New-York tribune., 1902-08-31
NATIONAL WAR GAMES.
,,c HENRY is TOLD BY BIS GRAND
FATHER HOW THEY ARE PLAYED
.ND WHAT THEY MEAN.
AND WHAT THEY MEAN.

e17't
news from NewEngland." said James
-snd I wish you would tell me why one
.s our admiTals wanted 10 enter mar por anu
~ another kept him out
.1, the movements had been real said the
,,s Grandfather, and if Admiral Higginson
"a -eaIly blocked the way that the vessels
5ar Commander Pillsbury could not proceed
. Che harbor for which they were headed, it
zorld have been a queer thing. But as it was,
. xas simply an incident in big war game
mich was sn arranged by the heads OF the
War and the Navy departments at Washing
-. War games OF this kind, manouvres, as
they are called. take place often in other eoun-
rios hut the game is usually played on iahu-
:, o-5er 10 give the men an idea of what is eN-
-, ,f them in time of war. the army which
= . ,c,eiye instructions is divided into an
,-,-a5ing and defending force, and these TWO
- ,..o+ and dcht for the disputed terri
tory ~, - ,,,,7
..I3ut surely they "eI'1 i'0' NIL -
each other
No hut the officers who are appointed 10
-, ba,tle can tell 10y the positions taken
rb3cb side has the advantage, ana they aeeloe
- Tho, can also tell by the position Of
10 +raops whether The chance OF retreat mas
-, ,7-aserved whether stores are aNallahIe
o7 whether proper facilities for caring Tor tile
.i.t and wounded have been provided All
.basa rbinss are taken under consideration When
he decision is rendered a general Is always
a-fo,,s 10 win with his command, and blunders
.-a charged against him just the same as
.,rb they were committed in real service
no all countries have these make believe
vars
.,lo they do not; but in Germany Austria
md Erssia the nanouvre is an annual feature
= ,af3 IN sham
han IN a7v other country. Il never takes place
- "a. same territory twice in succession 1t IS
g 77,,cb Of an institution in Germany that the
,ar ,,-,,rais the peasantry to give the invading
- 5af.n7ir7e- forces quarters for their officers
4,-a-a for their animals and space 10 camp Oh
,ba salds OF course the government conApeh-
safes the farmers for loss few years aftef
.ra r7resent Emperor ascended the throne ne
had a oueer experience at one Of the mahoeu-
xres He went to the front with the command
ing officer Of one of the armies, and at nlshI
,,7ar the soldiers were all in their tents, except
those who were on guard about the camp ne
sli1ped away with q lieutenant and made ms
way into the camp Of the enemy. lie eNaoeu
The sentry hut when he tried to return he was
cart1red He explained TO the soldier VINO
car+71red him that he was the Emperor, but the
soldier only laughed at him, and said, The En-
nerOr would not pe such fool as 10 uuuei-
estimate the vigilance of his Pomeranian chill
dren.' and marched his prisoner off to the
g,,a-dbouse OF course, the imperial prisoner
Was soon set free but his capture was olg
noirt against the general with whose forces he
was supposed TO be"
Where did that take place.
In Alsace, the country which became part
~ the German Empire after the war with
FraDce in 1870 A few years before that
memorable rnanoeuvre, when Alsace and Lor-
-a5ne still belonged to France, the French army
was having a manGuvre near Sedan, When
similar rnishap occurred to a high dignltary-
Marshal Nfa-ATahon who years &fterward became
President of France was the commander of one
Of the armies, and was beaten, according 10
the experts who decided the matter He pro-
rested and said: AT one time his majesty the
F,r7rer1r recbIessly came within the danger line,
and consequently lost his life, theoretically.
Had this actually taken place the troops on his
side would have become demoralized and my
division would have been victorious This was
= great tribute 10 Louis Napoleon's popularity.
but It did not change the decision
But these are all land wars that You speak
of while The one in New-England IS naYai
vqr Were there ever any like that before?
oh. YES England has had similar contests,
but his one is on u grander scale than any
that has ever taken place The war with Spain
caused cur government TO realize that not
enough attention had been paid to coast defence,
and this manuuvre by land and water was
hos