The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-04

His Essays on Questions Pertaining
to War Attracting Attention and
Securing Positions In Army jour
naIs-Gen. BrOOke's Recomme nda-
| ton That He BE Made Major
| Pleasing to Those Who Know Him
/ The news that Gen. Brooke had recon-
| mended Lieut.. Charles w. Castle for a
majorship was a pleasing piece of infor-
nation for q good many people in st.
Paul. Lieut.. Castle is a st. Paul boy who
spent his boyhood here until he went to
| West Point. He is, as everybody knows,
a son of Capt H. A. Castle. Capt. Castle
| is a man of ability a scholar and a
| fighter. His son has inherited the fight
ing qualities and is rapidly acquiring the
| scholarly attachments, aided materially
by natural ability. When Charlie Castle
| entered West Point as result of COM
| petitive examination, he became a men,
| Der of class of ITS. When he graduated
| he stood eleven, one below the number
| which allowed him to enter the engineer
| ing branch of the service. His next choice
was the infantry and he selected the Six
teenth regiment, located at Salt Lake.
He was there detailed for work in the
line to which his taste inclined. Some
time later he was detailed to go to the
Occur d AIene, and, as Is the requirement
in cases Of such trips, he was required
to make notes and afterwards prepare
drawings showing the topography Of the
country travelled. His drawings were
thought so well-of that they were sent to
Washington and afterwards to West
Point, where they now adorn one of the
lecture rooms as a model in that kind
of work.
Lieut.. Castle was later detailed to West
Point, where he was instructor in mathe
mates. When the war broke out he
joined his regiment, but was later selected
for duty on Gen. Brooke's staff and is
still holding that position. 1t is the rule
Of the army to have officers schools,
where there are sufficient number of
them in one place, and at these schools
papers prepared by the officers are read
and under existing military regulations
are sent to the military information di
vision Of the adjutant generals Office. A
paper recently prepared by Lieut.. Castle
and forwarded to the adjutant generals
office appears in the July number of the
Journal of the Military Service Institu-
ton of the United States. The subject of
the essay, which was regarded of suffi-
cient merit to give it the first place in the
magazine, is entitled THE Terrain" 1t
is we'll written and sounds more like the
production of man Of thirty-six than
| one Of twenty-six. A portion Of the es-
say is herewith reproduced. After an IN
troductory discussion of the subject
Lieut.. Castle continues:
The terrain means literally the ground,
but technically it includes all topograph-
tool IL ort3S nfo1
as well as natural, presented in tracts of
! country Of all sizes. Military topography
| is defined as 1.-The determination and rep
| resentation of such forms and features
| of limited portion of the earth's surface
as have special reference to. its adapt
| ability for military purposes" The pur-
poses referred to. are those involving
| tactical affairs and therefore topography
concerns most closely those who hold
subordinate positions in the service and
whose duties are most practical In their
requirements. On the other hand, mil
itary geography and strategy, which are
co-relative in their nature, overlook minor
details and involve affairs Of great mag
nitude, to be considered by those highest
in authority. Nevertheless they form
fit subject of study for all in the serv-
ice, under the principle that those of low
rank should have some knowledge of the
things dealt with by their superiors, so
that the plans and orders of the latter
may be better understood and carried out.
Geography, treating of the general feat
ures Of the terrain, presents less that is
available and indefinite than does topog-
raphy. For example, Gen. Scott in his
invasion of Mexico followed exactly the
same route from Vera Cruz to the cap
ital as Cortes had used more than three
hundred years before. The circumstances
attending the two occasions were entirely
different except that the geographical
features remained practically the same,
and upon these both commanders based
the same general plan as to objective,
base and line Of operations.
Proper use Of the small features of the
ground in tactical affairs presents exact
ing demands for readiness of percep-
ton and deciSion but operations OF great
magnitude usually afford chance for
deliberate and definite preparations, and
a failure to take advantage of this is in
eXcusable and is sure to invite disaster.
The management Of the English military
authorities in such matters shows most
formation about the country and prepare
expeditions with as great care and fore
sight as an enterprising railroad or com
mercial company. In the moVement 10
Dongola last year they provided large
armed and protected steamboats,, drawing
two feet of water, so as to pass the rap
ids Of the Nile, and built in sections, so
that they could be taken apart and car
ried around the cataracts. Camel corps
had been formed for service in the desert;
and materials were carried for field
railroad along the line Of operations caoo,
movements have the advantage of being
| controlled by more certain conditions
| than are operations of less magnitude IS
| the fact that the ordinary civil maps of
| a country would probably suffice fol-. use
| in planning the former. However, those
maps are usually on a very small scale
| and fail to show many topograpnlcaI
| features that have most decisive effects
upon the movement and action of the
! troops Accordingly, those who are on
| duty at the immediate scene of action
| must depend upon such rough and nasty
| sketches as can be prepared. But their
| main reliance must always be the ao1llty
| to grasp by hurried examination the
| meaning of all features of the terrain,
] including the most minute. This power
| Is the object sought in studying the In
| fuences of this subject, and it would be
| well to enumerate the features most COM
| monty met with and to examine the de-
| tails that attract ones attention when
| observing them with view OF their use
| in military operations.
Communications exercise very strong
| control over affairs Of all kinds, for they
| are the means whereby troops, material
| and supplies are moved to the places
| where the objects of their existence are
! to be fulfilled. In this rapid transit age
| railroads offer such immense facilities
| communication in mobilization and STRAIT
| egg, just as in time of peace they dom
| mate commercial industrial and social
| life. A knowledge Of any details of their
| running and construction is, of course,
| very valuable, but the thing Of most
| practical Importance is to know the points
! on line that are most liable to demoli-
| also to understand the methods of damag-
| ing and repairing them. For in war it
| is a vital consideration for each side to
| protect the lines Of railroad In It's pos