Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-06-22
CAPT. REICHMAN'S REPORT.
Representive of the United
States Army.


Tells About the Fighting In South AZ
riea--The New Dominion Published
the Substance Of this Some Weeks
Ago Report has just Been Made
Public by War Department.
1t will be remembered by our
readers that the NEW DOMINION
some weeks ago contained an inter-
view with Captain Reichman of the
Z. 5. Army on the condition OF af-
fairs in South Africa. To day we
give the report which he has made
to the ar department. A special
from Washington has the following
TO say about it.
The good qualities Of Boer and
Britnn, locked in the embrace Of q
death struggle in South Africa, are
praised in the report OF Captain
Charles Reiehman, the officer sent
to observe the fighting FOR the ben
eft OF the American army, which
was made public to-day He also
passes cutting criticisms on the Brit
1911 tdNati1 iidiis HHVs dt 9tdoticaii1
says, is no good. The report is
about the best of it's kind ever nude
and indicates that ,thc officer, who
was accused Of directing the deadly
artillery fire Of the Beers on Spion-
kop. was an observing morta'.
Captain Reiehmann praises the
Boer character and his lighting
qualities and daring, but criticises
the absence of soldierly qualitica-
tions. He declares that foreigners
We're the aggressive feature OF the
Boer army and explains the victories
Of the British in the following SEN
fences; ''Ihe causes of the defeat
OF the Beers are not far to seek.
The preponderanee Of Great Britain
in men, money and warlilSe material
was overwhelming
Farther along he observes that
American weakness for giving
commissions to the politically in
fluential or the ''sons OF somebody
lie observes that politics play a
great role In the selection. Although
still fine shots the Beers, he says,
are not the excellent marksmen they
once were. They are hunters rather
than soldiers. They are not dispos
ed to do any last ditch fighting. All
the obstinate resistance offered the
British was by the foreigners in the
Boer armies, OF whom about 200 are
Americans
He tells of the life Of the Roer in
camp saying During my stay of
seven months with them ! never saw
a drunken Boer, and the greatest piece
OF profanity / ever heard was the
Dutch equivalent OF Almighty In
camp or at halt, on the march, he
read his Bible or hymn book and at
night, after dark, groups OF men
would sing psalms and hymns. The
men who led the Beers in prayer also
led them In battle. Their religious
sentiment predominated in everything
and this individual trend of sentiment
was such that they were as much
appalled, by the slaughter Of the en-
envy as they were grieved by their own
defeats"
Referring TO the charges that the
Beers violated the rules Of warfare,
Captain Reichman says: Such al
legged unlawful occurrences were not
confined to the side Of the Beers; they
occurred on the British side also.
When they occurred on the British
side the Beers had little to say about
them. When they occurred on the
Boer side horde OF war correspond
ents stood ready TO snap them up and
to heap libel on the Beers.
Captain Reichman criticises the
British organization by saying ssThe
British cavalry was neither sufficient
in number nor trained in full appre-
citation of its modern role, and mount
ed infantry had to be resorted to as
stop gap. Nor will the British
mounted troops be match for the
Beers until they can ride, not take
mounted infantry, but take cavalry,
ind until they can fight not take cav
airy, but take infantry.
1.-The only cavalry lesson we draw
for ourselves from this war is that we
cannot have enough Of our kind Of
cavalry. One feature OF this war is
the superior effective range Of the
Krupp and Creusot guns OF the Beers
over the Armstrong gun of the
British. The lyddite shell can hardly
be said to be a success in field opera
tianc ;,