The evening times., 1899-12-23
A need OF TRAINED MEN
The Feature Of Inspector General
Breckiniidge's Report.
He Declares II to BE the Duty of the
Government to Disseminate Mill
Among the Mnsses-Review of the
Work of Regulars md Volunteers.


last and most important one submitted by
his staff chiefs. The needs of the service
are discussed with characteristic candor.
The document is a long one and from Ii
is extracted the following:
The events embraced within the last
fiscal year have proved the efficiency of the
methods employed for the military training
and discipline of the companies, and have
demonstrated the adaptability-of the Ameri-
cans to every requirement of military life.
In the broadest view, the military results
have been almost phenomenally successful.
almost revolutionary to the national policy
and career, and perhaps not less exacting
and instructive on land than the supremely
glorious achievements of the navy, which
mark the epoch and render it the cynOsure
of every eye.
Some day a careful and dispassionate
study of every detail should. and probably
will, be made of all that relates to the
soldier and his trade in this Spanish war
by the men who were actually on the hr
ing line and in the forefront of battle,
whether belonging TO some technical
branch or to the line.
In the meantime. and without any COM
parison with others WHO have played their
part so admirably. it should be recognized
how largely the burden of field work fell
upon the regular company officers who not
cnly had the duties of their grade to per-
FORM but were assigned by the score TO
every type of duty, both the line and stan,
and civil duties: while the simply superb
organizations were subsequently swamped
with unframed recruits. and, indeed. filed
with them again and again. until II seemed
ticularly admirable that the Characters
tics OF distinguished organizations could
be so long retained despite such circum-
stances. Il may be worth our while, in
view of the portents of destiny drawing
close upon US. to make serious effort TO
keep our army secure in constant possess
sion OF every quality that leads TO reliabii-
ity and victory. Extreme fluctuations in
the training of men from perfect excellence
10 perfect greenness may doubtless be ade-
quately guarded against if desired
RegimentaI Organization.
The regiment is universally recognized
as the unit of administration for war, and
everything should be done to ensure eff
cient and experienced regimental COM
manders and staff. and confirm them in
their legitimate duties and accustom the
men to their methods and personal equa-
tion especially in the first swift stages
OF war; though the calls for officers so
great elsewhere that the percentage must
be quite small of regular appointments
which went to the assault on the first day
of tt last fiscal year under their own col
Onels This is one of the many fruits Of
maintaining a merely skeleton military
organized and prescribed system of re-
serves and mobilization. To compare this
situation with similar grade in our sister
service what would be thought il nearly
every ship at Manila or Santiago had gone
into action without its captain? Certainly
such a situation would be exceptional and
not the rule in warfare by the regular navy
on the sea. How ought similar and es-
sential contingency to be provided for or
avoided on land?
III our army practiced the art of mo-
Utilization annually, every feature and re-
quirement would be thoroughly prescribed
and organized and be as familiar char
acteristlc of military training with us as
with foreign countries. and as perfectly
and easily done as company drill. The only
thing that prevented this fundamental
preliminary practice in times of peace was
lack of money. II depends wholly upon the
appropriation bill. Within the decade all
that could be done simply at the posts has
been carefully and instructively carried
out. so that military problems and minor
tactics have become familiar as household
words at the Western posts and the junior
officers were generally thorough masters
of their art And years ago General Miles
had given out the problem for one post
10 assail the force at another throughout
the department he then commanded, so
1hat the instruction was not confined to a
single post, but embraced two: and one
year there We're larger camps, commands,
and maneuvres for actual practice and in
Will
ritt and at Camp Crook under General
Brooke. where brigade or more was as
sembled.
The Volunteer Question.
Our wars have been habitually fought by
the volunteers, and the Spanish war was
not an entire exception to this rule. Some
days before the call for volunteers was is
sued most of the regular regiments had al
ready been ordered to points in the South
and as soon as the 200, 900 volunteers called
for by the Presidents proclamation OF April
% and May %, 1898. and the sixteen regi-
ments of volunteer engineers. cavalry and
infantry were mustered into the service of
the United States, they, too were rapidly
concentrated at the same points, and at
Camp Alger, Virginia. and San Francisco.
and together with the regulars formed into
sever army corps.
American ingenuity and energy and per-
severance triumphed then. and will again.
whether We profit by the past or b gin al,
over again in the next emergency But no
matter how large our resources, our duty
in the premises is plain. Tle foremost
powers of the European Continent have
every step thought out beforehand for every
possible emergency, and we should 90 no
less.
Camps of Instruction.
THE habit of concentrating inexperf-
enced soldiers in large camps or requiring
new legislation for every important step
may entail serious delay or unnecessary
suffering from camp diseases. which are
more to be dreaded and guarded against
than bullets.
IF 1t takes more than fortnight TO pre-
pare the muster-out papers, the trying time |
n; the close of service should not be made |
more disorganiZing by the uncertain and |
unsettled questions of soldierly duty about |
the date of discharge. How strongly this |
condition bore upon some OF the organiza- |
tions sent upon the Texas expedition at the |
close of the civil war may be remembered |
still by some who were there.
1T seems almost an anomaly to muster |
out regiment after regiment OF trained men |
and at the same time endeay0r to create |
new regiments not wholly frcm the materi- |
al thus discarded. From the 100000 State !
and 10000 United States volunteers enlist /
ed for the Spanish war it seems enough |