Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-10
Miseellameuus &eading.
WAR GAME HAS CHANGED.
Modern Arms and Implements Have Raised
New Problems.

new frODlem6.
Writing of the changes that have
taken place in the game of war, Mr.
Julian Ralph, the well-known CORES
pondent, writes from South Africa tc
the London Daily Mail as follows:
"It IS easy enough for the world te
cry Halt! in its interest in US, just as
the Beers cried Halt! in our progres:
when we reached Magersfontein but
the Boer command to us to Halt !!
may yet be considered by military
scientists everywhere as an order given
TO all armed nations to stop and un.
learn what they have known of bat
tling-for Magersfontein seems likely
to be the end of the chapter of war as
it was practiced by the Wellingtons
Wolseleys, Won Moltkes and Grants
"For frontal attack the old military
manuals declared that the attacking
force must be three times that of the
defending force. Today, with the new
weapons, it is said that ten men must
attack one, but I believe it is impossi-
BILE to set the modern proportion cor.
rectly, since, to all intents and purpos,
es, Magersfontein battlefield, with its
series of three trenches extending 25
miles, is as impregnable to infantry as
Cronstadt is to attack by the torpedo
boats. Not being a military man !
will not pretend to be able to set down
the many changes that must be made
in coming warfare to suit the new con-
ditions by which we are confronted.
1 can only echo some part of what /
have heard from those who are reflect.
ing upon our experiences in this war.
1 do not believe that even these stu
dents fully grasp the situation yet.
Even as the Beers have shown that
they have been learning how best to
utilize their advantages since the war
began, so we are gaining knowledge
and probably have yet great deal to
acquire.
"The Boer, as stalker of game, and
later, as a warrior, had made the full
est use of the natural advantages of a
country whose defenses are every
where abundant. Of these defenses
he took the kopjes and their rocks to
be the best; but at Belmont and Gras
Pan he discovered that the reckless,
seemingly blind, valor of the British
made light of these-simply by max
ing light of death. The Boer, there
fore, modified his methods by transfer
ring his dependence to intrenchments.
At Modder river be built bis trenches
at the edge of a steep river bed, which
afforded him cover for the movement
of re-enforcements and the supplying
of ammunition, food and water to his
forces. At Magersfontein he built a
three fold series of trenches, and made
the center of his position a koPje
whose foo, was friuged by vaal bushes,
behind which he could move his re.en-
forcements, carry off his dead and
wounded, and distribute bis food and
fresh supplies of cartridges.
"With the old-style single-shot rifle
the change from behind the rocks OF
his hills to the protection afforded by
mere ridges or hasLily.built trenches
would have made an easy prey to the
bravest troops in Europe, such as We,
rightly or wongly, believe to be in
Lord Methuen's following. But with
magazine rifles, artillery, and such
fearful, terrifying weapons as the new
Vickers- -Nordenteldt gun, he could
make ridge or trench impregnable,
as we have seen.
"One of the most interesting and
formidable of the new condition of war
which we are experimenting is that
we never-or next to never-see our
foe. Can the student of war for even
the casual reader) comprehend what it
means TO 60 on for week after week
and month after month, fighting an
invisible enemy? Personally | saw a
few score running away at Belmont, a
smaller number escaping from the pun
isbment we were melting out to them
at Gras Pan, and several hundred
showed themselves-with uncommon
impudence and courage-before the
beginning of the battle of Modder riv-
er. But 1 have no doubt there are
men in our army who have never seen
u Boer in battle. I know of officers
who have only seen one or two in one
battle and five or six in another. In
engagement after engagement our men
have thrown themselves on the veldt,
moved to do so by hail of bullets
around them, and then have fired
away for hours at time at the noise
or the flame of the enemy's fire in
trenches which they could not see.
"This is true to such an extent that
at Modder river there were whole bat
talions of ours that did not know at
the end of the day whether the enemy
was north or south of the river; in fact,
they believed, during the entire battle,
that the enemy was on the farther
side of the river. Under such circum.
stances, if we did not pick up some
wounded and take some prisoners as
of tha avictonpa nf