The times., 1899-11-18
A MILITARY EXPERTS VIEWS.
The Present Situation In the British
Roer War nisrnssed

IN order to criticise interigeutly the
military situation in south Africa. said
a high military authority yesterday. and
to appreciate the reasons for the compare
lively small success OF the British arms
up 10 this date. it is necessary to under
stand the immense difficulties and peculiar
nature Of the problem involved. large
section OF the American press EeneraIizes
the war as a conflict between a great mill
tary power and two small Republics strug
CLING for their independence Passing BY
the political aspect Of the situation ! wish
10 demonstrate that the balance OF ad-
vantage, in a military sense. up TO the
present, has been on the side Of the two
small Republics.
To give the ordinary American reader
fair idea of the military problem and the
immense distances and difficulties involved
l make the following comparison: Let 1t
be supposed that the Territories OF New
Mexico and Oklahoma were to revolt
against the United States Government. and
were to begin by OverrunnIng the eastern
portion Of Texas. Let us further suppose
that the population of those Territories
is constituted very much as at present in
numbers. and that it consists. as 1t does,
Of hardy cowboys and ranCheFs. well
use of the rifle and frontier warfare. Let
1t be supposed that these Territories had
been preparing for this revolt for at least
ten years. had European officers to instruct
them IN military tactics and had procured
an immense supply Of all the latest NUM-
tions OF war in the shape Of magazine ri
fies, heavy siege guns, quick-fring field
guns. and Maxim machine guns; that the
people Of the surrounding States were 10
Il
were secretly aiding and abetting it, also
that the colored population of the South
was in an excited and dangerous frame OF
mind Then, suppose that the only regular
Federal troops available to suppress this
revolt consisted of about u, coo regulars
stationed at Fort Worth. Tex. and about
3 600 al New York. Also suppose that the
only available ports for disembarking re-
endorsements are at New Orleans and San
Francisco. Then remove the headquarters
OF the United States Government and its
/ executive machinery as far away as Berlin;
and, accepting all the above suppositions
conceive the difficulty of speedily suppress
Z ing the revolt.
/ This comparison is fair and moderate
I and gives some idea of the difficulties
! which have been confronting the British
( Government up TO the present time in deal
| ing with the Transvaal and Orange Free
/ state Republics. General NniteS small
/ force OF ten thousand or twelve thousand
/ men was confronted with the task OF pre-
| serving the colony of Natal from invasion
! from two sides by an enemy three or four
/ times its superior in numbers. Under
] these circumstances he has done remark
ably well in in1icting severe punishment
/ upon the invaders, in maintaining his po-
/ sition al Ladysmith against enormous odds.
and from a strategic standpoint in dstain-
| ing the bulk of the Boer army at one point,
while preparations for attacking them in
other directions are made. Many OF the
| best military experts feared that his force
would be unequal TO this task and that the
/ Beers would be able 10 annihilate him and
| completely overrun Natal before re-en-
| forcements could arrive from Eng and; but
/ he has disproved these not unreasonable
| forebodings, and now the tide OF success
| will probably turn against the Beers
| With twenty thousand re-enforcements
already arriving in South Africa. from now
| on the British will be in an increasing y
| favorable situation. and their ultimate tri-
umph only a matter of time.