Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-10

guns are also stationed-three field batteries
and a number Of heavy guns, mostly OF the
Krupp pattern. There are also two batteries
OF rapid-hre guns.
Since 1894 a law is In existence which per-
mits an organization OF volunteer corps con-
sisting OF citizens entitled to vote. This Is
done to keep up interest in military matters.
These corps are furnished arms and ammu-
milton and each volunteer receives annually
from $40 to 500 for periodical service, which
includes police service in case Of riots or
other disturbances Nearly every large city
or village has such a corps, the strongest
being Johannesburg, which consists OF 600
infantry and 200 cavalry.
The military strength OF Transvaal, how
eevr, rests in It's militia. Statistics concern
Ing It's numbers vary between 3 5000 and
10000 burghers, subject to military service,
of whom from 5000 to 10, 1000 are in their
best years. The white population OF the
Transvaal in 1898 was a little ever 32O, 900,
among them, however, numerous "uitland-
ers," who, not being entitled to vote, cannot
be compelled to serve. OF the Kaflrs, mum
bering about $50, 900, probably $4,000 are sub
ject to military duty.
The military division OF the state Is strictly
carried out, and makes an Incredibly quick
mobilization possible, because each citizen
Ia compelled, upon notification, to repair at
once, with horse, arms, accoutrements and
rations. to the place OF rendezvous.
District Organization.
For this purpose the Transvaal is divided
into districts and each district again into
cornetships. Each district has a commander,
who, as we'll as the comets, has much au-
thority in peace as well as in war. Even
in times Of peace, for instance, each inhabi-
tant yves implicit military obedience to his
field cornet and his commander.
E~ncamprnents and field maneuvers upon a
large scale do not take place. In view Of
the fighting methods OF the Beers there Is
no tactical necessity for such expensive in
stitutions. The Beers are a sort of mounted
infantry. From early youth they are active
in the saddle and in the "bush," are In
defatigable riders and excellent marksmen,
because the Boer Is born with a rifle, SO to
speak. The Beers are natural guerrillas.
They go into camp without a baggage train.
Each man carries rations for two weeks in
his saddle bags.
The fghting methods Of the Beers, which
caused the English such great loss in 1881,
and actually drove them from the open field,
Is an intelligent diminishing. They are
never massed, and hence field artillery is
powerless against them. Moreover, the
gunnes OF the enemy's artillery are rapidly
piIhtu oh Wy IL ItliV mo
of the natives. The latter know to a dot
how to utilize the topography of the field
to advantage, in the attack as well as In the
defense. AT all events, they are, in this
respect, far superior to the English in
fantry. This is proved, among other things,
by official reports OF the war of 1881. At
Laings Mex, January Is Of the year named,
1870 Beers forced 900 infantry. 200 cavalry
and nine guns to precipitate retreat. In
the decisive battle of Mount Majuba, where
the English lest General Coils. 100 Beers
stormed the peak, which was held by 400
Scots and $50 marines. Unproportionately
large were the losses Of the English In that
war. They had 1859 dead and wounded,
while the Beers had only 113 hors du COM
bat. This is a disproportion shown by no
other war of modern times. Since that
time, 1881, tactical conditions have scarcely
changed. Small arms have been brought
to greater perfection. but this counts on
both sides.
The Sister Republic.
1t has already been mentioned that the
military arrangements OF the Orange Free
State are similar to those Of the Transvaal.
In the former the number of whites subject
to military service Is estimated at 20, 900.
There, as we'll as in the sister republic, is
a corps of field artillery, with thirty-six
modern guns, stationed in a fort near
Bloemfontein. The artillerymen enter the
reserve after three years service. They
number now about 600 men, technically
well drilled and numerically ample to man
every gun twice in case OF war.
The Orange Free State also has its corps
OF volunteers, for whose equipment and
camp service the state pays. During the
last few years these appropriations have
amounted to 5000, 600 annually. II 1t is
taken into consideration that the Orange
Free State has a white population Of only
about $4,000, it will be seen that these
Beers pay more per capita for military pur-
poses than even Germany, the most soldier
ridden country in the world.
The State militia Is. as in the Transvaal,
organized upon a strictly territorial basis.
and the formation, mobilization and com
mands are the same.
British Forces.
OF British regular troops there are at
this moment in all South Africa, according
to the New York Sun. only about 10, 900
electives air told. They are divided as
follows: Tive regiments Of cavalry, three
field batteries, one mountain battery, three
companies of garrison artillery, four COM
panies OF engineers, six and one-half bat
talions OF Infantry. two army service de-
tachments. two Of the army ordnance corps
and two Of the army medical corps, two
battalions Of infantry are on their way
out which on arrival will bring the total
force up to 10000 men. Two batteries OF
field artillery are under orders, but have
not yet left England. The distribution Of
the force at date is about 5000 regulars in
Natal divided between Pietermaritzburg,
the capital; Ladysmith, the junction OF the
railways from Durham. the Orange Free
State and the Transvaal and Eshowe. A
post has been established at Newcastle and
1t is proposed to form a camp OF obserya-
ton near Laing's Mex. In addition to the
regulars, 1t is calculated that Natal can
furnish a volunteer and militia force of
about 1000 men, comprising a field battery,
a battalion Of infantry and a body OF about
500 amounted riaemen and a police force OF
about $50 men.
In Cape Colony there are about 1000
British regulars. comprising two and one
half battalions OF infantry, two companies
OF garrison artillery and one company Of
engineers, all the other regular troops
being in Natal. There are besides, the Cape
Mounted Rifles, 1000 strong, and the Cape
police, 1900; forty-four volunteer and
mounted rife companies, about 1000 men,
with batteries of eleven field guns. In ad-
IN