The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-03-23
SAM S ARMY
|. ISN'T FIT TO FIGHT
Officers at Fort Sam Houston Say
Maneuvers Are Pathetically Lack
ing in Our Army
sy WILSON BURKE.

I SAN ANTONIO. Tex, March 22-a
group OF war correspondents and
line and stan officers OF the First diSl
sion were dinner guests of an army
journal editor
Il have asked you here, said our
| host because | want you men OIL the
press 20 hear from army officers them
selves how brutality unprepared the
American armed force is for field ser
vice.
! IL Was a STAN officer, a colonel who
spoke first.
when / am with the line, | am
supposed TO night a complete regiment
| i'm battle. 1 stand high in the line ot
lcolonels and would probably be made
! a brfgadier general with nine regi-
iments OF infantry. one OF cavalry ana
/ two OF artillery in case OF actual war
/ fare.
! II Know the theory very well, but
! listen: In is years oil actual service
! in the army. the largest body OF men
7 | have commanded has been two com
/ panies. They were lntantrymen.
| have never had cavalry or artillery
under my command. Yet | would be
supposed properly 10 handle this force
of men and fight like force.
so long as this army is DIVIDED
| into small posts this army will never
be anything like trained nghung
force. We will be trained bushwhack-
ers. Company for company We Will
will against the world. but collected
as an army division or corps. We
would be beaten by we'll drilled
army machine,
A captain with II years service fol
lowed:
In peace times my company is sup.
posed to be composed OF 60 men.
try TO train them into good soldiers,
under a discipline that would make
them go through dress parade II
necessary, under Are. In war times
| | must take into my command OF sea
soned men nearly On equal number OF
raw men, who don't know how 10
shoot, how TO pitch tent, how TO
throw up an entrenohment. how TO
cook, how TO drill. how 10 obey
My command falters for a moment
/ In the face OF heavy fire; some or
the new men waver. and finally break.
| The panic spreads; my company fees.
and | am disgraced. and my good
soldiers are disgraced, and all because
unframed and undrillet men lost their
heads for an instant
But that is not the worst of IT,.
With 90 trained men ] may be able
10 whip into shape the extra men that
are given 10 me when my company
! is recruited 10 war strength. II has
been so long since | commanded 90
men at one time that | wouldn'.
know what TO do with them My com
pany turned out Cor roll call today
with 20 men, the others having been
discharged or being detailed for extra
duty"
A boyish second lieutenant fol-
lowed:
Gentlemen. in case OF war" he
said, II would be expected to fight
My captain and my first lieutenant
might be killed | would have to
command a company. My government
went 10 big expense 20 educate me-
for what? To do police duty in a
garrison, without the slightest practi-
cal knowledge in the world OF how
soldiers act in the field. | want to
work. | love my work: but IL takes
the heart out OF us youngsters 10
come out to drill or TO maneuyers
with a company that a sergeant would
command, leaving us nothing TO do
but get rusty"
II was another stan oficer who
closed the session:
Gentlemen" he said "at FL Paso
there is modified a provisional brl.
gade or coast artillerymen, armed as
foot soldiers and called infantrymen.
who are commanded by brigadier
general OF cavalry And that gallant
officer, who never commanded foot
soldier In his life, is expected TO know
how TO maneuyer the mand handle
them In battle. And those coast ar
tillerymen, used to handling our
great guns, would be asked to meet
the issue with trained infantrymen
under the frightful conditions of mod
ern warfare"