The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-10

NkT ASHINGTON, d. C-To fight a
w sham battle on the historic ground
Of the first great conflict in the Civil war
Bull Runs the aim Of Mai Gen Henry
Z. Corbin. In looking for a place for the
army maneuvers next fall between the
combined forces of the regulars and ma
tlonal guard, the ground around Manas-
SdS junction, Va, has appealed to Gen.
Corbin. who recently went over the for
mer battlefield and found it well adapt
ed for the purpose.
Bull Run is favored by this officer for
the following reasons: 1T is on the
Southern road near Manassas Junction,
only twenty miles from the national CAPT
tai. The country Is Sparsely settled has
plenty Of water, and is well wooded
We can get 10000 acres, which will meet
our demands for an area Of say fifteen
by thirty miles. The farmers not only do
not object to our coming but are eager
to have US come. Whether the old men
have laundering for the scenes of war
again and the young fellows have the
yearning in their blood l do not know,
but they are positively enthusiastic.
There was a mass meeting held last
week at Manassas Junction at which
complete approval was given to the plan
proposed. The farmers there will rent
the land for Is cents an acre Their
crops are wheat, corn, oats and hay, and
they don't think we can do much harm
when fall is well under way.
The only stipulation they make is that
we cannot go there until after Sept 20.
Now, | don't like that, as that is pretty
late for the city regiments, I fear on
account Of the autumn business being
well under way, but from climatic point
Of view that date is ideal. In fact I
should not like the men to go there much
earlier on account of the heat In late
September the weather is perfect in that
section, and / know the men would enjoy
their experience. There is an abund-
ance of excellent water throughout that
section, and the rolling character Of the
landscape makes the scenery enchanting
along a little further perhaps we may
be able to get there earlier.
Good for State Troops.
MY idea is to find a place that will
be within daylight ride from New York,
and that Manassas is. 1t is only six
hours from New York, so that troops
could leave there at a comfortable hour
in the morning and arrive there before
night. They could leave, say Saturday
morning. be in camp there over Sunday,
and be ready for the weeks work on Mon
day. The Southern Railway company is
enthusiastically with US. and l know win
make efforts to have the transportation
facilities meet the requirements.
This would be true even Of the Con-
necticut state troops. They could leave
New Haven in the morning and be in
camp at Manassas by night. This is an
important consideration, as it is no small
matter to pack hundreds of men into
sleeping cars, to say nothing Of the dis
comfort to the men and the bringing of
them to the field in tired and worn out
condition.
What regular troops would you eX-
pect to have there2'
About 5000. There would be heavy
artillery from posts on the Potomac and
Fort Monroe, cavalry from Fort Myer,
Va, and light artillery from Fort Myer
The infantry would come from the gar
risons at Madison barracks. Piattsburg
barracks, Fort Slocum. Atlanta and other
posts on and near the coast, all being
within a days journey.
las to the state troops of course /
can only speculate, as | do not know
what final decision the states will ar
rive at until the site is permanently
lected. l have talked with the command
ing officers Of all or nearly all the regi-
ments in New York and Brooklyn and
| find that every organization is eager
to take part
There are, roughly speaking. $4,000
guardsmen in New York and 5000 in
Pennsylvania. These two states alone, If
there were a fair turnout. with the reg
ulars, would furnish 25, 900 men, while
the brigade of the District Of Columbia,
the militia Of Virginia. West Virginia,
North Carolina Maryland, Delaware, New
Jersey and Connecticut would give US a
maneuvering force Of between 49, 600 and
10000 men, the largest army ever in a
war game in America. 1t would be worth
while, such body of men would.
Compared with such a large force the
maneuyers at Fort Riley, Kan. and West
Point, Ky. excellent and valuable as
they were. would appear very small.
The country near Manassas lends itself
Splendidly to all the work we would want
to do, and the Manassas river would fur
niSh excellent opportunities for pontoon
and bridge building 1t is my belief that
the lessons received from such a man.
moth war game would be invaluable to
the state as we'll as the regular troops"
1t is not the intention in the maneuvers
to have the militia and the regulars work
independently. The regulars will be seat
tered among the state troops, so that the
latter will be able to profit by the expert
ence of their professional brethren and
see how they act in conditions like those
of real war Only 10000 troops all told
took part in each Of the war games at
Fort Riley and West Point, but even
there what the state soldiers learned
they haven't yet quit talking about. :
Thousands of people are expected to go
to the scene Of the mimic warfare and
follow the movements of the soldiers as far
as Iney may De permitted. On the rev
former occasions when the army has
played the war game the people for miles
around have thronged in enormous crowds
10 watch the evolutions and witness war
al close hand. This year, on account of
the interest which the war in the East
has given to everything of a military
character it is expected the crowds will
far Outnumber those of former years.
The bands playing and the soldiers march
ing as if in real war seem to have a
fascination for the spectators which moth
ing else will give.
Down around West Point, KY" said
Capt. j. A. Moss, who is aiding Gen.
Corbin in the preliminary arrangements,
the farmers were much disappointed be-
cause of the absence of fatalities The
mountaineers heard about the coming bat
tie, and they came on horses from fifty
to a hundred miles away. They expected
to see the soldiers club each other over
the heads with the butt ends Of their
rifles. In fact, they were looking for a
sure enough. spirited scrap. and left much
aggrieVed when they found out that the
opposing lines stopped when they APP
preached within one hundred yards of
each other.
Because most of the men who will
take part this year are in the militia,
brothers, wives and sweethearts will 60
to the camp to see their favorites In uni
forms. marching to the sound of martial
music"