The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-02-10
Our Military History.
A Record of the Military Policy of the
United States.

United States.
y book of moderate size, but of in
terest quite disproportionate TO the
humber of its pages, is "The Military
Policy of the United States" bv
Brevet Major Geneyal Emory Upton.
AT the present time, when the over
HAULING of the War Department Is So
recent that It's Importance is, perhaps,
as yet hardly appreciated, a history
of this kind should have its interest
Tor every intelligent American.
General Upton has begun his his
tory with the year 1776, and carried
1t down to the close of the war be
tween the North and South. taking up
the military history of the Confed-
eracy, as well as that of the North. It's
object is, as stated by the author:
TO treat historically and stats
tieally our military policy up to the
present time. and to show the enor-
nous and unnecessary sacrifice Of life
and treasure which has attended AL
our armed struggles"
Inasmueh rs some otherwise scnsi-
bic people are crying out against any
Preparation for war in time of peace,
j. ought to be useful to them to see
what the consequences of their theory
have been in the past If this book
serves to decrease the unreasoning
horror of militarism which many peo-
PIC have, ii viii have accomplished
something, at all events.
The history of 1S61-65 shows
clearly enough that one of our great
mistakes in that war was neglect to
study the experience of other cOun-
.ries. We are told that in the army
Of 1861 there were eighty-two regI-
ments of cavalry, which, fully re-
oruited and mounted, would have
made nearly 100000 men. SO diff
cult was If TO get horses, however,
that less than five hundred men were
III reality 1T for effective service. Ia
many companies there were not more
than five horses which could be got
out of a walk. In other countries il.
Lad already been found that TO make
effective cavalry took from two to FIVE
years, but that little fact was disre-
garded. Meanwhile, the Northern
armies were marching against whole
regiments of cavalry already made,
for the men of the South were aceus-
toned TO spend whole days on horse
back. and each man could bring his
own horse. 1t seems absurd, as we
look back upon it, and yet Great
Britain has recently made practically
the same blunder In sending unframed
iBfantrymen into South Africa to
fight the Boer herdsmen. The trouble
IN Great Britain Is precisely the same
as the trouble IN the North in the
ffiies- Discrimination 10 regard war
a. a serious business or profession
which must at least be undertaken as
carefully as a great enterprise of any
other kind. Nothing. one would sup
pose, could be more conducive to a
sensible view of this important matter
than such narrative as this, in which
futures are briefly but carefully dis
cusssd, ard the reasons for them
SHOWN. 1t ought to be patent TO any
body witD five grains of senses that
patriotism will not take the place of
modern guns, or the prayers of the
people at home feed the soldiers in
the field unless they have a competent
eommiss1ry department; nor will ar
garments against militaIlsm do us any
good if we suddenly find ourselves
compelled to organize an army for
service imperalively needed. The
merciful way to wage a war is to-
make it short. sharp, and effective,
not to keep trying experiments ana
pouring soldiers into the field until
the enemy Is tired Of the struggle, or
We are tired of 1t ourselves.