The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-05-18

isons between the old army which
fought and the new army which is
being trained to fight. Can the mod
ern armament and the methods OF
transportation which have developed
forty years from the days when Pope
and Lee raced from their respective
bases to the battle ground change the
result of their manoeuvres? Twenty
two thousand modern soldiers will be
used to test the proves ofthe rebellion
and prove what would have happened
had the commanders whose names
made history possessed sKrag-Jorgen-
sensriAes, Dougherty wagons an d the
new army field gun.
LITTLE CHANGE IN FIELD.
It is probable that no fields of any
of the great Southern conflicts could
have been selected which has suffered
40 little change as the low lying land
in the Valley of Northen Virginia
between Thoroughfare Gap and the
Potomac.
There have been few alterations in
the general make up and character
istics of Manassas since the rear
guard of General Pope's army fell
back to Washington. Railroad lines
and roads which afforded the old COM
batants their only methods of transpor-
tation other than that afforded by
the country roads have not changed.
The lines shown upon the map of 1852
are still unchanged, except that upon
what was the left flank of the North
ern army there has been constructed
road between Alexandria and Fred
ricksburg to Charlottesville. These
latter lines would so materially have
affected the operations of civil war that
it is probable, if the General Staff
follows its plan of reproducing the
campaign of 1862, they will be barred
by the umpire.
Eighteen thousand regular army
troops and four thousand militaimen
from various Eastern States will
will participate in the operations,
which will continue from September
2to20. This is the largest body OF
regulars and militia gathered for ma
noeuvers in the history of the United
States. The fields of Bull Run, Bris-
tow Station, Milford and Manassas
Junction will again be trod by armed
soldiers. The same strategic points
which played such vital part in the
contest of military science waged be-
tween General John Pope, the Federal
leader, and General Robert E. Lee,
Confederate, stand the same to-day as
in 1852.
Major General Henry G. Corbin,
commanding the Division of the
Atlantic, will be in supreme command.
Lieutenant General Adna R.Chattee,
chief of staff, whose actual fighting
service in Cuba, the Philippines and
China in the last few years is fresh in
mind. will observe the manoeuvers.
Military attaches of foreign governments
will witness the evolutions. Conven-
lent as the scene of fighting will be to
Washington and Baltimore, and even
to Philadelphia and New York thous-
ands of onlookers are expected to find
their way thither. Already inquiries
that pour in upon the War Department
show that many an old veteran who
fought in the campaign of August,
1852. intends to see how the soldiers of
to-day will handle themselves on the
fighting ground.
CRED VIRGINIA MUD"
To this day wherever the veterans of
the campaign of the great Rebellion
gather and stories are told "red Vir-
ginia mud" has prominent place.
Il ia declared there is no 'sticker" mud
in the world and no time when it is
"stickiern than the last rainy harvest
months.
The campaign of 1862 was fought for
the most part by veterans or at least
years standing. There were four regi-
ments from in or near the city or New
York in that campaign, but they had
had time to learn the difference be-
tween the pavements of Manhattan
and the shifting slush in the wake OF
Virginia rain storm. 1t Is considered
highly probable by army officers that
the regiments from the State of New
York so fortunate as to be allowed the.
opportunity to attend these manoeu-
vers will be apt to encounter some
inconvenience before they equal the
record of General Stonewall Jackson
when he fought two armies in the same
day beyond Thoroughfare Gap at
points fifteen miles of red clay apart
and won the strategy of the game Of
Co-operation of militia with regular
troops. which forms the basic principle
of the national scheme of defence, will
he the afforded through operation in
these manoeuvers. General Corbin
recently went to Virginia to make
arrangements for obtaining permission
to onerate upon the land desired as
fighting ground. Property owners
told him the army could begin to
operate there the first week in Sep
tember, when the harvest will have
been completed and there will be no
danger to crops from the march OF
infanitry, cavalry or artillery: But this
date, although it has the advantages
of being comparatively cool and is
convenient to the Virginia farmers, mas
its drawbacks. Most of the Natlonai
Guard organizations 60 into camp ana
have their manoeuvres in July ana
August. The militiamen, with Whom
soldiery is an occupation secondary TO
to that by which they make their
living. are better able to leave thelr
offices add shops during the dull sum-
mer months. When the wheels OF
commerce and industry begin to linn
her up in September it is not so easy Tor
them to absent themselves from the
city.
Thus the militia repre- esenatatlon
will he smaller than if the manoeuvres
were held in July. That mouth, II
made the period for this mimic warfare,
would undoubtedly result in not a few
fatalities from sunstroke. Virginia Is