The sun., 1900-12-29
Tho Artillery Corps.


The Army bill. as it posed the House
OF Representatives and was considered
at first by the Senate Committee on MILF
tary Affairs, abolished the present organ-
zation OF the artillery which provides
seven regiments Of fourteen batteries each.
end substituted therefor a corps Of ar
tillery, with IS field batteries and l?6 bat
teries of position. and strength at the end
Of five years Of about eighteen thousand
men. As the bill has been reported To
the Senate. however. it omits all provision
for corps of artillery and retains the pres
ent arrangement, simply increasing the
number OF artillery regiments by five.
This change is greatly to be regretted.
for the best opinion has favored the
corps organization for the artillery
arm Of the service The present reG-
mental organization has been retained
simply because II is the existing form.
IL is regimental only in name, corps or
gauzation practically existing within each
regiment, as was shown when two add
tonal batteries were added to the exist
ing commands at the beginning Of the
war with Spain These new batteries
MOult nave NlSlllIDtNl i'di iftiiiN''eob
organization. by adding a half battalion
10 each command: but as within its legal
organization each regiment was pracu-
Callv corps. the addition was made
without causing any tactical trouble.
The reasons for changing the artillery
organization 10 corps are simple. lhe
unit Of coast defence is not battery or a
collection Of batteries. 1t is the fire dis
trict or fort. Zach unit calls for gar
rison suited TO its especial needs, whether
that garrison consist of a hundred or OF
thousand men. There Is striking re-
semhlance between n coast defence unit a..
or fort. and a war vessel A small vessel
has its own crew, organized TO serve on II
especially \ large ship has its own crew.
especially organized, II docs not have the
crew organizations of one or more smaller
ships. 80 an artillery post needs. not the
battery organizations Of two or more bat
ter.es. but the men only. with its COM
maning officers and post stan.
Tie only signs Of the present rcCimental
organization of the artillery are the seven
regmontal headquarters For the first
time in the history Of the artillery. one req
lll'llt lli' all'~N tlli ~ lNN bANN'l'N ll tI
ri-on at Manila; the reasons for this con-
C.ntration. however, are exceptional For
years past the Colonel, Of artillery have
assumed command Of Invisible regiments,
have issued orders to batteries scattered
all over Ia" CrItoI States, and have taken
leave. on retiring. Of regiments they have
never seen assembled. Yet this is the
organization it is proposed ~ maintain
and eniarr'; and Gen. MILEs. in favoriny
tie present system. rs for the time being
| hc does, argues that the proposed corps Of
! artillery would destroy the esprit De corps
| Of tie officers and men
Secretary RoOr j. TOO anxious to have
some sort of an Army bin pas ed 20 stand
, much upon the order Of is passage NJ
! though hr wls the ilr.t TO try 20 roCr,;aYisc
! the artillery a corps. he does not now
I care 10 insist on that point. remGlkins TO
tho senate committee that the matter t.,
| purely technical II i, purely technical.
and therefore it Is important. Everything
In the organization Of the line Of an army
Is technical
IL may he said tha, tho main thing now
is TO Increase the army; that the details can
be adjusted later. when there Il more leisure
Undoubtedly the increase OF the army is
pressing: but its increase in the right way