The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-07

Modern W
The truth. that theory is apt 20 be badly
shattered by experience and practice, lie IL
terestingly illustrated in a paper by Mr.
Hudson Maxim. the inventor and expert in
high explosives. in the current number Of
the Home Magazine" It will be remem-
bered by our readers that this journal has
devoted editorial attention, more than
once. to the remarkable military work Of
NJ. Bloch on The Future Of War, book
so startling in its propositions. arguments,
and conclusions that IL is said TO have
filed the amiable heart Of Gar Nicholas
with CONSERVATION, and caused him TO con
vene The Hague Peace Conference. In
that able treatise, NJ. Bloch held-sO great
had become the power, precision, and gen
eral effectiveness Of modern weapons and
projecnles- war in the future would
become impossible because there would
always be a zone OF death between armies
which nothing could hope to traverse and
survive. and that for at least thousand
or twelve hundred yards In front Of any
ontrenched position every bullet fired by
the defending force would find its billet u
there were living creatures in the direction
OF the firing and within its range.
NJ Bloch wrote his book before the out
break Of the war in South Africa. Prob
ably. il he should now decide 10 issue
second edition. be would qualify some Of
his views Mr.. Hudson Maxim takes issue
with them as they appeared originally, and
attempts 20 show, rather couvinciugly IN
many respects. that the Bloch conceptions
aud theories are faulty Against NJ.
Blochs belief that perfection OF the euEi-
merry Of destruction tends TO make war i'm
possible Mr. Hudson Maxim asserts that
from the dawn OF guupCwder- warfare there
has been a steady dimnuendo movement
observable in casualties iu battle He
states that iu the time Of Caesars ware it
was common for fifty per cent of the COM
batants 20 perish DO battle. and the
wounded were so small 10 number as TO be
hardly noticed in the reports. when adj
verssries were armed only with sword and
spear it was necessary TO come 10 close
quarters and a haud-to-hanj struggle was
inevitable such conditions involved vic
tory OF auuihllation 10 each b-lligereut
Defeat found the conQuero- Immediately
on the heels Of his yanqushed foe. aud re-
treat meant massacre. Thus iu one day.
Alexander slaughtered one hundred thou
sand Persians on a single field At The
battle Of Cauuae tB. C. 2lsl Hannibal slew
forty-eight thousand OF sixty thousand Ro-
mans engaged against him. IN the battle
Of the Marine Valley. fought 10 October
A d. 45l. between the Romans and Goths
against the Huns under Attila, the latter
were slain at the rate Of one hundred thou
sand day fer three DAYS. But in Napo-
Icons wars only twenty-five per cent o.
the troops engaged were killed or wounded
The proportion was reduced to twenty pei
cent IN the American civil war and. for al
NJ Bloch's exterminating predictions, ID,
casualties in the South African war hay,
not yet risen above ten per cent
Yet the arms OF precision in use in on
latest military lesson are al that Blocl
expected; only other factors do not operat,
as he felt sure they would. Notwithstand
ing the laundering examples We have seel
TO the contrary the frontal attack in mas
has been abandoned IN battle tactics. Be
cause # has. war has ceased all the NOR
20 be s game to be decided by brute force
but rather by superior organization, mobil
ity. and strateeicsl and tactical ability
II We accept Mr.. Hudson MsNim's views. 3
will be so to still greater extent in tn
future. Indeed. he offers some suggestions
based upon his own researches and inVen
tons, which are well worth the considera
lion OF cur general staff--when We get one
Ne reyises the memory Of Feneraol