Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-25
The lenath OF Wars.

the length of the present conflict with
| Snain: but the modern tendency is to-
ward short wars. A comparison be-
tween the armed contests of the pres
ent with those of former centuries
shows Enthusiastically that improved
arms, better methods, of communica-
ton and transportation, and the chang
es in the organization and in all the
tional quarrels to quick conclusions,
relatively speaking. Telegraphic com
munication plays an important role, of
course, in these days in expeditinS
army and navy operations, and has
proven to be a life-saving device in
many instances. 1t will be recalled in
this connection that the Battle of New
Orleans would not have been fought,
in the War of 1S12-15, if there had been
cable and Geographic communication
to inform Jackson of the signing of the
treaty of Client and the restoration Of
peace.
The war between Turkey and Greece
over Crete was of brief duration. The
encounter between Japan and China
lasted about year, with decisive bat
ties during the interval at Port Arthur,
Wei-Hai-Wei and Ninchang. The
Russo Turkish war $50 also lasted IA
year, but the time was long enough
for sanguinary collisions at Plevna.
Shipka Pass, kars, etc. The Franco
for its brevity as Well as for the i'm
portance of it's battles and the magni
tude of the French defeat and humila-
ton. The battles of Worth, Gravelotte.
Sedan and Metz, within comparative
ly brief interval, attest the swiftness
With which the science of warfare
works out the problem of destruction
in these days. In 1866 Prussia discom-
fitted Austria in seven weeks, with the
SadoWa victory as the chief trophy of
one of the briefest but one of the most
decisive wars on record. The Civil War
in the United States lasted practically
four years, the longest contest of the
century since the Napoleonic wars. In
1859 the Italian conflict began and end
ed. The Crimean war was marked by
numerous bloody engagements be-
tween large armies. but it was over in
two years. The war between the United
Twenty years before the Mexican war
was fought the Greeks struggled for in
dependence through a war continuing
seven years.
our second armed contention with
Great Britain covered three years
The Napoleonic wars kept Europe as
tir almost continuously for fifteen
years, from 1900 to 1915. The wars Of
the eighteenth century We're invaria-
bly, long and wasting-the briefest We're
those of the French Revolution, seven
years; the American Revolution, eight
years: the Seven Years War and the
War of the Austrian Succession. eight
years. The longest war of the eigh-
teenth century was that of the Span
ish Succession, thirteen years. In the
previous century the English Civil
War harried the country for eighteen
| years. In the same century came the
Thirty Years Religious War, ending
with the peace of Westphalia. and be-
| fore that Europe was shaken by the
| tremendous struggle between Spain and
! the Netherlands, extending over the
! long period of forty-two years. The
| French Civil War of the sixteenth cen
fury continued thirty-one years; the
War of Roses in England, from l455 to
| 1411. The farther We go back in time
! the longer the wars become. The fight
| for the English possessions in France
| was kept up in a desultory way for a
| whole century, from 1881 to 1887, and
the Crusaders carried on an intermit-
| tent warfare for nearly POO years. The
review, while not exhaustive. illus
trates with sufficient conclusveness
! the tendency to make modern warfare
| short. sharp and decisive.