Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-09-06

silently for the word OF command
Every mans teeth were set and his
eyes were as hard as the bayonet on
his musket. Screaming shells burst
over them. Suddenly the giant figure
of their colonel appeared at the left
He was mounted on a great white
charger and his bright sword flashed
above him.
Placing himself at the head of the
close formed line, he pointed toward
the enemy and rising in his stirrups
shouted:
"Charge!"
With a cheer the brlstling line swept
forward.
They used to do it that way-but
they don't any more. 1t looked we'll in
the paintings and sounded great in the
books. But under the intense modem
methods employed in scientific killing.
it would be the crassest folly. Worse
than that, it would be wholesale sui
eide
In battle no orders are given in
words. Above the din of war a man
cannot make himself heard 10 yards
away. 1t is all done by signals. The
captain has a shrill whistle like that
used by crossing policemen. Yon can
hear whistle above the rattle of the
heaviest rifle fire. He uses this to
attract attention when he is about to
give an order with signals or his arm
and hand.
No Longer Romance.
The romance of war is no more In
stead of inspiring words ending in the
ringing order, "Charge!" the modern
captain throws his line against the
enemy by giving an arm signal which
is exactly like the motion of a fireman
pulling a bell rope
Say that an army is about to attack
the enemy in an extended entrenshed
position.
All general orders are given before
the battle. 1t is too late when things
begin to happen. Each commander has
his "target'-his part of the opposing
line-Which he must crush. He knows
exactly what he must do before he goes
in. All he needs think about when the
shot begin to kick up the dust about
him, is to put through his part.
The regiment has it's target. It's
colonel cuts the objective line into
three parts-one for each battalion.
The major commanding the battalion
chops it up smaller-giving a section to
each of the four companies under him.
Your target" says the major to Cap
/ tain Smith. lis from that big boulder
to the cump of scrub oak
And that line from the rock to the
oak thicket is all the captain has to
worry about. This line is further brok-
en- up by the captain SO that each pa-
of hoe
enemy's trenches to center its fire on.
The order is given for the company to
deploy They don't do it with a jump
and cheer-they squirm along on their
bellies and they make no noise about 1t
because any little thing is likely to
attract the enemy's attention and draw
the fire on their company.
Corporals in First Line.
There are about three feet between
each man. The corporals are in the
first line with the men, each one COM
handing a squad of seven. Two squads
form a platoon. The two lieutenants
and sergeants each command a pla-
toon. They are stationed to the rear
of their commands. Back of them all
is the captain. With him is a sergeant
and two buglers-" musicians as army
men call them. The sergeant looks to
the rear to watch for signals from the
battalion commander; the captain look $
straight ahead. BY a system of arm
signals Captain Smith can move for
ward or backward any platoon or
squad.
There is no running up and down
the line waving his sword and encour-
aging the men. Every man of the COM
pany from Captain Smith to Private
Jones is lying flat on his quaking sto-
mach and trying to look as much like
a bit of stubble as he can.
The range is 1900 yards, shouts
the corporal.
By this Private Jones knows pre-
cisely how to adjust his sights.
The enemy has located the company
In the stnbble and terrible fire be-
gins. The field is raked with Benet-
MERCER quick firing guns as well as
the rifle fire of the entrenched army.
| The Benny" as it is called, shoots so
fast that it's reports are one prolonged
stream OF sound 1t fires COO shots a
minute You can sweep one of them
across a field of wheat and the bullets
shear off the stalks as evenly as though
mower had gone over it.
Private Jones and his comrades are
firing at will. They do not see the
enemy. They must kill off the oppos-
ing troopers without seeing what they
are shooting at. 1t is only your eX-
citable green soldiers that direct their
fire on a single man or visible group
of troops. Your veteran shoots at ev-
cry bush and clump of grass in the
range that has been given him, for he
knows that every bump on the fact of
the map is hiding a man who is intent
on trying to pick him off.
The fire grows very hot. Private
Jones feels something warm on his
face and wipes 1t off with the back of
his hand. 1t is blood from the throat
of Bill. whose place in the line was at
his right. Bill got his" through the
throat. The sight of him is enough to
freeze the heart
"Twe-e -e-e-e-e-e-et!" shrill the