The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-20
How Best to Move Their Armies
The Problem of Russia and Japa
Theoreh Transpo andC
butn Practice all .Disadva of on A
of LongDi japanese Forager
wherever and whenever

ing cp their meals wherever and whenever
they can find them
The japanese. on the contrary. showed
during their war with China remarkable
ability TO create their transport and COM
missariat apparently out of nothing as they
went along. They did not trouble much
about baggage trains; they had them, 10 be
sure, we'll supplied and well organized; but
the troops moved quickly that they were
out of touch with their wagons half the
time. They Travelled in the lighteSt pos
sible order. and picked up any old native
carts or mules or coolies they CHANGED 10
meet, making them serve the necessities of
the moment, and then letting them go and
getting others further on.
The only drawback of this system was
that, as the campaign advanced the armies
became clogged by large numbers of coolies
and other camp followers, who created
great deal Of trouble and committed eX-
cesseS which were wrongfully charged to
the regular troops. Some of the Japa-
nese commanders adopted a short way with
these obnoxious persons. driving them out
OF the army on pain of death as soon as
their services were over. After the war. II
was pretty generally agreed that no similar
nuisance should be tolerated in another
campaign.
JAPANESE GOOD FORAGERS.
During the advance to the relief of the
besieged legations at Picking. the Japanese
commissary was by common agreement
of the foreign officers, better than that Of
any of the European troops; and the Jap
anese soldiers showed a genius for forag-
ing and accommodating their appetites to
the food available in the country.
Instead of using heavy wagons, liable
to be begged or to tire out the horses, the
japanese had a great number of light hand
carts-much like the push carts of the Ital-
ianS in New York and other American cities.
These carts were drawn by coolies or by the
soldiers themselves, and they were so light
lV al bat hpU int "A
with the mobility of the force. The horse
and mule carts were OF the smallest type,
and lightly built Spare animals were made
to carry their own fodder, and that of the
other animals as well.
These measures were rendered neces-
sary by the smallness and weakness of the
Japanese horses, which are about the
scrawniest animals of their kind. The Rus
slams, the contrary, well supplied
with large, strong, well-bred horses. Horse
breeding OH an immense scale was brought
to high pitch of success in Russia by the
late Count Orloff, and the type OF horse used
in the Russian army to-day is mainly that
which is known as the 'Orlon horse
The newly broken horses of the steppeS
are also used to a considerable extent, 'espe-
cially by the Cossacks and the Turkestan
contingents.
In the TurcOman campaigns in Central
Asia camels were employed, but they are
hardly ever used to-day by Russian troops.
Thousands of dogs are pressed into service,
however. mainly for transporting soldiers
In the present campaign the Mikado S
fighting man is carrying great deal more
food with him than his Russian adversary.
Z Against the latter'S two days rations, he
carried two cooked ratiOns of rice in addi-
ton to six emergency ratiOns. These are
contained in an aluminium mess pan, and as
the rice has been boiled and dried in the
sun, the entire weight is trifiing.
1t is commonly supposed that the Japan
csc soldier lives entirely on rice and dried
| fish, but such is not the fact. He can live,
and fight well, on that spare diet, if neces-
| sary; but he is given meat and other sus-
tanning foods whenever practicable well
as beer or sake" Several years ago a mil
| itary commission was appointed by the Mi
kado to inquire why the physique of the
| British, German and other armies. The
| commission came to the conclusion that
| beef and beer helped to build up the stall
| wart frames of Occidental fighting men,
and since then beef and beer have been in
cluded in the diet scale of the Japanese
army.
Ii would appear, from recent reports
| that the food arrangements of the Jap
aneSe forces now in the field are excellent
According to one statement, each infantry
unit has cylindrical stove and detachable
| kettle capable OF cooking enough rice tC
furnish one meal for 100 men. Nine such
| stoves and kettles are used for cooking fol
| a battalion. Boxes containing half-pound
| cans of meats are carried by four horses
| for each battalion. The question of wa
| ter supply has been carefully considered
| doubtless owing to the fact that the sick
| ness among the Japanese troops in the
| Picking expedition consisted almost entirely
of typhoid fever Each unit carries guam
| tity of sodium sulphate to purify the drink.
| ing water.
| ARCHIBALD NJ. JAMES.
] copyright, 1901.