The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-08
INSIGNIA GONE
FROM UNIFORMS
OF REGULAR ARMY OFFICERS
SAVE THOSE UNIFORMS WHICH
ARE USED FOR DRESS OCCASIONS.

sienia Make Splendid Target for
Sbarpshooters of Enemy, Says Col.
ouinp-Evidence of This in the
Rattle on the Yalu-SupplyiDG Fir
iua Line with AmmunitiOn-Rea-
cons for Japanese BayOnet Charge.
Many changes have been made in
methods of warfare with the improve
,7ants that have come in firearms,
communion, etc. Progress in both Of
tense and defense has been made,
though many problems are still con-
fronting military men.
THE abandonment of all snowy uni
@orrns" says Col. James B. Quinn, di-
vision chief of United States Engi-
naars lis one thing that is indicative
nj the deadliness of war. 1t was for
,rarly the custom to distinguish the
officers from the men by snowy uni
forms. covered with all manner of
bright insignia, according to their
rank
To-day all this has been abandoned,
save in the dress uniforms. Our own
government is one of the first to make
this step, and the first land battle in
the Far East has shown the wisdom
of the change. Because the Russian
army officers wore gaudy uniforms, the
Jap soldiers picked them off readily,
and the loss of officers was great.
&c har
ample of the same thing. Everyone
remembers the large number of Off
GERS the British army lost, number
far too large in proportion to the num-
Der Of men lost. The reason was that
i the scarlet coats and bright insignia
\ made a shining mark for the Boer
4 sharpshooters.
Abandoning Bright Insignia.
The tendency in this country to-day
is to remove everything that makes
an officer conspicuous. The drab- col
ored uniforms now used aids in this.
With the introduction of the new color
in uniforms, the strips on the trousers
and the sleeve disappeared. Save on
my dress uniform, there is no red strip,
formerly always on the trousers of an
officer of this corps.
AN rank is now told by the in
sigma on the collar, and this is made
in a bronzed metal, so as not to re-
fleet sunlight and attract attention.
The small emblem of my rank, on the
shoulders, is the only bright thing
about the entire uniform, and this is
TOO small to be noticeable at a dis
Jance.
VIII BE no stripes Soon.
1.-THE same tendency is shown in the
uniforms of the men. The stripes on
the sleeves are still worn, but there is
slow, but certain movement in the
direction of abandoning the different
strips indicative of the corps in which
rhe wearer serves. In a comparatively
al short time the corps in which the men
are serving win be indicated by marks
on the collar and not by white, yellow
and red stripes down the seam of the
trousers.
Everything is being done with
View to making the men less conspic-
nous TO the enemy. Then, too, the
#nearer the uniforms of the officers and
#men are alike, the less chance that
47he enemy can pick off the officers and
#1hus demoralize the command. War is
#no longer so much a thing of glory as
PIT is a season of good, hard, deadly
4Tork.
Problems to he Solved.
The action of the court martial
(which sat upon the case of the officer
#Who laid down beside his men, is one
strong proof of this change. Formerly
IL was the custom of the officers to
move along just behind the command
or bit in front of it, and by encour-
aging words, strengthen the men.
This method was followed until re-
Gently, when a command refused to
move further in the face of a deadly
IRE. The commanding officer. when
the men threw themselves to the
ground, lay down by the first sergeant.
Il When he had restored confidence, the
company arose again, completed the
charge, and won the day. The officer
was court martialed for lying down,
put acquitted, the ruling being that it
was the only thing to be done under
the circumstances.
One Of the greatest problems of the
DAY in military affairs" continued Col.
Quinn is getting ammunition to the
nring line. The ammunition wagons
cannot come UP close or the enemy's
artillery will destroy them. A mule,
morse, or other animal cannot be sent
forward, as it is instantly picked off by
the sharpshooters.
Dogs Carry Ammunition.
In some cases dogs have been used
49, SiLSNt' tlOuSH bHe general
thlng IS to give the men all they can
carry, and when they have exhausted
thelr supply. to replace them with a
new company. 1t is dangerous work,
however, for the second command TO
make its way across the fire. swept
zone Experts are doing their best to
solye this problem.
II Is eviGsnt that in the battle oil
the Yalu that both the Russian firing
nne and the Japanese firing line were
out of ammunition. Otherwise the
Japs could not have made a bayonet
charge, as the Russian fire would have
swept them from the field"
H0I DREAD nnMIMn