The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-24

II u L NJ DCs
considered by competent observers to bi
excellent We may take as our type Of
the armies of today those of Germany anC
! of France. These armies are also norma
/ as regards their cost Great Britain hav
ing no CONSUMPTION. and being in the habi
of paying dearly for all services. is ex'
travagant in her military expenditure fol
the results obtained Switzerland and
Russia. with their different systems, ana
for different reasons, obtain their armies
very cheapIy: and If we wish to know the
cost of the modern military system it is
to Germany and to France that we should
| turn.
Those who would study the French or
| German army for themselves will find a
| large literature on the subject. The prin-
| ciples which govern the establishment of
| an armed nation upon the modern Prus-
| sian scale. improved after the experiences
| of 1866 and again after those of 1870. are
| explained in the work OF Won der Goltz,
! "-rhe Nation in Arms" Those who would
follow theIa principles into their detailed
| application. and see how the armies are
1
! piled from the military districts of one of
! the great countries will find the facts set
forth in such publications as the Illus
trated Annual of the French Army"
| published each year by Plon. Nourrit ct
Gle. or in the official handbooks published
! by the Librairie Militaire Baudoin.
In the time of Bonaparte and even in the
time of the Second Empire in France
army corps were of varying strength, and
there was no certain knowledge on the
part of administrators less admirable than
the first Napoleon himself of the exact
numbers of men who could be placed in
the field. In 1870 Louis Napoleon was
wholly misinformed as to his own strength
and as to that of his opponents, which
were, however. accurately known to Won
MOltke. In these days such cOnfusions
and difficulties are impossible. The army
corps of the great military powers are Of
equal strength. and would be equally re-
enforced in the extraordinarily rapid mo-
bilization which would Immediately pre-
.cede and Immediately follow a declaration
of war. The chief changes in the century
have been a greater exactitude in these
respects. a general increase of numbers
Especially great increase in the
strength of field artillery. and in these
last years Il grouping of the army corps
into armies, which exist in Germany,
France, and Russia even in time of peace
with all their generals and STATS named
ready for war. In each of the great mill
tary countries the army Is guided by the
counsel of a general staff. Around the
chief of the staff and the Minister of War
are the generals of armies and in
France a potential generaIissimo Cwho on
the outbreak of war would often be super
seeded by another general in the actual
command). In the case Of Germany the
command woull now be exercised by the
young Emperor. In the case Of France it
would be exercised by the generalissimo
with the chief Of the staff az his Der
thier." or major general. Enormously i'm
portant duties in the case Of armies so
unwieldy as the entire forces of the first
line and of the second line in Germany or
France and of the first line in Russia
would be exercised by the generals of
armies These generals in time Of peace
are called inspectors of armies in
France. Germany, and Austria. and they
inspect groups of army corps which would
be united in war to form the armies which
these generals would actually command
These generals also form the council of
war or principal promotion board and
committee of advice for the generalissimo
and chief of the staff. In Germany and
In AustrIa-Hungary the German Emperor
and the Emperor-King. respectively, are
virtual general inspectors-in-chief Of the
-bgl Itrt in nj in Pms
there is less unity of command. The Min
lister of War in Russia, in Germany. and
in France is intended to be at the head
Of the supplies of the army in time Of war.
directing the administration from the
capitaIand not taking his place in the field.
The Prussian system, as far as the men
are concerned, WAS adopted after the dis
asters of Prussia early in the century, in
order to pass great numbers Of men
through the ranks without attracting at
tention by keeping up a large peace army.
The system Is now maintained by Ger
many Austria and France for a different
reason. Such Powers desire to have an
enormous force for war. but, for budget
airy reasons, to keep With the flag in time
Of peace the smallest force which is con-
sistent with training the men sufficiently
70 enable them upon mobilization to be
brought back to their regiments as real
soldiers. It is these considerations which
have induced the younger and more
thoughtful Of the Prussian generals to
force on Germany n reduction of the pc
Rod Of infantry service to two years. The
army in time Of peace becomes mere
training school for war, and the service
is made as short as possible. given the
necessity Of turning out Il man who for
some Years will continue to have the
traditions Of soldier II is 4 question
whether something has not been sacri-
feed in France, at all events, to Uniform
ity. \ longer period of training is UNI
doubleday necessary TO make an efficient
cavalry soldier than is necessary to make
an efficient infantry private; and a man
who has served about two and a half
years only in a cavalry regiment cannot
in the majority of cases be brought back
into the cavalry after he has returned to
civil life. Cavalry, in the modern armies.