The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-28
AN ARMY ON THE MARCH.
Description of the Order in Which
a British Column Advances.

From the London Express
A British column advancing in time
of war through an enomy's country
is at once a magnificent and a remark
able spectacle; or rather, to he cor
rect, 1t would be, provided the eye
could take in all the details at a sin
gle glance.
But that is Just precisely what the
eye cannot do. A column of even
moderate strength, when on the move,
lengthens itself out abnormally; so
much so. indeed, that body of troops
which in review order could be packed
within moderate e-sized parade ground
will occupy ribbonwise eight, ten or
even more miles of country.
We will, therefore, take UP q posi-
ton on an emnence-a kopjc, If you
like--and watch in imagination col
umn of British regulars marching on,
say Pretoria.
First there will come in Isight, rid
ing at walking pace athwart the boil
der-strewn veldt, a solitary pair of
horscmen. These are the advance
points, as they are termed, and are
thrown forward, perhaps a mile ahead
of the vanguard. They are on the
lookout for the enemy, and on the first
hint of danger il is their duty to ride
back to left and right and alarm the
flsnkers.
These latter are thrown out fanwise
from the cavalry which screens the in
fantry vanguard. and they in turn
pass the word back along the trailing,
snakelike ribbon of armed men, till
10 Of hA
my's being first sighted the entire
command knows of the threatened
danger and is prepared to deal with it,.
Tho two advanced points have been
well likened to a couple of electric but
tons, which on being touched thrill the
alarm down both flanks throughout the
entire length of the column with which
they are in communication. The smile
is not quite perfect, however, for the
alarm is sounded by these living cleo
trio buttons while yet the danger is
remote. Some hundreds of yards in the
rear of the cavalry screen comes the
advanced guard, sub-dividcd into a
vanguard and a mainGuard. This lat
ter constitutes the first fighting unit of
the advancing column, and its strength
is, of course, proportionate To the
strength Of the force it is covering.
With it are field and machine guns,
sappers, miners, engineers, ambulances,
reserve ammunition wagons, and SO
forth. In fact, the advance guard of a
large column constitutes in itself a
fighting force-a miniature army, so to
speak, complete in practically all es-
sential details. After the advance
guard has passed we shall probably see
emerging from the clouds of dust
which always, except in wet weather,
envelop as with mantle a column on
the march-another solitary pair Of
horsemen, and then at intervals an
other and yet another. These are the
connecting links. a half troop or per-
haps, if the force is a large one, a
whole trop of cavalry will come next,
then more connecting links, and lastly
the officer commanding. surrounded and
accompanied by his staff. The unin-
itiated in matters military will now
probably expect to see the main body
of the army: but no. single infantry
battalion, or maybe two, will perhaps
pass, marching strictly "to attention."
bayOnets fixed. and officers swords
carried naked at the slope; after which
there will heave slowly into sight all
apparently endless train of field artil-
lery, machine guns, ammunition wagons,
ambulances, tool carts, forage and store
wagons, and numbers of led horses. It
is only when this heterogeneous pro-
ccssion has come to an end that the
thickening of the dust cloud and the
measured tramp-tramp-tram her.
aid the approach of the infantry bril-
gades. On they come, rifles at the slope
or at the trail, talking, laughing, jOk-
ing, singing, smoking, as though war
and its attendant horrors were a thou
sand miles away. on they Comc-ani
still on! Battalion after battalion, bi-
gade after brigade.
Ii becomes almost mOnotOnous after
awhile for the mighty fighting ma