Washington sentinel., 1898-06-04
NO so
MODERN Arms IN MOUNTAIN wARpARr
LOA40H S6eckah0I,


spectator who SURVEYS the revoI,i,.,
Naieiooscope of the world; and IatterIy
ne mas been entertained by a series Of
war scenes. When this year began he
was following with keen interest the
phases OF fierce contest between one
oI the sfrong armies i'm Asia and Esu,
thousand tribesmen, on the outer slopes
Oh the Afghan highlands; the field of
operations was narrow and obscure; the
comoatants we're equal IN nothing but
courage; the odds we're made even. for
time, by the difficulties of mountain
warfare To-day he looks on at the
spectacle of two modern nations con.
tending from distant continents on the
vast open Dattlefelds of the ocean. He
has Just seen Anglo Egyptian troops
ascending the Nils, and driving the
Dervishes out OF their entrenchment bv
one resolute charge; he is watching the
omlnous preparations Of rival European
states to break down the most ancient
and populous Empire IN the world. and
ne contrasts IN amazement the tame
immobility OF China with the wild ener-
getic patriotism of the Afrids. Each of
tnese scenes suggests curious questions
as to the proportionate influence in
warfare of the elements ofrace, national
character, moral and material strength
superiority of armament. and physical
environment; for these days of restless
human activity, the destiny OF a nation,
as formerly OF man, depends more than
ever upon its ready power OF selfdefence.
As betVeen States, it seems clear that
the loose, illorganized ruIerships of
Asia are becoming more and more in
capable Of resisting the concentrated
forces of highly civilized governments.
Except the Ottoman Empire, there isno
Asiatic State which could defend itself
against a European army; and that
empire IS partly European, and owes its
safety mainly to the mutual jealousy Of
its European neighbors. All the other
Kingdoms OF Asia are practically at the
mercy of the Western Powers. AS be-
tween races, the case stands differently.
for under certain conditions and circurn-
stances the balance still seems to lie
even between the trained and the I'M.
trained fighting man. All military
history shows that where a naturally
courageous race has the advantage of
position, where the people fight en-
trenched behind the natural forti6ca-
tions of difficult country, they are
formidable for regular troops. The
Turks could never, in the course of
centuries, reduce Montenegro; the
Russians took thirty years to subdue
the Caucasus; it will have taken the
English at least as long to pacify the
Afghan mOuntaineer; while, on the
other hand, undisciplined vaIor has
almost always been useless against the
scientific warfare in the plains, as in
India, Central Asia and Upper Egypt.
Even there the barbarian, who
fights after his own fashion, as the Zulu
did, may now and then score a victory,
for the moment, against the regulars:
but half disciplined armies, who awk.
wardIy initiate the tactics OF their
opponents, have no chance at all.
The warfare between the plains and
the hills, between powerful conduering
rulerships who have swept level and
rich countries with their armies, and
hardy tribes who make their stand be-
hind mountain Businesses, has gone on
from time immemorial The English
marched up easily from the Indian sea-
board to the Indus; but at the foot of
the Afghan hills they came to a halt.
and have since moved onward very
slowly indeed. Where both sides use
quick loading, accurate firearms, It
seems probable that the balance of the
advantage is with hillmen; and the Afri.
dis have got rifles which they know how
to handle. In country where tactical
movements are not much hampered.
where discipline steadies the fighting
line, and troops can be concentrated or
extended as need may be, equality of
weapons does not save the barbarian,
and the more you improve the mechan-
zeal armament the easier is the triumph
OF civilized force. It was with javelins
and short swords that the Romans sub
dued the most warlIke races of Europe
-Gsuls, Germans, Iberians, and Britons;
they won entirely by drill and general
ship, by steadiast effort at close quar-.
ters, as when Cesar writes of sharp
encounter that his soldiers setGIed the
affair with their swords The Macedo-
nian soldiers could not have been much
better armed than the Persian host; but
Alexander led them without a check
from the Hellespont to the Hvphasis.
and probably he had no rougher adven-
tures than among the hills where the
English have just been fighting, in the
Swat Valley and along the Cabul River.
We may conclude, therefore, that as 1t
was in the Roman DAYS and has been in
our own times, so it will be in the future
the possession Of improved war mate.
rial will not help AsiatIc kingdoms; and
in battles on a large scale, with room for
manUuvring, the trained military
strength Of Europe will continue to
scatter Oriental armies. But among
narrow passes and steep ridges the
sharpshooter and skirmisher, the deadly
marksman at long ranges. has evidently
become much more formidable than
heretofore; he has been bred to this
work from his youth up; he represents
the flower OF his people in vigor and
energy; he is contending as a volunteer
against paid soldiery; he has at last
found weapon exactly suited to the
system OF guerilla warfare; and in con-
sequence our latest frontier campaign
has been the most severe Of all those on