Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-03-27
PREPAREDNESS FOR WAR
Uncle Sam in Very Good Shape to
Handle Mexico.

Suot al liiiS tilHc when SO many
fresh difficulties are springing up in
the Mexican situation, writes a United
Press correspondent from Galveston,
Texas. there are perhaps a few citizens
OF the nation who do not wonder how
well our army is prepared for actual
warfare-for 1t would be actual war
fare to try intervention in Mexico. The
United States army is now composed
Of approximately $1,000 officers and
enlisted men, of which number 10000
are on duty outside Of the United
States while the remaining 10000 are
at home stations, mostly on border
duty and at the large government posts.
One third Of the quickly available
standing army is now mobilized at
Galveston and Texas City while there
are scattered along the Texas border
many companies Of infantry and cav
airy. At Fort Sam Houston, the Sec
ond largest army post in the United
States, there is a brigade Of the Texas
National Guard, ready at a moments
notice. which numbers $4,000 men, The
entire second division Is mobilized
there and has been under canvas for
one year.
In case Of actual warfare approx
mately 10000 men can be Immediately
thrown into action in the field, accord
ing to figures obtained here. The mill
tia furnishes better fighters than vol
unteers but the militiamen cannot
be counted regulars for It would re-
quire perhaps three months to get them
in proper fighting trim. That section
Of the regular army mustered at Gal
weston now Is in the finest kind Of
fighting condition. Living in the open,
under canvas, for one year the officers
and men have faced summer heat and
winter cold alike and are hardened to
the maximum point, while tedious and
brilliant maneuvers that are constantly
being held have kept all Of the battal-
ions on their toes until they are UP to
the latest war tactics. Every effort Of
the generals and commanders here
during these maneuvers has been di-
rected toward simplification, efficiency
and effectiveness and perhaps there is
nowhere. in the world today a better
trained and more alert army division
than that now here. lie
Great advances have been made by
army officials. For instance the rife
now in use has a range Of 1850 yards.
more than one and one-half miles, and
1t has the necessary wind ranges for
various winds The militia, regular
infantrymen, and the navy have the
same style end model guns, whereas
during the Spanish-American war the
navy had one kind, the army another
kind and the militiamen were sup
piled with half dozen different model
and calibre guns. Various size car
tridges have to be supplied with a half
dozen different model and calibre guns
and one department could not use the
same ammunition as the other, re-
sulting in great amount Of confusion
which is now completely done away
with.
Our navy now has 9 modern battle
ships and old battleships, Is first
class cruisers, second class cruisers.
IA third class cruisers, q gunboats. 4s
destroyers, 80 torpedo boats and 36
submarines. The best part Of this force
would be quickly mobilized to effec-
lively blockade all Mexican ports. Sol
diers Of the regular army and the mil
itia have been given thorough practice
in handling and firing their rifles, the
amount Of rifle practice now given each
man being more than double what 1t
was few years ago, so that the men
are all familiar with their arms and
80 per cent Of them are good shots at
stationary and moving targets, for all
kinds of surprise firing have been late
ly introduced. The heaviest obtainable
type of automobile trucks that can
carry several tons Of provisions, arms,
ammunition, ETC., have added much to
the speed with which supplies, and con-
sequently troops can be moved over
land. These tracks are capable Of
making twenty miles per hour under
adverse conditions and over smooth,
level roads could possibly make 80
miles an hour If such speed were nee
essary. Motorcycles have been fur
nished members Of the aviation and
other squads which need to make quick
trips about the field or post, and these
have greatly shortened the time re-
quired for establishing wireless camps,
signal service camps and caring for
aviators and aeroplanes. So many au-
tomobiles trucks and motorcycles have
been already put into use that 1t Is GER
tain that in the event Of war with a
foreign country the automobile would
play a considerable part but the horse
and the mule would not be eliminated.
The army at present Is sadly lacking
in field artillery batteries, that being
its most striking deficiency, but on the
other hand the signal corps Is far In
advance Of other armies as here will
be found every one Of the very latest
discoveries in wireless telegraphy, tele-
phony and telegraphy as well as the
most serviceable instrumental and the
quickest possible sort Of method for
getting from one place to another, the
motorcycle. Our battleships along the
Gulf coast could effect a perfect block
ade Of every port within twenty-four
hours The troops now stationed here
and at other points in Texas could be
gotten to any section Of the Texas bor-
der within less than twenty-four hours
while those sent out from Mexican
gulf ports on the transports would
reach their destination anywhere from
thirty-six to sixty hours after embark
ing. The large army transports now
in Galveston harbor can accommodate
an average Of 5000 men each, carrying
on board rations for eighteen days and
they are already stored with these nee
essary rations. The men could be
safely on board and out Of port few
hours after orders for embarkation
were received.
On the whole, the land fighting force
of the United States today while some