New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-27
FEEDING FRENCH ARMY,
Test Of Subsistence Department at
WdnOeuITcS.

Paris September Il
General Andre the Minister Of war. who has
done SO much toward abolishing caste IN the
French Army has taken advantage OF the pres
ent autumn uanoauvres 10 introduce a new feat
ure into mimic warfare by putting the suasst-
ence department % a test quite as severe as
would be met with in case OF mobilization Tor
actual hostilities. Hitherto preparations for
feeding the troops taking part in the annual
grand uanouv-es have been made long before
hand and supplies concentrated At the large
towns near the operations This year the army
Is obliged 20 depend upon its own resources for
obtaining subsistence. The problem set by Cen
eral Andre for the French subsistence depart
rnent is practical and effective, and has been
successfully solved by the French lntenoance.
which in 1870 the weakest element OF the
French military organization, but which has now
been SO developed as 10 elicit the highest praise
from technical observers. and is said 10 have
been especially recommended by the military at
-scbkS<Sf Germany Russia and Austria Hungary
20 tte attention Of their respective govern
mentsrN--
The problem. roughly stated. for the
cornnissary o. subsistence 10 supply an army
% fifty thousand men with fresh meat. fresh
baked bread and FRESH vegetables daily for a
fortuiFht's field operations. without recourse 10
the regular Gepots OF supplies centred in the
the experiment were the Fourteenth Corps.
which is regularly quartered Lyons, and the
Fifteenth Corps. which is stationed at Mar
settles. For connrissariat purposes the troops
were isolated from Lyons and Marseilles. The
operations for the man1uyres took place near
Nalence and AviEnon. and were brought 10 a
close with "A grand review before President
Ioubet at NiontGI1lar. The Fourteenth Corps
consisted Of thl-ty-tUo battaIons Of infantry.
.41r-1 1~z- c,1z-eT teen hat
teries Of artillery and seven companies Of en-
eineers The Fifteenth Corps comprised twenty
nine infantry battalious. tWenty-foUr squad
-o,ls 81 cavalry. eighteen batteries Of artn-
lery and four companies Of engineers. The
military correspondent OF lie TEMPS. NJ Jean
Niaubourg who is also brilliant officer OF the
army was allowed 10 follow closely the opera
tions Of the Fourteenth Army Corps. and am
indebted 10 him for = description OF the method
o. feeding the troops in the held "hleh Las
rroved so successful and furnishes the most I'M
rortanr object lesson OF this years mannuvres-
The three elements OF lood that Itq-4l - ~
syre.test attention were bread. meat anu oatS'
i is necessary 10 explain lhal- az NV a.
rarfzes the subsistence service has IN each De
r,a-rrnepr o. France central committee OF SUP
ply Of which the preiecl % lIle - a. -. a.
honorary president. and the senior oIleei % ~
tendance is the working president. or chleI.
Among the mem trs Of the supply committee -
The leading cattle ralsers. gram nleIcIiel1s a-IL
Fsrr7-~s Tl.a central committee is represented
bv sub-committces tn each HllLiaIE @o4-s -, 49,
,,.bfCb ne depa-trnent is subdiViced- These
Nhlch " si.teb re commanders Of the
s,-,- ro-rs every month with lists OF the horses
oxen sheer. carrier pigeons anc autoIlo1iIes -
me senartrrert and also the Quahtlues on
o-bear eorr rye and other supplies liable 70 De
,,e.sllisitioDed by the army IN case or need
During this years manoruFfes Ihess s st-Ss
r,r1 committees were called INTO acllNe
D., The chief subsistence departments OF Ihe
Fourteenth and Fifteenth army COTE. me
-b-efs 81 the suh-committees. wearing as
- rr
circulated about i'm military aulciloo-ie -
selected oxen and sheep. "nlch " -.
- ,-fif-arv zeteriuaries and paid for ~ the
.--.--o-- market rates. The animals we're L-len
- fo- b- the soldiers OF the intendaAce neg
were parked" like artillery, dn1 - -
fa-fglliug marches. and were Ll-all. 49, "a
- v,-iitTa~y slaughter houses. ana huis ana
Cr.t 10 10y the army oUtcher-s ana s-!'.'-'-t- -
.,srh battalion. squadron ana b-llV-s e-l----.
...sr-a-,- 11-i-s being provided with eNceleiit
butcher carts in which The meat - So. --4.4-
served 10 the ren and eaten Al n 80 =.
--,,.,f,ebe5 RAPIDLY ard IN an orderly manner
1-,-e soI5fers were delighted Al thus haNlHs lTesl
-esr ~ations every day and many O .l-s--- -
they Jared much better lVI-ls "a -,-i-s Fresb
Than when in their regular 49, - =. ,-i-ls,-sS
,-oga.anles were requisltloile4 ioiA y .-.5-
in the same way, beans ce las.i 80 ,,5
80 thus served 20 the reglnentsl coos -
- -Seals we're succuleut and tasteIu. iEe
--,o ,1-o~ese was applied 20 obtain fEesA hil-.,'
80 a iarre bowl % coffee. with MIX a--l s-s~-'
- seefr ont 20 each man every MOI nine -
w. -, - Ia lzerfes SCI up and worked by the
s-rFgistence department Net- NtI5 -, -
49, - f.oscl-e oven which takes Us Ha4-lr
20 e.. f-,-e-fo~ ar officer q the irfen1ar-c.
- orf- fresh urerl twice a day Al- 49,
= -. 4-.,,--es-th Army corps was pIl Up lh
y g., haurs Az officer % lnten24nee sLi.e.ll'.
+o,s7 the operations and eighty solalsIs y 80 ~
tl,e o.-a-.s Each oven baked TWO hu-lIt0 90
-. 49, a-4 Vas served BE- one corpora. lNo
-. --o-ire-r soldiers and one stokeI, also a
~,lsle~ ~ > O'Clock each morning tle Sl-ls
SIM - ..---,a5 0r,t 70 Sbe ratlOns OF fresh
49, OBVIOUSLY baked. sayory arc oIoN =
- 80 hears the date q baking Inc 6I-au-
- 49, - ~ army was under the special con-
- "a l,T-rcndaut Director Burguet- VINO Ia
b-oueb, tbs vital element OF warfare Le .us
1.e-fertton than has ever before oeen @1.1- 1.Ns
- =. - -rr-r-tlyres have certainly resulted
% = ~ K. l. q