El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-01
NOTES On Compulsory
~ y 9 Military Training
By Brig. Cen JOHN J. PERSHING, U. S. Army. Fort Bliss.

. able to afford, and Of seeing the
Ounur ~ravaged, u towns burnt,
the inhabitants plundered. abused,
murdered. with impunity from the
ause."
The war OF 1912 furnishe a littli
known and rarely mentioned chapter OF
the ineffectiveness and unreliability OF
unframed troops. Gen. HulTs surrender
in July. 1912. of his force of 1900 mer
to a smaller command of British and
indians without firing a shot caused
national humiliation. Equally dis
graceful was the insubOrdinate conduct
of 1000 Kentucky militia under Gen.
Hopkins which, after four days march
toward the enemy in October. 1912,
thought a prairie fire 10 be a ruse and,
ignoring the authority of their officers,
abandoned the enterprise. retraced
their steps IN ANONYMOUSLY dispersed
to their homes.
The second year OF the war was one
continuous succession of reverses. The
plan of attacking Montreal with two
columns, one under Wilkinson and the
other under Hampton with commands
5000 and 5000 strong, respectively, end
ed in the defeat Of the former by 500
British at Chrystler's Fields, and Of the
latter on the Chareaugay by 500 Cana
dian militia and indians, only 400 Of
whom were actually engaged. So 10, GOO
troops, unframed and u-ndiscipIined and
serving under incompetent officers.
went down to defeat before not more
than 1000 of the enemy, thus ending
all effort in the north for the rest of
hat year.
The conduct Of our troops during
that war was generally shameful. but
if its lessons are needed and IL a
study of the war should now result in
universal military training. the expert
ence will not have been in vain.
Tho failure 70 nnnn@aNewL ---.TA-
with unframed men was the same dur
ing the civil war. During the early
wave of patriotism caused by the out
break of the war the thousands of vol
unteers who offered their services were
not soldiers and were Of no use what
ever without training. Then was the
time trained men We're needed. After
the fall of Fort Sumter excitement ran
so high that 100000 men were hurriedly
mustered in without ever the REQUIRE
ment of a physical examination. They
were assembled in concentration camps
whence with little or no training they
were sent to the front only to be deci-
mated by disease or wasted helplessly
in battle.
Before the war had been IN progress
Is months voluntary enlistment had
proved so ineffective and so unsa{is-
factory that. when the city OF Wash
ington was threatened by the Confed-
crate army, the government. by execu-
tive order, escorted to socalied con
scription. Not having the force of law
order was a weak concession to the
fatal principle Of dependence upon
state governments. as the following ey-
clearly show.
THE governors Of the respective
states will proceed forthwith TO
furnish their respective quotas of
100000 militia called for by the
president. Aug. a.. 1862"
The governors of the respective
tates are hereby requested forth
with to designate rendezvous"
The governors Of the re-
spective states will cause enroll
ment to be made forthwith by the
assessors Of the several counties.
Of all able-bodied male cfti-
zens between the ages of is and
40. giving name, age. oc-
cupation. etc"
AS might have been expected. the eff
tort merely ended in a flasco. The gov
rnors Of states were under no Obliga-
ions to obey such orders. and herein
he theory upon which the system is
BASED is unsound.
As a result q regiments of volun-
GERS numbering only $1,000 men were I
permitted 10 enlist for nine months
Too undisciplined to be used /
n the campaign of that year their term .
# -ervice expired before they could be I
rained, although they had to be held
the winter and fed. clothed
nd paid just the same as trained
roops.
Thus it is that our history proves
exclusively that the volunteer system
-as always broken down completely
uring war.
CTo Be Continued Tomorrow) ]