The evening times., 1898-08-12
ARMY BREAKDOWN.
Ensland's Sad Lesson. and Osf Own
at SantSego.

England's Sad Lesson. and Our Own
at Sant8ego.
In the forty yearsaE4a1e from Water
loo to the Crimean. The 1ittsh efficiency
in the war depar.m r. ed out from
lack of experience. w16p the men OF
practical training VIDE Zone. theorists
took their place. The result was" says
that when the war In tke Crimea broke
out the handling Off troops was a lost
art in England. as it has become a los
art In this country in thirty years OF
peace. whose military history is deplora-
bly, and alarmingly like that of Great
Britain from 1915 to 1854
This made the Crimean war the sad
dest and most shameful page in the
history of the British army-a page nev-
er rewritten In the history of civilized
war till Santiago. on a lesser scale. re-
discovered the lamentable art Of destroy
ing the army in the face Of an enemy
more effectively than the utmost hostile
energy could accomplish it. The COM
missariat broke down. and heroic though
unframed soldiers endured the hardships
of camp and trenches without sufficient
food. clothes or shelter. The medical
staff was worthless, and sick and wound
ed rotted and died like flies on bare
fields and in hospitals which were mere
shambles. IndomitaDfe Anglo-Saxon
pluck endured hardship and priyation.
and private energy and devotion supplied
medical and nursing attendance, and the
NJ q oh M In, 70 yy,i bat
1t left the British army discredited in
the face of civilization and military
Science and threw the British nation in
to white heat of reforming fury
This popular rage did the work so
thoroughly that 1t never has been need
full to do 1t again. Regiments for
foreign service were so increased with
extension of the empire that the whole
vast bulk Is as thoroughly policed as
Ireland. and a volunteer. force has been
built up at home nearly as well drilled
as any Continental landwehr and bet
ter armed and equipped. The staff has
been reorganize1 and extended until
British troops are moved over the
world almost with the ease and COM
fort of great Atlantic passenger line.
The Egyp ian expedition. into the heart
of Africa, larger than Skaters army.
was moved with the smoothness of an
excursion party. without the loss of a
man. and with preservation of ply
sique and morale TO which the splendid
dash Of Atabara bears evidence. One
lesson in its own weakness is enough
for any Anglo-Saxon nation.
I'VE have had our lesson in the San
tiago campaign. and it is for us to
apply the remedy. as England applied
1t after the Crimea. The general ssaff
must be completely reorganized 1t
will not be enough to get rid of a feeble
and untrusty head. though executive
energy and capacity will aid greatly
In the work of reform. This is matter
for legislation. and Congressnoial in
vestigation is the first ste2.
Just how the work Is to be done is
matter for expert Testimony. Perhaps
the system Is wrong. Lamont though;
so. and he was the most practical Sec
retary of War for years. Our staff has
more departments than those in Europe.
and still the quartermaster general is
overloaded. II has been proposed to make
transportation a separate department.
The same object would be reached by
giving the commissary all supply func-
tions. clothing well as food. and leav-
ing the quartermaster only shelter and
transportation. The engineers have done
themselves no credit in this war. The
department needs Strengthening with en-
listed men and more training in military
work. The ordnance bureau is behind
the times and the medical department
lacks energy. These are details 10 work
out. The main thing is TO make the sys-
tenn, whatever it may be. effective by eN-
pelling routine sluggishness and incapa-
city and introducing energy and initia-
tive. The whole organization should be
torn down and rebuilt. whether on this
model or some other. This is the most
important work of the nation after the
war. 1t should go along with the In
slant increase of the regular army. for
home and foreign service. to not less
than 100 900 men,