The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-29
ENGLISH ARMY OFFICERS.
German Journal Praises Their Cour-
age at Expense of Military Sense.

frankfort Gazette3
Ignorance of campaign service and
negligence in accommodating were the
cause of the enormous losses Of the
English in their previous encounters
with the Beers. An English major
with whom l conyersed upon the prep
arations made for the coming war said
to me: 1T will be ended, no doubt, to
our advantage, because our forces are
vastly superior to those of the Beers,
but it will cost US enormous losses, for
the reason that our generals know lit
tie or nothing of war; and our officers
don't know how to lead their troops
against a well-armed enemy | asked
him if he did not think that the sup
preston of the purchase of COMMITS
sions, the result of which is beginning
to he seen in the high ranks, had not
produced some good effects upon the
efficiency of the corps of officers
Not at ALL" he said. THE efficiency
of our officers would be superior = in
our army the system of favoritism
played smaller part. 1t is not merit,
it is favoritism. which in most cases
brings about the appointment of a man
to some high command. Our young Of
ficers enter the army without having
the slightest idea of military service. If
they should be sent out just now In a
campaign against the Beers they would
no doubt conduct themselves bravely.
but they would not knowfwhen to turn
back or what to do with their men,"
After witnessing the recent English
maneuvers l myself got the same inn
preston. The officers of every grade
have a careless attitude; the orders are
slack, and but little Importance is at
tached to their execution, and that is
something which l have remarked on
several occasions. The officers take no
account of the nature Of the ground
upon which they naaneuver, and each
movement of the English infantry,
which always fires volleys and never
seeks shelter, brings one back to the
time of the battle OF Waterloo, the only
battle probably that these officers have
studied to get an idea of tactics.
An English military writer has p3inls-
ed out in his work upon the British ar
my the dislike of studying the history
OF wars which exists among the officers.
Outside of their campaigns against the
Afridis and Soudanais. they have had
no chance to gain any practical mil
itary knowledge. Neasl5er does the
training of the soldiers present any OPP
portunity TO acquire a knowledge of
tactics. The English officer is careful
to put aside everything tfat,is military
except during the hourS,of exercise, and
ir'3smuch as he confines his studies to
few of the old battles, one need nS't
be surprised that even on a nlaneuver-
ing ground he plays a poor part freEn
the viewpoint of a trained colder In a
word, these gentlem@n simply play SOL
diers. They have an air of indifference
during the hours of service and exercise
and show clearly that they den the uni
form simply to goe the title of officer
and because it is the custom among the
sons of rich families.
No doubt in their uniforms they are
brave. An English officer said to me
one day that he CoDsideyeipit inoompaIt-
ible with his dignity to knsel down or
to PROSTATE himself before the fire of
an enemy He thought that such an
attitude might set a bad example to the
others, because it might be taken as a
sign of fear The heavy losses among
the officers in the campaigns against
the Beers. and even the defeats in the
war of 1881 againei: the Transvaal, were
the result cf a laudable courage, but
they displayed the utter military inca
pacity Of their leaders.
The English have great hopes of the
efficiency of their cavalry in their com
ing campaign against the Beers, and,
from what I have seen of the English
army, | do not hesitate to declare that
their cavalry is the only arm which
comes up to modern military instruc-
ton and which surpasses, perhaps, the
cavalry of certain European countries.
The cavalry officers also represent fa-