New-York tribune., 1900-12-15
THE PHILOSOPHY OF WAR.
scrrSrrrIc PRINCIPLES WHICH MAKE
FOR VICTORY.

- .han half the truth. Another calls IL
-soesale murder, which is equally misleading.
-be dictionary tells IL is a conflict with force
sns arms between States or between parties in
/. STATE. which is sUperhcially true, but does
al ouite get at the root OF the matter For
vhge military operations are usually the salient
s.aturs OF q war. they are by no means it's all
= al. They are not always its determining
ssctor. The art OF war means TO the ineon-
sderate mind military science. the rules and
nractice OF camp and battlefield In its real
sense il has q far wider application. Mr.. Will
tduson speaks OF war as "a relation between
ststes" which definition is accurate II not par
,icularly specific. War is exactly that and Il
hes is political diplomatic and other phases and
elements just as much as the purely military
Il may seem madness. 10 some. but IL is ordered
s,s methodical madness which has its originat-
ing causes and its determining causes. and its
detailed rules OF procedure. Strategy. tactics
and battles DO not in themselves constitute war.
say more than buying and selling constitute
commerce.. There must be an object. there must
be policy. and II we are TO understand war so
70 guard against IT so far as possible and TO
triumph in il when il is inevitable we shall DO
VEL 10 study It's philosophy Especially are
these things in these days For is no
longer personal or dynastic. but popular. Popu-
lar ana representative governments now domi-
rr.e the nations. Hence. nations are slow and
reluctant 70 so 10 war, but-when they once are
started toward il their progress is inevitable and
irresistible.
In the eluci6ation Of this general theory OF
uar Nr Wilkinson uses as his chief example
the Civil War in the United. States. which he
regards as the greatest conflict OF our times in
regard 10 the number Of combatants, the area
of he theatre cf war, the questions Of prin-
Of
the decision which they received" Acting upon
the principle that II we are 10 understand a war
ne must study the natural history OF the States
concerned he begins with early Colonial days
and shows how then were planted the seeds OF
dissension between the two sections OF the
country, ana how each adopted it's own social
aad industrial system, a result Of which, gen
eratlons later the one TO win victory. the
other 10 surfer defeat. The conflict was. in his
view, absolutely irrepressible. and when II came
the South had the superficial appearance of ad-
vantage it's people being far more militant and
more prepared for war than those OF the North.
Moreover, the South was theoretically on the
defensive and II has generally been held that
determined and united people fighting for their
liberties in q territory suited 10 defence are
practically invincible. Yet the South, enjoying
those conditions. was utterly defeated so utterly
4
tiations there was no treaty Of peace. but the
Federal Government simply resumed its author
ity. Why? Because, says Mr.. Wilkinson, OF
three things: First, the South was fighting not
de5ensively. for its own liberties, but aggres-
sively for the mastery Of the whole Union;
second IL lost at the outset the command OF
the sea. or. rather, was never able 20 gain il;
third. The South was almost entirely agricuit-
uraL and was unable properly 10 supply itself
with the products OF manufactures. This last
was condition that dated back to Colonial
days, and was, in fact. inseparably associated
with that very institution Of slavery which was
the cause OF the war. Thus. slavery not only
caused the war but IL also produced a social
and industrial state which caused defeat in
that war; ,--ss-
When at last the war began. the task set be-
fore the Federal Government was, in Mr.. Wilk-
insons opinion. perhaps the greatest ever set
before any nation; and it had 10 be undertaken
and executed by men who knew-at the begin
niIg-nothing OF war. at least In the technical
sense Had a Bonaparte or other military
genius" been in command, ne would, OF course.
have formulated plan OF campaign. That plan
should have been. first 10 gain and TO keep alb
solute command Of the sea; second, while keep
ing the chief Confederate armies engaged on the
Atlantic slope 10 gain control Of the Mississippi:
third, 10 move from the Mississippi by way OF
Tennessee TO the great railroad centre Of the
South, at Atlanta, and by seizing ii paraiyze the
system OF inland communication: fourth 10 cut
q path through the great gransry Of the South,
from Atlanta TO the coast; and, finally, 10 move
up the coast and take in the rear the confed-
crate armies which had been all the time fight
ing FOR the defence Of their capital Such. theo-
ret!cally is what a great military genius would
have planned 10 90. Such. in fact, is precisely.
IN every order and detail. what was done. To
what extent il was planned in advance and TO
what extent was the creation OF opportunity
Mr Wilkinson does not attempt TO decide. We
shall not seriously risk misinterpreting him
however II we assume that he credits Grant
with a very considerable mastery OF this great
policy Ct the war Il was Grant who had the
activity and obstinacy Of genius; WHO saw the
necessity OF taking Vicksburg. and devoted hirn-
self 10 that task for months while the worio
ssid II could not be done; and who kept the
best Confederate army constantly engaged IN
Virginia while Sherman was carrying out the
rest q The programme in Georgia and the Caro-
nnas So his 1864 campaign. with its bloody
battles was not. as hostile critics have said.
mere butchery and hard hitting" but an INTEL
Hgible and coherent part OF a great policy.
The WAY was. Mr. Wilkinson believes inevi-
table Il was the climax of conditions more
than a century old OF antagonisms which hao
year BY year been strengthened until they were
quite incapable OF reconciliation. The people
Of the North were reluctant TO fight. but In the
end they did fight rather than saerihce that
which they believed 10 be rigEt-both their right
ano abstractly the right. In so doing their
conduct must stand approved. But what then
becomes Of the theory. so much put forth in
these last few years that all War-that is. ooth