The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-05
END OF ARMY hANEUYRES
Grand Review of the Blue and
Brown divisions.
SUMMARY OF THE WEEKS WORK

Thirty Thousand Troops Passed in Review
of Major-General Corbin and His
Staff What the Maneuvres Really
Mean-i,a1nag Done to Farm Prop
erty a Feature.
Corps. Headquarters. Gainesville.
Va.-The September maneuvres or
the army ended with Il grand review
of the men of the Blue and tie Brown
armies. ard the third battle of Bun
Run has passed into history as not less
interesting. if less important, than the
two other conflicts. waged on the same
field forty years ago.
Tie troops Of the maneuvre corps
were. assembled early in the morning
on a great plain near Wellington, about
three miles from Manassas, the review
ing position being at the head of a
gentle slope 100 yards wide. 1t was
estimated that about 10000 of the 3d.
600 men in the maneuvre corps partici-
pated 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 week.
Northumberland Chaffee, Chief Of
Staff of the army, was the reviewing
officer. He took his position OH horse
back in front Of the grand stand, sur
rounded by the members of his staff.
Major General Corbin and staff, the
foreign military attaches who have
been guests at Camp No. 3, and many
prominent visitors from Washington.
The grand stand 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 q large body Of regular and
citizen soldiery been assembled in one
spot for review.
At the conclusion of the review the
troops were marched back to their re-
spective camps. About 1000 Of them
were entertained at T~horoughfare.
Now that the meneuyres are over
and the 10000 regular troops and mill
tary which made up the Brown and
Blue forces are scattering to the VA
rious States from which they came to
participate in the var game, there is
apparently a vastly better general ap-
probation of the value Of properly con-
Quoted maneuvreS as a method OF
practical military education. A ma
neuvres problem is not primarily a
sham battle, and a sham battle does
not necessarily occur during the work
ing out Of the maneuvre problem.
Aoo1rlinr fn Tho hioh nf1nnrc nf fhn
army who have been guests of General
Corbin at the headquarters mess dur
ing the past week, a sham battle, pure
and simple, is ordinarily Of no possible
value to either regular soldiers or mil
itia organizations in training them to
meet the conditions of actual warfare.
In the working out Of maneuvre
problems, however, particularly in
those conducted on a large scale like
the present, when 10000 men maneu-
vre over a territory comprising nearly
10000 acres, and when the camps Of
the opposing forces are more tlan
fifteen miles apart, experience Of great
value is gained.
"If we had 10000 regular soldiers on
this ground for the purpose OF the war
game I doubt very much whether a
single blank cartridge would have been
fired. The whole problem would then
have resolved itself into something
very much like a game Of chess played
on an immense board, the various com.
paries Of the regiments and brigades
of the opposing armies being the chess
men, and the roads, hills and various
strategic positions Of the maneuyre
field being the squares.
1.-THE solution of the problem and the
ultimate victory or defeat Of n OF
the sides would have depended entire.
ly on their respective positions at the
close of the war period. This, 1 said.
could have been done with regulars,
but we realized when drawing up the
plans for the war games that with
only 5000 regulars, and all the rest OF
the troops made up Of militia organi.
cations from seventeen States, in order
to keep up the interest of militia men
as individuals it would be necessar! to
burn a good many thousand dollars
worth of powder and endure a great
amount Of noise"
An estimate was obtained on a feat.
ure Of the week which may have an
important bearing on future a%ppropria.
tions by Congress for maneuvre pur.
poses. According to the estimate.
which has been most carefully made
by army experts. it appears that after
expenditures for comrhissary supplies
and railroad transportation. the biggest
item of expense in connection with
the maneuvres will result from dam.
ages inflicted by the troops.