The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-28

pline In some particulars, hut good fighters,
always up when the bugles sound forward.
| In my own experience I have never called
on them for fight that l did not get ",
and after all, that is the main thing.
But we have always had to meet tle
was great lack Of discipline In our forces
1T las nevcr been my fortune To see
much Of your British soldiers. The few
| have had opportunity TO observe bare IL
ways been smart ana clean In appearance
and looked very soldierly. but In your re-
difference IN the number Of cases OF sum
mary or other courts martial
But you have o great advantage OF us
in the matter of discipline from the long
time OF your term Of enlistment. We Lave
q, great many, men for only three years year.:
to q high de gree certain Of the most essen
tial qualities In the soldier, and II is on
those qualities that the first and most care
fu work is done. But these are not the
'.oi ts that make show for tue 'as,'al OIL
server.
-The things that make fighting man
out of recruit are those that have most
intimately to do with his arms and their
use He must have Arst Of all good health.
and his officers must see 10 II that no con-
ducts himself properly and has his proper
amount OF drill and exercise
AOf course you cannot be with your men
all the time and you cannot help lapses In
personal care that will result In sending
men to tho hospitals But In the main we
have fine lot Of men, who show the result
Of our care and attention. And they GER
tainly do know how to use their rifles.
"Of course most Of our men have the ad-
vantage of having been familiar from their
boyhoOd with firearms OF one sort or an
other. Besides they are, as a race, Of q
mechanical turn of mind, and easly and
quickly familiarize themselves with any
ordnance intricacies
THE average man who e1lists in our army
does so from the innate love of excitement.
He il a proper fighting man and the chance
Of fight spurs him on. But at the same
time he has no desire to throw himself away.
-Heswants to get into the fight, but he
wants to come out OF II as we'll, and that
makes him careful and dangerous man
to meet. Our system does not make au-
donations Of the men, On the other hand
it gives play to their individuality. and
you will permit me to say that In my long
never seen the men anywhere who had the
individual determination to win that our
men have, That, in my judgment. is
one of the most essential factors Of the sue
cessful soldiers makeup.
"One feature Of most Of our men has
always been something OF puzzle to me
You take young fellows who have always
been sober, industrious, law abiding citizens
al home, taking oare OF themselves we'll
and relying on no one else for support or
assistance. l have known many such to
enlist and Immediately assume the attitude
sponsibility for themselves. All that de-
wolves at once upon their officers
And that is in MY opinion ,he largest cause
for the 80 often repeated nriticIsmof foreign
observers about us. For the RESPONSE
bility thus transferred is almost always
as TO just those matters which attract the
attention of tire casual or unframed in
spector.
at is as result of this that the details
of dress and bearing are sometimes neg
lected., 1t is this failure that lseeps men
from being smart In appearance. The
men are likely to say when brought ia book
about 1t that such things do not help them
to fight
Il know the critics say that attention
to such details does not In Itself lelp
a better preparation to fight. That is
where the critics do not understand the
real character OF our men.
with men who are drilled into auto
nations like many OF the German troops,
such things must count great deal. You
say that with our men it does not count
to an appreciable extent.
Il like my men TO be smart and fine and
all that, but first Of all l want them to fight,
and they have never disappointed me in
that. When we have time, and tine men
reenlist, then We can turn item ont as smart
as any on earth.
-But it is tho other thing that wins when
the guns begin to talk. Then 1t is shoot
ing that counts. and endurance, and indivi-
duality and determination to win
The Colonel finished his cocktail and rose
to go. v.,.,,. .u...
l mean" he said. You may remember
the rush we had a few weeks ago, Just be-
fore my regiment came into tie city, when
MY orders that morning J,efore we
started out were to reconnoiter the place
and report what strength IL would require
to capture it. started with ak companies,
meaning TO make Reconnaissance in force
and deTss0p the enam ss Tsstt sns sod
won out. chasing the insurgents two or
three miles. When il was over we went
into the town and saw that we could hold
it il the supports came up promptly.
at was necessary to send detail back
at once with the report, picked out six
nearest when l was ready to send the report.
"One OF them was q tall, hne looking
sergeant. whom picked to command the
detail. He was sitting down when I came
up. but jumped up at once a. l stopped,
and saluted me.
Il told him what wanted and he under
stood 1t perfectly and said he would do his
best to get through quickly, I gave him
detailed Instructions and wan about to turn
away when thought he seemed a little
pale.
What's the matter. my man. said
Are you IMP
No sir he replied. / can make it all
right
"Just then his Captain, who had not been
present before, came up and said:
a. <lNxl C~l- 11p
THAT was true. The sergeant had been
severely wounded In the leg, but he would
have taken the report and got through
with II too IL had let him.
-You can't discipline that sort Of spirit
,men an" Tha1s whr y' nr , ~ tbem our
rCcS ar q. cnO E1nzEN