Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-25
BACH 10 HOLLOW .QUARE
Spectacular Military Tactic Restored
to Army Drill.
DESIGNED TO sUBDUE MODS
Historic Feature Of Army Formation
Has Been Absent from ReEuls-
lions for Thirty-seven
Years.

No formation has occupied such prom
inent place I'm the history making battles
OF the world. or has been subject to so
much discussion By military experts as the
square.
The Macedonians and Greeks, with spears
bristing from squares bright as the light
runs along the breakers to the sun" drove
back the Asiauc hordes in the early dawn
Of history Napoleon used the formation
20 defeat the Mameukcs in the epoch-mak-
ing battle of the Pyramids, and the inn
pregnable hollow squares OF the English
amy did much to shape the destiny of all
Europe at the battle Of Waterloo.
Strange to say the return to the drill
regulations Of the army will be the result
of suggestions made by officers of the state
militia The regular army dropped the
hollow square formation from It's drill man
uals in 1873. 1t was thought that owing to
the great improvement in small arms and
repid-flre artillery the square had become
obsolete I'm modern warfare. Many of the
old theories of great generals have been
discarded on account of modern equipment,
and II was believed that the square should
be included in this list.
But the officers OF the national guard
have convinced the general staff of the
regular army that there is still use for the
hollow square in handling riots and sud
den outbreaks 1t has been found that it
particularly lends itself to the suppression
of street troubles. A body Of troops can
be formed into a square at corners which
have a firing frontage down each Of the
approaching streets, and one which any
rabbe or mob would long hesitate to rush.
A Philadelphia Example.
This was particularly noticeable in the
Philadelphia strike in the early rart of
the present year. When the Philadelphia
Fencibles were called out. and extended
as skrmshers along the streets OF the
City of Brotherly Love they were not only
jeered at by the pressing mobs but were
actually disarmed, hooted and thoroughly
disorganized. But when the state con-
stabulary arrived. and these trained horse
men formed sort of hollow square at
the street crossings so as to be able to
charge at moments notice in any of the
four directions the spirit of the mob was
soon broken.
careful search through the archives
of the army war college, the govern
ments storehouse of military lore les
brought to light all that there is to know
OF the origin and subsequent history OF
this formation. Its primary use by the
ancients was particularly in defense
against cavalry attack This was due to
the fact that the battles were usually
fought on broad plains ex ,eptionaly
adapted for cavalry charges on ali SIDES
The Greeks and Macedoniaus in resisting
the attacks of the Asiatic mounted trovrs
used the phalanx in the torn of a square
After the battle of Rossbach the French
adopted the formation against cavalry at
tack because in that battle they had re-
ceived great shock from the Prussaa
cavalry. The squares were small
ones, usually composed of only few
battalions. The French used the hol-
low square (carre-vold) and solid
square (carre-plein), depending upon the
strength of the enemy and the disposition
of his force. The same formations were
used by Napoleon in the imperial wars
against the Turks. and later in the Rus
sian wars against the Turks. This was
found TO be the only feasible method of
large masses of infantry resisting the on
slaughter OF the terrible Turkish cavalry
First Record of the SQUARE.
Field Marshal Munich used the square
formation in marching as well as camp
ing and in his battle with the Turks in
the attack at Stawatschany on the 18th of
october, 1893. This is the first record of
the square formation being used in the at
tack.
The square formation was also used by
Napoleon in Egypt at the end of the
eighteenth century. These squares vera
composed Of from 1900 to 5000 men. for
the protection OF supplies and horses.
which were concentrated in the middle Of
the square.
square formations were also used in
the battles Of Austerlitz. Elchingen, wag-
iam' Prenzlo, Leipzig and La Fere-Cham-
lee xHtfh
was at one time very much used in the
tactical formations of the English army
The most notable case of the use Of this
formation was by the "oId guard" during
the battle of Waterloo
At the battle of Isly. Field Marshal
bugeaud used a square Of which the sides
were not continuous-that is the squares
We're formed by which the faces consisted
OF several battalions. with intervals he
tween the battalions
The Prussians used the square forma
tion in the battle of Sedan.
The most solid square which was formed
at the battle OF Fleures in 1890. consisting
OF fourteen battalions, was able to resist
the hrst charge Of the French cavalry
but was dispersed by the second charge
The objection to the use OF the sonars
is that In actual combat three ~ the
four sides which form the SQUARE are
not utilized. This objection has bad
It's weight and now many countries ac-
cept the solid column formation I'm re-
sisung the attack Of cavalry.
The square undoubtedly is the outcor,a
OF the old Grecian syntagma, OF a solid
square OF sixteen men in every directIon
1t has been the experience Of armies that
large square has not proportiopatel,, a
greater fire line than a small one. In a
charge Of cavalry that portion only which
attacks the face of square is 10 he
dreaded IL the face is much extended Tho
number OF cavalry that can bear down
upon IL is augmented in like manner
square OF 5000 men is not then any stron-ar
than square OF 1000 From these consid-
erations 1t appears, therefore. that Iaraa
squares ought not to be used. but tba,
squares of single battalion are worthy
OF all commendation.
Possibilities of the ReEuIation.
The hollow square which will be provided
for in the new United States army regula-
lions will be OF battalion formation. Under
the new regulations IL will be possible To
throw battalion into a square shape In
such a manner as TO clear space I'm the
center OF an immense mob and o,,eu 4. ~.