The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1906-12-29
INFANTRY ON FIGHTING LINZ

China's military forces to-day are
vastly different from those which the
combined armies of the allied powers
met with during the march on Pekin
at the time of the Boxer uprising
Then in the estimation of western mil
itary men, China had nothing worthy
of the name of army. 1t was scarcely
more than an undrilled rabble, badly
disciplined, and without PRIDE in its
calling But at the recent big military
maneuvers, what was it that met the
astonished eyes of military experts
from other nations who were permit
ted to be present? Not the old army
of China, nor half-drlled and organ
lied force, better than the old but far
inferior to the military forces of other
nations. No. 1t was a transformed
army Transformed it seemed, as by
magic during the past few years, and
the foreign observers and experts who
were present and saw the maneuyers
admitted that it was a force to be
yeckoned with.
On Oct 81 the Viceroy Yuan Shi
of war, received the foreign guests
and explained the plan of the opera
lions and the theater of war to them.
He pointed out to them that while
until now each province had had its
own army, quite independent of any
other, this was the first time that any
Chinese military maneuvers would be
conducted by united armies.
Each foreign nation had received
permission to send three military OBJ
servers, and the American officers
present were Capt. Henry Leonhard,
attache at Pekin Capt. Reeves,
United States cavalry, from the Phil
ippines, and Capt. W. H. Clifford,
United States military commander of
the legation guard at Pekin. Capt.
Leonhard is the officer who lost his
right arm in the attack on Tientsln
during the Boxer uprising.
The opposing forces were complete
in infantry, cavalry, artillery, en-,
gineers, transports and medical serv-
ice corps, and the appearance and dis
cipline of the new army amazed rather
than surprised the military critics, as
the organization is only four years
old. 1t is proposed within the next
ten years to train 500 600 men for ter
ritorial defense purposes. There are
thousand cadets in the Chinese MIL
tary academies, 100 are studying IN
japan and there are several in almost
every country in the world It is to
these students of the military science
of other lands that China looks TOR
her own future efficient staff of OF.
ficers.
One Of the military experts writes
privately. for no official report is yet
m hand: "Of all eastern institutions
none, perhaps. is regarded by the west
with such contempt as the Chinese
army. No great degree Of
military capacity is claimed for the
ChInaman. but ample evidence might
be adduced TO prove that he is very
far from being totally devoid of II. It
& sufficient to say that there does eX-
list an army, the organization, dis,
clpllne ana bearing u WHICH eACiteu
the asto1tshment Of the large number
Of foreign officers who witnessed the
maneuvers and to whom what has been
ACCOMPLISHED within the last four
years came as a revelation.
Efficiency in the transport and
commissariat departments is general.
ii accepted as indicating efficiency In
other branches. The Chinese arrange.
1uente on the present occasion were So
complete ard worked out 80 perfectly
as regularly TO confound those Who
snttcipated a breakdown IN the com,