The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-20

@7EMEMBERIN Napoleon's famous
| - saying that IAN army crawls on
its stomach" the Russian and
ksU japanese leaders are devoting the
- greater part of their time and
thought to the great problem of how they
are to feed their forces as they move them
over an immense and comparatively barren
terrain.
Theoretically the transport and commits
sariat arrangements Of both the Russian
and the Japanese armies are well nigh per-
feet They have won the enthusiastic ad-
miration of military experts of many ma
tionalitles and none have admired them
more than United States officers. But the
theory of peace time is vastly different
from the stern practice of war. Theoreu-
callv. the Greek transport and commits
sariat were all that they should have been
in the Thessaly campaign, while the Turk
ish services were all that they should
not have been. But the world knows how
the Greek organization broke down miser-
ably and how the Turkish commanders
managed somehow 10 feed their men and
move them across the country from one
victorious field to another. The present
war will test conclusively the value of the
Russian and japanese theories, but some
light is thrown upon them by previous
campaigns in which their armies have en-
gagged
The vast extent of the Russian Empire
and the comparative scarcity of large
towns and villages in Asiatic Russia>make
it necessary for the general staff to as
sumo that, in a campaign, the troops will
usually have to bivouac, and will rarely
be billetted upon the civil population. Ac-
cordingiy, the baggage trains attached to
Russian forces are larger than in most
armies. An army corps of $500 men is
officially supposed TO be accompanied by
2 400 wagons; but the number varies, of
course with the local conditions and the
exigencies of the situation. 1t is usually
more, for it is difficult to reduce it If each
unit of the force is to be properly supplied.
The unit of transport is the 'polkovye
obozy" or regimental baggage train. Each
regiment has two such trains, called the
first and second echelons. The first train,
which keeps up with the regiment or goes
ahead of ii, carries ammunition, medical
supplies, food. the indispensable part of the
officers baggage and other necessary arti-
cles likely to be Immediately required. The
mediately necessary, which can be left be-
hind well in the rear whenever the tactics
of the commanding officer require. These
supplies include harness, reserves of food,
technical material, movable kitchens, re-
ligious emblems, etc.
ON RUSSIAN CAMPAIGNS.
The regimental trains are supplemented
by divisional train, attached to each di-
vision of cavalry or infantry. Its bust
ness is to replace the regimental stores as
they are lost or consumed and to transport
articles of secondary Importance not likely
to be often or urgently required Large
numbers of spare horses are attached TO
this divisional train, is also a hospital
section, which is subdivided into division
al ambulance and two field hospitals.
When campaigning the Russian soldier is
supposed to carry two days rations on his
person. The regimental trains carry rations
for each man for two days longer, and the
divisional trains for from two to four days
according to the arm of the service to
which they are attached, less being carried
cavalry. 1t is reckoned that fresh supplies
should always be obtainable from the sur
| rounding country or along the line of COM
munications within the six or eight days
| allowed.
The system is good one, but it is i'm
possible to forget that the transport and
] commissariat broke down miserably in