The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-09
REoRG. MIXING THE ARTILLERY.

the wiseacres of the War Department
insisted were the most sufficient rea
sons, and the whole outfit-big gum
and little, siege. seacoast and field gun
were made into a corps. with M
larger organization in it than a bat
terry, and all commanded by Briga
der General.
There were to be IA Colonies, 1:
observation-disclosures. 80 Majors. ant
1876 each of Captains. First Liutenant:
and Second Lieutenants; 81 Sergeants
Major of the First Glass. and 81 of the
second class, with one Electrician Ser
geant for each coast battery. There
were to be 80 batteries of field artil-
lery and 126 batteries of seacoast artil.
lery, with 10 bands.
Everybody outside of the Army. anG
crude and unwise, but those mystic
rious movers in the War Department
who seem to think that any change is
progress, and spend their days in de-
vising methods. manners and uniforms
which shall be different from those
adopted by experience, got in their
fell work, and Congress was persuaded
| to order the change. Now we are to
| have another upheaval. All at once
the tireless remodelers have discovered
what everybody else always knew
| that there is an essential difference
between the guns, drill, duties, and
| sphere of action Of the seacoast and
field batteries. In the old days we got
along fairly well by dividing the artil-
lery into heavy and light. Two COM
panies in each regiment were made
| light batteries. They were composed
| of light, active, young men full of
| mettle and dash, who knew Low to
take care of horses, and had taste for
| roughing it. They were drilled to per-
| lection, and the maneuvers of light
| battery were intended to have all the
dash of cavalry. united with the dead
Illness of infantry fire. The remaining
10 companies were heavier, more solid
men fthe grenadier type. They were
drilled as heavy infantry. in addition
to their special work with the big
guns.
The new high-power artillery, the
disappearing guns, the complicated
machinery of cannon Of IL or IA
inches caliber and IL miles range have
made still wider separation between
the two branches Of artillery than ever
before. The siege and seacoast artil-
lerists have even less connection with
the light artillerists than the latter
have with the infantry and cavalry.
The heavy arillerist of today will have
precious little time to daily around
with musket. All his time and abili-
ties are required to learn the care and
management of those wonderful big
cannon turnd out from the factories.
If he is to be entrusted with firing a
shot costing $500 at a mark IL miles
distant, he must put all the energy he
is gifted with into the study and prac-
tice Of long range craftsmanship. He
must also be good deal Of ma
chinist, be well acquainted with the
theory and practice of mines and tor
pedoes, have more than smattering
of electricity, and be well up in the
care of that composition of most tick
lish uncertainty, smokeless powder. It
will be seen that he and his officers
must be of entirely different cast Of
mind from those who can hitch up a
battery inside of 20 seconds, and with
in two minutes be on top of rough hill
filling all the country in front with
shrapnel and canister.
The system which is now to go into
effect will put the field batteries back
into regiments of two battalions of
three batteries each, while the sea-
coast batteries will retain their present
| organization. AS far as possible, the
officers will be allowed to select which
branch of the Army they will cast their
lot with.
The main criticism is as to why this
obvious and manifest distinction was
not given proper consideration in the
reorganization made six years ago, and
thus be avoided another tearing up
just as the artillery was getting fairly
settled down again.
The worst feature of these repeated
| upheavals is the injury to the esprit de
| corps. Every other Nation in the
| world carefully preserves the contin-
| uity and history of the units of its
| army. In the British Army the regi-
| ments have been kept substantially in
tact ever since their organization
sometimes $50 years. The Royal Scots
and Coldstream Guards Regiments
date back to 1860. The history of every
battle and skirmish the regiments have
| taken part in is carefully preserved,
and every man in the regiment is made
| to feel that he has some share in all
| this and that he is not only helping
maintain the regiments glorious ira
ditions, but adding to them for the
benefit of those who shall come after.
Kipling expresses this in his saying
that the first duty in instructing a re-
cruit Is to teach him what a holy
thing the regiment is" This makes
all the sentiment about the regimental
colors and is usually believed to be
invaluable in the proper formation and
management of body of fighting
| MAN Ua l,aua hcnIutalu Loot oil bo