The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-09-28
LARGE ARMY AT MANASSAS
Regulars and Militb in Camp
Under Major-Gencd Corbin.
Twenty-Five Thousand loops Going
Through Maneurres or Former
Eattle Ground

New York Ciiy.-1n the vicinity oil
Manassas, VI. 5000 rcSuiatand 21,0OO
State troops, are cncampS, forming
the largest military camp ger cstao'
hshed in this country in tinH of peace.
But it is not intended that this large
body OF mcE shall b: mcrly 4 dis
play. The cncampmnnt and mneuvreS
are arranged by the Government to
provide the hardest and most pccSsAry
kind of work Known i'll the allcatlon
Of the soldier-the getting outintO the
field and there putting into practice
the theories OF tho classroom udcr the
simulated conditions Of actlL! VAL.
For two weeks vle regular trdps will
have the opportunity UI acting bgcthcr
in bodies larger thar the cOlpanics
and hattalionS Of The army p0s$; the
officers will be given III opportunity
to handle the larger bodies.
Captain Jaracs \. Moss. L. S. A..
in Golfers Weekly. in committing
on these mancuvrcS. says that w have
had many hard lessons 10 Learn that
an army on paper AID an army II the
field are two separate things. Even
far more than am other profession
that Of the military is one Nhicllcan-
not be taught in theory. &nd twas
for that that the General Staff ar
ranged the scheme Of annual nam
euvres; to teach men ly experience
how to take arc of themselves intlic
Call and tn tn,rf, nfirnps 1Np,v tn
handle and care for large bodies of
men on large and diversified areas. not
by telling them about it in Lectures
and with books, but by giving tlpm
the men to handle and to take arc
Of, thus a%cquainting them with he
possibilities and difficulties of actRl
war. Aside from the line officers, to
whom the experience will be Of inesi-
mable value in tits way, each staf
corps the luartcrmaster's, whidl
moves and clothes the army; the con.
missary, which feeds it, and the othG
staff departments-will have the on
portunity to learn by experience tin
labor attending the care, Transports.
ton, and supply Of large bodies Of
troops.
In order to produce as far as possible
the actual conditions which would pre-
vail i'll time Of hostilitics, the regulars
Of Maior-General II. G. COrbin, are d.
rided into two hostile divisions. Cen
eral Fred ID. Grant, who is a soIl of the
great Civil War leader, is to command
the division near Manassas. and Gen
cral j. Franklin Bell the other, which
is camped twelve miles away. near
ThorOughfare. The territory in be-
tween is about ninety square miles.
The first few days are being devoted
to reconnaissance. p~atrolling and regi-
mental and brigade drills. after which
outposts will be established and main
tanned, without Interruption, day or
night, until the termination of the m#n-
cuvres. The last four days Of the MAN.
euvreS arc to be devoted to tie S0lu-
ton Of two tactical problems. each Of
which will take two days. The essen
tial feature of each is. of course, so
arranging the conditions that the ma
turc Of the attacks will call for maneu-
wiring within the limits Of the leased
land. With this end in view the Blue
army. which is General Grants, will,
in the first problem, be called upon to
defend Washington, ID. G., from the at
tack of q Brown" army. Of which
General Bells force at Th0rOughtare
is the advance guard, and the remain
der Of which is supposed 10 be march
ing up the Shenandoah.
The main body of the Blue army is
supposed to be at Fairfax Court House.
while General Bells supports arc the
oretically at Front Royal and StraS-
burg. General Grant will try to at
tack and destroy Bell before his sup
ports can come to his aid. The second
problem transfers the initiative to the
Brown army. which has by this time
a heavy support at Salem. Tie Blue
army has a base at Annanlalc.