The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-10-01
BACKBONE OF THE ARMY
DUTIES AND POSITION OF THE NON
COMMISSIONED OFFICER.

Seldom Comes to the s.Non-Com''a
The Go-Betwee1 for officers and Men:
The backbone of the army is the non:
Commissioned mau:-Rudyard Kip
ling:
Lowest down is the lance corporal
highest up are the regimental quarter
master sergeants, sergeant majors,
ordinance sergeants, and most pictur-
esque is the first sergeant. The s'back-
bone referred to by Mr. Kipling cen-
sists of the company ''non-eoms, be-
ginning with the corporal and snding
in the first sergeant They are the
unglorifed sinews of war, the Drawn
and muscle; the officer is the much
heralded brainy director.
The recruit to the. army no sooner
swears that he "will obey the COM
mands of all officers placed above him"
than he falls into the hands of cor
poral. This soldier, with the two
clean white chevrons on his sleeves,
looks him over, guides him to bath
ing place, and begins to lick him into
; shape. He begins by teaching him
how to stand, how to turn around,
where to keep his eyes, and all the
small details of the soldier business:
He impresses on him the necessity Of
quick doing, and cautions that the
officers are there to think. Then the
recruit is shufaed on to a sergeant,
who places him in set of fours and
teaches him how to- find his place, and
what to do when he finds it. He
finally falls into the, of the first
sergeant in company drill. He may
get an occasional sigat Of, his captain.
but he learns to know and emulate his
sergeant 81 = q
The ssnon- com" ",isshe teacher. His
unlimited ability tofwork and his un-
dying patience straighten up round
shoulders. liven up:the shutting steps
and make sturdy soldier of the raw
recruit. He works always and for
ever, and executes 1tbe orders of his
superiors quickly and accurately. He
serves as model to be copied after
by the private-he is the backbone Of
the army.
Glory seldom comes 'tnon-
com" A long time Ego certain Ser
geant Jasper won permanent place
in history, and NOR recently Sergeant
Hamilton Fish dies bravely at the
front. {, TINS stnon-S Sbm.o works un-
noticed, like the :life pfayef in the
football team, beca14:e lie doesn't run
with the bali but hsss - backbone
that holds the ribs Yegd sr. When
the battle is hot al&ns< at mingles
with blood on the sd field, when
J bullets whizz and s. stream, when
comrades sink to the ound and turn
On their faces, the kHcer lifts his
sword on high and st rs forward into
glory. The 'snon-ds T." speaks the
quiet STEADY, boysr' and walks into
the jaws of death shooting his way
into the corridors of oblivion. The
captain knows he will be famous if he
survives-famous if he dies. The
sergeant or the corporal knows
his wife and children will weep over
their loss, his comrades that survive
him will bury him in soldiers grave
wrapped in his blanket. He is too
numerous for the historian to mention
he was simply doing his duty. Yet if
the victory is won it is because he is
IN his place and doing this same duty.
| Under the new tsctics in use by the
United States army, companies no
longer fight with men shoulder t.
shoulder under the direct command
of the captain. Much stress is laid
on the skirmish drill, in which sets Of
fours under corporals and squads
under sergeants fight in open order,
| firing at will after the captain has
ordered commence firing The
corporal is responsible for his set of
fours and the sergeant for his squad.
The first sergeant is in a manner re-
sponsible for the entire company and
is ready to assume command when his
officers are shot down. The new
arrangement gives opportunity to the
"non-com. to show himself. 1t
remains to be seen whether or not he
will break into fame.
It is not in battle, however, that the
non-commissioned officer earns the
title of "backbone,' for in the fight
the sweating private is necessary
person. In the camp the whitechev-
roned soldier makes his presence
known and felt The first sergeant.
gruff, stern, severe, kind, man of all
work and all intelligence, father Of his
company and mother, too, in camp, is
in charge of his men. He looks after
the company quarters, tents, bedding,
clothing, knows all about the kitchen
aud sees to the equipments. He calls
the roll, details the guard, knows the
ability and willingness of every soldier
of his command and is the discipline
fian and mouthpiece of his company.
He is the go-between for privates and
officers, adjusts quarreis and dissemin-
ates advice The company books,
though not intricate, are tedious, and
are kept by him, and he reports the
dead to his captain. He seems to be
in every place at the same time. He
is the model soldier.
The literature of the present war is
vet unwritten. Glorious victories
have been won and admirals and gen.
erals have been launched into ever
lasting fame. tits to be hoped, when
the war correspondents get back to
the quiet of their desks, they will not
have been blinded by the glare of up
lifted swords and glittering shoulder
straps to the bravery and courage of
the 'tnon-commissioned man" There
is room in history for the backbone
| Of the army"