Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-19
FABIAN TACTICS
AND THEIR Use
What the Military Movement Is
and When 1t Is EN-
ployed.

When the allies fell back nom their
iirst line in northern France to the
Marine a good deal was said and writ
zen of "Fabian tactics and when
she Germans fell back from the line
oF the Marine t. the Aisne more was
said of "Fabian tactics In this
country when Washington and the
heroic Continental army cell back be
fore the English in superior force and
Of superior equipment and perhaps
superior discipline his tactics were
emitted ga bian" IN fact, General
George Washington was called and by
his historical writer's is still at times
referred to as the American FaQus.
4 Is probably true that many Amer
ifs1ns long parted from their school
books have forgotten about Fapius
oven though whenever an army makes
an orderly retreat for the purpose o.
4ainina time or reaching more Ia
corable position 1hcy speak tluently
~ FABIAN tactics Il Is q phrase
that comes trippingly off the tongue.
Fablus. as might easily be guessed
from his name. vas Roman. lie
commanded the legions Of Rome
against tine power of Carthage 3Oe
Years before the Christian era. ne
tactics which came to be called after
furies before Rome was born. IA
HAN facties without doubt have been
1sed eyer since bodies of men made !
war but il may be that Fabius SO
refined and systematized those tactics
that it IS just and worthy they bear
his name.
Fabius. in Pr 3. g.. stood opposed
to the hosts or hordes Of Carthasln- /
ians under the brilliant leadership OF
Hannibal In battle before Faolus
AJaximus was called TO the supreme |
command OF the Roman troops in the /
seld. the Carthaginians had been VIC I
torious. Fabius. prodting by what
had befallen his predecessors in com /
rnand. avoided a pitched battle in the /
slpen and retreated, lighting as he tell /
back. holding off the enemy with what |
are nov described as reargu2rd ac- |
sions. Drawing the enemy further
and further from base or the sources |
OF supplies. wearying their troops !
more than he wearied his own and de-
laying a battle until he reached |
ground where his position would |
1--WE him great advautage-a position |
which could certainly be defended !
against superior numbers-where the
loss of men and morale OF the as
sailants must be great. and where, at
the proper moment, the counter
stroke could be delivered with high
promise of success, the tactics Of f'a-
bus won.
In some WAYS the phrase Fabian
tactics" has been diverted from its
original and proper significance and
j. made to comprehend any tactics OF
particularly shreWd or foxy ]
nature. In this connection It has been
said that Napoleon employed Fabian
tactics with brilliant success at
Austerlitz. The combined Austrian
and Russian armies greatly extended |
their line in an effort 10 turn the l
right flank of the French army and /
cut its communications. II seems as
though this move would succeed, for
Napoleon permitted it to develop Il
without serious resistance. Then he II
suddenly concentrated his whole
at the centre. with the eX-
ception of portion of Bernadotte's II
corps. which he LETT to deal with the
Austrian turning force, and burst Il
the line. destroying one wing Il
OF the Austrian army as 1t retreated. II
Historians of Rome deal at consid- II
cradle length with a family called the II
Fabii II is narrated that this ancient
and renowned family undertook the
duty of defending Roman territory /
against ineursions by the Valentines,
and for this purpose established
at a place on the Cremera
river. The Fabii were drawn into
ambush and We're all killed. The date
81 that event is given as =. c. Al. A
BOY of the family Fabii had been left
in Rome and he became the second
founder of the family Fabius Ext
mus who Won his laurels and his
spurs in the second Punic war, was
from that boy. and there
was another famous member of the
family whose name was Fabius Pic
tor, who wrote a history OF Rome and
who is often referred 10 as the earliest
Roman historian.