The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-06
THE MANEUvERs AT MANASSAS.


The United States government will
spend 100000 in giving some $4,000
of its soldiers. regulars and militia,
practice manuevers extending over
eight days on the famous battle
grounds of Manassas. Preparations
for the maneuvers were begun several
weeks ago, in the construction of
camps, artesian wells and spur railroad
tracks. The soldiers will find them
selves provided with many comforts
and conveniences that were unknown
and unthought of in the days of the
sixties; and of evenings, after the exer-
cises of the day have been concluded,
the officers. in clean linen and spick
uniforms, will dine with their lady
friends who will be attired in evening
gowns Thus while the show will be
splendid it will not be war. Still the
encampment and maneuvers will be OF
great value. in that they will teach
both officers and men how to carry and
take care of themselves in service, and
how great bodies of men may be most
expeditiously handled when an army
is to be modified.
The fact that our military system
was wofully lacking when it came to
rapid mobilization was pointedly illus
trated at the breaking out of the Span
tsh- American War. We had practically
unlimited resources at our command;
the railroads were placed at the dis
posal of the government and the ranks
were quickly filed with volunteers,
nevertheless the weeks dragged into
months before the armies were finally
whipped into any sort of shape at the
mobilization camps. 1t is no disparage-
ment of the army to call attention to
the errors and delays at Tampa, Chick
amauga and elsewhere. The officers
did the best they could under the cir
cumstances, but there were very few
of them who had any adequate and
practical knowledge of how large bod
les of men should be handled in the
smallest possible space of
time. They were all, doubt
less, well grounded in theories,
and found no difficulty in moving tens
of thousands of men with despatch, on
paper; but when it came to putting
the thing into practice, that was a diff
ferent matter. The Manassas maneu-
vers will supply this needed practice in
transportation. Entraining and de-
training men and stores rapidly is a
point of value in the movement of ar
mics. AS a matter of fact, the trans
portation problem is one of the chief
ones to be worked out on the Virginia
battlefield.
OF the field movements, there are two
problems to be worked out Both of
them turn upon moving the men quick
ly from place to place, and the men
will move in large bodies-brigades and
divisions. For number of years sew
eral of the states have held annual
state eneampments of instruction, but
on such occasions company and regl-
mental maneuvers over a small area
were all that could be INDUCED in.
These were good enough in their way,
but they were rot broad enough to IA
miliarize the officers and men with the
problems attending the evolutions of
large bodies under conditions approach,
ing those of actual war. The Manassas
maneuvers will supplement the train
ing the militia men have had in the
state encampments and the regulars
have had at the army posts The les
son viii cost the government a pretty
penny by the time the expense bill is
settled, but it will probably be worth
the money!