
ould muster about ~. 900 men They /
light not TO be used In Cuba during the 7
my season The negro troops and I'm.
unes could stand the climate probably.
1t they are only handful. and the
have 80. 900 troops IN Cuba. :
hey are poor In arms. equipment and
but Manila shows that they
i'll fight and they are IN possession uf =
e fortified cities a
81 have known Cuba and tie Cubars d
T long time speak littlc Spln
h am a property owner q Saurto
'iritu aud know what am talking T
out when | say that t. aittn3n a A
mpaign IN Cuba nj tsie pitsnt time.
A., 90 II 81