The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-11
END OF ARMY MANGUVRBS.
VRAND REVIEW OF THE BLUE
AND BROWN ARMIES.
uout.-Gen. ChaTee the Reviewing Onncer.
and About 10000 Men March Past the
Reviewing Stand-Gen. Bell Gets All
the Applause From the Natives.

CORPS HEADQUARTERS, GAINESVILLE, Va.
Sept, lo.--The September maneuvres Of
the army ended to-day with a grand re.
view Of the men OF the Blue and the Brown
armies, and the third battle Of Bull Run
fought out this week has passed into his,
eory as not less interesting, II less I'm
portant, than the two other conflicts wageo
on the same field forty years ago
J The troops Of the man9uvre corps were
assembled early this morning on a great
plain near Wellington. about three miles
from Manassas the reviewing position be-
ing at the head of a gentle slope 100 yards
wide. 1t was estimated that about 20 1000
of the 80, 900 men in the manpuvre corps
participated In the ceremony, the other
10000 being held at camp on account OF their
condition resulting from the hard work
. and long marches Of the past week. The
men did not want to remain in camp, many
OF them trying all sorts Of lodges to in
tluce their company and regimental COM
snanders to permit them to participate in
the review. Most of them, however, had
swollen feet, and some OF them were in such
an exhausted condition that further ex-
ertion might have led to serious conse-
quences.
{ Lieut.-Gen Chaffee, Chief Of Staff Of the
army, was the reviewing officer. He took
his position on horseback in front of the
grandstand, surrounded by the members
Of his staff, Major-Gen. Corbin and stan,
= the foreign military attaches who have
been guests at Camp No. 3, and many
prominent visitors from Washington. The
grandstand and the ground back OF the
reviewing party was packed with people
from all over Virginia, who had come to
see the review.
Not since the Spanish American war has
such large body Of Regular and citizen
soldiery been assembled in one spot for
review. The vast plain seemed alive with
the troops as they stood at attention, the
two divisions separated by two hundred
yards OF open ground. Every arm OF the
service was represented. There were cavalry
and artillery, engineers and infantry, ma
chine gun companies signal service detach-
ments and ambulance and hospital corps.
The march past the reviewing stand took
about three hours, and at its conclusion the
Seventh Cavalry troops on the field gave
sabre drill to music.
At the conclusion OF the review the troops
were marched back to their respective
tanned tonight at Thoroughfare, and will
Immediately start on their return journey.
Tomorrow morning at o'clock entrain-
ing will be resumed and 1t is expected
that by midnight Of Sunday only the 900
Regular soldiers will be left in camp. They
W
II. Barry OF the regular establishment. and
will leave for their respective posts at
various times during the coming week,
One OF the most Interesting features OF
the review to-day was the ovation given to
Gen. Bell, who commanded the Brown Army
during the war game. Gen. Bell was a
cavalryman before his elevation to a gener-
alship, and is recognized as one of the dash
ing officers in the United States Army, and
during the short time he was In command Of
tba lSt-fot la both ,lo
and militia, learned to idolize him. Gen.
Bell got practically all Of the applause
from tho natives Of Prince William county.
His @butternut.' or rebel army, as they
have called 1t, was by far the most popular
of the two divisions OF the manpuvre corps,
and the residents OF this section expressed
great qualification yesterday at the defeat
Of the Blue Array in the problem Of the
man1uvre.
Now that the maneuvres are over and
the $4,000 Regular troops and military
which made up the Brown and Blue forces
are scattering to the various States from
which they came to participate In the war
game, there Is apparently a vastly better
general appreciation Of the value Of prop
erly conducted maneuvres AZ q method
OF practical military education. A ma
rduvres problem is not primarily sham
battle, and a sham battle does not neces-
sarily occur during the working out Of the
manGuvre problem. There are evidently
a good many people to whom the two things
mean the same, but they are just about as
far of the track as was the esteemed
but slightly ignorant member OF the w. @
T. U. who petitioned Secretary of War
carrying canteens, on the score that they
were highly into xicating.
According to the high officers Of the army
who have been guests Of Gen. Corbin at the
a sham battle pure and simple Is ordinarily
of no possible value to either regular sol
diers or militia organizations In training
them to meet the conditions Of actual war
fare. In the usual affairs of this nature
two bodies Of troops start out from the same
take their positions short distance apart,
and at q signal proceed to bang away at
each other until their ammunition Is ex-
hausted. Then they unite once more and
quantity of good gunpowder and made q
lot Of noise, but having accomplished
nothing else. Such experience as may be
gained Is of such q nature as to be value
less as means OF preparation for real
campaign in time OF war. Usually there
are spectacular features in a sham battle
which will be Of interest to the spectators
and exciting to the troops engaged, but 20
no further along the line OF military edu-
cation.
I. In the working out Of maneuvre prob
lens, however, particularly in those con-
Quoted on a large scale like the present,
when 5000 men nanoeuvre over a territory
comprising nearly 10000 acres, and when
the camps Of the opposing forces are more
than fifteen miles apart, experience Of great
value Is gained. This Is due largely to
the fact that the conditions of actual war
.fare are 80 nearly approached. In speak
ing on the general subject Of the manru-
vres q high officer of the army said last night
that the fact that blank cartridges were
used at the manGuvres was largely q
concession to the militia organization
engaged.
ground for the purpose Of the war game,'
he said, Il doubt very much whether a
single blank cartridge would have been
fred. The whole problem would then
have resolved itself into something very
much like a game Of chess played on an
immense board, the various companies of
the regiments and brigades OF the opposing
armies being the chess men, and the roads,
hills and various strategic positions Of
the manoeuvre field being the squares.
1The solution of the problem and the
ultimate victory or defeat OF one OF the sides
would have depended entirely on their re-
spective positions at the close Of the war
period. This. said, could have been done
with Regulars, but we realized when draw
ing up the plans for the war games that with
only 5000 Regulars. and all the rest OF the
troops made up of militia organizations
p -. .