The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-03
ARMY FACTS COMING OUT.

The inside facts relating to the mob
ilization Of division of U. S. troops
on the Mexican border are beginning
TO come out in authentic form, showing
many of the evil effects of that mob
ilization. The movement was heralded
loud and widespread as a conspicuous
example Of the effectiveness of the
army. On the contrary, however, IT
appears TO have been a conspicuous
proof that the army was not 6t to be
mobilized, and that the results of the
mobilization have been demoraliz,ng
and disastrous A number Of the points
involved may be stated.
Major General William n. Carter,
commanding the modified division on
the border, sent formal complaint to
the War Department that too many
raw and unframed recruits had been
sent to his command, with the result
that the division had large percent
age of raw enlisted men, who were an
embarrassment to the regimental com
manders and a detriment to the effect
iyeness Of the maneuvers that were
supposed to be contemplated in the as
semblage of this division for military
exercises. IT was explained. however,
that this condition was unavoidable,
on account of the determination of the
military authorities to bring the regi-
ments of the division up to war
strength. To this end instructions
were sent to the general recruiting
depots that newly enlisted men should
be sent to the army on the border with
the least possible delay These in.
structions were carried out. and the
recruits were transferred TO that di.
with uniforms. There was no oppor-
tunity to give them the necessary pre-.
| limInary training. The consequence
was that the military maneuvers
planned were a failure, because such
| a large percentage of the force did not
understand even the most elementary
tactics and drill
The next appalling fact that devel-
oped was, that 1900 soldiers out OF the
modified army of about 10000 de.
thousand, six ont of every hundred, ap.
proximately one-sixteenth of the whole
force.
The third disaster was that as quot
ed by correspondent of the Army
and Navy Magazine, and reported by
impartial observers, that the entire
northern boundary of the encampment
was lined with saloons, cheap amuse
ment resorts, brothels, and disreputable
dives of every sort. The disorganizin)
effect Of all this upon the army so as
sembled was inevitable.
The officers also appear to have
| shared somewhat in the demorallza
tion, in ordering that disastrous march
of a hundred miles in the torrid sun
where such a heavy percentage of the
line dropped out, and where those that
remained jeered and mocked the Off
GERS as they rode up.
The mobilizing appears to have been
from the point of army training, dis
aStrOuS 1altulp, ana 81 ldI llOHi bCluS
evidence of the efficiency of the army
it was conspicuous proof of Tho
charges of inefficiency which that mob
ilization seems to have been intended
to disprove The true way to proceed
in getting the army together IN mob
ilized divisions, is first to collect The
scattered parts of regiments together
i and have regimeuta1 training, which
is now lacked; then get the regiments
into brigades for training, and finally
call the brigades together for division
exercises The trouble with the mob
ilizing which was actually ordered was
| that the division exercises were or
T dered first. when there had been no pre-
! Gminarv cohesion of regiments, an'
no familiarizing of regiments Will
their appropriate parts as portion o
br;esdes. It is no wonder that tn
movement. beginning at the wrong enc
| of the proper programme, was bot'
; unsatisfactory and prohtless. We trus
that the lesson may result in the tax
: ;no now of the right step as pre-
paratory move for future military mob
!. il;zations. of collecting the regiment
/ in full force. and keeping them to
oether as the basic unit of all ehectlN
5 military exercises.