The Little River news., 1916-02-23


 many people had mistaken for ade- quate preparedness. We shall sec from this strugrle how costly was our lack Of Hi e,aclcnt military pG 4E=T.
 Great Britain had in Canada at the declaration of war 4,JOO effective troops; our standing army was CHA strong. and widely scattered. Con- eress had authorized an army of 35,O0O six months before. but the measure did not succeed. We were unable therefore to take advantage of the en- emy's weakness. Adequately prepared we could have ended the war in one campaign of six months against 50 small force. In theory and i'll legis lative action we had abundant troops. but in reality we had nothing.
 Mutiny of Troops.
 At the outset the Governors of Mas sachusettS and of Connecticut refused to supply their quota of troops and failed because the militia that did re- port were without discipline and were determined not to leave the country.
 They ingoriously surrendered at De- troit; ,O0O suddenly broke into panic at the sight of prairie fire in the West and rushed home in disorder, and Gen. William Henry Harrison's army of 10000 was ineffective and rebellious.
 On the Niagara frontier few regu- lars and militia crossed to Queenstown, drove the British out and later lost the battle because the rest of the militia men refused to go out of the stats.
 X second army" was collected at the Niagara frontier, but it too broke up in disorder. excepting the regulars who retired to winter quarters.
 In this year we had 65,OOO "soldiers'' under pay. while the British had but 1900 men ill upper Canada. The Amer ican loss in killed. wounded and pris- oncrs in the various actions of the yeer was about 2,30O. almost two victims for every one of the enemy in upper Canada!
 The disgraccful failures at the be- ginning of the war were added to and eliminated in the capture and the burning of the capitol at Washington ill 1S14. after a force of militia, sup posed from it's numbers to be adequate. had fled before the invaders
 Navy Rational Institution.
 The brilliant success i'll this war of our forces on the sea is no part of this story of the nations military pol icy, The navy succeeded because it's mn tcD I,.I tut toI to the states. nor had the government depended upon q "hasty pudding" ar engagement on sea ;is had been done i.l military matters.
 All the mistakes of the Revolution had been repeated and new mistakes were made ill the conduct of the strug- gle in 1872
 Civilian judgment in military mat ters had once more prolonged Il war, lost an opportunity to gain Canada. and ienorantly sent many men to their deaths
 Throughout the war of 1872 We em- oloyed from beginning to end 527.G54 troops to cope with the enemy's force of less than 1G.5OO men for two and half years,
 The Mexican War.
 In striking contrast to all this was the splendid series of successive victo- ries in the Mexican War. ending with the capture of Mexico City.
 Of the many conditions entering into the success of the Mexican War two alone are pertinent. We were better prepared and we had gradually aban dOned the militia system which up to that time had been regarded as tht. great bulwark of national defense.
 In the War of 1912 only 10 per cent. of our forces were regulars, while in the Mexican War thirty per cent. of our forces were regulars.
 ''1n one war;" says Upton comparing 1872 and the Mexican War "an army of more than COCO raw troops posted in defense of our own capital fed with loss of but 10 killed and wounded; in the other Il force of less than 5.OOu trained volunteers supported by few regular troops overthrow Mexican army of four times it's mum ber.''
 "ln the War of 1912 the combined force of regulars and volunteers who service was but F per cent; in the Mexican War the combined force who had seen more than 12 months of serv ice was S8 per cent
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