The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1900-07-18
IN ARMY ON THE MARCH
fscRlPTloN OF ORDER IN WHICH
A COLUMN ADVANCES.

British column advancing In time
war through an enemy's country Is
once n magnificent and remarkable
ectacie; or rather, to be quite cor.
ct, 1t would be, provided the eye
build take In all the details mt n single
lance.
But that Is Just precisely what the
We cannot do. A column of even
boderate strength when on the move,
kngthens itself out abnormally; 50
huch so, indeed, that body of troops
khich In review order could be packed
thin modern-sized parade ground
Ill occupy ribbonwise eight, ten or
ZEN more miles of country.
We will, therefore, take up n posi-
on on an eminence-a kopie, If you
ke-and watch In Imagination col
mn of British regulars marching on'
lay Pretoria.
First there will come In sight, riding
L walking pace athwart the boldcr.
rewn veldt, solitary pair of hors'-
len. These are the advance points
they are termed. and are thrown
kprward. perhaps mile ahead of the
hnguard. They are on the lookout
br the enemy, and on the first hint of
anger II is their duty to ride back to
eft and right and alarm the ilankers.
RThese latter are thrown out fanwisc
rom the cavalry which screens the
pfantry vanguard. and they In turn
hiss the word back along the trailing.
nakellke ribbon Of armed men, TIL
iithin half an hour, say, of the enc
hy's being first sighted. the entire
Command knows of the threatened
Hanger and is prepared to deal with IT,
The two advanced points have been
yell llkened to couple of electric nut
bns, which on being touched, thrill
ne alarm down on both flanks
throughout the entire length of the
column with which they are In com
nunication. The smile is not quite
erfect, however. for the alarm Is
bundled by these living electric but
bns while yet the danger Is quite re-
hote. Some hundreds Of yards in the
Fear of the cavalry screen comes the
5dvance guard, subdivided into Il van.
Iuard and a mainguard. This latter
Constitutes the first fighting unit of
Ihe advancing column. and its
trength Is. of course. proportiondtc
the strength of the force II Is cover
lg. With 1t are field and machine
uns, sappers, miners, engineers. am
balances. reserve ammunition wagons
lind SO forth. In fact, the advance
guard of large column constitutes In
itself fighting force-a miniature
rmy so to speak, complete In practi-
|ally all essential details. After the
dvance guard has passed we snail
Probably see-emerging from the
elouds Of dust which always, except
IN wet weather, envelop as with n
mantle column on the emarch-another
solitary pair of horsemen, and then at
intervals, another and yet another.
THESE are the connecting links. A
|alf troop, or perhaps, II the force Is
large one. n whole troop of cavalry
will come next. then more connecting
links. and lastly the officer command
Ing, surrounded and accompanied by
bis staff. The animated in matters
Military will now expect to see Inc
main body of the army; but no. A sim
Eie infantry battalion. or maybe two.
will perhaps pass, marching strictly
Ito attention." bayonets fixed. the of
bcers' swords carried naked at the
)iope; after which there will heave
Alowly into sight an apparently end
ess train of field artillery, macnine
Euns, ammunition wagons, ambu-
Qances, tool carts. forage and store
wagons. and numbers of led horses.
It Is only when this heterogeneous
procession has come to an end that
the thickenlng of the dust cloud and
khea measured tramp-tramp-tramp!
Id the approach of the infantry
des. On they come. rifles at the
pr at the trail. talking. laughing.
singing, smoking, as though
nd its attendant horrors were n
Ind miles away. On they come
still on! Battalion after battdl-
brigade after brigade.
becomes almost monotonous after
5fter a while for the mighty machines,
bach composed of thousand or more
Individual fighting units, swing past
With the mechanical precision of gi-
kantic automata. Everything moves
g II by clockwork. Thirty PAGES in
yerval is the regulation distance be-
tween battaliOns and brigades. and 30
PAGES interval 1t is-no more. no less.
There is no slackening. no hestitancy.
for all the apparent free-and-easiness.
A company lags but foot or two; II
y spurred sharply forward by biting
eSrostulatioI half COM
by its captain. a
battalion does likewise; and wave of
the hand from its ever watchful chief
sends the adjutant galloping down the
right flank, exploding as he goes. So
the force is kept "strung up" And a
very necessary process Is this same
stringing up. The loss of few yards
1t the head means hundreds at the
tnil. Trivial check to the front ~ a
long column Is serious delay to the
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